Selfie
Project explores the tension between the photographer and the subject. In every portrait, the sitter tries to present an idealized version of themselves, while the photographer searches for something more revealing. Most portraits become a negotiation between these two intentions.
For this series, the author reversed that relationship and gave control to the subjects. Over several months, he photographed 70 politicians — members of the European Parliament — in a temporary studio set up in the corridors of its headquarters.
Each politician was invited to pose in front of a large-format camera and search for the moment in which they felt they were showing their fully public face. Holding the cable release in their own hand, they decided themselves when the image would be taken. Each person had only one chance to make the portrait.
The result is a series about performance, image-making, and the masks worn in public life.