Bert Teunissen - Domestic Landscapes

I came upon Bert Teunissen by typing "domestic landscape photography" into Google. I was really excited when I explored his website and immediately ordered his book, Domestic Landscapes. Above, there are a couple of examples of his work; these are UK photos, but on his website there are interiors from all over Europe.

There are a number of aspects I like about these photos. Firstly, they have a look of dutch interior painting with very subtle lighting, so they actually look like fine art. More importantly, they are photographs for people interested in their fellow man; If these had been portraits of people against a neutral backdrop they would have been interesting, but by using the subject's own domestic environment we immediately look for clues to find about more about them. A number of the portraits might prompt the imagination; I think I could write a short story about a number of these characters. And aside from all this, it prompts thoughts about materialism; the battle between need and want. The photographs work on more than one level.

So, Bert's work will influence my final project. What do I want to take from it? certainly the use of ambient light which I think adds to the authentic atmosphere of the shots. I'm not sure I'll get access to such interesting and idiosyncratic interiors as he has, but his straight forward documentary style is something I would seek to emulate.