chain reaction
Setting himself the target of making original portraits of the Mayors of 50 Dutch
burghs, Henk van Kooten FMPA created an exhibition and a fascinating book,
‘De Menslijke Keten’ or ‘The Human Chain’.
E
ACH of the photo spreads in
the 100 main pages of Henk
van Kooten’s book of Dutch
burgemeesters includes a
statement by the subject. Some are
very short, others are long; some
relate to the photography, others
don’t.
They add a change of pace
to the book which matches the
variety of Henk’s photography. For
each subject, he shows not only
the final chosen image as a full
page, but additional concept images shot in the same session.
For photographers, the sheer
variety of treatment in the 50
chosen images is impressive. When
you also see the secondary images
– trebling this variety – you realise
how unadventurous most everyday
portraiture has become. Henk uses
light, colour, contrast, composition,
focus and graphic effects as freely
as a student experimenting for the
first time.
Shooting digitally, he is not
afraid to use very hard spotlighting and to allow both solid blacks
and pure whites to be recorded,
overcoming the natural flatness of
the medium.
While this book – all its text in
English as well as Dutch – is not
a photographic textbook, it’s one
of the best tutorials in portrait
treatment you could find. Henk
says he allowed himself a minimum
of 90 minutes for each sitting and
originally wanted to photograph
100 mayors. The project took two
years to complete, and is published
by Thieme Art (www.thiemeart.
com), ISBN 978-90-78946-16-2.
With 50 burghs as potential exhibition venues for the prints, Henk
has secured himself guaranteed
countrywide exposure.
– DK
Ì
Left: the book’s layout – a typical spread with one
selected image and three alternative choices, plus words
by the Mayor involved.
Above: Annie Brouwer, Utrecht
Facing page, top: Jon Hermans-Vloedbeld, Ridderkirk
Bottom: Job Cohen, Amsterdam
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Above: Tjerk Bruinsma,
Vlaardingen
Right: Gert-Jan Kats,
Liesveld
Facing page top:
Gerd Leers,
Maastricht
Bottom:
Ivo Opstelten,
Rotterdam
All photographs
© Henk van Kooten FMPA
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As featured in
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achill voices
Book publishing with a strong local connection can help build a reputation and
return something of permanent value to the community. Robert Redmond’s ‘Achill
Voices’ records the ordinary folk of an isolated Irish beauty-spot.
A
chill Island is a beautiful,
unspoilt area off the coast
of County Mayo. Linked to
the mainland by a swing
bridge, it is easily accessible yet remote and brings visitors back year
after year. Achill’s sandy beaches
and dramatic cliffs are renowned
as some of the most beautiful in
Europe, and its people known for
their warm hospitality.
Robert Redmond’s Achill Voices,
published in 2007 by Nonsuch
Publishing Ltd, features a strong
collection of black and white and
colour images from the author’s
own collection, alongside stories
that offer a rare glimpse into the
lives of the island’s inhabitants.
Robert Redmond LMPA is well
known for his portrait, wedding and landscape photography,
with studios in both Athy and
Portlaoise. He has worked for the
magazines Hello and OK! and most
national newspapers. Achill Voices
is Robert’s second book, after his
successful Images of Ireland: Athy
Town.
Ì
Robert (left) tells us: “The front cover pic is taken from the top of Minaun Cliff at about 9.30 in the evening. I
knew when I took this it would make the front cover of the book.
“The upper black and white photo records turf cutting on Innishbiggle. I met these three islanders on one of
my visits to Innishbiggle to meet its people. Pictured here are Annie Calvey, Daniel Henry, and Terence Nevin.
“The two men with pints are Marty and Michael McNamara. This is on the back cover of the book. The two
went to Scotland at the age of 13 to pick potatoes and did not return until the 1970s. Marty, on the right, held
his own ceremony on returning to the island. After emptying his cases, he went down to the sea and threw
them in, and vowed he would never go back to Scotland – and he has kept that promise.”
For more information on Robert’s work see: www.robertredmondstudios.com
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