A favorite photographer: Martin Bogren

A favorite photographer: Martin Bogren

Martin Bogren is a Swedish photographer working with a style of documentary photographer, seemingly in projects over a long period of time.

Lowlands is the first time I got to know his photography and bought the book. It is based on him returning to the town in the south of Sweden where he grew up but that he left in his teens. Perhaps I can relate because I left the town where I grew up and returned many years later. It sure makes you look at your old hoods differently.

Tractor boys is another project of Bogren that I really relate to. Maybe it’s because I shot Power Meet in Västerås many years in a row. Here’s a video interview with Bogren.

Bogren’s work gives an intimate feeling, like he’s really close to the people he photographs (not just physically close). Compositions are clean and pretty traditional, although I feel like breaks away from the tradition from time to time.

He seems to work mainly in black and white, which I also love. I get a feeling that he uses analog rather than digital, and at least Lowlands seems to be analog medium format.