His social studies and a ten years working experience as socialworker are decisive for his photographic approach. Before he started working as a photographer, he studied photography at the Hamburg School of Fine Arts under Prof. Kilian Breier.
The photographic reports about the street and railway station children in Eastern Europe and in Asia, about the highly talented young musicians and ballerinas as well as about child navy cadets in St.Petersburg and also about young boxers in Kiev are part of a comprehensive body of work on adolescence.
Peter Dammann’s photographs often form an integral part of NGOs projects. From 2002 to 2004 he has photographed in psychiatric clinics in Romania and Switzerland. Since 2004 he has photographed the creation of a Palestinian youth orchestra in Ramallah. In April 2008 he has started to follow the music-project "El Sistema" in Venezuela.
Awards and Grants
2009
Medienpreis der Kindernothilfe, photos El Sistema in Venezuela
2008
1. Preis Lagois-Fotowettbewerb, Evangelischer Pressedienst Bayern, photos El Sistema
Grant of the "Verwertungsgesellschaft Bild und Kunst" to document El Sistema in Venezuela
2004
Grant from the Martha Pulvermacher Foundation to document the creation of a Palestinian youth orchestra in Ramallah, a project of the Barenboim-Said-Foundation.
Grant of the "Verwertungsgesellschaft Bild und Kunst" to document the life in a psychiatric-boarding school in Peterhof/Russia.
2002
Journalist-award from the Bundesministerium für Zusammenarbeit for a photogrpahic-essay about ecological rice-farmers in Sri Lanka.
Christoph Eckenstein Grant to produce a report about the football club Schachtjor Donetsk.
2001
Gabriel-Grüner-Grant to produce a photoprgahic-essay about the city of nuclear frame, Kosloduy/Bulgaria.
1999
Lead Awards 98, Photo-Essay of the year, for his series of pictures “Sailors” in mare, No. 4/97
1998
World Press Photo Award 1998, 2nd price, category: portrait
1994
Grant from the Patriotischen Gesellschaft von 1765 in Hamburg to document the life of street children in St. Petersburg.