by Yvette Depaepe 
Published the 29th of May 2020

 
Usually, I'm introducing the featured photographer before starting the interview.
This time, it will be different.  
Frank Loddenkemper is doing so much better himself with this well presented narrative.  
Enjoy the story of a great architecture photographer/artist.

'Hippodrom Madrid'

It is December 2018. Christmas and New Year's Eve are just around the corner. This is the time when I go to the mountains with my wife Angela and we have a lot of time and rest only for us.

Before we start, quickly go to the bookshop and get some reading material. There I stand in front of the many bookshelves and see the sign saying "Art and Photography". My friends often tell me "Frank, you take great holiday photos ..." and as I have always been interested in art and photography, I followed the sign.

When I arrived in the mountains, one of the first books I read was the book "Fascination Photography", published by 1x.com.  I was so triggered by what I saw that I downloaded more books during my vacation and while still in the mountains, I completely changed my way of taking pictures.
One of my first photos was the Alpine Panorama.

'Alpine Panorama'

 
I was very inspired by the works of Julia Anna Gospodarou. Her works had an expression that fascinated me. The path I wanted to take was halfway clear, only the "how" was not. Long nights of trial and error followed and pictures like the ones from Rotterdam and NY were created.

'Railway Station, Rotterdam'

'Facade in NY'

I especially like to photograph architecture. That may also be due to the fact that I am an architect. Architecture is everywhere and always present. We live in and with architecture. Often it is not consciously perceived, even ignored. My work concentrates on a changed and expanded view of architecture. For me, it is not the question of reality that is of interest, but that of perception. This is also how the following picture was created, a backyard situation that many people walk past and don't even notice.

'Rear Window'

It's Thursday, 7:17pm. On my way to a housing project in Madrid, I see in the corner of my eye a backyard situation with a striking facade structure. No one there, not a soul to be seen. Behind a window there is a cushion and a plumeau.  Does James Stewart in the film "Rear Window" also have a cushion in the window? My grandmother had one.
A backyard situation, found in Madrid.

My works are very formal in their presentation. The unexpected angle of view and the elaboration of forms should encourage the viewer to engage with new aspects and to leave familiar perspectives behind. Through a careful selection of motifs and cut-outs, a uniqueness and a new beauty can be discovered.

'a house in nowhere on Madeira'

In the outback on Madeira I discovered a building. A very simple building with perfect proportions.  It had a high base and at the backside a staircase leading to a door. A staircase and a door, not even a door handle.  4 walls, a roof a door – finished!  So simple and so ingenious, so mysterious.
Somewhere in Madeira.

In the series "Kurvenliebe | Love of Curves" I show the building structure of buildings from my perception. Each individual picture shows the curved structure of one or more buildings.

'Love of Curves'

'Love of Curves 1.1'

'Love of Curves 3.0'

My works often arise from several photographs. Some of them are excerpts from spherical panoramas, others are independent photographs that are put together like a collage. They form the basis for a second, complex process in which the photographs are newly developed and re-exposed.

I predominantly renounce the human scale. The pictures are almost always devoid of people. There are no protagonists, unlike in romanticism, where people were often used as yardsticks.

'Hippodrom 2.0'

I find my motifs on my architectural journeys or through specific research, as in the picture series "Rheinkniebrücke Düsseldorf".

'Red Ship' – Rheinkniebrücke Düsseldorf

'Rheinkniebrücke 01 | 05'

'Rheinkniebrücke 04 | 05'

'Rheinkniebrücke 02 | 05'

Sometimes I find my motifs by chance, as with the Krefeld Rhine bridge.

'Bridge Blocking'

It's Sunday morning, 8:06 a.m. I'm lying in bed, the traffic report is on the radio "… Krefeld: Closure of the Rhine bridge in Krefeld due to construction work until 8:00 p.m. this evening, a detour is signposted..."
I jump up, saying: "Honey, I'm off; back for breakfast!"
My wife: "okay?!"
The Rhine bridge in Krefeld was closed for the entire weekend. I had it to myself that morning.

Since the beginning of 2019, I have been editing my pictures as you can see them in my account and on my homepage. A lot has happened in these last one and a half year:     I am with 1x.com ;-), I have participated in several international competitions and reached high places.
 Articles in several magazines have been published about me and I got various awards.

I even had planned a first exhibition in June 2020 but unfortunately until COVID-19 came along.
This exhibition can now be seen online, via my homepage www.Frank-L.eu

According to the future: I will continue to refine and develop my photos and editing techniques. It is uncertain where the journey will lead. I invest a lot of time and even more joy in my pictures and I am curious about what is still to come.

Finally, thanks to all of you.
Thank you very much for your great photos shown here on 1x.  They are very inspiring to me.
A special thanks to all my followers and to all those who comment my pictures. You are a great support to me.

The very best to you all and stay healthy,
Your Frank.

Krefeld | Germany

www.Frank-L.eu