244 - Stephan Vanfleteren
© Stephan Vanfleteren
Stephan Vanfleteren's career began as a staff photographer for the Belgian newspaper De Morgen. He continued to contribute to its weekend magazine as a freelancer until 2009.
His radical black and white social documentary work covers the disappearing phenomena of everyday life in his homeland, Belgium. Over the years, Stephan has worked in conflict zones such as Kosovo, Rwanda and Afghanistan and he is a six time winner of the prestigious World Press Photo awards among a number of other international prizes.
His intense portrait photography captures the essence of humanity in subjects ranging from the ordinary man to top politicians, sports idols and celebrities.
He has exhibited in Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, London, Liverpool and Verona and his books include: Elvis & Presley (Kruse Verlag, 2001) a road trip across America dressed as Elvis Presley with photographer Robert Huber; Flandrien (Mertz, 2005) on the Flemish obsession with cycling; Belgicum (Lannoo 2007) an enigmatic portrayal of Belgium and Portret 1989-2009 (Lannoo 2009). His most recent books are Atelier published by Hannibal Books, an ode to the ability to observe, represent, elevate, and ultimately, connect, and Present, a journey through his oeuvre, with expansive personal reflections and stories from three decades of encounters and photography, from street photography in world cities like New York to the genocide of Rwanda, from storefront façades to the mystical landscapes of the Atlantic wall, from still lifes to intense portraits, and Charleroi – Il est clair que le gris est noir
In episode 244, Stephan discusses, among other things:
Memory
Photographing (older) men
Skin… and light
Cutting his teeth in the newspaper world
Flandrien book
Rwanda
Being scared of success
Still getting nervous
The intensity of collaboration with a subject
Being perceived as a ‘traitor’ for shooting colour
His project with Robert Huber, Elvis and Presley
Dead animals
Photographing his dad post mortem
Moving to digital from film
Charloi residency and his book Charleroi – Il est clair que le gris est noir
Referenced:
“I was very scared of success. That was maybe my luck. Success was something I had difficulty dealing with. People are complimenting you on your work at the beginning and I’m just accepting that but it was difficult. And it helped me because I never arrived. I was on my way and the doubts were still there. If you think you know how to do it, it’s time to leave. Sometimes if I think ‘ok, I can do that pretty well, Of course other people can do it better, but it’s time to change, to have another approach…’ So I had that in the early beginning, that feeling that I have to change. I love to begin something new.”
This episode of the podcast is sponsored by MPB - transforming the way people buy, sell and trade in photo and video kit. An online platform for used photography and videography equipment, MPB is a destination for everyone, whether you've just discovered your passion for visual storytelling or you’re already a pro.
This episode of the podcast is sponsored by the Charcoal Book Club. Now open! Call for entries to the 2025 annual Chico Review and publishing prize! for more information and to apply, visit
chicoreview.com
INFORM THE MIND,
INSPIRE THE SOUL
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