Henk van Rensbergen Analysis.

Henk van Rensbergen, born in 1968, got his first camera at 16 and first started photographing at the age of 20, his occupation is a professional pilot which could link to his photography because of his travelling which allows him to see various scenery and new locations allover the world and holiday destinations where he would fly to. His website - abandoned-places.com doesn't make it too clear at first who he is, the page has a gallery section which is present don what looks like a complicated compass that he calls a photo wheel on the links back to this to navigate various photoshoots he has done (again symbolising places/direction). The website name also indicates his personal interests, all of the photography on this website is his own personal experiences when visiting derelict places. I think that the work fits a theme of spaces (relating to my second starting point), it shows the inside of places that have been left, they could also be considered partly outside because of how wrecked and ruined they are which I could also link to a ruined emotion relating to inner character - my first starting point. The subject matter of this particular photograph shows doors which could hide what is inside as we can only see the outside, the bathroom/tiled scene is rather dirty and the man silhouette on the floor reminds us of life and shows that it is empty in this place and gives us the impression people shouldn't be here, also the pieces title 'Dead Body' which invokes the die oaf the drawing on the floor. The content goes deeper, Rensbergen addresses life issue when he explains that when visiting this place he bump dint an elderly lady who was having to live there, she addressed to him that she had seen more frightening characters than him around which makes you think about what she has seen and reminds us of a scary situation or supernatural film. The photograph hasn't been blurred/enhanced, it is digital (DSLR) and is perfectly in focus, perhaps contrast has been added to bring out the colours (yellows of the wall, darkened dirt in places). The meaning I see is personal interest, all of his photographs are of abandon deplanes clearly because the enjoys the experience and recording his findings, the far tit is a part time bobbie too shows dedication to the subject. No action is taking place but we get the sense that it has because it would have originally have been built for a reason, perhaps leisure purposes.

The photograph looks like it has been framed using a fish eye lens to get the whole room to fit in the frame, the lines bending on the walls support this. Shape is used, the squares of the door frames themselves are quite abstract, they are meant to be straight and accurately lined up but instead they have been altered by the angle of the fish eye lens. They connect with the smaller squares going in the same direction on the walls and also the squares on the floor which go in a diagonal direction. Rhythms have been created by this, they all fit together as if they are broken pieces which could metaphorically mean fitting them back together all broken because of the abandoned atmosphere. The arrangement in my opinion could have worked better as a landscape framing which wouldn't leave it looking as clamped in and squashed, although this could takeaway some of the meaning which could be crushing or destroying of the place that once was in use. 

I don't think much planning has gone into the photograph because Rensbergen didn't know what to expect or see in this location because the exploring meant it was new to him, although he must have thought about using a fish eye lens. The technical use of camera is obviously this wide angled lens, in terms of editing and manipulation it has been kept the same and not much alteration has been done at all.

The work effects me because I have visited abandoned places in the past and could relate to his story telling of fear when going there, the task to climb in and hope that you're not seen, it also evoked my interest to return and for me to visit more place alike this for photographic purposes. Isolation could be a good word to describe this work, we get the sense no one was with him or around him, this could also influence my work emotionally and possibly involve the figure in future photoshoots.