Aug 31 2008
Great New Artists: Jason Hawkes
It is rare that one finds a stock photographer whose work displays artistry. But that’s just what Jason Hawkes’ aerial photography does. His website http://www.jasonhawkes.com showcases some of the best of his work including the London at Night series which were the first that caught my eye. He has 25 books to his credit and is one of the most successful commercial aerial photographers in Europe but if his work looks familiar to you in the US you would be right because he has been commissioned for American Airlines, BP, Mobil and Nike among other international clients.
Many people are fascinated by aerial photography and after looking through a lot of books on the subject it is easy to start seeing the same images over and over but what is different about his work is his use of naturally occurring patterns in the scenes he photographs. He is great at using rows of boats, buildings and even breaking waves to create diagonal, vertical and horizontal compositions that vary throughout every photo he creates.
Particularly fascinating are his pictures of cityscapes. He doesn’t just take a picture of a skyline from above or famous buildings (though there are plenty of those too) he finds the angles and shapes that are often over looked in this kind of photograph and emphasizes them. There’s no wonder he gets so much commissioned work as well.
