Random Excellence: Els Vanopstal

Photo by Els Vanopstal, from her website

I was delighted to learn a few days ago that in the first photograph I chose for last Friday's "A Baker's Dozen: Large Format Contact Prints" (right), the model is none other than Belgian photographer Els Vanopstal, an accomplished photographer herself. 

In her formal work she works within a very narrow range, but she is the master of it, finding variation and modulation both emotional and visual. She uses color with great sensitivity.

In a more documentary and personal vein, she also shares on her website the moving and tragic story of her partner Christophe, who died of lymphoma.

Great respect to Els. When I chose Johan Verhulst's picture to lead off that post I had no idea the woman in the picture was she. As often happens on the Web it was a chance encounter, and it was a pleasure to find the world of her art through that tiny window.

Thanks also to Huw, who recognized Els in Johan's picture.

Have a look at her work if you get a chance.

Mike
(Thanks to Els for permission to publish her photo, as well as to Johan and Huw)

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Els: "You are too kind, Mike.  :-)  Thank you for the feature. And of course also thanks to Johan and Huw!"

Allan Graham: "Well...time out on a frantic Friday morning...and this has just stopped me dead in my tracks. Sublime and profound."

Comments

[Dennis]

While this photography (mostly) isn't my usual cup of tea, one photo in particular created an instant and strong sense of deja vu and immediately put one of George Winston's songs from "Autumn" in my head and I don't know exactly why. Oddly, it evokes a time long before I would have first heard that album. I don't think I've ever had that experience looking at someone else's photo.

[James Weekes]

She uses color in a glorious way. In one of the series I was tempted to say. “That would be better in black and white.” Then I kept looking and realized that the subtlety of the color was necessary and wonderful.

[Peter Wright]

I took a look at her website as you suggest – great work! And of a sort I don't personally attempt or tend to see. Interesting also in that she must be the world's greatest exponent of the ultra shallow dof method which is currently getting so much over exposure. What has become a tiresome cliche when practiced by the mob (most of us) can still be raised to the level of inspiring art in the right hands.

Now I'm wondering what other "cliches" are being taken to the next level by someone whose work I don't know!

[David Cope]

Thank you for the link to Els Vanopstal's site.

I've spent some time on there educating myself - I love her colour sensibilities, and I can learn from that. Great work.

Bookmarked for future reference!

[Wolfgang Lonien]

I also looked at her page and blog, and I'm touched. That story, her photos, her thoughts - very moving. And I loved her square work (with Christophe's Mamiya C33 if I got that right).

[Peggy Collins]

I too wish to thank you for the link to Els Vanopstal's site.

What super and inspiring work!

I spent several hours this morning ignoring what I was supposed to be doing and let myself get lost in not only her photographic work but her blog.

Thank you. Since finding your page about 2 years ago, I started to finally stop listening to my family when they question me as to why I buy cameras. No matter what I tell them, they don't really 'get' it.

[J. D. Ramsey]

Thank you for the link to Els Vanopstal's site. Very powerful.

[Johan Verhulst]

So glad to see that you featured Els. Her work is amazing and I am very happy that she agreed to pose for me. I apologise for not mentioning her name when I submitted my pictures, but as there were two with two different models I could not know which -if any- Mike would feature...

[David Comdico]

it's a small (virtual) world. Thanks for sharing the link to the work. Good reminder on the power, and value, of photography.

[Animesh Ray]

Some of her portraits take one's breath away. Suffused with an inner glow, they render unto form the tragic vulnerability of life.

[Tom Kaszuba]

It takes a lot these days in photography to grab my attention. Upon viewing her work I thought to myself “it’s not over”. If someone out there in the world can produce portraits as sublime as that then photography isn’t dying after all.