Annual-Report-2024 - Flipbook - Page 106
Sketches of Science
The Opportunity of a Blank Page
The photo project “Sketches of Science” started as an idea, like most things. It wasn’t
a spontaneous idea, rather it had been simmering with science photographer Volker
Steger for some time before he turned it into reality. Here, he relates his simple
yet profound strategy for capturing the diverse personalities of the Laureates and
their Nobel Prize-winning concepts.
It is indeed interesting to get to know a person a little
through traditional portrait photography. If it is done well,
we see individuality, character, and personality. We can
find a person likeable or not. And of course, this works just
as well with Nobel Laureates as it does with other people.
And yet – a Nobel Laureate is no celebrity (with very
few, mostly historical exceptions), but primarily a scientist who has won an award for his or her research. We are
interested in these persons because of the discoveries
they made.
Visiting a Laureate’s lab with a camera brings you
closer to their research. You may want to take a photograph of a Nobel Laureate in front of a complex instrument. There are great examples of this genre and many
poor ones. One problem is that the technical equipment
becomes simply a “scientific” backdrop and doesn’t really
convey very much. As a part of a larger feature in a
magazine, this is fine.
Sketches of Science is different. I aim to portray a
Nobel Laureate’s personal side and to give the viewer the
opportunity to get an idea of the concept that won them
the prize – in a single image!
104 | Reaching out to Society
There are two ways of visualizing scientific concepts
graphically: by writing and by drawing. When done by
hand, both become very individual and personal. And
more often spontaneous. A quick sketch is not a slide
presentation. It is often better.
Both the sheet of paper I ask the Laureates to sketch
on and my photo backdrop are plain white and empty.
Anyone who has ever faced a blank page knows that this
is both a challenge and an opportunity.
Sketches of Science provides a canvas for the participants, not much else. I try to leave it to the Nobel Laureates to fill it. This applies not only to the sketch but
also to the subsequent photography. There is no fuss,
no elaborate staging or posing – unless a participant
explicitly asks for it. I try to create a relaxed and easy
atmosphere, both for the sketching and the actual photo
session that follows. I like to think of my white backdrop
as a “stage”, and I see the photo session as an engaging,
cooperative project – fun is strictly permitted!
