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Book review
Hardback /
168 pages /
Jansz Media, 2011 /
ISBN 978-90-76537-04-7 /
€39.50 /
Timeless
November 09, 2011 Author: Willem Wernsen
Timeless is the second photography book produced by author Willem Wernsen, including 156 portraits taken during the period from 2003-2010. The book portrays a collection of his interactions with mostly unknown persons whom he comes across on the street, whether in Holland, New York, or Turkey. The photographs, therefore, are documents of his encounters, a photo diary of people he has engaged with in some way. All the photographs are in black and white, though they are inclusive of a combination of film scans and converted digital photography. The tonality unfortunately suffers from the scanning, leaving the images with less depth than they deserve and some unpleasant pixelation instead of the graceful noise of film prints. There are a few real gems in his collection, that get a little watered down by including so many works, but the consistency in the project is a clear nod to his appreciation for interactions with people, no matter where he goes.
Timeless is available for sale on Willem Wernsen’s web site.
Reviewed by Katherine Oktober Matthews.
Comments
Your images in this video are absolutely stunning. Every one is a real beauty. You are truly one of the great portraiture photographers of today.Please Flickr mail me and let me know the cost of the book with shipping to the U.S. I would be honored to have a signed copy.
Stark und sehr persönlich! Dein Buch das ich mein eigen nenne, ist eines, das ich immer wieder gerne zur Hand nehme. Schnörkellose Fotografie und ehrlich. Danke dafür. LGute
If I see the photo's of Willem Wernsen I see 'contact with people'. Not only in his book 'Beautiful People' but also in his last book 'Timeless. He's a portrait master! And the prints are truly beautiful. I admire his work, I'm a big fan!!
To my eye Willem's photos are honest and direct, like the photographer himself. You can tell that Willem is one of the people he photographs, not just looking at them from a distance. This contact helps the viewer of his photographs to connect with the people and situations he has captured. They are people like him, like you, like me. Also, Willem has a great eye for light and for capturing the right moment. This combination has again resulted in a book full of wonderful photos of beautiful people from various walks of life. All in classic and sometimes slightly raw black and white and many of them in a square format. Looking at the many photos in the book, you will travel from Holland to France and then to Turkey in only a few pages. That might be a little confusing sometimes, but I think it also sends a clear message; no matter where on earth we're from, we are all human beings, all trying to find our way in life.
Deine bilder wirken sehr stark auf die Seele der Betrachter. Sind ausdrucksvoll, authentisch, erzählen eine Geschichte der Menschen, welche Du fotografierst hast...Sie wirken nicht nur auf die Augen, sie wirken auch in unseren Herzen.Danke für das Erlebniss! Viele Grüsse K.
The B&W work of Willem is so appealing because it really touches something inside. Willem has the ability to realise a 1-to-1 contact between his subjects, himself and last but not least the one looking a his photos. His amazing post production technique on top of that give an exta emphasis on the charecters his is interested in, and wants to share with you. He's is, like others have said before, a true humanist. Not looking for the most beautiful people but for the regulars bringing along a truthfull interest in the other and, by photographing them in the way he does, lifting your interest aswell when you look at his pictures. A really positive and rewarding 'vista' at the others who cross his path and whom he seaks to encounter. Chapeau.
Thanks for Timeless. It’s worth every penny of it, again. I’ve shown it to some people overhere, and they all came up with superlatives similar to the people present you on this website. Full of ‘feelings’, beautiful. About people, for people. Can imagine that both books would be a beautiful promotional gift for companies to present to their clients, next Xmas.
Willem, I received your book and it was far better than I could have imagined!Your compassion and connectedness to the subjects you shoot makes me feel as though I know them too.I truly admire your work and I thank you for sending your book to me so quickly-I have enjoyed your point of view immensely. I have shared your images with both photographer and non-photographer friends and you have gained quite a few more admirers.Now, if I could just learn Dutch I would be all set. :) Thanks,An
Hello Willem, well how should I put it? Your work goes far beyond any FC or anything else your work has soul, warmth and a lot of feeling. It must be very satisfying for you to know that you managed to touch the souls of some people out there right :-) what you didnt know that? Well then now you do. Willem to my mind you are one of the last true humanists in this world, in this sense I want you to know that i am very thankful that you share your vision with us and therefore give us the opportunity to grow into something that you have achieved long ago. Namely this is the Art of empathetic soulful, poetic documentary lightpainting. To put it in Turkish: Ellerinden öper ve sevgi ve saygilarimlari sunar ve sana ve bize yüce yillar dilerim Usta :-) Saygilarimla, Serdar
The book is not –contrary to Beautiful People- ‘logically’ grouped in regard to the places where the photos were taken. They now all are placed in random order and why not? It is each image on its own that tells the story, causes astonishment, evokes compassion. Masterly done, enjoyment, photo after photo. And yes, what a special type of species are walking around on this earth of ours. In the streets one will see a special type like that now and then. Willem Wernsen also sees them, talks to them and photographs them. Besides his photographic art this is also a quality of him which calls up admiration. A third book? The aficionados of the better black-and-white portrait are already looking forward for it… Willem Laros.
Looking into Willem's book is always an intense pleasure for me, not only because of the beautiful B/W photography but especially because I feel his deep respect and empathy for his subjects throughout the book. A great example of "human" documentary work!!
The book is the crown on my jewel collection. I admire the way Willem Wernsen approaches his themes, and the way he freely takes the photos in exactly the way he sees and wants. His style of printing and converting his neg(ative)s and dig(neg)s into a book full of pearls and diamonds are a joy for the eye. Directly relating to his way to way he works: no masks, open and direct. Seldom I've seen so many people enjoying and admiring his protraits in the many expositions he had. An open mind, open hart, an direct way of catching the right string from hart to hart.