Stef Oosterveen

The Dutch photographer celebrating the imperfections of reality

Sticking to something of a motif, this week’s Talent, Stef Oosterveen, is a photographer imbuing his trade with lessons learnt from graphic design. Learning his trade at the Willem de Koonig Academie in Rotterdam, he told us how he learnt that “the picture is never the final result, how it’s put to use is just as important”.

Consequently, Stef’s images are purposeful, crafted artefacts spanning across both artistic and fashion disciplines. Referencing fashion design as a way of life (à la influences Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto), Stef is able to intertwine the conceptual with the day to day, and does so with impressive skill.

His subject of choice is often male, while Stef channels the Japanese Wabi-sabi worldview which recognises the beauty of the imperfect and the unfinished. To do so, Stef told us that he often works just with a small team in order to facilitate the expression of ideas. This tight-knit collaborative style allows everyone to relax, ultimately helping Stef to blur the boundaries between concept and fashion by adding the drama resultant from his attraction “to the dark”.

It’s clear to see how this influence manifests itself in Stef’s work, given his images’ often minimal, understated colour palettes. Inspired by photographers such as Willy Van Der Perre and Anton Corbijn, Stef’s intention is ultimately to show someone you can relate to but who nevertheless exudes an intangible allure – an objective at which he effortlessly succeeds.

cargocollective.com/stefoosterveen