Nature by Photographer Katja Hagelstam
For me the wispy jaded nature of photography is often one of the most appealing aspects to the craft. Mixing the unpredictability of film with a lens that can feather natural light leads to unusual and interesting effects. A photograph that I tend to fall back on when it comes to this concept is Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Villa Savoye picture, a snapshot of Le Corbusier’s famous build on the outskirts of Paris. This photo has an obvious meaning, it’s a picture of a building, but the lack of focus and fuzziness indicates that the idea was to mimic Le Corbusier’s original thoughts as a designer. An idea coming to fruition.
I guess intellectually these little details are quite powerful and add a whole new dimension for those looking to delve deeper. A similar aesthetic drew me to the work of Finnish photographer Katja Hagelstam. The photos are quite grainy and blurred and rely heavily on the use of strong colour, especially those that represent the current season. Katja’s goal is to capture the photos as she views them, almost as if you’re viewing the world through the eyes of a newborn. The subject is a little hazy in our understanding but captivating all the same. To be fair, I think this is how I still view the world myself!
Maybe respecting these little moments in our life is part of the greater concept, reflecting on the the world and how amazing all these details in nature are. Katja Hagelstam’s an exciting photographer and has plenty more pictures on her website to admire so I’d recommend you have a gander. I hope you enjoy these and they make you question your own thinking on the world.