Visit the exhibition of portrait photographs taken by our Community members
10/12/2021
Translation: Eva Francis
The 100 best black-and-white portraits taken by the digitec Community are on display on the walls of the Photobastei in Zurich until 19 December 2021. Don't miss this special event.
It's well worth climbing three flights of stairs to reach the «Rohformat» exhibition at Photobastei in Zurich. Three floors up, you'll feel like you're in your own living room. Heavy leather sofas, velvety armchairs and old Persian carpets invite you to recover from the climb. The photographs are displayed in three exhibition rooms, leading you past the bar. Grab a drink, if you fancy, and admire the black-and-white portraits taken by our digitec Community members.
In the footsteps of photographer Peter Lindbergh
A cowboy and an old sailor (jobs not confirmed) smile gently in opposite directions, while a man is sinking into a bathtub in the room next to them. These are just three examples of 100 very different photographs that we received after our photographer Thomas Kunz and video producer Armin Tobler asked you to «send us your most beautiful black and white portrait photographs». Over 1,400 shots were sent in. Driven by their short documentary «Rohformat», in which Tom followed the footsteps of Peter Lindbergh, they wanted to see your photography skills. Now they know: you are very talented.
Peter Lindbergh was a German photographer who was best known for his authentic black and white portraits of models, musicians and actresses. The four-member digitec jury also looked for this authenticity among the many photos that were submitted. 100 were chosen to be exhibited in one of three rooms at Photobastei Zurich. One room is devoted to reportage portraits, one to photos taken with studio lighting, and one to shots taken in natural light.
Three photographs stand out for their size alone: the three winning images chosen by Stefan Rappo, former assistant to Peter Lindbergh, from all 100 images at the exhibition. The picture below shows Paolo Hummel collect his third-place prize and talk about the story behind the picture of the woman with half-closed eyes: «It was in St. Petersburg. She’s a Russian newcomer model and there wasn’t makeup nor communication.»
Where is Billy Bühler?
Second place goes to Billy Bühler and his reportage portrait. Unfortunately, I can’t say more about his photograph, as we couldn’t find Billy. There are already speculations about who he is and why he didn’t respond. Has the fame gone to his head? Did he eat something bad? Is Billy Bühler the pseudonym of Thomas Kunz? I’m waiting for your answer, Billy.
Who was the winner of the competition? Sabrina Züger. She won with a photograph she took of her youngest son, who didn’t want his photo to be taken at all, as she told us in a WhatsApp call. This mood won over jury member Stefan Rappo. If only that happened more often in real life.
The Rohformat photo exhibition of the digitec Community takes place until 19 December 20021 at Photobastei, Sihlquai 125, 8005 Zurich.
My life in a nutshell? On a quest to broaden my horizon. I love discovering and learning new skills and I see a chance to experience something new in everything – be it travelling, reading, cooking, movies or DIY.
