Personal Space

April 17, 2012February 4, 2013 marceleverts 2 Comments

Alec Soth, member of Magnum since 2008, documents people and places. He uses an 8×10 camera. Important for him is to photograph a person when he or she is at ease. He said: “My own awkwardness comforts people, I think. It’s part of the exchange.”

The use of a large format camera brings about a softness that corresponds with the photographed subjects. The softness equals the comfortableness of the person photographed. As if Soth has found a way to reduce his own presence to that of the comfortable vibe a person has in their own personal space. And looking at his projects (Sleeping by the Mississippi, Broken Manual, The last days of W and others) he manages to truly tell a story by creating a mix of portraits, landscapes and interiors. As if we, the audience, get a look into a world we know not much about. A world that only comes about when a stranger is not present.

Surroundings

April 11, 2012February 4, 2013 marceleverts 1 Comment

I’ve always find portrait photography interesting. To be able to capture a person’s personality in one single frame is just an amazing challenge. And not many photographers master this skill the way Arnold Newman does. The amazing portraits by Newman has inspired me greatly. What Newman does is including the surroundings in his portraits. Most famous example is that of Igor Stravinsky. Allegedly, the now famous photo of Stravinsky was rejected by the magazine who commissioned the shoot. Arnold Newman is able to reflect the personalities of all the famous ones as no other. Sometimes he translates his feelings about a person brilliantly. He did this beautifully with convicted Nazi war criminal, an industrialist, Alfred Krupp.

A Dutch Master

April 5, 2012February 4, 2013 marceleverts Leave a comment

Inspired by the works of old Dutch Masters and the Italian Renaissance, Hendrik Kerstens‘ photography shows an interesting series of his daughter Paula. Important moments in her life were captured by the crisp sharp image-making of Hendrik Kerstens. The techniques he uses bears a great resemblance to the old Dutch masters.

By the use of photography, the new master gives us a mix of the greatness of the paintings from Johannes Vermeer and the likes, and the modern interpretation of this art form. By using classical poses and techniques combined with modern objects the photos send out an appropriation of the Dutch golden age of painting and the rising acknowledgment in art photography.

Junk Development

March 30, 2012February 4, 2013 marceleverts Leave a comment

To develop an image one can use different techniques. Especially when photographing analog. And usually the end result is presented on paper. But Brazilian artist Vicente Jose de Oliveria Muniz, also known as Vik Muniz, takes a different approach. In his series “Pictures of Garbage” he uses, well its in the name, garbage.

In this series he is portraying the garbage pickers of Jardim Gramacho, a 321-acre open-air dump just outside Rio that is one of the largest landfills in Latin America. In the wonderful documentary “Waste Land” we follow him during this project. In it we see the lives of the portrayed garbage pickers. We see what it means to have a job at such a landfill. We see how proud people are for the work that they do. And Vik Muniz brings it all together in those wonderful portraits. The story, the people and the proudness. Luckily for us, Vic did also developed the portraits on paper. It makes the exposure for this project some what easier.

Minds of our own

March 27, 2012February 4, 2013 marceleverts Leave a comment

We all know the feeling. Walking down the street, or driving the car, the same route every day. During such times the mind can wander off. And sometimes you snap out of this daydream and realize you can’t remember the last couple of minutes of driving.

The series “Heads” of American photographer Philip-Lorca diCorcia shows us that moment in time, when our minds wander off. Dreaming about that winning lottery ticket. Or quitting your job. Maybe just about nothing at all. Just a brief escape into your own world. But also in his older works we can feel that sense of wander. It leaves us, the viewer, clueless of what is happening. The story of what we see is the story what we want to see. A same cluelessness what we get when looking at the work of photographer Gregory Crewdson and painter Edward Hopper.

Classical aesthetics with contemporary expressions

March 26, 2012February 4, 2013 marceleverts Leave a comment

The experiences Dutchmen Krijn van Noordwijk gained in his previous life as a creative and art directer really transfers seemlesly into his photography. He is able to turn a blank slate into a visually and creative portrait with regards of the person in question. His photography focusses on the person. With funny, quirky and sometimes just simple gestures of the subject, Krijn is able to create visually inspiring portraits. On his Linkedin profile he talks about who inspires him. Among the long list of truly great persons, Donald Duck is not forgotten, are Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer. The way Krijn uses light does remind me of paintings made by the mentioned Dutch Masters.

Dogs of 9/11

March 23, 2012February 4, 2013 marceleverts Leave a comment

We all remember where we were on that tragic day in September 2001. To help out in the gaping wound that was ground zero, men’s best friend assisted in the search for bodies and hopefully a recovery, a miracle. What had become of these animals? Are they still among us?

Dutch photographer Charlotte Dumas wondered about these dogs and visited 15 of them. She doesn’t take the typical rescue dog portrait. The photo we always see in newspapers. A dog in front of a fire truck. No, instead Charlotte manages to come very close. And takes a personal portrait. The posing dogs seem to look at us with a feel of experience. And somehow you can feel the tragic they share.

Encounters of the tribal kind

March 23, 2012February 4, 2013 marceleverts 1 Comment

Twitter, Facebook, tablets and smartphones. Just a couple of our twenty-first centuries’ perks that make our lives a bit more easy and fun. These manmade inventions are examples that we as westerners are moving away from nature. Step by step.

But some of our fellow worldly residents stay closer to nature. They understand mother earth as no other. Small tribes in the jungles of Africa and South America still stay true to their heritage. Joey Lawrence traveled to these tribes and captured them beautifully. By using our modern techniques (medium format camera and strobes) we get a look into their distant world. As distant as our world is to them.

The Art of Freedom

March 20, 2012February 4, 2013 marceleverts Leave a comment

The feeling of freedom, of enjoying that moment in time where nothing matters. Just you, your friends and nothing else. This is the feeling I get when looking at Ryan McGinley‘s photography. While looking at the photos, the song “All I Need” of the band Air, plays in the back of my mind.