Jan Erik is particularly drawn to solitary landscapes off the beaten track. The forms and structures of nature - especially water and ice - are at the centre of his work. Glaciers, frozen lakes, volcanic formations and meandering rivers that look like abstract paintings are recurring motifs. For him, these places are more than just beautiful places to photograph - they inspire, make you think and show the transience of nature. The changes caused by climate change are particularly evident in these regions. Many of the landscapes he has photographed will not exist in the same form, which gives his images an added urgency and significance.

The minimalist, often monochrome, colour palette of Jan Erik's images enhances the atmosphere and emotion of the landscape. While many landscape photographers concentrate on depicting nature as a whole, he goes one step further, picking out individual structures and patterns. Reality is abstracted and transformed into almost surreal works of art. His play with proportions is particularly impressive - many of his paintings have no clear scale and therefore appear alien, almost extraterrestrial. An aerial view of a branching river delta can resemble the grain of a stone, while a frozen lake with trapped air bubbles looks like a cosmic phenomenon.

This type of photography is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also has a deeper meaning. Jan Erik invites the viewer to look at nature with new eyes, to discover details that are often overlooked in everyday life, and to build a relationship with these distant landscapes. He is not interested in a flashy environmental debate, but in an emotional connection - because you only want to protect what you love.

Jan Erik has worked for many years with prestigious companies and agencies around the world, including Apple, Coldplay, The British Museum, Icelandair, Patagonia and National Geographic, to name but a few. His images have been featured in publications such as The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Adobe Create, CNN and Lonely Planet. He has won several major awards including the PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris (Gold), the Monovision Photography Awards (Silver) and the Annual Photography Awards (Gold).

[ Text 10Photos ]