Uwe Ommer
Bio
It is the love of nature and animals that brings him to photography. With a small simple device brand « Braun », he goes on a hunt for birds. Alas, without much success! But it is a photo of children playing football, which won the 1st prize of the prestigious contest « Deutscher Jugendphotopreis » 1962 (proposed by the gallery) which marks the real beginning of his immense career. At his majority, he decides to spend a year in Paris. Assistant week, he spends his weekends photograhier passers-by Mouffetard Street, his neighborhood. The result, about fifty « stolen » portraits exposed to the « Galerie de la Mouffe » in 1965. Become a photographer on his own, he landed an advertising job for Charles Jourdan, a collaboration that installs it. He began publishing books, including « Uwe Ommer, Erotic Photographs » at Taschen. In 1983, he made the images of the Pirelli calendar in the Bahamas. In 1986 appeared « Black Ladies », enriched by the preface and poems of Léopold Sedar Senghor. Followed in 1995 of « Black Ladies 2 » and « Asian Ladies » in 2000. A meal at the end of 1995 changes his life. While dining in a neighborhood restaurant, he observes seated groups and suddenly is born this crazy idea to photograph the families … of the whole world! It comes out with the paper tablecloth with notes, sketches and … various sauces! Everything is there: the white background, the lighting, the necessary time, the means of transport … 4 years and 250,000 kilometers of roads later, in 2000, the « 1000 Families » are exhibited for the first time in Cologne. The book « 1000 Families » is published by Taschen In 2010 he goes back on the road and photographs 300 families with their teenagers in 40 European countries « Families of Teens », a European project through outdoor exhibitions, get to know our European neighbors.