When creating my portfolio for grad schools, I noticed that my work is sometimes really harsh. The strong lines and the geometric vision lends itself well to architectural photography, though at times I almost wish my photographs were more accessible and gave a better sense of who I am as an individual. Ellen van Deelen's photographs are an example of a soft, compassionate aesthetic; a type of photography I admire, yet can't quite bring myself to create.I really like the way she uses human objects to make rats seem completely adorable. In giving them this human quality, she encourages a lot of people (who would normally be repulsed by these gutter-dwellers) to reconsider these animals. When I see her images, I think of my own rats. Though they're anything but human, it's common for me to associate them with decidedly human traits. I also like that she seems so compassionate in relation to her subjects. I get a sense of Deelen as a motherly figure: patient and understanding of her rats, who likely want nothing to do with the miniature strollers she places beside them. When I photograph structures, I feel the same sort of intensity for them as Deelen does for her pets. There's something about photographing (either an object or an animal) that forces you to consider every single detail; I hope that this intense sort of passion comes across in my images. So, while I have no desire to create softer images like Deelen, I do think that we have similar ways of looking at the subjects we choose to work with: Deelen for her rats and me for my buildings.
Link: http://photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=545092
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