Damion Berger

Photographer Damion Berger uses in-camera techniques to orchestrate his painterly photos. For instance, images of abstract forms floating on the horizon in the series “Vessels” (2011) are actually negative prints of overnight exposures of sailing yachts and cruise ships at rest. Although Berger uses Photoshop to achieve his desired outcomes, he insists he doesn’t manipulate images in ways that are not equally viable in the darkroom. His well-known book _In the Deep End _(Mets & Schilt, 2010) features dreamlike photographs taken mostly underwater at public swimming pools around the Mediterranean, evoking the carefree days of childhood. “People seem liberated and at once removed from any social reference as they float, dive, sink or swim through the water,” the publisher describes.