SWITZERLAND ISSUE 590 Apr 2016

As a child he wanted to be a fireman; as a teenager he tried his hand at becoming a chef. But at the age of 18, Oliver Nanzig realised that his true life's passion was photography. From 1991 to 1995, he was able to gain an excellent insight into the profession thanks to an apprenticeship, and has been self-employed ever since. He has worked at the studio and workspace on Cramerstrasse 15 in Zurich's district Kreis 4 since 2005 – predominantly for advertising agencies, but also for editorial and private clients.

During this time, the photographer – who spent part of his childhood in the warm climes of Indonesia – was drawn to sunny Los Angeles. During his three-year time out there, he was inspired not by the sun, but by artificial light. His night-time rambles gave rise to the 17-part series "Night Drive", which he subsequently presented at an exhibition in 2012.

Nanzig loves to photograph stationary objects that move and people who tell a story without words – whose stories are only written later, edited on a computer screen.