Fine Art nominee

It wasn't until I returned for the 4th time in two days that all conditions were favourable. The sun was hidden behind a thick and ominous layer of clouds, and the tide was high. The heavy rain didn't bother me under the bridge. I slid down on all fours towards the edge of the water and sat down to install my gear. This iconic bridge (the Zeeland Bridge) is one of the most photogenic bridges in The Netherlands. Usually shot from the side, with a strong diagonal and a feeling of infinity. For me, this perspective symbolizes bridging and connecting in a more metaphoric way.

Gee Hurkmans (1952) is a self-taught landscape photographer based in The Netherlands. His work is best described as fine art minimalism. Main subjects are seascapes and desolate landscapes. In his style of photography, minimalism is "the art of less", of leaving out what can be left out, of negative space, of austere simplicity, of a focus on one object or a small number of objects. The image is self-referring, it does not refer to anything, it is what it is, nothing else. It does not represent reality, rather it is his recreation of the mood felt when shooting the photograph. It is the creative interpretation as an artist. And that is what makes it fine art: the use of photography as a medium for creative expression.