Photographer Benoit Lajudie is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this photo essay. From the project ‘Beyond the Objects’. To see Benoit ’s body of work, click on any photograph.

Beyond the Objects: abstract photographs based on concrete objects that question viewers

My images are completely abstract. They are graphic structures that result from compositional decisions. But these structures are always based on objects, almost always of art or design. They are photographed from such angles and in such situations that other realities appear.

I photograph for the viewer. The objects I photograph are not directly recognizable and present themselves as enigmas that offer space for the viewer’s imagination. My creative intention is twofold: on the one hand, to create a graphic structure, through compositional choices, that can make sense in itself. The other is to stimulate the viewer’s imagination by inviting them to interpret what they see and invent their own reality. For me, it’s about going inside, through and beyond the objects at the same time, to make them say something other than what their initial reality says.

My goal is to stimulate the imagination of the viewer. That’s why I don’t give formal names to the photographs, as this would reveal a photographic intention, whereas the aim is to open up a space for the viewer’s creativity. That is why the images are called Beyond the Objects (BO), followed by a number.

I am a self-taught French photographer. My current series “Beyond the Objects” reflects a major evolution in my photographic work. 

Initially, my vision of photography was humanistic. For a long time, I photographed people as they lived their lives, taking portraits on the street. The various series on my website illustrate this with street photography, street portraits and images of neighborhood life. I also like to tell stories through photography.

But fundamentally, my personal culture as a photographer comes from painting, which has given me a great sensitivity to color and composition. As a result, I have developed a style of photography that alternates between a humanistic and a graphic dimension. Today, I prefer the graphic dimension, and I now produce the abstract images that make up my “Beyond the Objects” series.

All images and text © Benoit Lajudie