Niels Van Iperen – Γκαλερί Τεχνοχώρος

Μία από τις πρώτες αναμνήσεις του είναι η οικογενειακή φωτογραφία τους. Ένας μεγάλος γενειοφόρος άνδρας, που δεν ήταν άλλος από το θείο του, τους έβαλε να χαμογελάσουν μπρος στην μηχανή του. Ο ίδιος είχε φωτογραφείο και από πολύ νωρίς, μόλις στην ηλικία των οκτώ, δίδαξε στον Niels πώς να αναπτύσσει και να εκτυπώνει τις δικές του φωτογραφίες. Μέχρι τη στιγμή που ήταν 15 χρονών, έπαιρνε την μηχανή του στις συναυλίες και έτσι άρχισε να εργάζεται για μουσικά περιοδικά. Μάλιστα κατά τις σπουδές του στο “The Hague Academy of Arts” έγινε γνωστός ως «pop φωτογράφος».

Το επάγγελμα αυτό τον οδήγησε στο Λος Άντζελες και τη Νέα Υόρκη, όπου φωτογράφιζε πορτρέτα και εξώφυλλα περιοδικών ( Nirvana, BB King, Michael Jackson, Metallica). Σύντομα άρχισε να ταξιδεύει στον κόσμο, όπως Ιαπωνία, Κούβα, Βολιβία. Σε ένα από τα ταξίδια του ανακάλυψε ένα μέρος που απέφευγε, την Κολομβία. Τον συνεπήρε και τον εξέπληξε η περιοχή και ο λαός της, με αποτέλεσμα να αποφασίσει να εγκατασταθεί. Ακόμη και σήμερα, στα 42, ζει και εργάζεται στην Κολομβία. Περιτριγυρισμένος από τους πιο φιλικούς ανθρώπους που μπορεί κάποιος να γνωρίσει, η δουλειά του φαίνεται ευχάριστηση.

www.niels.com

Niels Van Iperen – Technochoros Art Gallery

When Dutch photographer Niels van Iperen was seven, he started taking professional shots at rock concerts. At age 15, Steve Harris of Iron Maiden stood in front of his lens, followed by the ‘who’s who’ of music history: Michael Jackson, Kurt Cobain, Mick Jagger … Soon van Iperen was circling the globe, and photographing over 3000 bands and artists. Between assignments, he tried to see as much of the world as possible: Japan, Cuba and Bolivia – finding Latin America particularly interesting. Colombia was one destination, however, that he avoided for a long time. When he at last visited the country in 2002, he discovered that many of the horror stories he had heard were overblown. “When I went there I was pleasantly surprised because, while every Latin country has fascinating aspects, Colombia seems to have them all in one country!” The magical place has held him captive ever since. Van Iperen, now 42, has lived in Colombia for eight years, doing commercial photo shoots and running a photo equipment business. His love for Colombia is reflected in his personal projects. They represent a homage to the country and its people, because Colombia has so many facets: Delightful landscapes and the snow-covered Andes, a beautiful coastline, the Amazon River, and an amazing variety of plants and animals. “But Colombia has to deal with corruption, plus a hundred years of internal war, fifty years of guerrilla conflict, and countless paramilitary massacres. It’s the country of Pablo Escobar, and the world center of cocaine production.” Van Iperen uses Hasselblad cameras to capture the countless faces for his Colombia series. The pictures Below: Exclusive insights into van Iperen’s work. Further images of his Colombia project can be found at www.niels.com have an incredibly colorful intensity. He masters the use of light – at times warm sunlight contrasting with dark blue skies, at times cold and bright on an ice blue backdrop. Despite the unusual 2:1 landscape format that he uses for his portrait photographs, the people are the main protagonists in his images. The many background details, however, often serve to complete the stories. Most of his Colombian photos have the feel of snap shots. Some really were, while others were carefully staged and used a lot of equipment; yet, despite the degree to which some photos have been set up, they always end up looking real and spontaneous. He uses Hasselblad cameras for all his Colombia photos. “These are the most ergonomic cameras in the world: They allow for fast shooting, can even be used in scarce light circumstances, and their True Focus system is indispensable for shooting portraits with large diaphragm openings.” Some pictures were taken with an H3D-39 or an H4D-50. He takes the H3D-31, above all, when he is heading for less safe areas. “You’re only risking a small part of the investment in a H4D-50 …” Van Iperen’s Colombia series was inspired, by German photographer, August Sander. In the 1920s Sander did a series of portraits trying to put together a sort of “German typology”. “When I started working on this personal project I departed from his idea, and set it in Colombia today instead of Germany in the 1920s.” In addition, Van Iperen sometimes adds very fantastical elements to his pictures: “Where Sander’s photos, like his culture, are devoid of any ‘fantasy’ elements, in Colombia and in my photos it is something inevitable.