A photographer should be able to tell a story with a single image. This is the pursuit that has pushed me to travel the world searching for enlightening stories to share. Beyond the quest of capturing original and unique images, photography is, for me, a way to discover, meet and understand people.
To tell a powerful story with a picture, it is important to be physically close to your subject. This is why I very often shoot the main character at arm’s length with a wide angle lens. This style of photography both includes the subject in its environment and brings the viewer into the action. It also encourages a closer connection between photographer and subject.
In the end, the image takes second stage to the human connection achieved. Photography pushes us towards the unknown, bridging a connection with strangers whose culture and circumstances we may otherwise have never explored. My years of travel photography have piqued my curiosity about the world’s cultures, and have opened my eyes and mind to the perspectives and lives of its inhabitants.
Of course, there is no requirement that photographic encounters depict far- away lands or unfamiliar cultures. The most transcendent stories are very often close to home and these can make for the most memorable experiences.
A native of France who has lived and worked in New York since 1986, Didier Vanderperre has been photographing for over 30 years. His desire to photograph places off the beaten track has taken him to remote and less-traveled places areas of Indo-China and East Asia: Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Xinjiang and more importantly Myanmar.