As seen from the sky

Elevated edge

Photographer Iwan Baan travels extensively for his work. As extensively as 360 days in a year! Naturally, one wonders what he does on the rest of five days? In his words, “I still click photographs.” So, why does this 42-year-old Dutch photographer live out of a suitcase for almost 90% of the year? Well, for starters, he’s the most sought-after photographer for high-profile architectural projects around the globe. Be it the works of Rem Koolhaas or Zaha Hadid or Toyo Ito, every eye-striking architectural masterpiece has been captured by Iwan on his camera.

As we settle down for a telephonic conversation, Iwan tells me he’s in Doha, documenting the extensive work of the Qatar Foundation. Iwan’s first tryst with photography was when he was 12 years old, when his grandmother gifted him a camera. “I was completely fascinated with it. Pretty soon, I started developing my own films. I pursued this medium seriously and studied photography at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague,” Iwan says. He took to documentary photography before stumbling upon architecture photography. “It was an accident that I started doing architectural photography. The way I photograph buildings is very much like documentary photography. It’s about describing a place, its people, and what happens in and around the place.”

But Iwan hates the label ‘architectural photographer’, for he believes his work is so much more than just the architecture in question. But Iwan doesn’t just associate himself with swanky new complexes and architecturally perfect buildings. He also takes his camera to the remotest of the locations, in search of unique communities and localities. One of the most striking images clicked by him is the one of Manhattan after Hurricane Sandy, which made it to the cover of the New Yorker magazine: an aerial shot of the city reeling under the storm, half with electricity, and half without.

A winner of the prestigious Julius Shulman award for photography, Iwan loves to travel and tell stories about places through his photographs. Some excerpts from the conversation:

What’s your photography philosophy?

For me, photography is a way to get into places where you can’t get into easily otherwise. It’s fascinating to capture how people make a place into their own. I love to shoot whatever people consider a normal way of living, and how people live in the east, west, north, and south. My work partly covers the work of architects and a lot of contemporary buildings too. I also like to see how people build places outside the scope of architects.

What’s your working style?

I have a very intuitive way of working. I prefer to work by travelling very lightweight. Most of my photographs are taken through small cameras. It’s all about catching the moments in time rather than intensive planning. I work with the combination of a place, its daily happenings, local weather, reactions of people to the daily happenings... A place can look great even in pouring rain. It’s all about showing the spirit of a place.

What kind of challenges do you come across in your job?

For my commissioned work on architecture, it often happens that they ask us a little bit too early. The building wouldn’t even be ready as yet. But for me, the most interesting moment is when the building is in use. And that takes a bit of time: sometimes, it’s a week after the opening and sometimes, six years after the opening. I believe a place really starts to live the moment architects and planners leave and people take over it.

Why are you fascinated with aerial shots?

My interest, as a photographer, is in the place itself, rather than the architecture and the detail of the building. My language of describing a place is to remove myself from the building itself and show the entire complex in its true form. I like to know why that building is in that particular place and how the city grows around it. These aspects are fascinating to me as they are often part of the architect’s vision. To bring all these elements together in a photograph is something you can only achieve with aerial photography.

What went into the making of the iconic Hurricane Sandy photograph?

It was, in a way, a lucky shot. And at the same time, it was also something that I was completely prepared for, subconsciously. I had arrived in New York the day before the storm hit the city, for a completely different project. The project obviously got delayed. Half of Manhattan was without electricity. I realised I had to photograph this unique moment in time: this iconic city in half-light and half-darkness, and there was only one way to do it: from high up in the sky. So I started calling pilots I knew around the city, but none of them could fly. There were all kinds of logistical problems. But finally, I could get a pilot and we were able take the shot. When I came back, I contacted The New Yorker, and they were interested in using the photograph on the cover of their magazine, which came after the day the electricity was restored, almost a week after the storm.

How do you choose your projects?

For me, architecture is not the most important thing. It’s also about other things such as what connects the building to the city, and why the building is in that particular place. I try to tell the story of that place and the city through my photographs. If I can tell that story, it sparks my interest.

From a photographer’s perspective, what do you think of India’s landscape?

India! I find it totally fascinating. Any excuse to go to India and I’m there. It’s a country with an incredible history. It is also so rich in architecture. You have buildings that are thousands of years old co-existing with contemporary ones. India, in general, is a photographer’s dream. Just look at the sheer number of people, the way cities grow, the incredible culture and urbanisation: all these challenge the photographer in me.

What makes for a good photograph?

A good photograph is a good story that can make a huge impact. For instance, take my image of Hurricane Sandy. It moved so many people. The basic ingredients for a photograph haven’t changed. It doesn’t matter what kind of camera you use. It’s really about the moment in time you wish to capture and the way in which you can tell the story. On my Instagram, I post a number of pictures that are mostly taken on my iPhone. Always try to tell the story; the medium doesn’t matter.

Your advice to aspiring photographers...

Try to find your own voice. For a photographer, probably, the most important thing would be to show the world through his/her photographs. There are so many interesting stories in the world. So, find those stories and bring them to life through your photos. Visualise them in your own way.