Ellen Borggreve is a Dutch Fine Art Photographer and author who specializes in landscapes that seem to exist in another reality; a reality that is fleeting yet timeless; wondrous and still.
Her photography is driven by a deep sense of reverence and wonder about the phenomena and expressions of life on this planet, yet is also fueled by a growing concern about the devastation and exploitation of this planet, its riches and especially the trees she holds dear.
Having grown up in the forest, she has a deep connection to the trees that she has known all her life, who have been witnesses of generation after generation, war after war, ancestors and offspring. Her camera gives her the unique opportunity to tune out the rest of the world and connect directly to another side of reality in which she usually tries to extract it from what we consider to be everyday life. References to humans are hardly ever found in her photographs.
Ellen has never been without a camera since early childhood in the 1970’s. The camera was her way of connecting to what is wondrous even if this world seems like an unforgiving place at times. Even though she never abandoned photography, she first built a long career as an award winning soft sculpture artist with work residing in all parts of the world. Photography lured her back though, but her experience in designing has given her a deep understanding of balance, form and lines which has formed the framework that her compositions rely upon.
Her work is about reconciling the ephemeral with the timeless, embracing the ambiguity of concern versus hope and vulnerability versus strength. It is about the everlasting and the fleeting qualities of light, about the continuity of change caused by the elements, by ebb and flow, darkness and light, season after season, moment after moment.
Her work balances on the edge of reality, like magical or surreal daydreams, yet is grounded in real experiences and moments that she shared with the subjects in her photographs. The emphasis in her work is on the uniqueness of each tree and the fleeting nature of light and its many appearances.
Her dedication is to the ephemeral, what is dissipating and what is timeless. To Ellen, this is what defines photography; moments and eternity.
Awards and Acknowledgements
I do not actively participate in awards and competitions, because I'd much rather judge my own work against my own standards. I have however taken part in a few competitions that I find hold originality in high regard.
2023 : IGPOTY Competition 16 - Commended (Photograph: Spectacle)
2022: IGPOTY Competition 16- Shortlisted with 2 photographs (The Two of Us and Spectacle)
2021: IGPOTY Competition 15 - Shortlisted with 3 photographs (Fall of The Magiciens, Giants From The Past and The Wanderers)
1x Awarded Photographer
PhotoBlog 2019 : Named One of the World's 25 Best Landscape Photographers
DIY Photography 2019 : Named as One Of 15 Inspiring Photographers
Publications and Interviews
On Landscape Issue 233 : Featured Photographer
Shotkit February 2022: Inside My Camera Bag
c't Fotografie 06/2021 : Stimmungsvolle Waldfotos
Natuurfotografie 6/2019 : Bosfotografie
Natuurfotografie.nl 6 augustus 2019 : Interview
Focus Jan 2018 : Spollight
Books and Articles Written By Ellen
Woodscapes : Published by Pixfactory (currently in reprint)
Praxisbuch Wälder Fotografieren : Published by dpunkt.verlag
Landscape Photography Magazine March 2023 : Limiting Your Options (Article)
Landscape Photography Magazine January 2020 : The Road Without Shortcuts (Article)
Landscape Photography Magazine October 2019 : Studying The Masters (Article)
Natuurfotografie 1/2020 : Bosfotografie in Photoshop
Sony Alpha Universe 3/2019 : 10 Tips For Dreamy Forest Photos
In The Camera Bag
Panasonic Lumix S1R (main Camera)
Lumix S Pro 70-200 F4
Lumix S 24-105 F4
Leica Vario Elmarit SL 100-400 F5-6.3
