Bettina's dark room

The young women in Bettina von Zwehl's single portrait photographs each hold the same pose. Seated in front of a neutral backdrop, their arms are casually folded. Each wears a white vest, eyes downcast, as if waiting or contemplating.

They're actually listening to a ten-minute piece of music, entitled Fur Alina, by Estonian composer Arvo Port. Though the room looks harshly lit, they are sitting in the dark. It is while they are absorbed in the music that von Zwehl activates her flash - but, of course, you won't know this by just looking at the photographs.

Previously, Von Zwehl has taken pictures of subjects as they wake, while holding their breath, and as they recover from physical exertion. Each is an attempt to escape the self-determined pose associated with portraits.

This provokes other questions. Who controls the image? And is this ultimately outside both the sitter and photographer's control?

Whatever answers you have, you can't help comparisons with stronger photographers working in this style of 'neutral' portraiture, such as fellow German Thomas Ruff, or Dutch photographer Rineka Dijkstra, who, like von Zwehl, also take pictures of young women on the fragile cusp of maturity.