A venerable theatre atmosphere. A dark, sprawling room. Prominent guests, high tension — and a photographer who has to stay discreet and capture the decisive moments at the same time.
Since 2015 I have been accompanying the Marion Dönhoff Prize ceremony for Die ZEIT and ZEIT Veranstaltungen. Over eleven years I have documented backstage, ceremony, laudation and reception — a recurring task that demands fresh concentration each year.
The biggest challenge is the simultaneity of the demands. On the one hand discretion: keep quiet, move carefully, disturb no one — the atmosphere of a theatre allows no haste. On the other hand the schedule: be at the right place at the right time to photograph the ceremony at the decisive moment.
And in parallel, capture the atmosphere — which in a theatre with long, winding corridors is anything but trivial. Five floors up, all the way around the outside, then back again. On an assignment of this scale, ten kilometres of walking pile up easily over three hours. The tension is high, the physical demands are too.
What carries the collaboration with Die ZEIT through eleven years is trust. Trust that the images that are needed will be delivered — at the right moment, in the right selection. Trust that discretion around prominent guests will be preserved: what is acceptable, how close can you get, when is a photograph wanted, when not. Trust, finally, that the building with all its winding corridors is familiar — and that during the shoot itself the first images are already on their way to social media.
Over three hours, ten kilometres of walking pile up easily. The tension is high — and at the same time everything has to stay quiet.
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