It was photography or architecture. Photography became my choice of study and architecture in photography became my work. I love straight lines. Shadow and light and what they can do to an image.
I was obsessed, as a child, with a pocket camera I found in my parents' cupboard. Such an old thing, with a flash you had to replace the bulbs in every time you took a photo. Later, when I was 14, I got a second-hand camera and a hefty dose of passion on top. I didn't understand the kit, but I took photos of everything I saw. My dad, standing chatting to a neighbour: click. I was only interested in framing and focussing. The subject matter was incidental. After my studies, architecture became a constant presence in my images. As subject matter yes, but also as style. That's how it had to be.
My work evolved when we moved house to aNTWERP. I worked out my architectural style in still life works, into personal compositions that were an extension of my love for architecture. Yet again, these straight lines, shadow and light, soft colours that merged in their complementarity. Micro-architecture that tended towards painting. People sometimes called them miniature paintings. This was a compliment, as I really wished I could paint. Painting inspires me. And frustrates me. This is why I try to get close to it in my photography. I want to reach down to the essence in my compositions and still life work. Saying as much as possible by showing as little as possible. Aesthetic abstraction. Perhaps I glorify things a bit by doing this, present them as being bit more attractive than they actually are. But I'm not aware of doing this.
I work in a really controlled way. Weighing and balancing until my image finds its equilibrium. This singles me out as a photographer. But not as a human being. Because, in my mind, I'm a scatterbrain. This is why I love still life. In my head as well as in my images. Stillness is important for working efficiently. That perfect balance between stillness and noise, that's what I'm after.
Perhaps I underestimate this constant inspiration. I'm convinced that I'm getting inspiration from things and people all the time, without realising it. Except when I pick up my camera. Then I use everything that I've subconsciously soaked up beforehand.
I have a healthy envy of photographers who do what I don't do. They inspire me because they're different from me. Because they do things that I'd like to be able to do. Some photographers tell the most wonderful stories with portraits. I tend more to tell a story about someone by using the setting in which I photograph that person. This abstraction and form has to be there, and I get less of it from portraits of people. Saul Leiter, for instance, can do things I can only dream of; maybe because he was also a painter. Photography and painting, hand-in-hand; that's what inspires me.
Inspiration is beauty for me. If there's beauty, then you can also provide some beauty in your image.
WORDS BY HEIDI PETRE
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monography
index 2006-2016
uitgeverij luster (publisher)
WORDS BY JINA KHAYYER (English)
graphic design by sven beirnaert
20,5CM x 27,5cm
softcover
224 pages
ISBN 9789460581960
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Former projects include collaborations with magazines such as:
THE NEW YORK TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE / T MAGAZINE
Wall street journal magazine
M LE MAGAZINE DU MONDE
LE MONDE D'HERMèS
HOW TO SPEND IT
Wallpaper
surface
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST GERMANY
CEREAL
KINFOLK
ICON DESIGN
MILK DECORATION
THE TELEGRAPH
DOCUMENT JOURNAL
DEPARTURES MAGAZINE
PATEK PHILIPPE MAGAZINE
A MAGAZINE
the plant
L'OFFICIEL HOMMES paris
Christie's magazine
CASA VOGUE
Case da Abitare
Dwell
Elle Decoration
pin-up
Ideat
domus
Frame
Mark
Some of his clients are:
hermès
DELVAUX
TIFFANY&CO
VALENTINO
RAF SIMONS
DIOR HOMME
Y3
B&B ITALIA
COS
ZARA HOME
TOMMY HILFIGER
UNIQLO
kadewe
alsterhaus
molteni
vincent van duysen
muller van severen
axel vervoordt
FLOS
VLISCO
VILLA EUGENIE
LE BON MARCHé
AIRBNB
Coca cola
pmi
SAMSONITE
KOMONO
ray ban
EASTPAK
ESSENTIEL antwerp
MARIE JO
KIPLING
ikea
CAPCO
Novy
KBC
RABOBANK
ENI
ENGIE
AKZO NOBEL
BRUSSELS AIRPORT
UNILIN
casalis
limited edition carpets
Graanmarkt 13
And many museums, publishers and architects
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Very special thanks to:
Lies Muys AND the whole initials la team
Karine quadriga and the whole quadriga team
Christian schütt and the whole Bird production team
STEVEN DECROOS
STEVEN LEDOUX
LOUIS-PHILIPPE BEAUDUIN
LIES VAN GEEL
deborah bloemen
BOB VERHELST
Dimitra Apostolidis
A big thank you to all the home owners whose house I've had the pleasure to photograph, to all the writers, stylists, architects, designers, make-up artists, assistants, digital operators, models, producers, art directors who've ever been part of my team
And to the publishers and all my clients: thank you for believing in me
And last but not least a big kiss to Lies, Estelle and Maurits
