Bart Koetsier’s work, particularly his street photography, maintains a strong sense of drama, that often feels straight out of a film. His photographs depict various scenes around Paris, from picturesque compositions of people and their dogs, to grittier, morbid imagery of people passed out on the streets late at night. The common theme throughout all of his photographs is that Koetsier remains the observer, simply providing the angle for the audience to look through.

In the above image, a couple is pictured facing each other, having a conversation sat on a railing, against a backdrop of a vast city scene. Compositionally, the use of the rule of thirds is well executed, centring the woman’s whole body in the photograph, whilst the man is off to the right-hand side, although his positioning is mirrored by the tree to the left. The railing and cityscape fills the bottom third of the image, whilst the horizon and sky occupies parts of the central and upper thirds. The photo is shot from a 90 degree angle, displaying the side profile of both people as they face each other. The colour palette is monochrome, with dark, dramatic greys and blacks dominating the lower half of the composition, and softer lighter tones in the upper. The couple, in conversation, both use very open body language, although the man appears more relaxed, and face each other head on, interested in what the other has to say. The woman wears a lighter outfit, whilst the man appears to wear a darker outfit. Whilst it can simply be assumed that the composition portrays a couple, the juxtaposition of their clothing could relate to many different ideologies and conflicts, such as good vs. evil, and potential religious ideals. The piece also develops a healthy contrast between nature and manmade structures, the two people potentially representing how humans build over natural environments.

In my own work, I enjoy creating dramatic pieces that involve people, such as in my street photography from the St. Malo trip, but I think that it’s still something that I can improve on with this project.