Anders Petersen

Close distance - Swedish photographer Anders Petersen has, together with his mentor Christer Strömholm set a new standard and school for close-up, personal documentary photography. Considered one of Europe's most important documentary photographers, Petersen's black and white images, often taken off the fringes of society, all exhibit a characteristic warmth and respect. His more than 30 published books have become an important part of photographic history. His major breakthrough came in 1978 when the book Café Lehmitz was first published, and he has also photographed for extensive periods of time in prisons, mental asylums, and elderly care homes. Petersen has described his own style as “close distance”, where he gets close enough to his subject to get a reaction and then backs out to get a necessary distance.

Among Petersens many awards and nominations we find Photographer of the Year in 2003 by Arles International Photo festival, the jury’s special price at the International Photo festival in Lianzhou, China, Erich Salomon Award by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie in 2008.