Lars Van De Goor | Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Poetry of Nature in The Photography of Lars van de Goor
Interview by Julia May

When I was a child I dreamed of living in a house inside a giant tree in a fairy tale forest. Even now I would prefer such a house to the most luxurious villa without any doubt. This is how I see ideal comfort, home, safety and magic. Enchanting forest which would be a perfect place for the house of my dream is excellently depicted in the photography of Lars van de Goor. I want to introduce to you this wonderful photographer who is a master of reflecting the beauty of nature in his works. It’s amazing that in spite of shooting mostly through his neighborhood, Lars creates such diverse and versatile images: majestic lanes resembling a natural gothic cathedral, lightful edges of elf forests, empty paths and ominous thickets as seen in suspense movies In my opinion, Lars van de Goor is more than just a photographer, he is a photo artist. His technique and the way he post processes images may seem controversial to some people, but I think a photo that creates a special mood in you and makes you believe in magic, pushes everything else to the background.

Please tell us a few words about yourself.
My name is Lars van de Goor and I live in the Netherlands, not to far from Amsterdam. The town where I live is far from being interesting, but within 15 minutes the most beautiful forests are at hand. I live here with my daughter, 13 and I have a son, 18 who lives with his mother nearby.

How did you get started in the photography?
My whole life I have been a musician and only three years ago I bought my first camera. I always wanted to have one but in the end I always chose to buy a new instrument instead. And my first memory is actually not with the camera but without, I was cycling through Amsterdam and I saw a bouquet of flowers on the road, but totally flattened by a truck or so. It looked like a modern fossil, because it was slightly frozen. Those were the times I regret I did not have a camera.

How much time do you devote to this trade now?
I spend almost all my time photographing.

How would you name your photography style?
Dreamy.

What do you think is unique about it?
Unique? I wouldn’t know, but it seems people like the light in my images. What is the most unusual description of your work you’ve ever heard? What happens a lot is people do not believe the rays of sunlight or endless tree lined roads are real, but they are! The most hilarious comment was from a very technical photographer who criticized an image of mine which has a natural reflection in it. The picture is called “dD.” He said that I knew nothing about creating reflections, didn’t they teach me that at school?

What is inspiration to you?
Standing at a place where you feel the magic and be there as long as it takes till something happens. What I mean by that is after a while you start to look in a different way… try it!

Do you agree with the statement of Thomas Edison “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration”?
The perspiration is mostly the business side :-)

Do you consider yourself a talented photographer?
Yes.

Your works show a great passion for orderly composition and perspective. What spark your interest in these subjects?
These subject I found in my direct habitat, so that’s where I started with, it developed a certain way of looking and interest.

Who are your influences?
None and everything.

Do you shoot in other genres besides fine art nature photography? If so, could you please show us some photos?
I like to portrait animals.

Any new styles you would like to try yourself in?
Portraits.

What were you thinking while taking pictures?
Can’t remember that, but most of the times I am thinking how to frame that beauty.

Do you think tips and advice from peers are important for budding photographers?
Oh yes, of course, however in my case I never studied photography, I am all self taught. That has a certain advantage. I am not limited by any knowledge, on the other hand, I do lack a certain amount of technique.

If so, what would you advise to the beginners?
Most important: have fun, be patient… enjoy the moment and if you encounter something beautiful or special, capture it… it will never come again!

Link to the interview with images: http://photointerview.ru/2010/03/the-poetry-of-nature-in-the-photography-of-lars-van-de-goor/