Timm Kolln is a Dutch photographer whom I actually found out about through watching cycling. Someone who knew I was interested in photography sent me to a link to a series he was doing called "The Peloton" which involved him making portraits of the riders straight after they'd finished whichever gruelling race or stage they were taking part in.
The images were simply beautiful and incredibly powerful. You could see the race; the pain, the fun parts, the heartbreak or in some cases, the glory, all over their faces and in their eyes. They're dramatic images, very strong in grain and contrast as they're shot in black and white. I had a lot of respect for cyclists anyway, but I think these justify that respect and perhaps make me respect them even more. You can tell how much it means to me and how they throw their everything into it and more than often get nothing in return but sore legs and cuts and bruises.
I admire his dedication to the project as I'm sure the riders just want to get into the bus and away from cameras and blinding flashes after riding a bike for anywhere up to six hours, but he always manages to get that portrait and they all have their own story and personality to come through. Because of these particular portraits being so beautiful, I looked further into his work and saw that he is a very talented photographer.
He has done portraits of various figures within sports and seems to bring out something that no other pohtograph has in each individual. The relationship the viewer gets to share with the subject is all down to how he captures the image and this is something I admire a lot about his work. Although he does, like Corbijn, work in black and white a lot, I still think he's very relevant as much for his technique of portraiture and the element of personality that he seems to be able to lock into the photographs.
Below are some of the images I particularly like and get inspired by.
No comments:
Post a Comment