ABOUT 30X30

Since 1986 Herman Van Aken has worked as photographer en graphic designer. He has seen and done it all, and off course captured it all on film or memory card. Herman has won his fair share of competitions, and got praise from both his clients as well as the professional world.

Since 2010 Herman also has his very own school of photography in Belgium: openphoto.be. ‘From Hero to Zero’ (or was it the other way round?). Openphoto organises courses and workshops. He brings his teachings in a non-conformist way, with a lot of room for the practical aspect, wich have made a lot of beginners into professional photographers.

But what now? Is this really it? The daily grind came crawling in, and it was time for something new and completely different.
Time for something of his own.

He took a long and deep dive into himself, to seek an answer as to how to furfill this yearning. To finally do what he really wanted was now in order. Forever seeking the ‘Next Level’, and more simplicity or elementariness. This is where he started to experiment with pure photography again, wich led to the images as seen on this website.

Just consider 30X30 as a result of the frustration, and the ungoing battle between his drive to create and the uniformity in his professional work. When your work becomes a drag, often the mind gets eager to find new goals and strategies.

Is 30X30 art? Herman doesn’t really lose any sleep over this. And he shure as hell isn’t trying to convince you that it is. It’s something everyone has to decide for himself.

All the works on this website are pure photography-based camera experiments. Shot straight from the camera to your wall. Most pictures are even taken in his enormous studio of a few square feet! (Story goes that he once did a portrait of a dinosaur in this small studio, but we have no pictures or further proof to back that session)

All the prints, as seen here on 30X30, can be delivered to your doorstep on a high-quality mat canvas. All canvasses are 4 cm thick. (nails are not included). You get a paper template to be sure that they hang on the right spot.

Maybe it’s also important to note that each photo is a limited edition. Only 30 of each will actually be printed. This makes them more unique, and are therefor more desirable then the classic red flowers you can buy at IKEA. Finally something you can hang on your wall to brag about…

Herman did a lot of research to find the best canvas print supplier over whole Europe. Finally the best canvas colors comes from Belgium’s color manager and color guru Marc Cielen in Bilzen. Highly recommended !