Eelco Franz

Eelco Franz Born in Alkmaar, 1984.

Education: 2001–2002 Photography at the Art Academy in The Hague 2002–2004 Amsterdam Photo Academy 2005–2007 Assistant to Rob Scholte 2007–present Photographer/artist

Eelco Franz specializes in autonomous photography. He works almost entirely in analog and has developed his own methods for printing his work in the darkroom—such as painting with developer or printing through blotting paper. He prints nearly all of his work by hand himself, resulting in very limited editions. Every print from the same negative will always turn out differently for him. It’s a freer approach to the medium. He doesn’t work “cleanly.” On the other hand, he also creates some series as pure documentation, but those are usually digital.

His main theme is nature—the rustic simplicity of the landscape. This is rendered through the sobering reality of the baryta print, combined with the artisanal touch of the “artist-painter.”