Remke Spijkers (Uden, The Netherlands, 1973)

AUTONOMOUS PHOTOGRAPHY / FINE ART

Nature plays a vital role in my independent work. I prefer to stay hours, days or weeks in nature, so I can deeply connect to a place and with myself. My autonomous work involves documentary, realistic landscapes – sometimes a little absurd - and also picturesque, abstract impressions of nature. The latter images, which I started in 2011, I ‘paint’ with light, shapes, colors and emotions. This mix creates images with different atmospheres, to which each person can give its own meaning.

Themes that I study are: what is nature? What is landscape? What is or was the Dutch landscape? How do humans and nature relate to each other, how do they influence each other? What is the influence of ‘space’?

Other than giving my images a basic finishing in Photoshop – like ’dodge’ and ‘burn’ (ie letting parts of the image come through darker or lighter), as previously done in the darkroom – I do not manipulate the images. Everything you see came out of the camera like that, in one image. The images are performed large format. Size and material can be adapted to specific areas.

COMMISSIONED WORK

Besides my autonomous work I also do commissioned photography: geographic reports, cultural events, rehearsals and concerts of classical music etc. For the Municipality of Utrecht I visualized the interior and exterior of 90 sports accommodations, with and without people. A series of panoramic images ranging from landscape to architecture to social photography, but clearly from an unambiguous concept. Where desired, I have captured the action and atmosphere, but ensured that faces were unrecognizable. My specialty is discreetly observing in often sensitive circumstances, working with natural light and capturing the moments when something special happens. The images are used for exhibitions, websites and various printed material, including books, annual reports and posters. Clients include De Volkskrant,  The Irish Times, Utrecht City, the Dutch Wind Ensemble and various individuals. Also see Publications.

I’m a member of Nature Photographers Association Netherlands, Nikon Professional Services and Burafo.

For some special projects I join forces with Peter Blok: www.blokspijkersfotografie.nl

Sometimes it seems like there is nothing, but there’s always something.

  

Norway July 2011 - Heading to Blaisen Glacier hoping to make new work…