Uwe Ommer

Born in 1943 in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, Uwe Ommer developed a fascination with photography at a young age. At 14, he received his first camera, and with the limited resources at his disposal, he eagerly began experimenting. Before long, Ommer was working as a press photographer for local publishers. In 1962, Ommer won the "Deutscher Jugend Photo Preis" at the Photokina event, and the following year he moved to Paris, where he opened his own photo studio in 1966 at the age of 23. Ommer quickly garnered acclaim for his work, which was exhibited in numerous galleries, and in 1979, a book documenting his life and work was published. In 1995, Ommer decided to take a bold new direction in his career. For years, he had been planning an ambitious project: capturing diverse families from all walks of life on every continent around the world, right before the turn of the millennium. Ommer took on this project as a personal challenge, setting off with a Land Rover, Rolleiflex camera, portable studio, maps, and an assistant. Over the next four years, he traveled to 150 countries, interviewing and photographing more than 1,000 families. By the time he returned to Paris in 2000, he had compiled an immense collection of 1,251 photos that captured "family" in all its diversity and current forms. His dream became a monumental tribute to the universal family, illustrating that despite differences in culture, geography, language, or religion, family remains one of humanity’s most remarkable and universally shared institutions. Taschen published Ommer's monumental work in a book titled *1000 Families* in 2000, and since then, the "1000 Families" exhibition has toured globally, winning praise for the project’s impressive scale, the beauty of the photos, and the palpable sense of universal family bonds. In 2002, Ommer was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society in recognition of his impactful body of work. In late 2007, Ommer surprised the art world once again with a new project titled *Do it Yourself.* For this project, Ommer armed female participants with cameras and basic technical guidance, inviting them to photograph themselves as they wished, free from the voyeuristic gaze of a photographer. Ommer served only as a "ghost photographer," assisting with lighting and setup. This approach allowed the models to express themselves as they wanted, whether sexy and daring, romantic, or simply authentically themselves. The extensive project resulted in portraits showcasing highly diverse personalities, including students, artists, actresses, stylists, dancers, models, musicians, teachers, and many more. Taschen published the resulting work, offering viewers a rare glimpse into how everyday women see themselves—or how they wish to be seen. The portraits from Ommer's *Do it Yourself* project have since been celebrated in exhibitions at prestigious fairs and galleries across Europe.