Mr. Pirker moved from Carinthia, his birthplace, to Bad Ausee in 1952. Inspired by the beauty that surrounded him there, he started to capture it on film in 1953.

We are truly grateful for his participation in our web site and we hope that by exposing a wider audience to his books we can aid him in his quest to bring the beauty of this world to as many people as possible.

A genius behind the camera lens and driven by a never-ending pursuit to capture the beauty surrounding him, as of 2004 Mr. Pirker has published a total of ten books, seven books in cooperation with the publisher 'Pinguin Verlag'. He has also been invited to participate in the creation of many other books, magazines and calendars.

Highlights among his books (with titles translated into English) are "Impressions of Salzburg", "Impressions of Prague", "Impressions of Tuscany", "Impressions of Budapest" and "Impressions of South Tyrol". In his latest works, "Beloved Land - Styrian Salzkammergut" and "In the Heart of Austria - The Salzkammergut", he focuses on the region around Salzburg. Both books are filled with poetic and touching words by famous writers such as Alfred Komarek and Jessica Jarosch.

For those who do not speak German, the value of the books lies mostly in the breathtaking photos. Even if you are not able to understand the comments sprinkled throughout the books, the pictures will touch your heart and open your eyes to the magnificent beauty of this world.

What Herbert Pirker shares with the authors of this website is the desire to find beauty in this world, catch a divine glimpse and share it with as many people as possible. We want to let people not fortunate enough to be surrounded by this beauty to see and experience the wonder of the world and to open the eyes of those who are surrounded by this scenery but have taken it for grantedin their daily lives.

In this quest Herbert Pirker has succeeded like hardly anyone else has, and there is poetry and harmony in his pictures that will touch anybody who is willing to open their hearts to it.

Regions like the Salzkammergut offer so much beauty that even moderately gifted photographers can get nice results. But what makes Mr. Pirker so outstanding is his ability to wait for the right moment, to find the right light, the right angle and capture something on film that would otherwise have been just a fleeting moment in the course of this world. By collecting these unique moments of divine beauty he accomplishes something extraordinary. Like great composers who are in touch with higher realms, drawing music from elsewhere to share them with people who would otherwise be deaf to them, Herbert Pirker has the gift of capturing the visions that surround him so that they can be shared with anyone who wishes to see through his eyes and his soul. His rare gift of seeing beyond the obvious makes his books so outstanding and unique.

Here is a translation of the cover text from the book "Im Herzen Oesterreichs - das Salzkammergut"

But now it is time to let Mr. Pirker's pictures speak for themselves. Take your time, come back here often and immerse yourself in the beauty he has captured.

And if you want to buy any of Mr. Pirker's marvelous books please email us and we will try to help you.