AXEL BREUTIGAM
Following a long and successful career as a lawyer and CPA in his native Hamburg, Axel Breutigam sold his company in 2005 and moved to Vancouver, BC to pursue his lifelong passion of photography. Breutigam has established himself as an award winning black and white photographer with a distinct and technically sophisticated style. Intriguing perspectives, bold lighting and abstract geometric shapes are characteristic of his evocative, timeless compositions.
Drawn to the complex, yet often overlooked beauty, found in both nature and man-made structures, Axel Breutigam’s photographs celebrate the sublimity of our urban environments and of small things in live, like flowers. Breutigam credits his acute attention to detail and keen ability to find patterns and interesting shapes within his subjects to the rational and perceptive thinking required of him during his tenure as an attorney.
For Breutigam, “photography is always about light,” and this sentiment is evident in his works, which showcase strong tonal contrasts and dramatic lighting. His unique ability to highlight the textures, details and geometric forms that are often overlooked in both natural and urban landscapes empowers his audience to reflect upon the beauty of their surroundings.
While Breutigam hopes to share his individual perception of the world through photography, explaining that the “uniqueness of a photo is capturing the scenery exactly the way the photographer saw it,” he also welcomes viewers’ own interpretations of his photographs. It is for this reason that he shoots his images in black and white. He prefers a monochrome palette because, rather than dictate the colors of a particular image to his audience, it encourages them to imagine, from their own unique perspective, how the scene may have appeared at the time of the photograph.
Breutigam’s photographs very rarely feature people; and when that happens, they are not the subject or object of the scene, but rather an accessory.
“People create unrest, both in actual social life and also in political life as well as in depictions of this reality, in photographs. Leaving people out creates peace and serenity. And for me, that is the connecting element in my photographs: both in nature and in architecture” (Breutigam in Issue # 163 of Schwarzweiss Magazine)
While he works in a digital format, Breutigam refrains from employing intensive post-processing techniques. He always tries to limit his adjustments to techniques that were once employed in dark rooms, such as applying filters and burning and dodging to shift tonal qualities; he strives to work “in-camera” as much as possible.
Breutigam’s subtle abstractions, aversion to excessive digital manipulation, and penchant for sharply focused, tonally rich, and high contrast photographs draws parallels to the straight photography style pioneered by members of the West Coast Photographic Movement, which included renowned photographers Edward Weston, Paul Strand, and Ansel Adams. Breutigam’s motifs of abstraction and sharply focused forms make his photographs remarkably contemporary, while the traditional techniques he practices imbue his photographs with a timeless quality that recalls this earlier movement.
Breutigam himself studied under Alan Ross, Ansel Adams’ former head assistant to hone his technical skills and learn how best to use digital processing techniques that emulate the darkroom prints of earlier decades. Both Ansel Adams and Alan Ross have been influential artists for Breutigam, and although he emphasizes that he deliberately does not replicate their styles, he is inspired by the exquisite tonality and quality of their works.
Breutigam caters to his clients’ desires by allowing them to chose both the size and medium of their photograph. Archival Fine Art Prints are available in limited editions of twenty-five prints.
Breutigam remains unique in his freedom to work unaffected from art market trends and sales. Breutigam explains, “I definitely don’t try to stay ‘contemporary’ by following mainstream opinions, or the latest photographic trend.” Breutigam’s art is not fueled by sales, but rather by his passion for sharing his art and his unique vision of the world.
The high caliber of Breutigam’s artwork is underscored by numerous achievements. As member of the Professional Photographers of Canada (PPoC), Breutigam was nominated for the 2014 “Photographer of the Year” in the British Columbia Chapter and since then he won an Outstanding Achievement Award (1. Prize) as well as Nominations, Merit Awards and Honorable Mention Awards in twenty-four photographic competitions from around the world.
His work has been published numerous times in hardback and online Photography Magazines.
Breutigam published four Photography books since 2016.
He has participated in exhibitions ranging from solo and group shows in Portland, OR and Palm Springs, CA, to Vancouver, BC and Calgary, AB and was also invited to give workshops on his work.
Breutigam hopes that his compositions inspire people to reflect upon their surroundings, and enable them to appreciate the often overlooked beauty found in urban environments and nature. His attention to detail, visual aesthetics, and unique perspective indeed empowers his viewers with this opportunity.
Kelly Bertrando (update of her 2016 statement)