Petra Van Der Ree’s Photographs Take Us Outside Ourselves

“It’s probably because of something like this”, she continues, “The process of photographing is a pleasure: eyes open, receptive, sensing, and at some point, connecting. It’s thrilling to be outside your mind, your eyes far ahead of your thoughts.” It is a quote from Henry Wessel, a photographer famed for his spare black and white portraits of the American landscape, and for his wry humor and creative equanimity. This appears to be something inherent to van der Ree’s work too. Though photography may not be her sole form of creative expression, her visual diction is nuanced and delicate. The joy she gains from capturing these moments of calm seems evident in the emotional response that each image elicits from the viewer. We have selected a series of images from ‘Landscape’ and ‘Places’ that we feel reflect both this emotion and her creative composure.