Progressive Street

 For the moment, I frequently shoot candid street portraits, isolating subjects, intuitively searching for spontaneity

I am Nadia Eeckhout. I was born in Blankenberge (Belgium), 1969, but I have been spending the major part of my life in Ghent, the place where I mostly shoot my shots. No big stories. For the moment, I predominantly shoot candid street portraits, isolating subjects, intuitively searching for spontaneity, I guess. Small human tales told by a simple facial expression, a gesture or a look, an attitude that makes a picture nobody else’s story but his or hers. That personal detail which can make a lovely song. Sparkles of fragile beauty. In a broader sense maybe conveyers of transcience, disappearance in action. Sometimes, I even wonder what lives the people I’m photographing lead, have led, want to know their favourite dish or dance, but most probably, I will never see them again.

I have tried out several ways of catching those sparkles (in writing, painting, drawing) but since 2018, my camera has become my greatest pal. We stroll about the streets, getting surrounded and gradually submerged in everyday life, which at first sight often seems ordinary or monotonous even but, in fact, holds plenty of those precious moments just fleeting by. My camera is my medium to try to capture these moments, making them in its turn eternal. It is my greatest joy to come across and be taken away by that sudden, unexpected scene or detail passing by as fast as it had popped up.

I also like to shoot through-the-window shots; what happens behind the window and the reflections on the window often give an idea of the broader context in which somebody is staying or wandering. All those tastes in one shot feel like magic to me

2024

This is Nadia's third book, written at the suggestion of Batsceba Hardy. The author aimed to give her characters a voice, and this work reflects that effort. Nadia's longstanding fascination—with what we can now define as an obsession—with the people behind the glass has contributed to the development of her unique style. This style has evolved into something she is comfortable with, and she plans to continue exploring it now that she has consciously completed her formal evolution as a writer. Her next venture will be a personal exhibition.

Sometimes, I wonder what lives they lead, have led, want to know their favourite dish or dance,

but most probably, I will never see them again.

I also like to take through-the-window shots: all those tastes in one shot feels like magic to me