STRONG70 Collection 1 by See In Mono

Collection 1

See in Mono is composed of photography enthusiast and professionals based in the U.S.A., China, India, Indonesia and Philippines. This project is a product of selfless volunteerism of time and talent. THE TEAM: David Mar Quinto Mahesh Balasubramanian Chaerul Umam Haswa Wedhaswara Erick Mendiola Jasper Resari Red Ognita Raymond Cruz Jeff Mercader Rocel Ann Junio SEE IN MONO GUIDING PRINCIPLES INTEGRITY: Honest work above all EXCELLENCE: Anything less than the best is not acceptable SERVICE: Passion in sharing ideas and resources.

Editor’s note Dear members, See in Mono (SIM) has gone a long way in promoting and spreading the love for black and white images online and offline. Our humble fan page now gathers amazing individuals all over the world, and the exchange in culture, aesthetics, and vision are truly remarkable and promising. SIM has also become our way of sharing our vision for photographers to promote their respective works, and for photography to be recognized and respected as a form of visual art and expression. And with that, we’d like to extend our deepest gratitude for contributing not only to the page but also to the projects we initiate. We now present to you the fruit of all our dedication: Strong70, an e-magazine showcasing 70 sublime and inspirational images handpicked by SIM’s core group of senior admins. While SIM values quality and not quantity, the creative process that came with sticking to a certain number of images was a meticulous yet rewarding one. The result was truly astonishing and the different genres are well represented, with each photo having its own unique interpretation of metaphors, similes, and facts of life and nature. Strong70 does not only aspire to showcase awesome images, but also to inspire a lot of promising photographers who may want to embrace the art of black and white photography. But above all, we do hope you enjoy this publication. Thank you so much for your support! Yours, SIM admin

In another time 12 © Yalçin Varnali

Featured Artists: Uwe Langmann Yalçin Varnali Keith Aggett Hengki Koentjoro

4 14 26 44

Alain Baumgarten

Jasper Resari

106

Andy Lee

Jeff Mercader

110

Arthur Kenneth Sy

Joel Tjintjelaar

116

Bence Zanyi

John Kosmopoulos

118

Bruno Blais

Krzysztof Jedrzejak

120

Chaerul Umam

Lionel Orriols

124

Correy Bratton

Mahesh Balasubramanian 128

Dariusz Klimczak

Mark Oliver Mercader

132

Demaret Didier

Martin Rak

134

Derek Toye

Massimo Margognoni

142

Edwin Martinez

Matthias Schroeter

144

Gittan Beheydt

Michael De Guzman

146

Gerald Berghmmer Ina Forstinger

Miftachus Sa’idin

150

Guy Cohen

Neil Hulme

152

Haswa Wedhaswara

Okto Ahadi

154

Rohan Reilly

158

Till Muller

160

Yury Bird

162

Hideyuki Katagiri

100

Ivana Stojakovic

102

Jacob Tunenga

104

Copyright © 2014, See In Mono. Published by See In Mono. All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and

Featured Artist :

Uwe Langmann

www.uwelangmann.com

Se e in M o no : Whe n a n d h o w d i d y o u s t a rt y our p h o to g r a phy ? U we La ng m a nn: I s t a rt e d s e ri o u s p h o t o g ra p hy a ro und 2009 whe n I w a s w o rk i n g o n a m o v i e and d ec i d e d t o m a k e a s c re e n p l a y a c c o m p a n i e d by a seri e s o f pho t o g r a p h s t h a t i l l u s t ra t e d t h e m o od a nd sur ro unding la n d s c a p e s o f t h e m o v i e s s cenes. SIM: I’ v e s e e n y o ur s h o rt f i l m t ra i l e r “ v e rf a l / d i si ntre g a t io n” v ia V i m e o , a n d I re a l l y l i k e i t . It was cla s s ic a nd wa s v e ry n o s t a l g i c . Di d y o u d o fi l m p r io r t o pho t o gra p h y, o r d i d y o u d o b o t h ? U L : I did m a k e s hort f i l m s f o r q u i t e a l o n g t i m e a fter I finis he d s c hoo l . L i k e I w ro t e b e f o re , m y p assi on fo r pho t o gra p h y w a s m o re o r l e s s b or n o ut o f t he pa s s io n f o r s h o o t i n g f i l m s . A t t h e mo me nt I’ m do ing a l m o s t e x c l u s i v e l y p h o t o g r ap hy. SIM: Bo t h y o ur bla c k a n d w h i t e a n d c o l o re d p h o to s re pre s e nt y ou r i d e n t i t y. W h a t i s y o u r g e ne ral r ule o n t a ki n g w o n d e rf u l i m a g e s ? U L : I do n’t ha v e a s e t o f ru l e s i n d o i n g m y i mag e s , e xc e pt t ha t t h e i m a g e s h a v e t o re s o nat e somet hing ins ide o f m e , m y f e e l i n g s f o r s o m et hi ng

2010 - Winter 005 © Uwe Langmann 4 STRONG70 COLLECTION 1

or someone, or j ust f or ex p ressi on. SI M: Why t ak e or p resent p hot os i n a square f ormat ? U L : I t hi nk t he sq uare rat i o i s t he most har monic f ormat you can gi ve an i mage, si nce al most all of my i mages are sup p osed t o have a k i nd of med i t at i ve f eel . It hel p s creat e a cal m an d wellord ered i mage and comp osi t i on. SI M: H ow d o you d escri b e your p hot ogr aphy this earl y i n your career? U L: My i mages are p art l y i nsp i red b y ear ly p i ct ori al i st l and scap e p hot ograp hs and moder nd ay mi ni mal i st p ai nt i ngs. I t ry t o mak e i mages t hat ap p ear very cl ean, si mp l e and d i rect on t hei r aest het i cal surf ace b ut are mul t i l ay ered and op en f or i nd i vi d ual i nt erp ret at i on concer ning its cont ent . SI M: A re you very p art i cul ar wi t h gears and eq ui p ment ? What sof t ware d o you use f or your p ost p rocessi ng? U L: N o, I’m not a f an of eq ui p ment or f ancy

te c hnic a l s t uff a t a l l . I n m y o p i n i o n a l l t h e fanc y g e a r jus t dis t ra c t s y o u f ro m f e e l i n g t h e su rrou nding s a nd c o n c e n t ra t i n g o n m a k i n g t h e i mag e s y o u wa nt . I j u s t u s e a C a n o n 5 D M KI I , a l most e xc lus iv e ly t h e 2 4 - 7 0 m m C a n o n l e n s , a g re y filt e r, a t r ipo d a n d a re m o t e re l e a s e . T h at ’s all. SIM: W ho a re y o ur i n f l u e n c e s , a n d h o w m u c h of you r s t y le c a n y o u a t t ri b u t e t o t h e m ? U L: My influe nc e s are m o s t l y p a i n t e rs l i k e M ark Ro thko , Ge r ha rd Ri c h t e r, Ka z i m i r M a l e v i c h , a nd A ndy Wa r ho l, an d s o m e p h o t o g ra p h e rs l i ke Hi roshi S ug im o t o a n d J e a n - B a p t i s t e H u y n h . At t he b eg i n ning M ic he a l Ke n n a a l s o w a s a b i g i n f l u ence o n the de c is io n t o s h o o t i n b l a c k a n d w h i t e a nd t o usi ng c o unt r y s ide la n d s c a p e s a s a b a c k d ro p . A f t er a wh i l e I s t a r t e d c rea t i n g m y o w n s t y l e . T h a t was a na tur a l pro c e s s , I t h i n k . SIM: W ha t is fine art p h o t o g ra p h y f o r y o u ? U L: Fi ne a r t pho t o gra p h y i s p h o t o g ra p h y m a de b y p eo p l e who wa nt t o e x p re s s s o m e t h i n g o f t h ei r o wn i n a wa y t he y c o u l d n ’t d o o t h e rw i s e .

SI M: Do you p ri nt your own i mages? What are your p ref erences i n t erms of p ri nt i ng you r photos? U L: N o, t here’s a p ri nt st ud i o t hat I t rust, so I d on’t need t o p ri nt t hem mysel f . I p ref er inkjet p ri nt ers wi t h p i gment i nk over Lamb d a pr ints b ecause my i mages t end t o have a rat her painter ly l ook whi ch can b e b et t er rep resent ed with the fine nuances f rom i nk j et p ri nt on good f i ne ar t paper s l i k e t hose b y H ahnemühl e. SI M: H ow d o you f i nd soci al med i a hel p ing you get your creat i ve work s out t here? U L: It ’s very good when you st art out and you are not so sure what i s good and what i sn’t . You get l ot s of f eed b ack very q ui ck (p osi t i ve and negative) t hat can mot i vat e you t o go on. But af t er a while, I t hi nk you shoul d k now f or yoursel f what is good and what i s not . It mi ght al so b e a good fir st step f or p ub l i shi ng your work or get t i ng i n t ou ch with gal l eri es, b ut you have t o t ak e t hi ngs out of the Int er net af t er a whi l e and b ri ng i t i nt o t he real worl d agai n.

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2011 - Four Trees © Uwe Langmann

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2011 - Silent Running © Uwe Langmann

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2012 - 180 © Uwe Langmann

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2013 - Windowseat II © Uwe Langmann

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2012 - Time © Uwe Langmann

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2013 - A New Beginning © Uwe Langmann

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2013 - Nothing Is Everything © Uwe Langmann

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2013 - Rhythm I © Uwe Langmann

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Featured Artist :

Yalçin Varnaliı

www.yalcinvarnali.com

Se e in M o no : Te ll u s m o re a b o u t y o u a n d y o u r p h o to g r a phy. Yalç in Va r na li: I wa s b o r n i n A d a p a z a ri i n 1 9 6 6, a c i ty a t 150km e a s t o f I s t a n b u l , a n d s t a y e d t here unti l I wa s 11 y e a r s o l d . T h e n I w a s i n s c ri b e d t o Gal ata s a r a y Hig h S c h o o l , a h i s t o ri c a l s c h o o l i n the mo s t v iv id c e nt e r o f I s t a n b u l . N o t o n l y w as my c ul tu r a l wo r ld c ha n g e d w i t h t o o m u c h n e w i d eas, ne w fr ie nds a nd life s t y l e s , b u t I h a d t o m o v e c o nstant ly e v e r y wee k e n d t o m y f a m i l y ’s c i t y, ta ki n g t he re g io na l t ra i n b a c k a n d f o rt h . O n t h e ro a d ov e r t he y e a r s , I t h i n k I h a d a c o n s t a n t vi si on o f fl u e nt ima g e s o f t h e l a n d s c a p e . P a ra d o x i c al l y, the se blur re d im a g e s h a d b e e n o n e o f t h e s o urces o f i nsp ir a t io n in m y p h o t o g ra p h i c s t y l e , w h i c h i s b ased o n immo bilit y. T hi s ma y be int e r pre t e d w i t h t w o e x p l a n a t i o n s: fi rst, a ne e d t o s t o p f l u e n c y i n i m a g e s o f t ra n q ui l p l a c e s in t im e le s s m o m e n t s ; a n d s e c o n d , a Into the light © Yalçin Varnali 14 STRONG70 COLLECTION 1

p i ct ograp hi c real i z at i on of t hose memor ies of my t eenage years on t he t rai n, not as mi x i ng color s and f orms, b ut i nst ead as ob j ect s t hat s eem to b e f roz en whi l e i n f act t hey move t oo q u ickly. O f course, t here shoul d b e ot her reasons why I p ref erred t hi s mi ni mal i st aest het i c, b ut I think the t rai n memori es and t hei r vi sual p roj ect i ons are the most i nf l uent i al . A f t er grad uat i ng f rom Gal at asaray H i gh School, I went t o Med i cal S chool at Ist anb ul U niver sity. When I was st ud yi ng t here, i n 1987, I star ted t ak i ng p hot ograp hs wi t h my S LR f i l m camer a. Due t o t he d i ff i cul t y of my p rogram, I coul d n’t continue t o shoot . A f t er si x years of st ud i es, I got or iented t o ot o- rhi no- l aryngol ogy. I st art ed t o sh oot again i n 2006, went t o some p hot ograp hy workshops, and I have b een i nvol ved i n some p roj ects and have b een a p art of some ex p osi t i ons and p resent at i ons.

I am no w a n E NT s u rg e o n a n d I l i v e i n I s t a n b ul , a c i ty t ha t â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s s o me t i m e s m e l a n c h o l i c b u t m o s t l y c ha o tic . A s a pe r s o n w h o i s f a s c i n a t e d b y e m p t y p l a c e s wit h we ird a t m o s p h e re s , I c o n s i d e r p h o to g r a phy a t he ra p y, a n e s c a p e a n d i s o l a t i on from t he c ha o s o f t h i s b i g c i t y. SIM: W he n did y o u s t a rt d o i n g l o n g - e x p o s u re te c hnique s , a nd wh o a n d w h a t i n s p i re d y o u t o d o thi s? YV: I t hink wit h a n a rt i s t i c p e rs p e c t i v e l i k e m i ne, wh i ch s y s t e m a t ic a l l y t ri e s t o e l i m i n a t e t h e c h arged a sp e c t s o f e v e r y da y l i f e , m i n i m a l i s m w a s t h e mo st s ubs t a nt ia l a e s t h e t i c a l c o n c e p t i o n t h a t I ne e d ed. F o r t his rea s o n , m i n i m a l i s t a rt i s t s h ave b ee n ine v it a bly t he m o s t i n f l u e n t i a l f i g u re s i n my c o nc e pt io n o f pho t o g ra p h y. T he mo de r n lif e is t o o m u c h a c c e l e ra t e d . I t i s fl o wi ng a t a s pe e d w h i c h o f t e n k e e p s u s f ro m

cat chi ng moment s of sensual concent ration. In the gl ob al cul t ure, we cert ai nl y have p l ent y of cultur al comp onent s i n our hand s, at t he t i p of our finger s, f or ex p ressi ng oursel ves i n everyd ay l i f e as well as i n t he art s. But t hey f l ow t oo q ui ck l y and they are seen i n so much comp l ex f orms t hat we only enj oy cont emp l at i ng t hem or mayb e make of them an i ncessant j uggl ery on f orms. S i nce 2007, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ve b een t ryi ng t o sl ow d own t hi s hurri ed ev er yday l i f e course wi t h l ong ex p osure t echni q ue. B esides, ob j ect s I choose t o f ocus on are al so i m mobile t hi ngs. A l l of t hese creat e a sense of t i melessness i n a worl d where t i me has a st rat egi c i mpor tance. SI M: C an you t el l us a l i t t l e more ab out your vi si on and creat i ve p rocess as an art i st ? Y V: I t ry t o see movement i n i t s most i ner t f orm, t hus si mp l i ci t y i s t he core of my artistic concep t i on. A s my charact er al so i s cal m , I can have suff i ci ent p at i ence f or seek i ng the

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g o o d o bje ct t o b e p h o t o g ra p h e d , a n d wai t i ng fo r t he g o o d m o m e n t . I l i k e l o n e l y b al l ad s i n t he c o unt r y s i d e , i n d i s t a n t a re a s , a b and oned indus t r ia l f a c i l i t i e s o r s e a s i d e s . M y met hod of finding o ut t h e o b j e c t i s i n p a ra l l e l wi t h t he st yl e I re f le c t in m y i m a g e s . S I M: Why d o y o u p re f e r t a k i n g a n d p resent i ng pho t o s in b l a c k a n d w h i t e ? Y V: Bla c k a n d w h i t e i s c o m m o n l y t h ought t o be a m o re i n t e l l e c t u a l w a y t o re f l e c t real i t y, b y im plic it ly e ra s i n g t o o - m u c h s h a rp e d ges. I d on’t a g re e wit h t h i s p o i n t o f v i e w. F o r m e , b l ack and whit e is t h e n a t u ra l re a l i z a t i o n o f a m i ni mal i st i c pe rc e pt io n o f t h e w o rl d , w i t h o u t a n y need t o s uppo r t t he i m a g e w i t h t h e c o m p l e x i t y of col or junc t io ns . A s I w a n t t o a t t a i n t h e m o st red uced inne r la y e r o f re a l i t y, d e t a i l s s e e m , i n t hi s pe r s pe c t iv e , o f t e n d e ri s o ry. T h e re f o re b l ack and whit e v is ion c o rre s p o n d s b e s t t o t h i s d esi re t o o bt a in s im p l e s t s t a t e o f t h e m a t t e r. S I M: Wo uld y o u l i k e t o s h a re a n y o n e of your fa v o r it e ph o t o s a n d t h e c re a t i v e p ro cess b ehi nd t ha t ? Y V: “Ho m e S w e e t H o m e ,” f o r e x a m p le, i s a p hot o t ha t a t t r a c t s m e t o o m u c h b e c a u s e I f ound i n it no t o nly a l l t h e b a s i c c h a ra c t e ri s t i cs of my pho t o g r a ph i c v i s i o n , b u t a l s o , a p h i l osop hi cal dim e ns io n w h i c h e x p l i c i t l y a n d i ro n i cal l y p roves t ha t re a lit y i s a s o c i a l c o n s t ru c t a n d i t i s al ways int e r t wine d w i t h t h e u n re a l . I n m o d e r n worl d , we t e nd t o c la s s i f y t h i n g s , s i t u a t i o n s a n d event s i n r a t io na lly ci rc u m s c ri b e d c a t e g o ri e s . N evert hel ess life is no t s o p re d i c t a b l e . A s a pho t og ra p h e r o f re m o t e p l a c e s and a ba ndo ne d s p a c e s , I a m v e ry m u c h ex ci t ed b y s udde n dis c o v e ri e s . A n d b e l i e v e m e , t hey are m o re fre qu e n t t h a n w e t h i n k . T h e a rm chai rs s lig ht ly s ub m e rg e d i n w a t e r— o n e i n rel at i vel y upr ig ht pos i t i o n , t h e o t h e r u p s i d e d own b eneat h a ro c k — were a n u n e x p e c t e d d i s c o v ery f or me. I k no w t ha t m o s t p e o p l e w o u l d t h i n k t hat i t cannot be re a l o r a u t h e n t i c , b u t ra t h e r a s c ene sp eci al l y c re a t e d by m y s e l f . We l l , i t i s n o t . A lt ho ug h Tu rk e y h a d m a d e c o n s i d e rab l e pro g re s s in e n v i ro n m e n t a l i s s u e s , w e can st i l l s e e s o me t i m e s , m o s t l y i n p o o r n e i g h b orhood , o ld f ur nis h i n g s d i s c a rd e d a n d a b a n d oned i n de s e r t e d are a s . B u t t h i s i s n o t t h e p oi nt . The im po r t a nt t h i n g h e re , I t h i n k , i s t h e sud d enness, une xpe c t e d n e s s , u n re a l i t y i n t h e m i dd l e of a r a t io na lly m a n a g e d re a l i t y. T h i s i s a u ni versal

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Come away with me © Yalçin Varnali

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In another time 12 © Yalçin Varnali

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p ecul i ari t y of t he real i t y. Thi s can b e ot her t hi ngs or ot her f orms of unreal , b ut everywhere i n t he worl d you woul d f i nd such surp ri ses. The p hot ograp her shoul d have, i n my op i ni on, a k i nd of i nst i nct t o d i scover t hem. SI M: Where d o you f i nd i nsp i rat i on f rom? Y V: I t hi nk t hat every sp ace has i t s st ory. S ome are more gl amorous and vi si b l e, some have mut e ap p earance. I t ry t o d eci p her t hi s unvoi ced st at e, esp eci al l y i n p l aces where human p resence i s nearl y i nex i st ent . Thi s can b e consi d ered as a t echni q ue f or st ri p p i ng t he real i t y d own t o i t s si mp l est f orm. SI M: Do you have i nt erest i n ot her art s l i k e p ai nt i ng or musi c and get i nsp i rat i on f rom t hem f or your work ? Y V: Mi ni mal i st p ai nt ers and scul p t ures are my f i rst - rank sources of i nsp i rat i on, such as Bl i nk P al ermo or Donal d J ud d . C omp oser A rvo P ärt ’s work s corresp ond s most t o my p hot ograp hi c vi si on. I am not a good ci nema- l over, b ut I t hi nk t he art i st i c l anguage of Ingmar Bergman t ouches somewhere i n my p hot ograp hi c i nsi ght . I am p art i cul arl y amaz ed b y hai k us, t he J ap anese short - versed p oems. The art of hai k u i s t o b e ab l e t o resume a uni verse of si gni f i cat i ons i n t he si mp l est f orm p ossi b l e. Thi s i s what I t ry t o d o i n p hot ograp hy. SI M: Woul d you l i k e t o share your up comi ng p roj ect ? Y V: A n ex p osi t i on named “Icel and : The p l ace where t he worl d b egi ns” wi l l b e my t hi rd p ersonal ex p osi t i on i n Ist anb ul . The ot hers were “Lost i n Ti me” and “In A not her Ti me.” Fol l owi ng t hat , I have a b ook p roj ect cont ai ni ng t he p hot os of t hese ex p osi t i ons. SI M: A ny suggest i ons, t i p s, or ad vi ce f or up comi ng l ong ex p osure f i ne art p hot ograp hers? Y V: The onl y ad vi ce t hat I can gi ve t o p hot ograp hers i s t hat l ong ex p osure t echni q ue i s not onl y a t echni cal p rocess. There are t wo p ri nci p al asp ect s: one i s aest het i cal and t he ot her one concep t ual . Long ex p osure consi st s of rend eri ng l i ght as a p urel y p l ast i c comp onent i n t he hand s of t he art i st . There i s a vi si b l e i nt ent i onal i t y, i n cont rast t o t he p hot os p ri ori t i z i ng t he magi c of t he i nst ant . O f course, t hi s i s anot her magi c of t he i nst ant agai n, b ut i t d oes not st em f rom t emp oral i t y b ut f rom sp at i al i t y t oget her wi t h an aest het i cal d esi gn. S econd , l ong ex p osure shoul d b e an ex p ressi on of a concep t ual gui d el i ne of t he art i st . Wi t hout t hat , t he p hot o wi l l b e a d i sori ent ed and f l oat i ng si gni f i er.

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In another time 23 © Yalçin Varnali

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In another time 28 © Yalçin Varnali

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Lost in time © Yalçin Varnali

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Parallel dreams © Yalçin Varnali

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Pier © Yalçin Varnali

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The day after © Yalçin Varnali

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Featured Artist :

Keith Ag gett

www.keithaggettphotography.com

Se e in M o no: Ho w d o y o u d e s c ri b e y o u r p h o t ograp hy? Ke ith Ag g e tt: S ur rea l , d re a m - l i k e , m i n i m a l , uncomp l i cat ed c o mp os it io n us ing o n l y a c o u p l e o f f o c a l p o i nt s wi t hi n t he f rame to te l l t he c o mple t e s t o ry SIM: W ho a re y o ur i n f l u e n c e s , a n d h o w m u c h of your st yl e can you a t t r ibut e t o t hem ? KA: M ic ha e l K e nna a n d M i c h a e l L e v i n h a v e b ot h p l ayed t he b i g g e s t pa r t in my p h o t o g ra p h i c j o u r n e y, b o t h mast ers of b l ack a nd w hit e y e t wit h v e ry d i ff e re n t s t y l e s . Ke n n a p rod uces wond erf ul to na l ra ng e s wit hin h i s w o rk a n d s o m e t i m e s comp osi t i on d oesn’t see m t o be v e r y a p p a re n t u n l e s s y o u l o o k d e ep i nt o t he i mage. Le vi n’s wo r k is v e r y c l e a n a n d s t y l i s h , p u re b l ack s and whi t es (exc e pt f o r his ne w w o rk w h i c h i s i n c o l o r) a nd very st rong i n c o mp os it io n. His im a g e s h a v e t h e w o w f a c t o r f or me! These a sp e c t s ha v e de f ini t e l y i n f l u e n c e d m y s t y l e a n d t he way I see t he sh o t be fo re t he s hu t t e r i s p re s s e d . SIM: W hy do y o u pre f e r b l a c k a n d w h i t e f o rmat over col or? KA: Bla c k a nd whit e i s e a s i e r t o v i e w, a n d i t gi ves more st ri k i ng a nd p o we r ful ima g es . L i g h t a n d s h a d o w c a n be used t o t hei r fu l l e st , t o na l r a ng e s p u s h e d t o t h e i r l i m i t s . C ol or, on t he ot her ha nd , c lo uds my v is i o n . I f i n d m y s e l f b o re d , f l i ck i ng f rom one i mag e t o t he ne xt w i t h o u t k n o w i n g w h a t I ’d j ust l ook ed at . Bl ack a nd w hit e c a pt ure s m y i m a g i n a t i o n , d ra w s m e i n so I can ab sorb the wh o le s c e ne wh i c h c o m e s a l i v e w i t h s o much t o see. 26

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SI M: It seems t hat t here i s al ways wat er as an el ement i n your i mages. Why? K A: I sup p ose t he answer l i es i n my l ocat i on. I l i ve i n t he sout hwest of t he U K and wat er surround s me. A f t er b uyi ng my 10- st op f i l t er b ack i n J anuary 2009, t he coast was t he f i rst p l ace I head ed f or, j ust a 10- mi nut e d ri ve t o t he nearest shorel i ne. I coul d n’t wai t t o see what a t hree- mi nut e ex p osure on wat er was goi ng t o l ook l i k e, and when I d i d , I was b l own away b y a surreal i mage. Thi s was what has d et ermi ned t he d i rect i on of my p hot ograp hy, and i t cont i nues t o gi ve me t hat same b uz z as i t d i d t hen. SI M: Why t ak e or p resent p hot os i n a sq uare f ormat ? K A: N i net y- ni ne p ercent of t he t i me my i mages wi l l b e sq uare. Why? Trut hf ul l y, al l my f i rst at t emp t s at b l ack and whi t e were i n l and scap e f ormat , b ut I soon f ol l owed t he t rend . When vi ewi ng some ot her great p hot ograp hers’ work s i n t he sq uare f ormat , I f ound I coul d f ocus more on what was act ual l y goi ng on i n t he f rame. The sq uare f ormat st op s your eyes f rom st rayi ng f rom l ef t t o ri ght and f i x es your f ocus. Every t i me I l ook t hrough t he vi ewf i nd er I t ry my hard est t o cap t ure t hat scene i n sq uare. SI M: What i s f i ne art p hot ograp hy f or you? K A: Images t hat are creat ed wi t h your own vi si on SI M: You seem t o b e very p assi onat e i n what you d o. What mot i vat es you i n d oi ng f i ne art p hot os? K A: I want t o show my work t o ot her l i k e- mi nd ed p hot ograp hers and get t hei r f eed b ack , good or b ad . I want t o k eep i mp rovi ng and movi ng f orward , so I sup p ose vi ewi ng ot her art i st s’ work i s what mot i vat es me. SI M: A re you very p art i cul ar wi t h gears and eq ui p ment ? What sof t ware d o you use f or your p ost p rocessi ng? K A: I d o t hi nk a d ecent amount of megap i x el s i s req ui red i n t he t yp e of work I d o. When I l ook at some of my ol d er i mages shot wi t h 6MP and 12MP cameras, I real l y coul d n’t achi eve t he q ual i t y I d o now. I woul d n’t want t o shoot wi t h a camera b el ow 16MP as my i mages are al l crop p ed and t here i s al ways p rocessi ng b ei ng d one. I use mi d d l e- p ri ced gl ass and have al ways b een hap p y wi t h t he resul t s i t p rod uces. My t ri p od i s a b asi c Manf rot t o carb on versi on whi ch al so work s wel l .

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P o s t -p ro c e s s i n g i s p ro b a b l y t h e most i mp ort ant t o m e a t t h e m o m e n t . I w i l l t a k e anyt hi ng f rom 30 m inut e s t o 1 0 h o u rs t o p ro d u c e somet hi ng I’m ha ppy w i t h . I t re a l l y d o e s n e e d to l ook good i f i t ’s t o be p ri n t e d l a rg e , p l u s I re a l l y d o enj oy t hi s p art o f t he d i g i t a l p ro c e s s t o c re a t e t hat i ni t i al vi si on. S I M: D o y o u h a v e a n y t i m e a n d weat her pre f e re n c e s w h e n y o u s h o o t ? H ow i mp ort ant i s pla nni n g t o y o u ? KA: S u n ri s e i s m y p re f e rre d t i m e of t he d ay, and a ls o cl o u d y o v e rc a s t s k i e s s e e m t o work b est f or m e , bu t I ’v e t a k e n s h o t s a t a l l t imes and i n al l c o ndit i o n s . I t ry t o a d a p t a n d g o wi t h what work s o n t he d a y. P l a n n i n g m y l o c a t i o n i s al ways on t o p o f t h e l i s t ; t h e re ’s n o t h i n g worse t han d ri vi ng a im le s s l y a ro u n d f o r a f e w h o u rs and t hen head i ng ba c k h o m e w i t h n o t h i n g t o w o rk on. Due t o my t ime b e i n g l i m i t e d , I re s e a rc h t h e area as much as po s s ib l e u s i n g G o o g l e M a p s t o vi ew i mages of t he a re a . S I M: Th e y s a y t h a t i n f i n e a rt p h ot ograp hy, i t ’s t he v is io n o f t h e p h o t o g ra p h e r t h a t gi ves soul and l i f e t o it s f i n a l i m a g e ? Do y o u a g re e wi t h t hi s? Why? KA: W i t h o u t d o u b t i t ’s t h e p h o t ograp her’s vi si on t ha t m a k e s t h e i m a g e c o m p e l l i n g and come al i ve. T he ori g i n a l s h o t t h a t ’s c a p t u re d i n t he camera s e e m s l i f e l e s s a n d f l a t a n d j u s t wai t i ng f or t he a r t is t t o b re a t h e l i f e i n t o i t . S I M: H o w d o y o u f i n d s o c i a l m e d i a hel p i ng you g e t y o u r c re a t i v e w o rk s o u t t h e re? What d o you t hink a re i t s a d v a n t a g e s a n d d i sad vant ages? KA: S h a ri n g o n e ’s o w n w o rk f o r me i s very im po rt a n t ; i t ’s b e e n a g re a t w a y of i mp rovi ng and m o v in g f o rw a rd i n t h e p h o t o g ra p hi c j our ney I’m o n. V i e w i n g o t h e r p h o t o g ra p h e rs’ work gi ves me ins pira t i o n , a n d I h o p e m i n e d o es t he same f or t he m. T h e re a re a l s o s o m e g re a t f ri end shi p s t o b e m a de w i t h l i k e - m i n d e d p h o t o g rap hers. The onl y dis a dv a n t a g e I c a n s e e i s y o u r w ork b ei ng used by o t h e r p e o p l e w i t h o u t p e rm i s s i on f or t hei r own e nds , w h i c h i s a s h a m e .

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Featured Artist :

Hengki Koentjoro

www.koentjoro.com/profile.php

Se e in M o no : Ca n y o u t e l l u s a l i t t l e b i t a b o ut how you st a r t e d y o ur ph o t o g ra p h y c a re e r? H e n gki Ko e ntj o ro: O n m y 1 1 t h b i rt h d a y, m y m om g a ve m e a K o da k p o c k e t c a m e ra a s a p re s e n t. Even t ho ug h I wa s y o u n g a n d t h e c a m e ra w a s mo re o f a t o y t o m e t h a n a n y t h i n g e l s e , I w a s ho o ke d. I f e ll in lo v e w i t h t h e i d e a o f p re s e rv i ng wh a t I wa s s e e ing . F ro m t h a t m o m e n t f o rw a rd, I b e g a n do c ume nt in g , p h o t o g ra p h i c a l l y, t h e a c ti vi t ie s o f my fa m i l y a s w e l l a s t h e c o m m u n i t y su rrou nding me . SIM: Did y o u g o t o g o t o f o rm a l s c h o o l t o l e ar n p h o to g r a phy ? H K: I g r a dua t e d from B ro o k s I n s t i t u t e , e n d e d up a s a v ide o g r a phe r, b u t p h o t o g ra p h y i s a s e ri ous ho b b y. I s t a r t e d duri n g m y t e e n y e a rs a n d n e v er stop p ed t ill no w. It i s m y p a s s i o n a s w e l l a s a to o l to c o m m unic a t e . A t B ro o k s , I l e a r n e d t h e d i sci p line a nd v a luab l e t e c h n i q u e s o f p h o t o g rap hy Conversation ÂŠ Hengki Koentjoro 44 STRONG70 COLLECTION 1

when f i l m p hot ograp hy was st i l l k i ng. Th atâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also when I was ex p osed t o t he work of A nsel Adams who i nsp i red me t o k now more of b l ack and white p hot ograp hy. H i s met hod cal l ed Zone S ystem got me l ear ni ng ab out t onal i t y and cont rast in ord er t o creat e mood and at mosp here. At school, t hey p rep are you t echni cal l y as wel l as m entally so you are read y t o f ace t he real i nd ust r y with conf i d ence. SI M: H ow woul d you d escri b e your work in three word s? H K: Yi n- and - yang hyp er- real i t y p hot ographs SI M: Why t ak e or p resent p hot os i n a square f ormat ? H K: S q uare i s b al anced and eq ual ; i t i s more i nt i mat e i n my op i ni on. The rul e- of - t hi rds ver y much ap p l i es t o t he sq uare f ormat so I base everyt hi ng on t hi s t heory.

SIM: Yo u a ls o t a ke u n d e rw a t e r p h o t o s , a n d i n b l a c k a nd whit e . Is t h e re a n y s p e c i a l re a s o n for thi s? H K: B la c k a nd whit e i s m o re p l i a b l e f o r m e , so i t i s e a s ie r t o c re a t e a n d e x p re s s m y e m o t i o n . The a p p e a l lie s in t he t on e s a n d t h e a b i l i t y t o p l a y wi th the m in o rde r t o c re a t e n u a n c e s , m o o d , or a mb i e nc e . SIM: C a n y o u s ha re s o m e t i p s o n h o w t o t a k e g o o d p ho t o s in s uch a n e n v i ro n m e n t ? H K: Th e a bilit y t o co n t ro l y o u r b u o y a n c y i s o f utmo s t impo r t a nc e . T h i s g i v e s y o u t h e a b i l i t y to ho v e r o v e r y o ur s u b j e c t w i t h e a s e a n d p rec i s io n. Yo u ha v e t o d i v e s a f e l y b e f o re y o u c a n ta k e pic t ure s . Th e a m o u n t o f t i m e y o u s p end und erw a t e r ma inly d e p e n d s o n y o u r d i v i n g s ki l l s. T he ru le is s a fe t y fi rs t , t h e n h a v e f u n .

SI M: What gi ves you i d eas and i nsp i res you to creat e such amaz i ng i magery? H K: The ocean p ossesses a cal mi ng eff ect. This i s essent i al f or a ci t y d wel l er t hat need s to regain sani t y. I al so l i ve i n Ind onesi a, d ub b ed as the b i ggest archi p el ago on eart h. We have around 14,000 i sl and s and ri ch mari ne b i od i versity to mat ch. Many avi d d i vers consi d er t he easter n par t of Ind onesi a as t he l ast f ront i er f or d i vi ng. SI M: What d o you st i l l hop e t o achi eve in your p hot ograp hy? H K: Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not real l y l ook i ng f or any sp eci al achi evement s; what ever comes, comes. P hot ograp hy can never b e sep arat ed f rom the asp ect s of mak i ng t he common t hi ngs un usual, wel comi ng t he unex p ect ed , and i nd ul gi ng oursel ves wi t h t he j oy of p hot ograp hy.

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Atlantis © Hengki Koentjoro

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Breath © Hengki Koentjoro

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Fallen © Hengki Koentjoro

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Free Dive © Hengki Koentjoro

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Hallow © Hengki Koentjoro

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S © Hengki Koentjoro

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V © Hengki Koentjoro

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Water Falls © Hengki Koentjoro

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Alain Baumgarten

Born in the early 1980s near the Franco-German border, Alain considers nature as his playing field since he was a child. He moved to the big city for his studies but his love of nature drew him in again. He escaped from the walls of the urban life and went back to the countryside with a camera in hand and a fresh pair of eyes. The flowers, insects, and landscapes were never the same, and he was unable to put down his camera since. Alain, also a saxophone teacher, believes his photography and his music complement each other mainly by the concepts, technique and interpretation shared by both arts. At present, he lives in the countryside near Metz, France About the photos: Alain places his style somewhere between fine art and nature photography. In his photographic explorations, he often finds subjects that carry strong symbolic dimensions and evoke emotions and feelings from the depths of his unconscious. These come out especially in certain weather conditions, like in the mist or in the snow, â&#x20AC;&#x153;when our perception of the world and the options for composition are reduced to the essential,â&#x20AC;? Alain says. Calmness, sweetness, and sensuality are some of the feelings he experiment with when composing elements and shapes in nature. He is currently exploring techniques such as long exposure and infrared photography, and shooting and creating in black and white, which helps him reinforce the surreal and spiritual dimensions in his subjects.

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Duetting © Alain Baumgarten STRONG70 COLLECTION 1

Heavy Mist © Alain Baumgarten

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Un Nuage S’Envole © Alain Baumgarten

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Andy Lee

Andy says he has been taking pictures all his life, but started photographing obsessively about 10 years ago when he was filming a documentary for a charity in Ethiopia. With an old Hasselblad film camera, he also took photos of the scenes he had set up to film. “From that moment, I was hooked,” he says. While the usual route was moving from photography to video, Andy chose the reverse route and found producing still images much more rewarding than video. He was into portraiture and ‘capturing the moment’ but has recently started photographing landscape. While he is practicing to combine the two in his photographs, Andy says that the key component in his imagery is light. “Light is key to developing my narrative and how I want the image to be conveyed,” he says. About the photos: Andy loves shooting in monochrome as it helps him convey an image without distraction, transforming it to its bare elements with the use of texture, tone, contrast, form, light and negative space. He especially likes to explore the range of emotions that light and dark tones can bring to an image. He uses light to direct the viewers’ eye to the image and navigate through a hidden or subtle narrative. For him, monochrome is an interpretation of reality with these elements adding to the scene and telling the story.

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That Dam Cloud © Andy Lee STRONG70 COLLECTION 1

The Pole © Andy Lee

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One Two Tree III © Andy Lee

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One Two Tree XX © Andy Lee

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Arthur Kenneth Sy

Deeply inspired by the beauty of nature, Kenneth has emerged from his quiet, routinary life in business into the exciting world of photography. He started this hobby barely six years ago, and learned to capture significant moments and record unforgettable experiences along the way. A man who always seeks perfection in everything he does, Kenneth never gets tired of pursuing his dream of becoming one of the best photographers whom present and future generations will remember. Kennethâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photo was taken en route to Huang Long in China early morning winter time in 2013, when he saw the magnificent combination of tones, contrast and layers in the scene. For him, black and white photographs have a simple yet classic appeal.

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Bence Zanyi

Bence have been interested in the arts since he was a child but his love for photography started 7 years ago. He loves all forms of creating images but chooses landscape photography in monochrome his favorite. “It is already abstract since it veers from our color vision, but also the lack of colors makes you focus more on shapes, moods and feelings,” he says. He adds that long exposures make it even more surreal as a single frame captures not just a moment but the passing of time. That ultimately pushes him to go out and discover new places. About the photos: “Road to the Lighthouse” was taken near Hurst Castle in Dorset, England on a particularly windy and cold day, recalls Bence. “I was about to leave the peninsula when I saw this beautiful cloud formation over the lighthouse. The road worked as a great leading line that left me with an impression that I was somewhere desolate, a feeling I’m always chasing during my photography trips.” “The Durdle Door” may be considered as the trademark of the Jurassic Coast. It has been photographed often but Bence wanted to try something different. “Normally I am after interesting cloud formations but this time, the opposite proved to work. What I wanted to capture was the smoothness of the clear sky and the calm sea, with the rigidity of the arch as an accent or contrasting element.”

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Road to the Lighthouse © Bence Zanyi STRONG70 COLLECTION 1

The Durdle Door © Bence Zanyi

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Bruno Blais A professional artist in a theater and dance company since 1992, Bruno took on photography in 1998. He created an association in 2004 and a magazinetype photography review publication called L’Autre, showcasing black and white photographs. Printed in France, L’Autre has already produced seven volumes. About the photos: When Bruno was a child, he remembers his grandmother telling him stories when she opens a box full of photos. “I used to imagine the life of people shown in the photos, and promised that one day I will take my own as well. I love trekking to the mountains, and during winter I like taking black and white photos of snow, and the deep forest with fog and great light. I hold mountains and shooting in black and white precious in my life.” STRONG70 COLLECTION 1

Chaerul Umam

Chaerul was born in the coastal city of Java island in Indonesia in 1979. He has been studying photography since 2007 and, after trying various genres of photography, he chose landscape photography as his visual identity. He loves black and white landscape photography, which taught him that beauty and permanence are essential. He became part, and later an admin, of Siksa Kamera, an online community of Indonesiabased photographers specializing in long exposure photography. “It was an honor to be sharing my knowledge about long exposure photography in various workshops in major cities in Indonesia,” Chaerul says. About the photos: The Ballerina Project is a photography project about trees perceived by Chaerul as ballerinas dancing amongst the waves in the middle of the ocean. “I documented them in black and white to encourage modesty and for us to enjoy natural beauty,” Chaeul says. “Ballerina II” was taken at the Pelni Beach, Merak – Banten, while “Ballerina III” was taken n Laguna Beach, Labuan – Banten. “In Ballerina III, mangrove trees with skinny twigs grow in the middle of the ocean, like a ballet dancer tiptoeing in an attractive stage. And the stones, they are the audience.”

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Ballerina II © Chaerul Umam

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Ballerina II © Chaerul Umam

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A Colloquial Dream © Correy Bratton 76

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Correy Bratton

Correy is a self-taught amateur photographer who started long exposure photography in 2011. Currently based in Okinawa, Japan, he found himself captivated by the place’s beautiful coastlines, crystal clear blue bodies of water, and rock formations and defenses that are outlined with fast moving cloud formations. “Having an extreme fascination with simplicity, my goal is to capture this in every scene through the use of black and white long exposures,” says Correy. About the photos: “A Colloquial Dream” is a jetty that is commonly used by local fishermen during high tide. A song performed by one of Correy’s favorite jazz artists Charles Mingus inspired the image and its title. The song speaks of a struggling artist that truly loves his craft. “The Last King” is a rock formation located at a popular tourist beach located on the west side of Okinawa. “I wanted to give the sense of survival in emptiness,” says Correy.

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The Last King © Correy Bratton

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Dariusz Klimczak

Dariusz’s “Acrobats” was chosen by US-based photographic portal Pixoto.com as Photo of the Year in 2011. He was the only Polish to qualify for the international photo project, which concluded in an exhibition at the Centre Al Gazira in Cairo, Egypt in February 2012. He was also part of the feature “New Visionaries in 21st Century Photography” published in the prestigious UK publication “Altered Images” in 2012, and a winner of the Mayor of Slupsk, Poland scholarship in May 2012. He sells limited editions of his work at home and abroad, including England, Canada, United States, Switzerland, France, Australia, Germany, India, Sweden and Norway.

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Demaret Didier Demaret is a self-taught amateur photographer from Belgium. He discovered photography in 2006 and was immediately attracted to landscape photography in black and white and in square format, providing a plurality of compositions. He loves playing with lines and shapes in a minimalist approach. Most of his landscapes are done in low light, in the rain or fog, with long exposures that create a mysterious atmosphere. About the photos: Demaret says his favorite subjects are snow and rain, and that black and white photography is perfect in creating minimalist and high-contrast images of those. “It allows me to center on the subject without being distracted by all the colors,” he says. 84

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Derek Toye

Derek Toye is a self-educated, amateur photographer from Sarnia, Ontario. He first started taking photos in 2011 for fun, but after viewing other photographersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; works, he soon became interested in photography. Landscapes are his favorite subjects and he works primarily in black and white to try and create either a moody and dramatic or calm and silent atmosphere to his photos. His motivation and inspiration to shoot his pictures come from a list of favorite photographers: Michael Kenna, Uwe Langmann, Keith Aggett, Mark Littlejohn, Nilgun Kara, Ebru Sidar and Pierre Pellegrini. Each does such amazing work in capturing different moods and atmospheres in their landscape photos.

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Edwin Martinez

Considered as one of the Philippines’ premiere landscape photographer, Edwin has been shooting travel and landscape photos from the cold temperatures of North America to some parts of Europe. He also photographed various rugged coastlines all over the world. He is currently one of the brand ambassadors of Canon Philippines, and the managing partner of Chasing Light Team, the country’s leading landscape workshop. About the photos: Edwin believes that the most successful black and white photos always convey a universal theme. “It may be about beauty or surrealism, but black and white conveys solid emotions in one simplified message. My photos are usually about landscape as nature, for me, is the greatest artist and we are only witnesses and curators of this art.”

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Gittan Beheydt Based in Belgium near the city of Antwerp, Gittan is a passionate self-taught amateur photographer. She was fascinated by photography since she was a child, but it was in late 2009 that the craft started to become her second nature. “Through my images, I’m trying to reflect the beauty of everything that surrounds us.” While her main subjects are landscapes and seascapes, trees and flora, she believes her photographic journey is in constant evolution. About the photos: Gittan prefers minimal scenes and wants to reflect the beauty of what she sees, bringing it back to the essence in a play of shapes and lines. STRONG70 COLLECTION 1

Gerald Berghmmer Ina Forstinger

Gerald and Ina have been teaming up in projects for years, and shared a passion for photography for an even longer time. During their joint travels worldwide, they made sure that they preserve what they experience together through photography. But in 2010, they decided to make their hobby into a profession. After Gerald successfully completed his training and got his professional photographer certificate, he launched SilverFineArt.com with Ina. Since then, the tandem have been spending just about ever free minute they have outdoors with their cameras, which sometimes stretch out to days until they have the perfect motif lighted in just the right way. “Our method for getting the perfect image is to recognize the right way to look at something beautiful, then to have technical grasp of the right equipment, and time,” says Gerald and Ina. “Photography is so much more than just pressing the button—it is a craft with thousands of possibilities, and every negative becomes something unique.” They shoot with medium- and largeformat analog cameras, and they consider developing film in the darkroom as their reward at the end of a long day. “Every picture we choose is scanned at high resolution and digitally processed to enhance our pictures’ expressive effect. For us this is perfect photography. It makes us happy when you like our pictures. If you have any questions about individual works, printing procedures, or about our home page, we would be happy to answer them at any time.”

ÂŠ Gerald Berghmmer | Ina Forstinger

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Guy Cohen

Guy is a 24-year-old photography student in Jerusalem, Israel. He says he has his own way of looking at the world through the camera, on creating an interesting and intriguing experience for his audience often through silhouettes and shadow. He also uses the inversion of frames and playing with colors to add some final touches to the creation of magical pictures, his personal signatory of art. For Guy, black and white photos have a powerful look and transcend or blur the so-called boundary between the real world and the “world of shadows.” Recently he opened his mind to new genres such as portraits and landscapes. “I think it’s very challenging to take out the colors from the frame and still get people interested in it,” says Guy. About the photos: “Boulevard” was taken in the dark hedges in Northern Ireland during a photography trip Guy made with four friends. “A few weeks before we began our trip, I saw many wonderful sunrise pictures from this location and I wanted one like that too–with a strong golden ray of lights. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the location, there was almost no sun at all, and I thought it will be interesting to capture a dramatic silhouette instead. We were the only people visiting the location that day so we sent one of our photography members to the middle of the road and started shooting. The moment I took the shot, I knew I was going to edit it in black and white to give it a dramatic, powerful look.”

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Haswa Wedhaswara

Born in Blitar in 1983, Haswa Wedhaswara currently lives in Balikpapan, East Borneo in Indonesia. He got interested in photography in 2006 and started to explore more about it in recent years after seeing the masterpieces of Alpen Cukur and Nilgun Kara which have inspired him. He is the founder of a long exposure photography community in Indonesia called Siksa Kamera, and also the editor of Siksa Kamera e-magazine, a free electronic magazine devoted to long exposure photography. The publication has four volumes to date. About the photos: Haswaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pictures include a shot of fire debris off the coast in the suburbs and a scene at Manggar Water Reservoir in Balikpapan. The first shot, unlikely seen as a photography object, is his way of proving that good photos arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always taken from good places. The second picture, on the other hand, was taken early in the morning with the purpose of capturing the calm shades and the layer effect formed by the morning dew.

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ÂŠ Haswa Wedhaswara

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ÂŠ Haswa Wedhaswara

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Hideyuki Katagiri

Katagiri likes shooting landscapes and snapshots of local scenes. He is most interested in subjects and situations that evoke human warmness. He likes trains and photographing in trains.

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Ivana Stojakovic

Ivana, who lives and works in Belgrade in Serbia, is a graduate of industrial design from the University of Belgrade. She describes her work as a combination of photographs and her own drawings, using ordinary elements and combining those in various ways to tell her story. “Like painting, I love the way I can precisely control the making of the photo montage from the very beginning to the very end. The world is complex and so my picture of the world at any given moment has to be complex. It’s just a living image of my inner experience,” says Ivana.

About the photos: For Ivana, it’s not enough to use the camera to capture and freeze reality. She always wanted to add more to the photograph to the point that it becomes surreal. “It gives me immense opportunities to explore my own self, in ways that cannot be done solely by personal reflection. In this way, I get answers to how I feel and how much I can recall. It’s the same with dreams. I believe they are a reflection of our deep subconscious and each of us has a unique way of describing and portraying the imagination. Anyone who finds beauty in my work will find their own reasons and their own stories in it. The meaning is not limited and fixed in what I have imagined because that would be my story. I invite people to discover their own.”

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Jacob Tunenga Jacob lives in the city of Franeker in the north of Holland. He has been photographing for a few years and considers the site 1X.com as a big source of inspiration. He discovers beautiful images in the website selected carefully by the screening team. Jacob was co-facilitator of workshops organized by his friends. He thinks that he makes images more by following his feelings than by following rules and advice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The amount of processing depends on my mood and the mood I want to create, plus also on the theme. When I do documentary photography, I only do some essential corrections but never change whatever is in the composition, like removing disturbing objects,â&#x20AC;? says Jacob.

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About the photos: Jacob was passing by his usual route to and from work, where a particular stretch of the road was lined with trees. One time, he pulled over and walked around the place to search for the best possible position to take the photo. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I made the choice to photograph with an opening of f/11 for a little more depth of field because in my opinion some blur can create a stronger effect for the mist. After choosing my position, I was taking some test shots to find a good subject and composition for the photos. I was satisfied with the result and was ready to drive home when I saw a boy on his bike coming near the place. Without thinking too long, I took my position again and waited until the boy passed between the first and second tree. I was enchanted by this unexpected shot and I went home a happy man.â&#x20AC;?

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Jasper Resari

Jasper started as a photography enthusiast in 2010. He’s into landscape and fine art photography, and both give him so much joy, curiosity, and inner peace. “Black and white photos are how I best convey my emotions,” he says. “The silence it brings is where I see the soul of every creation. It’s more of an expression of a curious enthusiast like me.”

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Jeff Mercader

Photography is a form of self-expression for Jeff. He works predominantly in black and white format as it presents an elusive visualization of character, mood and emotion. He also likes to create a feeling of depth in the mind of individuals looking at his photos. “Being a simple guy, I appreciate nature in its simplest form. I try to interpret God’s creation with my intimate connection with nature as seen in my photographs. I love what I do and I devote a lot of time enhancing and perfecting my work. It’s a lifetime journey, it’s a passion!” says Jeff.

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ÂŠ Jeff Mercader

Zenith ÂŠ Joel Tjintjelaar

Joel Tjintjelaar

Joel is an award-winning black and white fine art photographer specializing in architecture. He conducts workshops in fine art architecture all over the world with Vision Explorers and other master classes online. He shares his knowledge and success so others will have the tools to express themselves and be successful as well, in their profession and in their artistic craft. Personally, Joel uses photography as a means to step away from reality in order to get to his real identity and what makes him unique as a human being. He is inspired by the classic black and white portraits of Yousuf Karsh, Irving Penn and Richard Avedon, the still life work of Robert Mapplethorpe, and the classic fine art photographs of Jeanloup Sieff and Ralph Gibson. About the photos: “Zenith” was shot in 2010 along a beach/dike in Holland in between rainstorms. “When the rain stopped, I got out of my car to shoot this bench on top of a dike while the clouds raced by. It was as if this lonely bench was laughing at the storm and couldn’t be hurt by it,” says Joel.

John Kosmopoulos

John is an international awardwinning photographer specializing in architecture, abstract, long exposure, and minimalist black and white fine art photography. His fine art photography has been featured in galleries and several national and international publications. His philosophy of photography can be summed up in four words: “eclectic aesthetic fine art” (EAFA). He resides with his loving family in the great city of Toronto where he balances his passion for the photographic arts and writing with his love of the behavior sciences as a consultant and educator. About the photos: “Prelude to Silence” was an exercise of patience for John. “I notice this particular composition during my travels but wanted to wait until the winter to offer a minimalist black and white photograph as part of my overall vision. The zen-like simplicity of the moment when I took this photograph still resonates with me today. The silence was realized in black and white. It was as if I was cocooned by an unforgettable silence.”

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Krzysztof Jedrzejak

Born in May 1984 in Gdynia on the Polish Baltic coastline, Krzysztof is a self-taught photographer attracted to monochrome landscape photography mostly in square format. He likes to use long exposure technique and express his vision in a minimalistic way. He tries to show in his photographs the world as a dreamy land full of speeding clouds and blurred waves, and giving the subject its own unique meaning. About the photos: “Iced Pier” is one of Krzysztof’s favorite black and white winter long exposure photos. “I was inspired by raw nature of Baltic Sea. It was so cold that I almost couldn’t put my grey filters on the lens,” he says. The photo was given the recognition Honorable Mention at the 2013 International Photography Award in nonpro fine art landscape category. “Curve and the Lighthouse” was taken as the sun sets in Gdynia city, Poland. “My main goal was to create a play between shapes. Clouds were drifting straight from the top of the lighthouse that completed this seascape,” says Krzysztof. “Snowy Forest” was taken during his annual trip to the Tatra mountains. “I used this small forest to create a clean composition with a line between snowy foreground and darker sky. Conversion to black and white made it more minimalistic,” he says.

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Curve and the Lighthouse ÂŠ Krzysztof Jedrzejak

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Lionel Orriols

Based in South France, Lionel has been looking for ways to express his vision of the world. In the 1980s, he saw Ansel Adams’ “Moonrise” which touched him deeply. Several years later, after seeing the works of other photographers like Micheal Kenna, he got more interested in black and white photography. He took on photography in 1999.

About his photos: Lionel focuses on ephemeral moments and footprints of humans in nature. Black and white, long exposure photos allow him to create timeless images that delve between reality and imagination, and touch a wide mix of personal feelings that he tries to reveal by writing with light.

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Mahesh Balasubramanian

Mahesh is a software professional from Chennai, India. He learned to love photography during his college days, and used to shoot using his friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s film camera during tours. He rekindled his passion in 2008 as a way to de-stress from his hectic corporate life. It has become a serious passion for him ever since. He likes taking portraits and street moments, and prefers black-and-white as a medium to present his photos. About the photos The photo was taken in Valparai, one of the hill stations in Tamilnadu, India. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always liked going early to the estate to reach the top by sunrise, and capture mystical lights and layers of mountains.

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Mark Oliver Mercader

Mark is an information technology graduate who works for a government agency. He began exploring photography as part of a vocational course, which introduced him to the fundamentals of the craft. For him photography is one way of expressing one’s self through art, emotion, and ethics. “It soothes my soul and is the best outlet I have found to express my creativity and capturing our Creator’s thoughts,” he says. Mark is into shooting landscapes, whose features such as rocks, trees and mountains become compositional elements to play light, texture and tonal contrast with. “Sometimes I find myself sitting on a rock overlooking a placid sea with mountains in the distance while sipping my favorite cup noodles, and I say to myself, the Philippines is a beautiful country and I thank God I am able to enjoy the blessed earth.” About the photos: “Triboa Mangroves” are preserved in Subic, Olongapo in the Philippines, and serve as a perfect habitat for fingerlings, mud crabs and mud skippers. This destination is easy to find so even those who are new to the place will not experience difficulties locating it. Mark says he almost didn’t get to shoot because the premises were closed when he got there, but he got in anyway. “We prayed for the sun to sneak out and it did but I preferred to choose these marching clouds for a different kind of approach. The clouds made me feel like they’re going to swallow me up.”

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Martin Rak

Martin was born in 1984 in Prague, and has been living there all his life. He got his first camera from his grandfather when he was six and since then has been interested in photography. But it was in 2007 when he bought his first digital SLR camera that he started taking photographs seriously. He enjoys spending his free time traveling and does mostly landscape photography, but admits to liking shooting nature and architecture as well. Martin says he loves black and white photography because it captures lines, tones and shapes in their purity and expresses atmosphere and emotions better than color photography. About the photos: “Chapel” is a long exposure shot of Cappella di Vitaleta in Tuscany, Italy. “Misty Morning” is a shot of the Tuscan Belvedere which is a popular subject among photographers from all around the world. “The mist and clouds really made the atmosphere that morning,” says Martin. “6” is a long exposure shot taken last winter in Martin’s favorite photo location–the Bohemian Switzerland, Czech Republic. “Road and Dancers” was shot one afternoon in the Ore Mountains, Czech Republic. “There was thick mist everywhere. Thanks to the snow and frost that created an amazing dreamy feeling,” recalls Martin.

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Misty Morning ÂŠ Martin Rak

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6 © Martin Rak

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Massimo Margognoni

Photographer and author Massimo is inspired by landscape and documentary photography. For him, his photography expresses the evolution of nature and climate change in relation to human beings and other aspects of life. His photographs won numerous awards in major international competitions in contemporary photography, were exhibited in various galleries in New York City and the Museum of Fine Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada, and were published in National Geographic USA and Italy and in books and magazines in France and the USA. In 2013, he published his first photo book “Fotografia Dell’Essere: Manuale per la fotografia di alto libvello.” About the photos: For Massimo, black and white photography is part of his being and identifies with the drama that he wants to express through monochrome. “I wanted to capture this waterfall because in it you can feel the true essence of nature and the force of the Creator. Another reason was that there’s a legend that tells of a hidden treasure guarded by the water.”

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ÂŠ Massimo Margognoni

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Matthias Schroeter

Born in Germany in 1981, Matthias currently lives near the German Baltic Sea Coast in Stralsund. While studying economics at the University of Applied Sciences near his hometown, he led a student club with over 150 members with the objective of cultural development. It was during this time that he discovered his love for photography. He is now working on studies about the German Baltic Sea Coast and wishes to inspire his daughter to try out photography. About the photos: Matthias thinks good black and white images have special qualities such as lighting, mood, and structures compared with colorful images. It’s also through monochromes that he can reflect his emotions very well. “I like the variations of grey and the game between black and white. I can put a lot of power in the contrast or make very delicate tones. When I look at my pictures, I can see a part of my soul. It’s like a mirror. I cannot find this in color photographs.”

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Michael De Guzman Michael, or MDG, is a Filipino fine art photographer known for his black and white landscape photos. He strives to create images as food for the soul. He sees himself like a chef collecting raw materials when shooting in the field and prepares them on post processing ready to be consumed by anyone who wants landscapes beyond black and white. His images have been in numerous local and international publications, both online and in print. He also won awards including PX3 Prix De La Photographie Paris and IPA Lucie Award. He is now a regular contributor to the landscape section of a local photography magazine, and assists and conducts workshops for landscape and fine art photography. About the photos Sampaloc Lake is the largest and most beautiful among the seven lakes in San Pablo, Laguna in the Philippines. The lake is dotted with fish pens, cottages and water lilies. He took a long exposure shot with a group of lilies somewhat pointing towards Mt. Banahaw. “This image is memorable to me because this was my first long exposure shot after learning the basics from a workshop,” MDG says. “Waltz and the Wind” is a shot of Mt. Fuji, one of Japan’s holy mountains. It is a majestic creation of nature that has inspired artist and poets on their journey in discovering and understanding the beauty it represents. What makes it more interesting is that Mt Fuji is actually a three-layer volcanic mountain that is also surrounded by a number of lakes. “This shot was taken on a windy cold morning in December 2012. My Japanese friend brought me to a viewing deck somewhere around Lake Shojiko. Although Mt. Fuji is regarded as a male figure, for me this image is like a woman with a lavish dress dancing the Waltz so gracefully.”

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Miftachus Sa’idin

Miftachus lives in Malang, East Java in Indonesia. He holds a degree in communications and discovered photograph three years ago. He has a passion for visual symbols, and black and white photography lets Miftachus share his imagination about light and darkness. He names Hengki Koentjoro and Ansel Adams as his inspiration in creating images in mono. About the photos: “Water and Sun” shows the flow of life that is rarely recognized and most often neglected. “Can we live without them?” asks the curious Miftachus.

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Neil Hulme

A self-taught photographer, Neil took up photography three years ago when he realized his kids had grown up and that he’s left with more time to himself. His interest and knowledge, especially in black and white long exposure photography, has developed through reading books, magazines and resources from the Internet. “With black and white images, you can create moods and contrasts that are just not possible in color images. I love sitting in front of my computer trying to bring out as many tones as possible,” he says. About the photos: Neil says that he had noticed the lonesome tree for a while. “All I had to do was to wait for the right weather conditions, to capture the image that I had envisioned in my head. It’s a very simple composition but I feel it was very effective.”

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Octo Ahadi

Octo was born in Sumbawa Besar in Indonesia in 1981 and now lives in West Java. About the photos: Photos from the “Lost in Time” series were taken in the diminishing forest in Bogor in West Java. It was inspired by the works of Michael Kenna, Hengki Koentjoro, Hengki Lee and Johanes Januar.

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Rohan Reilly

Rohan is a landscape photographer who works produces black and white images and often uses long exposures. Through the use of these techniques and minimalist compositions, Rohan creates serene and wonderful moments that are earthy and organic, yet otherworldly at the same time. His work has been recognized in international photography competitions, winning awards in The International Photography Awards in 2012 and 2013 as well as in the International Fine Art Photography Awards and Landscape Photographer of the Year in 2012. Rohan regularly gives talks about photography to camera clubs in Ireland and runs workshops, where he loves to share his knowledge and insights into creating fine art black and white photographs.

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Till Muller

Till was born in 1984 and lives in Cologne, Germany. He took on photography in 2006 and, after several years of self-introduction and trying almost every genre in photography, he ended up in black and white longexposure photography in 2011. He is especially interested in capturing modern, urban architecture and seascapes around the world. The passion for seascapes has taken him to several countries like Great Britain, Denmark, The Netherlands and several spots in the United States. Unlike other photographers, he prefers to shoot in bad weather conditions with cloudy skies to create minimalistic photos focusing on the essential. He gets most of his inspirations just by walking down the shore or around urban areas looking for the right spots to shoot. Tillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works were published in several online and print magazines and books.

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Yury Bird

Yury was born near the sea in a small port town Skadovsk in Ukraine and spent a lot of time on the seashore— piers in the sunset light, boats, and the silence. He still remembers the sunset sky and the dawns over the horizon from his childhood. Many years later, having moved to Dnepropetrovsk city, he came back to his homeland, traveled around Asia, and he started to visualize his recollections and new perception through the lens of his camera. “I can call myself a self-reliant seascape photographer; most of my works are dedicated to the sea,” he says. About the photos Yury tends to prefer black-and-white photography and usually crop photos to a square. Why black-and-white photo? “Because it is creative photography, first of all. Such photography allows to focus on shapes and interrelations of elements and objects of the image, not to be distracted by color. This photography combines light and shadows, thus describing a scene or subject’s threedimensional character and stories in a frame.” Yury thinks “color dilutes and breaks down the frame, where it loses its integrity and takes a spectator’s attention away from the main scene with its plenty of colors.”

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