Author: Bastiaan Woudt

Bastiaan Woudt works in a wide range of photographic disciplines: landscape, still life, and portrait. He travels the world with his XF Camera System complemented by the Schneider Kreuznach 80mm f/2.8, 110mm f/2.8, and 150mm f/3.5 lenses. We caught up with him between assignments to ask a few questions about his inspiration, tools, and his minimalist lens approach. The right lens for the moment “Having the right lens is essential to my work. When a photographer starts to determine their signature style and workflow, they will start to find their favorite focal lengths to work with. In many cases, the choice of focal length and lens can really define the style of the photographer. For me, it doesn’t matter what my subject is. Landscapes, still life, or people, they all combine to form my body of work. “I love to shoot portraits and work with people, but I don’t like to be labeled as a portrait photographer.” A unique expression with a compact lens kit “The focal length of the Schneider Kreuznach 80mm f/2.8 gives …

Bastiaan Woudt is a self-trained photographer, developing his craft and signature style through immersion in the history of photography, and studying the masters in museums and fairs. By immersing himself in the world of photobooks and exhibitions, Bastiaan developed from his early Pictorialist style into something wholly more abstract yet sharp, and with a strong focus on detail. His portraits and nudes transform the subject from mere humans into unreal (and ideal), giving a contemporary twist to the classical form. Origin and inspiration “I am always looking for things that draw my attention. People, objects, landscapes. I guess I’m not one kind of photographer. When my eldest son was born, I bought my first ‘real’ camera. From there my interest in the medium exploded and resulted in a career in photography. Much later I found out that in primary school, one of my first essays was on photography.” “My inspiration comes from many forms of art, but in particular, the old masters of photography. Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Man Ray, Bill Brandt, all amazing minds …