Max Zerrahn, Snake Legs 蛇足

Tokyo, Japan

Please introduce yourself: What is your name, where are you from, what do you do?

My name is Max Zerrahn, I'm from Wiesbaden originally but have lived in Berlin since 2002. I work as a freelance photographer and while the images in Snake Legs mainly consist of anonymous observations within the cityscape, the majority of my professional work actually deals with taking pictures of people, mostly from the cultural field, portraits of authors, musicians, film and theater people, architects and the likes.

What is your relationship with photography and how did you get into it?

I'm self-taught. I have always had a strong interest in photography, even when I was younger and still lived with my parents. I had a small black and white darkroom at their house and was experimenting (and mostly failing) with an old camera my dad gave me. After I finished school I started doing an internship at a small film production company in my hometown and a few weeks later they offered me to stick around for an apprenticeship that lasted almost three years.

At the same time I was strongly involved in the music scene, organizing concerts, playing in bands and running a small independent record label with some friends. I guess it went from photography to film to music and back again.

What do you think triggers you to photograph in a certain moment? Is it planned or solely driven by intuition?

I would say it is mostly driven by intuition. When shooting for clients, of course I try to go into the shoot with a sense of what it is that I want to do, but at the same time I'm finding it tremendously important to stay flexible and to ‹go with the flow›.

I mostly work with available light or just a small camera flash, that way I won't be tied down to a specific spot and I can keep moving which allows for things and situations to evolve in a more natural way. I think it is important to make room for those ‹happy accident› that make photography—the way I see it—interesting.

What is the story you want your pictures to tell?

I don't typically approach taking photographs with a set agenda or even an actual audience in mind. In many ways, it is a very selfish process on first instant. Taking pictures can be hard and frustrating at times. Until something happens that triggers my attention: a funny gesture, an interesting color, a shadow, something weird and unexpected. Whether or not that ‹something› still holds up after the fact, needs to be evaluated later by myself while editing, and by the viewer while looking at the image.

Which city would you like to visit the most, and why?

I would love to go back to Morocco, possibly Marrakech or Tangier or Fès; or Eastern Europe; or Athens. Basically any place that still holds a strong regional identity and hasn't entirely sold out to international flagship stores and Starbucks.

What is your personal relationship to cities and how do you perceive them as places in general?

Cities are difficult. And great. Ideally they offer room and opportunity for people of different cultures, interests and orientations to find their niche and community; a thing that can be difficult to achieve in more rural areas.

On the other hand they are too expensive, too polluted, too dense, too fucked up in many places. Either way, it is endlessly fascinating to see cities evolve and grow and I would never not want to live in a big city. But never underestimate a weekend on the countryside!

Regarding your project Snake Legs 蛇足: What was your intention, and how did you come up with the idea?

When I went to Japan for the first time in April 2019, it felt quite overwhelming, visually. For the first few days I took photos of just about everything: the temples, the neon lights, Shibuya crossing and every other exotique Japan-clichée you can think of. 

However, as time went on, I started to move away from the main streets and major sites and found myself walking in more residential areas and endless back-alleys. Just wandering aimlessly. There is a quote from Chris Marker's film Sans Soleil from 1983, that I have had stuck in my head for the last few years. In the movie, a female narrator reads from letters supposedly sent to her by the (fictitious) cameraman Sandor Krasna, he writes: «I've been round the world several times and now only banality still interests me.» 

I found that to be very true in regards to the way I view a place when exploring it photographically. It's the little things, the traces, things left behind, funny details that catch my attention and facilitate a new entrance point to experiencing a foreign place, away from the obvious exoticism.

What is that «one thing» you have never managed to photograph and is now gone for good?

I don't think there's that «one thing» for me. Just in general, I wish I had taken more photographs when I was younger, just shooting friends, family, whatever. When I was in my teens and twenties it was pre-digital days and film and printing were expensive, so there are numerous trips and occasions that went mostly undocumented. Just funny moments and friend's baby faces I wish I had captured more frequently.

What do you prefer saying: «to take a photograph» or to «make a photograph», and why?

I prefer «to take a photograph». I like the idea that a photograph represents a slice of time that isn't fully controlled.

What is the most interesting experience you have had while photographing?

Taking photographs changes the way I interact with my surroundings and other people. It makes me see things differently. I can walk down the street or I can walk down the street in ‹photo-mode›. Photography puts me in all kinds of situations I would usually never experience, apart from the visual aspect. That's what I love about it, more than anything.

What are you currently working on, and—if there is—what is your next project or journey?

Not sure yet. But having spent the past six months working on Snake Legs, my first long-form book-project, really changed something in the way I think about photography these days. I'm endlessly fascinated by the format and would love to explore its possibilities further. Let's see.

Thank you, Max!

Editorial Notes:

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Photography: Max Zerrahn (2020)
Location: Tokyo, Japan

Links: Website, Instagram, 蛇足 (Snake Legs)

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