Here we go with the new format of More With Less Issue. Each time 3 images commented by the photographer. Axel Stevens is a artphotography student at the SASK Art Academy (Stedelijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten) of Sint-Niklaas, Belgium. «I use mostly second-hand bought cameras or thriftstore cameras like: Pentax espio 140, Pentax zoom 70-X, praktica MTL3, Pentax spotmatic SP II, agfa Isola, Rolleiflex, disposables, Polaroid 635 supercolor, Polaroid closeup, Polaroid Impulse AF and all that I can get my hands on.»
Ladder at construction site
«Some of my earlier work in black and white, shot with a digital camera. This particular photo was shot some time ago, January 2009 I believe, when I was in my first year at the art academy where I follow a six year artphotography education. We went on a trip with our photography teacher, a belgian art photographer called Lieven Nollet, to a social housing estate to ask people living in the tower flats if we could take photos of them. This construction site was outside one of the tower flats. Making photos for me is always a response to an emotion, something I feel at the time when seeing the image or something resonating within me; a memory, a sound, an image, a frame out of some movie I saw, a sound. My photography strongly reflects the way I feel.»
Old woman with envelope on the street
«This photo was made in march 2008 with my first ever “serious” camera. A camera my brother gave to me as a gift.The village this picture was made in is not that far from where I live. I remember I was on my bike, camera strapped ‘round my neck and I see this old, petite woman standing at this street corner waiting for the mailman to come by. At first I hesitated but I approached her and began talking to her and the more we talked the more she relaxed.I asked her if I could take her portrait and she said yes. You can see that she remains a little bit apprehensive. On later occasions I took several more pictures of her.»
Children in and around spiders web
«Another photo from 2008; spring had arrived and I felt like going out enjoying the sun, the hustle and bustle of the city… Life, you know. I took the train to the city of Ghent, belgium, with its historic centre… It’s a bit like Bruges but only better and started walking around. Everything I do, I do on foot. Sometimes I walk for miles and miles. I had been walking a great distance and around midday I approached the city centre. At one of the cities main attractions, an old 13th century castle, a group of children where playing by this large metal spiders web. I instinctively took a photograph; one photograph.»
© All copyright remains with photographer Axel Stevens