FEATURE

The People Category

In the People Category, the winner was Kitty de Preeuw of Belgium for the photo "Closet". Honorable mentions also went to "Snow" by, yes, Kitty de Preeuw of Belgium.


Closet

This is a lovely shot. We liked the use of shadow to frame the boy's face. The dark curtains, spaces behind the subject and the dark clothing he wears gives a mysterious and quietly foreboding feel to the piece, and provides a wonderful frame for this young boy's face, (almost glowing white) as he sits, just brushing forward into the diffuse light beyond his hiding place. What may not be apparent in a computer screen reproduction is the excellent definition in the deep shadow areas and the subtle tones of the highlights in the face. As in "Snow" (also by de Preeuw) this is printed on a silver-rich fiber paper. It is handsome, well crafted print.

Kent Barrett, Vancouver, Canada
tt-photo@teletimes.com




Interview: Kitty de Preeuw


Profile

Kitty is a student of photography entering the last year of his
course at the Academy in Gent. He says his main interest in
photography is documentary.  He is part of a photography centered
group called Lekri. Their first exhibition with a theme of 'space'
(door-surroundings) will take place in December (and he wants
everyone to know that contributions are still welcome). They also
have plans to publish a magazine called Obscuur. Obscuur will be
available for download on a Belgian server (Ronet), which  will on
the Internet in a few months time.


What does he have to say about "Closet"?

"It's one of my first photo's that was dramatized a little, or set
in scene. It is taken in the house of my grandparents, just before
it was sold. I have tried in the portrait to keep something of the
atmosphere of the darkrooms in that old house where I played with
my niece and nephews, alive. The image 
acquires it's specificness because of the forward
movement of the boy reaching out of the closet just as he is
captured by the brightness of a ray of light. As fragile as memory
itself."


His favourite equipment?

His favorite camera is the Nikon FM2:
"It's a mechanical camera and it gives me the feeling of 'doing work'.
For films I prefer Tmax. I do my own developing in my own (lab) darkroom."


Favourite photographers?

Kitty says his favorite photographers are Arbus, Robert Frank and
Koudelka. "They take as a starting point the world as we know it. But through
their eyes (and their photos) we can glimpse an inner reality that
is perhaps more (true)."


So where does photography fit into his life?

"It's been four years now that I've donated most of my time to
photography. Working as a photographer allows me to engage in a
direct contact between me and my surroundings. Photography for me
is not so much a passion as a way of seeing that solves the
concentration problems I normally have."


Dr. Euan Taylor, Vancouver, Canada

ertaylor@unixg.ubc.ca