As those who read the about page know, Aletheia is about attempting to reveal... stuff. Largely through my own photography. But it seems only fitting to also shine the spotlight on other photographers whom I find interesting.
Atomique.2 series by Laurent DequickAn unusual view of the Atomium in Brussels, illustrative of the "vibratory" nature of Dequick's work
My first pick is nearly a lazy one. Laurent Dequick is thankfully gaining a healthy reputation and growing into the highly successful photographer he deserves to be. People who are kind enough to consider my little website are likely to have seen or heard of Laurent's work. But then again maybe not, and in any case, he deserves any additional praise he can get.
Laurent's work is unique and inspiring. Most of it revolves around multiple exposures of urban landscapes melded into one striking photograph. But if you are thinking about HDR, think again, the aim is quite different. We're not talking about superimposing identical shots with different exposure levels to increase dynamic range here, but of mixing up the exposures in a "misaligned" fashion if you will. This creates a totally new image, the effect of which has sometimes been described as "vibratory" - see the "vibrating" Atomium picture here - and Laurent himself named one of his series "Vibrations urbaines" to reflect this. It's really a very personal style and one you have to see to appreciate fully.
There are many reasons I am in love with Laurent's work.
First, it just looks stunning. On a purely aesthetic level it's wonderful, a very beautiful body of work that holds me in awe. That alone would make it worthwhile.
Vibrations Urbaines - New YorkA playful representation of New York's pedestrian crossings, far from the gritty style many photographers apply to the city
But it goes further. Laurent started out as an architect before being a photographer, and it shows. A deep understanding and love of the urban landscapes he depicts permeates Laurent's work. I love cities and urban landscapes too, and here is a photographer that depicts cities in a beautiful, glorious way. His unique technique underlines their liveliness. It's a breath of fresh air to have this playful representation of cities, when so much photography tends to focus on the darker or grittier aspects.
In typical "aletheia-revelatory" fashion, Laurent is basically revealing the intrinsic beauty of subjects some might take for granted or even find ugly at first glance. I have a deep appreciation for any work that can reveal non-obvious beauty, and Laurent's definitely fits that bill. Because while many will acknowledge the beauty of Venice or Barcelona, two of his subjects, it will come as a surprise to some to be so delighted by the beauty of Hong Kong or even some unorthodox views of London or Antwerp.
Laurent's work also basically fingers its nose at the notion that only photography adhering to a strict set of rules is worthwhile. For starters, it ridicules those people who would reject digital post-processing as unworthy of photography. Laurent's way of working is obviously post-processing heavy, without this being detrimental to the art, quite to the contrary. Interestingly enough, it seems to me that like most good post-processing, it actually tells us more about the actual subject than a "neutral" treatment would have. Furthermore, it can sometimes be argued that Laurent plays with, and occasionally discards, typical rules of composition, here again to great effect. Of course, deep mastery of traditional photography rules is evident in his work, but this mastery allows him to bypass them efficiently when it serves his purpose.
Finally, it should be noted that he is an extremely friendly and interesting individual. When I met him at an opening, I had the chance to chat and laugh with an agreeable, smart, witty and humble fellow. This changes nothing about his art, but makes it all the more pleasant to recommend him. Please do check out his work if you don't know it, and consider buying his still quite affordable art - it won't remain that affordable for long.
