Categories: Photography

“Please Don’t Smile:” Evocative Photographic Portraits by Malte Wandel

Photographer and filmmaker Malte Wandel hails from Munich, Germany, but has passed much of the last eight years of his life traveling several African countries. He spent time in South Africa, Mozambique, West Africa, Ghana, Togo, and Burkina Faso, photographing the style, beauty, and personality of the people he met in each locale. His work taken in Mozambique was published by Kehrer Art Books Heidelberg in 2012. More recently, he shared “Please Don’t Smile,” a collection of portraits he shot with just that direction. In the series, Wandel’s unsmiling subjects range from a young man with a wall clock bound to his leg to a girl standing before a fishnet that happens to match her bathing suit. Without a grin, the people in these images seem to focus their attention outward, as if they are looking back at the world, the photographer, and, at times, the viewer.

Recent Posts

Schindelhauer’s Wilhelm Gravel Bikes

The well-known Schindelhauer minimalist design and high-end engineering, now packed in a series of lightweight,…

The Chanoma Japanese Clay Teapot

An elegant collection that reimagines traditional Japanese clay teapots with a modern twist. Founded in…

Embedded House

A concrete, glass and wood house partly sunken into a hillside surrounded by pine forests…

Interno 5 by Archiplan Studio

A redesign project that creates the perfect synergy between antique details and contemporary elements. The…

The Olivia Chair

A graceful chair that keeps lightness, sturdiness and comfort in an elegant balance. Designed by…

Des Rapides Residence

A contemporary wood house that celebrates the beauty of the natural material, this dwelling features…

This website uses cookies.