My fascination with photography began at a young age. I started by capturing holiday memories and the world around me, using my brother's Kodak Ektra 200 in the early '80s. This passion led my parents to gift me a Minolta X300 for my 11th birthday, marking the beginning of my lifelong relationship with the camera.
To further enhance my skills, I enrolled in a two-year evening course, where I delved into the art of photography and learned the intricacies of developing my own black and white photos in a darkroom. While I initially embraced analogue photography, since 2005, my primary medium has been digital, with a special affinity for monochrome photography.
In addition to street photography, I'm well-versed in studio photography, with a particular focus on portrait photography. I'm also deeply passionate about rare photography books, which I curate and offer for sale on my website and through www.voedoe.com.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work is an exploration of the relationship between the human body and urban spaces.
Most of my photography falls within the realm of what I like to call "faux surrealism" or what some may label as Magic Realism. I present everyday life with a fresh perspective, often employing unusual viewpoints or depicting common objects in an uncanny manner, frequently infused with a touch of humour or irony.
Throughout my artistic journey, I've been influenced by remarkable artists such as René Magritte, William Klein, Martin Parr, and Daido Moriyama. Each of them has provided me with a unique perspective on what art and life are all about.
High-contrast Black and White photography has become a signature element of my work. It loses detail but will massively gain in character; grey gets dissolved into White or Black and people often become silhouettes in their own environment.. What appears ordinary soon transforms into an artistic manifesto, contrasting the light and darkness of our culture, leaving viewers with a surreal commentary on our world.
From a young age, I've been captivated by the timeless essence of the zeitgeist, capturing the inexorable truth within the passing moments that define our existence. To me, street photography is about freezing the essence of the present, a pursuit that continues to drive my artistic endeavours.
