Artist Blog

Every week an artist whose single image was published by Der Greif is given a platform in which to blog about contemporary photography.

When people are asked why they picked photography as their favourite subject a lot of them actually say: “Because I can’t paint.” Me too. I still paint like a 9-year old. But another aspect was equally important: I love people. Looking at them, wondering where they are going, what they will have for dinner and how their lives look like. With a camera they allow me to accompany them, listen to their stories and sit at their kitchen table. Be a part of their life for a moment. Photographing people is a mixed bag of emotions, though. You feel like you take something more, not just a photograph. Jan Hoek, the photographer I’d like to introduce to you, says "I believe there is always a certain degree of ethics involved in photography. It is almost impossible to take photographs of people without consciously, or unconsciously, crossing boundaries and with things happening that you don't want or expect. I feel this is often covered up in photography, while I would like to show it … " Jan Hoek has photographed amateur models, mentally ill homeless people in Africa, a girl with no arms and legs, a heroin addict who dreams of being a model, or people he has simply found in advertisements on the internet. The photo shoot is never what he expected; model and photographer always have different expectations. The model actually wants sex while Jan Hoek wants to shoot the dog. The model tries to be as glamorous as possible, while Jan wants to picture the decay. Photographing is not just about the image but also the relationship between the photographer and the model. The images chosen are from his new book New Ways of Photographing the New Masai (2014), where Jan takes non-traditional photographs of the Masai. “Once only viewed through the lens of Western cultural exoticism – wearing traditional clothing against the backdrop of nature – Hoek asked his subjects how they would like to be photographed in the contemporary setting. “ Jan Hoek (1984) studied Image and Language at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. He graduated in 2012 with the film Me & My Models. Jan Hoeks 10 Tips on how to find models www.mistermotley.nl/en/ To find out more about his work have a look at his website janhoek.net