“I've been seeing your work "Time Travelers" and I am really dazzled. Obviously, I knew your work as a photographer, but "Time Travelers" has really moved me. It is very deep.
I just want to congratulate you for such a great job.
Thank you very much from the deep of my heart.
— Alfonso de Barrio
What people are saying.
"… an unusual and intelligent project" ...
— Prof. Klaus Honnef
"It's nice that art can set impulses to change things inside - can have a therapeutic effect in a positive sense."
— Frank Scherer
“The theme of your work and the exhibition moved me deeply. The idea to combine the letters and portraits is great.”
— Thomas Alscheid, WHITEWALL
Lens Culture (Reviewer 1)
“We could say that you are a thoughtful, creative, optimistic, and sensitive person with social concerns and a restless spirit who loves challenges. You look for the exceptional in the ordinary and you know how to make it visible by investing in the atmosphere, the abstraction, the transmitted feeling, and the artistic quality of images. You have the communication skills a portraitist needs and the necessary dose of humanism for a documentarian. Your approach is sensitive and respectful proving your admiration for the people you shoot. ”
Hi, Petra
Thank you for sharing your work with us. I chose your submission because of the interiority of the images that supports the concept of time traveling. The subjects look lost in their thoughts and memories and the existence of the glass window increases this feeling. The transparency of glass could show how clear the connection with the past is and the reflections could be seen as proof of the liquidity of reality, memory, and time. In a way, we are all considered time travelers because we respond to the present by using past experiences and dreaming of the future.
The whole approach is subjective and increases the authenticity of the work. We see here your view of reality and we could see you projected in every portrait. It is also a clear act of communication because proves that everything that is deeply personal tends to become universal because all people have the same concerns, hopes, concerns, and fears. We learn things about you by looking at your images and this is great. After all, what every artist does at the end (I mean with his whole work) is to tell his story and present his life philosophy. We could say that you are a thoughtful, creative, optimistic, and sensitive person with social concerns and a restless spirit who loves challenges. You look for the exceptional in the ordinary and you know how to make it visible by investing in the atmosphere, the abstraction, the transmitted feeling, and the artistic quality of images. You have the communication skills a portraitist needs and the necessary dose of humanism for a documentarian. Your approach is sensitive and respectful proving your admiration for the people you shoot.
All images are nicely executed and composed proving your experience and commitment. It is important to the attitude and expression of the subjects to not interact with the camera because this way they show how devoted are to the time-traveling process. The domination of the individual and his clear view despite the complexity of the picture is also important. Reflection is also important to be clear and balanced. Regarding the building of the series, the only image that stands out is image 10 because does not follow the concept of reflections. It is also a double portrait where we can see a photographer and a photography enthusiast. I believe you could leave only the woman in this image because she is the most powerful subject and somehow and you could somehow project the content of the photograph she holds on the glass. However, this image could be seen as an explanation of the concept and its connection with photography opening new paths of interpretation. It is a strong image without a doubt. It could also be a cover image for a future book.
At this point of review, I decided to visit your website to see if there are more images of the project and I'm glad to do it because I found some exciting images and also I learn about the whole project and I realized that this series is only one part of it. So, I suggest you also include your own portrait probably at the beginning of the series.
Petra, you have the talent, the motivation, the background, and the skills to create remarkable personal work and make it widely known if you continue working with the same passion, leave yourself to be visible in your work (I speak metaphorically) as you have already done, and invest in storytelling as regards the building of a series. Stay faithful to your concerns and beliefs, show your personal view on reality, and never follow trends and likes. Only personal and sincere works can resist time and win a more permanent acceptance. And only a consistent photographer leaves his mark. Photography requires time and dedication but always rewards us.
As you understand my job is to help you your work critically and move forward and not just tell you how compelling your images are because this is not enough. I hope you agree.
Overall, my engagement with your work was an exciting and pleasant experience. I wish you good luck, and I'm looking forward to seeing more from you in the future.
All the best
Lens Culture (Reviewer 2)
“And to this point, I like that despite using the repeated technique of photographing through the glass, the images feel fresh and distinct as I move from one to the next. And to me, this also is a testament to the aesthetic power of the images. ”
Hi Petra
It's clear that you are a strong portrait photographer. Each of these images reflects a sincere relationship with your subjects that in turn elicits a rich and exciting photographing moment. And I like how you are combining a documentary-style with the clearly staged events aspect of what you are showing.
In general, I find the design of the photographs is quite strong. And to this point, I like that despite using the repeated technique of photographing through the glass, the images feel fresh and distinct as I move from one to the next. And to me, this also is a testament to the aesthetic power of the images.
I enjoyed reviewing your project Petra. I again find the aesthetics of this work very alluring. And you have obviously gathered a very compelling group of people.
Thanks for sharing your images and wishing you the best of luck.
LensCulture (Reviewer 3)
“Through your pictures, you are slowly taking us out of our mundane reality and inviting us into a dreamlike world where profound emotions prevail over logical structures.”
The "interactive" operation of the work, that is to say, your selection to ask the participants to choose a key element (place/event/symbol) that partially defines the setting gives your project a special resonance. And also I find your selection to visualize those elements via the use of glass very creative and effective. This particular choice, along with the style of your pictures, shows off a creative attitude and particular aesthetic concerns.
The next thing I find exciting is the visual variety of the work. The concept (putting glass in front of the subject and photographing it along with reflections) sounds tight and restrictive. But from what I see here each picture presents different ideas that make the images look unique regardless of the fact that all serve the same idea. Each picture looks different but all fall under the same aesthetic framework and everything within that framework can be read as authentic.
Nevertheless, even with the current technical choices, the series is effective and able to pull the viewer in. We can say that your visionary use of visual language unravels unknown spaces of the psyche and pushes the boundaries of creative expression. Through your pictures, you are slowly taking us out of our mundane reality and inviting us into a dreamlike world where profound emotions prevail over logical structures.
The answer, therefore, is Yes. Your strategy works, and to be frank, I find that it works on a more complex level than you might have envisioned when started the project. What I mean by that is that I find that the work indirectly touches on other contemporary issues, such as social distancing. When I first saw the work and before reading the project statement my first impression was that the series speaks about the new social condition the pandemic left behind. This is certainly a privilege of the approach, and perhaps you could somehow utilize it in favor of the project. It is always a great thing to make works that can operate outside of concept boundaries, and this work is definitely one of those.