Andréa Lobel, a photographer based in The Hague, Netherlands, has built a reputation for creating evocative monochrome images that speak through subtlety and restraint. Trained at the Academy for Photography and the School of Arts and Design, Lobel’s approach is about forging a quiet connection between her subjects and those who encounter her work. She refers to this bond as “joint attention,” where the viewer is invited into a shared moment of stillness. Lobel’s creative process is deliberate and introspective, driven by the pursuit of simplicity and emotional clarity. By stripping away color, she directs attention to the intricate details that often go unnoticed. Whether it’s the delicate sway of hair or a fleeting expression, Lobel’s work invites viewers to pause, reflect, and find beauty in the understated.
Here is the artist’s interview.
1. What is your creative process like?
It takes quite a long time for me to start a series of photos. I takes time for me
to find the right balance between staging the scene and the purity of the scene
If possible I prepare the shoot by discussing with the person in it, what my
imagination ‘looks like’ and if they can somehow relate it.
If they feel comfortable with the general theme, from that point, I no longer
intervene.
2. Do any personal experiences shape your work?
I think that personal experiences always shape our work, it seems hard to
avoid. My photography, I feel, might be a conclusion of doubts, insights and
the remaining questions about life. Also the personal experience of being
captured by work of others, like to the work of the photographers from the
1900s. Their timeless photography made a huge impression and it still does.
3. What challenges do you face as an artist?
I am quite vulnerable to light-flashes, vibrant visual stimuli and sunlight. As a
photographer this is a challenge. It means I have to be careful not to make too
long hours. If I am inspired and when I am full of ideas, it can be hard to keep
myself back.
4. What do you want people to feel when they see your art?
I hope a photograph can make the viewer stand still, in a moment of tranquility
and silence. If that happens, I am very grateful.
Through her dedication to simplicity and nuance, Andréa Lobel continues to create photographs that resonate deeply. Her work’s quiet elegance offers a gentle invitation for reflection, encouraging viewers to find beauty and meaning in the stillness of her images.
