Martin Bogren

I've seen Bogren's series "Tractor Boys" previously, possibly in British Journal of Photography, I was intrigued but I didn't comment in the blog because I just put the work into the category of reportage which didn't really interest me. However, I now see the work in a different light and I'm more aware of why I find the work intriguing (https://www.lensculture.com/articles/martin-bogren-tractor-boys).

The subject matter is that of young men in Sweden who spend their time racing their cars against each other. However, the work has more drama and character than would normally be found in documentary photography. The photographer is adding an additional layer of artistic interpretation here and it is in the combination of the interest of the subject and how this is used and built upon by the artist that the unique character of these photographs is derived.

There is a narrative here, which at least in part is derived by the contrast (juxtaposition), of the raw and macho nature of the subject and the sensitive and poetic nature of the resulting photographs.