Puchner was born and raised in Mistelbach an der Zaya, Lower Austria, on 15 March 1952. In 1967, he relocated to Vienna to attend photography classes at the Höhere Graphische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt (Higher Federal Institution for Graphic Education and Research).[2] After completing his studies in 1974, Puchner taught photography at HGBLuVA for a short period.
Since 1978, Puchner has worked as a freelance photographer and writer based in Vienna.[3] He later pursued studies in various social and life sciences, including philosophy and sociology, and obtained a master's degree in philosophy, though it is unknown from which educational institution. During the 1980s, he delivered numerous lectures on private photography at universities, museums, and galleries.
Starting in 1989, Puchner has worked regularly for the Wiener Zeitung, an Austrian newspaper.[4]
Photography projects
For one of Puchner's projects, a children's picture book titled, "Penguins – Traveling the World",[5] he traveled with a pair of penguin statues, "Joe and Sally", taking them to tourist sites—including the sea, the desert, New York, Sydney, Paris, Venice, Tokyo, Honolulu, Rome, and Cairo—to photograph them there.
Other Puchner projects have centered on portraits of elderly subjects: "Die 90-jährigen" (At the Age of 90), "Dialog mit dem Alter" (Dialogue with the High Age), "Die 100-jährigen" (At the Age of 100), "Lebensgeschichte und Fotografie" (Oral History and Photography), and "Liebe im Alter" (Love at High Age).
Overall, Puncher has held over 30 different exhibitions worldwide on the subject of photography, and over 20 different printed projects, including children's picture books and various photo sets, featuring his photography work. The editions for these printed projects are available in English and German.
