Daniel Zimmer
daniel zimmer is a documentary photographer who deals with detecting human behaviours within their social and cultural context. It is a crucial aspect of his work to capture what people moves, their views and life philosophies. in building up a relationship with the people he portrays, he becomes sensible for the moments where they show, in an authentic way, who they are.
"touch screen: the moment when you look at yourself
reflecting on the mirror reflection
people,
looking at themselves. and i am looking at them from the other side,
hiding behind a mirrorglass window with my camera. complete silence
behind the window and outside the noise of live is passing by. out
there, in noord. i am participating. in a passive way. it happens
without me being present, neither as a person nor as a photographer. in
the intimacy of the moment, i am of no importance. i am not there while
they are there in a double sense, in that crucial moment of looking at
themselves.
i focus and shoot the picture. i keep on observing, i
trap people in this intimate moment of self reflection, a personal
revelation. mimics and body language reflect an emotional state. esspecially those meaningful eyes are confronting. for a second, when
they are looking in their own eyes, it seems as if they are looking
straight at me. it is a feeling as if i am allowed to come inside, to
share their look at themselves. sometimes a nasty glimpse from the
side. i actually do that secretely. and some people would definately
not appreciate what I am doing. but they do not have a choice.
the
look in the mirror. in first place it is checking out your face, your
styling, the emotional state you are in. the one does is secretely and
fast, the other does it with a straight look, taking his time. mostly
critical, severe. and then, it is a confrontation with yourself, an
honest interaction. for the moment, that’s the only thing that counts. everthing else happening around does not matter anymore. it’s all about
you. you and the other you. in perfect accordance. almost body contact. it seems authentic, real, pure, not set up, revealed.
from behind
the window i detect stories from live. people, in search of themselves. while taking those pictures I feel like a sponge absorbing their
selfreflection. but let’s not have a too deep look into the mirror,
that’s gonna drive us crazy." (artist's statement)
