Erwin Olaf

Erwin Olaf was born in Hilversum in the Netherlands in 1959. He currently resides in Amsterdam. Olaf studied at the School of Journalism in Utrecht in 1980.

He is most famous for his commercial work, but more importantly the way he mixes photojournalism and studio photography.

Olaf's work is often controversial and deals with issues of gender, sensuality, humor, and despair. When looking specifically at his series "Mature", it is evident that Olaf works with his opinion on serious issues in a humorous way.

Erwin Olaf

This photo is apart of the series. I thought it was one of the better images that conveyed his concept of age and beauty. He makes a strong statement about age and society's obsession with youth.

Once the viewer gets passed the humor and being somewhat uncomfortable, it is clear what Olaf is saying about women and sexuality along with age and beauty. Society is often confronted with images of women in sexual poses, and sometimes wearing revealing clothes. However, when a young woman is used for this same pose it can be viewed as a statement of beauty, or degrading, depending on the audience.

I think Olaf's overall goal with this image is to make the viewer feel somewhat uncomfortable while simultaneously mocking photography that only deals with youth because old is beautiful too. It is humorous the way that the woman is posed along with her surroundings. Usually I do not think that people view knitting as arousing.

Olaf uses lighting and framing to place emphasis on the subject. The surroundings of the figure are limited, in that the viewer cannot be sure of where the subject is, although there is emphasis on the props next to her. Lighting is also important, there is obviously more light on the figure which makes her stand out. Conceptually the lighting could also imply a since of privacy and hint toward the sexuality/intimacy of the photo.

I chose to research Olaf because I found his images to be very striking/surprising. Conceptually they are unique and in addition to the way he conveys his ideas is eye catching. I like how different they are and would like to use him as an influence of my photography. I think he does a good job at blending humor and psychological and political issues.

http://www.erwinolaf.com/#/portfolio/mature/gallery/