The composed and colour driven photography of Alexander Kilian

Date
17 May 2017

There is an ethereal, saturated hue on each of Alexander Kilian’s photographs that transforms even the most ordinary of objects.

Originally from Offenbach, Germany, Alexander graduated in “the field of graphic design and photography” in 2014. Post studying he moved to Berlin to concentrate solely on photography and began assisting a photographer whose practice focused on still life and advertising. “Ever since, I’ve been working as a freelance photographer in Berlin,” he says.

“My own work is always moving around still life, portraiture and landscape photography,” he tells It’s Nice That. “But even when I shoot a portrait or a specific landscape, my training in still life is always present.” Consequently, Alexander’s photographs are always highly composed and arranged but still contain the feeling of a snapshot, almost like he’s stumbled across an immaculate plant or table already set up.

In terms of style, the photographer explains: “I would consider it somehow colour driven. When I think about a new image that I want to capture, colour is always the first and biggest part of the process.” Alexander’s initial consideration of colour is what leads each of his images. “Most of the time I’ve got a specific colour idea in my head that I either try to capture in the final frame or help to push afterwards in post,” he explains. “This is also why I probably never use any of my black and white films that then unfortunately rest in my fridge.”

More recently Alexander has been pushing the effect of his images even further by placing two photographs together to compliment or juxtapose. “A huge part of my work recently drifted into the conversation and pairing between two single frames. Creating and looking for new interpretations when you simply add a second image next to it isn’t a new thing, however this often helps to underline the colour code, mood or structure I had in mind while capturing the image.”

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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Alexander Kilian

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About the Author

Lucy Bourton

Lucy (she/her) is the senior editor at Insights, a research-driven department with It's Nice That. Get in contact with her for potential Insights collaborations or to discuss Insights' fortnightly column, POV. Lucy has been a part of the team at It's Nice That since 2016, first joining as a staff writer after graduating from Chelsea College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design Communication.

lb@itsnicethat.com

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