Senftleben received photographic training and initially worked as a camera assistant and subordinate cameraman in film. He had been chief operator since 1957 and worked several times for American clients from 1960 onwards. He was usually consulted for relatively ambitious projects, including
Rainer Erler's
Seelenwanderung (1962).
Towards the end of the 1960s, Senftleben founded his own production company GSF in Vaterstetten. With her he mainly produced documentaries for television.