Knut-Inge Johnsen – Snapshots from my Window
“For three years I had an office with a window, facing a certain open place in the little town where I live. Many people passed by each day – children end youth on their way to and from school, parents with small children, people walking their dogs, elderly people going for their daily walk, people on their way to work or to the store etc. etc. Suddenly one day I realized that this was a kind of daily “theater” – a life-scene, and I was priviliged, observing all this. I was amazed. As a photographer, I begun taking with me my Leica, lying on my desk – and every now and then I pulled aside my curtains (I often had to work behind curtains because of the light on my screen) and nearly each time something happened.
During these years I had exposed 1500 pictures. In May last year I had an exhibition in open air – in just that area where the pictures where taken – about 130 photographs – all printed in the darkroom on fiber-paper. That was a lovely experience – people came up to me and said with excitement: “That’s me!!” It was very important to me that this should not be a kind of a paparazzi-thing, so I never used tele-lenses – only 50 mm normal-lenses.” – Knut-Inge Johnsen
“Snapshots from my window” is a perfect example of a good series with same scenery throughout all the photos. There is no boredom here. Somehow like the acts of a play we see the actors on stage. The curtain closes and scenery changes just a little to loose the “similarity” feeling. Life unfolds before our eyes and – with the passing of each season – every snapshot documents an instance of this ever-changing place. Almost like frames from a silent movie.
Knut-Inge Johnsen is a teacher in an Norwegian folk high-school, teaching photography, psychology, social matters and music. He had several exhibitions and workshops – always in B&W and he shoots with Leica, Rolleiflex TLR and Hasselblad. He lives in a little town, called Os, near the Bergen, in western Norway. You can find the whole series and more photos here: http://monochroma.no/knut-inge-johnsen.
Cristian Bassa