The son of artist parents, Dahmane was born in Paris on 21 April 1959. His father was a painter and engraver, and his mother a poet and painter. Dahmane became familiar with photography at an early age, being first introduced to it by his grandmother and a photographer friend of his parents. At 15 he began to develop a consuming interest in nude photography, gathering his first experience with two classmates from secondary school, who modelled for him. His predilection for black and white photography has continued into the Millennium; the medium allows him to refine and develop his technique as part of an on-going process. He quickly learned that Leica lenses give you the best results, and for this reason, prefers Leica SLRs and enlargers. Dahmane published his first work before he was 20, including an extensive reportage on the suffering of animals in zoos. At the same time, he worked as a freelance portrait photographer for a range of French magazines, including LExpansion, Capital,
