“I somehow see Plexus as a portrait project – a portrait of what has faded, and what is still lingering,” explains photographer Elena Helfrecht. “Maybe it can be seen as a sort of conjuring.” I originally poured over the images in Plexus on a mobile phone, and realized I wasn’t doing her work justice. When I looked at Plexus on my iMac, I had a completely different experience. I immediately thought of the Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, and more of the found-footage horror movies that dominated my younger years. That’s where I became enamored with the series.

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I think Plexus is not a series that belongs in print. To be honest, I think that would ruin the series. It belongs on your screen in dark mode, with you staring at the photos. When you peer into the work, you can almost feel its moving elements. Combine this with the fact that Plexus explores generational trauma, and you’ve got a recipe for a cinematic piece of photographic work.

Personally, I’m also a huge fan of the direct flash, no Photoshop or post-production, and the use of black and white.

The Essential Camera Gear of Elena Helfrecht

Sony a7r II

Flash

I am mostly working digitally, as this allows me to experiment with the utmost flexibility, and without material (and financial) restrictions. My main tool is a Sony A7RII, which I chose first and foremost because of its capabilities to work in low light.

Phoblographer: It looks like you’ve used a lot of direct flash. How did this help you express yourself creatively?

Elena Helfrecht: The beauty of flash is its ability to highlight forms and structures and to blacken out the background. This often helps me to elevate the subject I had in mind. Since one overarching concept of the project is the visualization of psychological structures, and the exploration of how they are connected through different times and international contexts, the materials of the photographed subjects become a symbol for these aspects. Flash, together with the reduction of color, even them out and make them appear as one fabric.

Phoblographer: How much Photoshop was used in this project? Was most of it created in-camera?

Elena Helfrecht: While I always work on contrasts, lighting, and minor retouching, the whole project was created in-camera.

“The beauty of flash is its ability to highlight forms and structures and to blacken out the background. This often helps me to elevate the subject I had in mind.”

Phoblographer: A lot of your work is in black and white. What do you feel it does for your creativity?

Elena Helfrecht: A reduction of colors emphasizes form and structure, and it breaks down the image, so only the essentials are left. In turn, the image becomes more abstract and the eye is guided towards shapes and textures, which often helps to materialize the vision I had in mind. Recently, colors frequently seem more and more like a distraction to me. If I use color, it has to be for a very specific, often symbolic, reason.

Phoblographer: What photographers have influenced you? How have they done so?

Elena Helfrecht: It’s not only photography that influences my work, but my roots actually lie in art history. I think Symbolism and Romanticism have influenced me a lot. And then there is literature and movies, too. Some photographers I adore are Joel-Peter Witkin, Roger Ballen, George Shiras, Frederick Sommer, Annegret Soltau, and Francesca Woodman, for example. I believe we are constantly influenced by what we see and experience.

Phoblographer: Almost all of these images were shot in portrait orientation. How does that help viewers understand what you’re conveying in the images? Was that a purposeful creative decision?

Elena Helfrecht: I somehow see Plexus as a portrait project – a portrait of what has faded, and what is still lingering. Maybe it can be see...