If we just met on the street, we probably talked. Thank you for your time. Something in that moment held my attention, and I wanted to keep it.
I like people, and I like looking at them. Everyday life, real emotion and the people in it are part of the world, and I want to observe them with respect. For me, the contact with the people I photograph is part of the joy.
That is why I photograph in the open: close, visible, with a camera that is obviously a camera. I do not use long lenses or hidden cameras. That is my choice for myself, not a rule for anyone else. In most cases I speak with the people I photograph, before or after.
What interests me is not exposure, ridicule or sensation, but small human moments: a gesture, a routine, a fragment of attention. to me, they seem brief and easily missed, yet they show how much we resemble each other. When it works, the image reminds us of ourselves.
Cameras now hide in glasses, phones and doorbells, and I notice how much of ordinary life is recorded without anyone knowing. When I am the one photographing, I want to be seen as a person, not as a device. So I stay visible and approachable.
I know that publishing a photograph of someone is never neutral. What I can offer is accountability: a person behind the camera who is present, responsible for the image, and can be spoken to. When I cannot speak with someone, I only publish images I find respectful. If you recognise yourself here and would rather not be, tell me and I will take the photograph down.
My intention is not to take a photograph, but to give attention.
Can we be seen as humans, and not as data?