Bamberger, Dietlinde

Dietlinde Bamberger, Hannover, Germany

Born in 1969 in Hartenrod, Germany. Studied Translation at the Universities of Hildesheim, Barcelona and El Paso, Texas. Lives and works in Hannover, Germany. Autodidact in photography, regularly visits photography classes and workshops, e.g. Frankfurt Fotografie Forum Summer Academy and Leica Akademie.

Shadows in an Antique Shop in Wuerzburg

Very often it is still expected that a photograph shows things straight-on, “as they really are”. In one way my pictures that could be grouped under the heading “semi-transparent” do this because they depict an actual situation and are not altered afterwards. On the other hand they play with this perception because the main motif is covered partly or fully by opaque semitransparent materials – glass, a curtain or protective fabric. It is shown shadow-like or sometimes only the shadow is shown. Something that is concealed sparks the curiosity of wanting to find out what is behind and “what it really looks like”; like the irresistible urge to peek through a knothole in a board fence. Usually, this is not even rewarding because there is nothing spectacular to find out – the façade just hides the ordinariness. But it prompts us to make an effort to see, to find an image.