Baud Postma

Can you describe your work in three words?
Temporal, technical, experimental. 

You started your career assisting a number of well-known photographers. How has your background in fashion photography influenced your artistic practice?
I learnt a huge amount during my years working as an assistant. I developed a deep understanding of a wide range of photographic processes and techniques which has been invaluable. A strong technical foundation gave me the confidence to experiment with more unconventional analogue methods, which have become central to my own practice. Working on highly produced shoots, where every detail is scrutinised, sparked my interest in how images are constructed and the kinds of messages they can convey. I think that’s why a lot of my work explores the blurred line between fact and fiction, and reflects my broader interest in photography’s complicated relationship with truth and authenticity.

Your ongoing series 'A Slow Dance' was initiated during the 2020 lockdown. Can you tell us about this series?
It began with the simple act of bringing flowers into my London home during the pandemic. With the abundance of time that the lockdowns provided, I found myself observing the slow unfolding of each bloom, tracking their response to shifting sunlight, and eventually, their gentle decline. I began photographing these quiet transitions, over time becoming increasingly inspired by the minimal aesthetic and principles of Ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arrangement). Put simply this work is about the act of looking, both having and taking the time to truly observe.

You’ve started to incorporate AI into your most recent body of work titled 'Death of the Author'. What interested you in using AI in your work?
As a very analogue, process-driven photographer, I’m not the most obvious candidate for embracing AI in my work. However, I think a mixture of fear and the desire to experiment led me there. Like many creatives, I had, and to some extent still have, real trepidation around AI. I believe it was Seneca who said, “Ignorance is the cause of fear,” and with that in mind, I endeavoured to learn about the technology and experiment with ways I could potentially incorporate it in to my practice. Without wanting to fetishise analogue methods, I am interested in making work that emphasises the enduring importance of the physical print - especially in an era where images increasingly exist on screens, detached from the material world. This focus on materiality and hand-made processes has led to multiple printing stages and ultimately the use of photo-intaglio as the final expression of the work.

You’ve developed a unique way of shooting large format 10 x 8-inch paper negatives. What is the technical process behind your work and how does this influence your aesthetic?
I spent years experimenting with this technique—using a large-format 10 x 8-inch camera and a custom made set of filters to make exposures directly onto colour photographic paper, removing the need for a film negative. This has had a significant influence on my practice. The size and weight of the equipment, combined with the technical and unforgiving nature of the process, demands an unhurried, deliberate approach to image making. At the same time, it pushes me to embrace the unpredictability that comes with working experimentally with analogue materials. The process also imparts several distinct aesthetic qualities to the images. Because there’s no film involved, the work is entirely grainless. However, many of the prints develop a subtle patina or texture due to the way the images are processed. The low light sensitivity of photographic paper—compared to film— necessitates long exposures, which often results in slight motion and a characteristic softness. To further compensate for additional light required, I typically shoot with the lens wide open. Paired with high-quality large-format optics, this produces a shallow depth of field and a particularly beautiful ‘bokeh’—the rich, hazy blur of out-of-focus areas that adds a painterly quality to the images.

What do you hope to convey through your work?
I hope to make work that engages the viewer enough for them to create their own narratives, look at little closer and examine mine.

Who are the artists that have inspired you most?
There are so many artists I find deeply inspiring, but the work or individuals who influence me often shift depending on what I’m making at the time. My project A Slow Dance was heavily influenced by Ikebana. In contrast, my new series Death of the Author draws both aesthetic and conceptual inspiration from Richard Prince, particularly his Cowboys series. Starting to work with AI, it felt essential to confront questions of appropriation. Choosing the cowboy as a subject inevitably evokes Prince’s work and his controversial and well-documented exploration of originality, truth, and authorship—issues that feel even more urgent in the context of AI-generated imagery.

Do you collect art from other artists? How important is it for you to live with art?
Yes, living with art is really important to me. I’m lucky enough to have many talented friends who are also artists and open to doing swaps, which is such a joy. 

Any projects in the pipeline?
My solo show Cowboys & Flowers opens at Canopy Collections on 26 June. I have a piece in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2025, which is on view until 17 August. I will also be showing my work at Paris Photo for the first time in November.