I started this personal project in 2019, The series is about sea life that has been portrayed in a very aesthetic way, minimalistic, with a strong focus on the subject.
Until now it is still a work in progress, where every now and then an image can be added, when I come across a new nice subject that catches my attention ..

I spend lot's of my free time at the sea and i'm very fascinated by everything that lives & grows in there... sometimes the inspiration comes very naturel to me. Especially with this serie.. it came with a long walk on the beach, i found some nice species from a fish seller, took them to my studio to work with and the first images came without overthinking it to much, i was quite happy with the first results and continued later on with the rest. (it is still a work in progress where occasionally, once in a while an image can be added)
The style is characteristic to a lot of my personal work, In the past i had already made 2 series in that trend, with dark unsaturated colors....it think it has to do with my love for old paintings..
For the reproductions i use giclée prints on structured Hahnemühle cotton paper, what gives the images a very nice painterly finish.

I always use 'capture one' to tether the raw Nikon files to my pc, afterwards they go to 'photoshop' for the final retouches.
Most of the time i work with different captures that i put togheter.

A lot a people ask me 'is it all real photography?', and the answer is yes, like the water and splashes are all photographed in the real moment, i use a 'Profoto D2' to freeze the motion..sometimes it's necessary to take 20 frames and then blend them manually in photoshop until the desired result. To clean the pictures i use very simple methods like frequency separation, then also a bit of 'dodge and burn' & some color adjustments.

Sometimes you need to be handy & inventive, like the fishnet i used is made by gluing a whole bunch of little wires together.

The response is quite good...until now the serie has been awarded in six International photo contest.
Art is always something very personal and it differs, from person to person, there will be haters & there wil be lovers...but until now, I get a lot of love for the project..

I learn every time when i try to create something new...
An important lesson is...not to be satisfied too quickly, be patient with your artistic path, it takes years of practice and self-discipline to develop a certain skill to perfection & after all those years it’s never gonna be perfect,..so it is good to always keep evolving in your art.

Think outside the box, try to have a wide imagination, and, look at the world as a little child without too many boundaries.
When it comes to inspiration, let it come to you in a natural way, i can speak out of my own experiences that it does not always works when you overthink it to much..

Wesley Dombrecht

Wesley Dombrecht is currently best known for his personal photography work and art-series in the ”fine-art / still-life” genre, mostly working around food.
Through a graphic approach and elaborately staged compositions, his personal work offers the viewer a different perspective on food – mostly there is an underlying story connected to his series..
In the years he developed a signature style for his personal work, utilising dramatic lighting, minimal sets and an unsaturated colour palette, what gives his images a very aesthetic, painterly, appearance.

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