Maximilian Mann (b. 1992) is a German photographer. He holds a BA in photography from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Dortmund. Max is a documentary and portrait photographer who focuses on stories about society, social and ecological chances. He is also a founding member of DOCKS collective.
Below, he talked to us about his inspirations and career:
I think the global climate crisis is one of the biggest problems of my generation. I think photography can be a powerful way to draw attention to it. In the last few years, I've been looking at the consequences in different countries like Iran and Mongolia. Right now, I'm working about the climate crisis in Germany. Because climate change has also arrived here in Central Europe.
I would describe myself as a documentary photographer. It is important to me to draw attention to major social issues and changes with a journalistic approach. But of course, my photography is also subjective and also has a lot to do with my view of the world. So, it is always a personal reflection with the topics.
Yes. Together with a colleague from DOCKS Collective, Arne Piepke, I photographed a project about the psychological effects during the so-called “second Lockdown" in Germany. We followed up on questions such as: How do people endure such circumstances during this dark winter season? And how do people cope with having fewer social contacts?
Yes, there are big challenges. I could not continue photographing some projects and many exhibitions have been canceled. I always like to be on the road and do things, being at home a lot is hard for me. So the Covid Project about the second "Lockdown" was also important for me personally. Talking to many people for the project about the current hardships and concerns was a valuable experience for me as well.
I still want to continue working on the Covid Project "the longest night" together with my colleague Arne Piepke. And also for my project about the climate crisis in Germany I want to continue working in the next months. So it goes on, I'm looking forward to it.
