The Coincidence Project: 34 Unexpected And Amusing Combinations Captured By Denis Cherim (New Pics)

Bored Panda reached out to Denis, who kindly answered our questions.

First of all, he told us more about himself and his background. “I’m a self-taught photographer from Romania, but I’ve never really stayed in one place for too long. My family moved to Istanbul when I was young, and that experience sparked my love for exploring different cultures. Later, we settled in Spain, and Madrid has been home ever since. Along the way, I’ve lived in cities like Bucharest, Sofia, London, Kaohsiung, and Berlin—each one leaving a mark on how I see the world. 

Recently, I made a change. I left the city for the countryside, looking for something I couldn’t quite name at the time. Silence, maybe. A different way of seeing. And it’s funny—sometimes, when you strip things down, you start noticing details you’d been missing all along.”

We were wondering what drew Denis to the world of photography, to which he replied: “Cameras were always around me. Not just sitting on shelves, but open, taken apart, and being repaired. My father has been fixing cameras for over 30 years, and thanks to him, I learned about the camera obscura before I even knew what photography really was. But knowing how a camera works and knowing what to do with it are two different things. I wasn’t interested in the mechanics—I wanted to see what I could ‘do’ with it. 

A photographer once told me, ‘You have to try everything to find your place.’ So I did. I experimented, worked on different projects, and learned what didn’t fit. But what always felt right was walking alone with my camera, without a plan, just letting things happen. I was never good at writing or drawing, but photography? That made sense. It became my way of making sense of the world, of telling stories—not in words, but in light and timing.”

As for the creative process, Denis commented: “I don’t follow a formula. I just pay attention. I walk, I wait, I observe. Photography, for me, isn’t about forcing an image—it’s about being present enough to notice it when it appears. Some of the best moments happen when you stop looking for them. I’m not drawn to the obvious. I don’t chase sunsets or grand landscapes. 

What fascinates me are the small things—the way a shadow cuts across a wall, the rhythm of clouds moving through the sky, the fleeting reflections that disappear before anyone else notices. The more I slow down, the more I see. Taking photos is a way to connect with my surroundings. A way to step outside of myself for a moment. And sometimes, if I’m lucky, something unexpected happens.”

Denis also shared what he would like the audience to take away from his work.

He wrote: “I hope they ‘pause.’  

Not just to look, but to actually ‘see.’ We move through life so fast that we stop noticing the details. I want my photos to break that rhythm for a moment—to make people question what they overlook.  

We tend to divide the world into categories: interesting or ordinary, meaningful or meaningless. But what if there’s something worth seeing in everything? What if the most familiar street corner hides a story you never considered?  

That’s what the Coincidence Project is about. It’s about finding those moments where reality shifts—where things don’t fit neatly into a box. It’s about noticing in a way we’re not used to anymore.”

Lastly, Denis added: “Look closer. You might be missing something incredible.”