Swedish Documentary Photographer and Filmmaker Pieter Ten Hoopen has a passion for photography that seems to grow much like his success in the industry. This success can be supported by a quick reference to his resume, which boast clients such as the New Yorker and New York Times Magazine and also by his status as a Nikon Ambassador.
In this short production from Nikon, you're able catch a glimpse of Hoopen’s creative storytelling process and gain some insight into the life and mindset of a documentary photographer. Very much inspired by the small things in life, Hoopen expresses how rich it can be when you take the time to observe subtleties such as the way light shining through a window spills onto objects.
While the video is a Nikon production, Hoopen doesn’t seem to linger on the gear aspect of photography for long, divulging that his kit is often quite minimalistic and revealing that he prefers to shoot with prime lenses.
“I think the reason that I choose, say, a 35mm, is the fact that I always move a lot,” said Hoopen. “I like to be in the situation. I like to be close to people, or I like to be far from people. It’s me who is the the one that is moving. Not the lens.”
Hoopen ultimately credits the amount of time and energy one puts into their work for any success that may found in photography, adding that if you have a hell of a story, you can make a hell of a feature.
[via Nikon Europe]
He should get rid of all that crap and get a smartphone! Sorry...I couldn't help it. :-)
Seriously, though. The bit about him moving could just as easily apply to a zoom lens. He should have connected the quality, he was talking about, to his use of primes.
Great video! And yea, I love all my primes - basically, the only thing I shoot with. As he said in the video there is something about the connection you have with your subject - people react differently when you are really close up to them, sometimes in their personal space. Sometimes you end up getting a shot of your subject with a different look because of where you are shooting from in relation to them. There is a different kind of energy you get on set when you are constantly moving - I love it and wouldn't trade in my primes for anything!