US BETWEEN

LEICA Q

Payman Hazheer

US BETWEEN

The street is his habitat: whether participants of the Black Lives Matter movement, a homeless person, or a pedestrian on the streets of Stockholm – Hazheer’s camera is an instrument that turns strangers into familiar faces.

Hazheer’s work is defined by intimate portraits that convey silent messages to the viewer. He describes the moment when he takes the pictures as very emotional

“My experience is that shy eyes have more to say. I like to think that they carry so much emotion that they can’t hold back once you interact. I think shy people are the most beautiful to photograph”

“Photography has changed my perception of beauty, which is different from the norm that society forces upon us. Above all, it has taught me to respect and interact with all types of people, regardless of their situation”

“Music is instrumental to my process,” the photographer says. “I use music to help me shape visions or images that I want to portray, and I search for subjects that can help me bring it to life”

Hazheer approaches his subjects by telling them what caught his attention, rather than just asking to take a picture. “To gain trust you have to be open and meet people at their energy level,” he explains

LFI: What motivates and fascinates you about photography? Payman Hazheer: I think photography is such a powerful, beautiful and important tool. Just the fact that photography enables you to revisit moments that are gone forever is such a beautiful thing. This is what motivates me to always put myself in front of people or situations, and to capture moments that people can experience and connect with.

Could you describe your first steps into portrait photography? It was not until I left my small hometown in the northern part of Sweden to study journalism in Washington DC. It was the first time I met with and talked to homeless people, and one thing I learned was that they all had a normal life, but at some point something tragic happened to them. This new knowledge had a huge impact on me, and so I started to take their portraits and tell people their stories.

Could you tell us what types of people attract your attention? I’m constantly looking for eyes and how they behave, because they tell me something about the person. It also gives me a preview of what kind of expressions I will be able to portray. My experience is that shy eyes have more to say. I like to think that they carry so much emotion that they can’t hold back once you interact. I think shy people are the most beautiful to photograph. You don’t take a shy person’s portrait: he or she is taking it for you.

How do you connect with people you want to photograph? For me it is instrumental to create a moment of trust, and to gain trust you have to be open and meet people at their energy level. Instead of just asking to take a picture, I often approach my subjects by telling them what caught my attention, whether it was their eyes or the expression on their face, and what story I would like to portray. This way I let the subject be part of creating their story.

What do you think, does your work have any political connotations? I find satisfaction in photographs that create a connection that makes you look at different subjects through a new lens, and hopefully eliminate prejudices – whether it’s about homelessness, social injustice or religion. So I guess for some my photos are very political, and for others not at all, depending on who the viewer is and what his or her values are.

What was working with the Q2 like? I didn’t grow up with film cameras or manual focus, so the Q2 was a natural step into the world of Leica. Having a small camera, with such great rendering, is perfect, because I can carry it with me everywhere without having to compromise on the image quality. In addition, having only a fixed, wideangle 28mm lens really encouraged me to be creative and to develop my imagery by focussing more on my compositions. I think shooting with a Leica camera has taught me the value of simplicity as well as being very aware and in the moment. My imagery is divided between before and after I started using Leica cameras.

What is the most important thing that photography has taught you? Photography has taught me to see more, and to appreciate the simple things around me that many don’t pay attention to. I think it has changed my perception of beauty, which is very different from the norm that society forces upon us. Most importantly, it has taught me to respect and interact with all types of people, regardless of their situation. I think taking photos of people and being very aware of who you are portraying will bring you more perspectives in your daily life. I think that is one of the reasons why people who are genuinely interested in photography are, in general, very open minded and inclusive.

INTERVIEW: DANILO RÖSSGER

PAYMAN HAZHEER

The Swedish photographer, based out of Stockholm, focuses on street portraits and photo journalism. His work has been published in various Swedish magazines, and he has been promoted by Fotografisca, the museum of photography in Stockholm. Payman Hazheer combines his photography with running one of the largest Scandinavian design firms, with offices in Stockholm, Paris, and Amsterdam.

PAYMANNEN.COM LFI-ONLINE.DE/BLOG:

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EQUIPMENT: Leica Q2, Summilux 28 f/1.7 Asph

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