Last Updated on 09/21/2017 by Chris Gampat
All images by Øystein Sture Aspelund. Used with Creative Commons Permission.
There something enchanting about wandering aimlessly and emerging somewhere strange and unfamiliar, but all the same breathtaking. This is often the thrill sought by photographers keen on photographing distant lands and unchartered territories. But for Norwegian photographer Øystein Sture Aspelund, it’s more compelling to capture the stories and emotions that arise when we’re faced with the promise of discovery and getting whisked away from the familiarity and occasional boredom of daily life.
Inspired by this idea, Øystein sought to document our response to uncovering the unknown and roaming around strange locations in his aptly named series called Getting Lost. The series takes us to random places bathed in a mysterious mood, with structures that are strange, scenic, and intriguing, all at once. In many of his photos for this set, we see the characters of his story making their way around as if trying to find the way out. In others, it’s like the viewer is getting enticed into stepping inside a maze, finding out what’s within or beyond the fog, or investigating secret locations and curious-looking structures.
We can view Øystein’s adventurous set as an introspective look into the kind of mysteries that draw us as instinctive explorers, sometimes finding it hard to resist the allure of the unfamiliar. He presents this series as a “‘maze’ of random places” with focus on the different sensations that come with getting lost, and in “walking away and disappearing from everyday life, along with its routines and repetitions.” As we follow his story around different places and events, Øystein creates the impression of “momentary changes between emotions and moods of clarity and happiness, to distraction and confusion.” I find this to be strongest in the photos that feature his lone explorers.
“While faced with the unknown, it plays on our basic need to find answers and explanations of what we do not immediately understand,” Øystein says on his work. I think this best encapsulates the interest that he shares with fellow photographers and creatives in their attempts to translate this fascination into a beautiful and emotive narrative.
Visit Øystein Sture Aspelund’s Behance page to see the rest of Getting Lost and other works that show his response to his surroundings.