In those days Wiel van der Randen was an outsider in that he used a 35mm camera for his photo coverage. The 35mm camera was introduced in 1924. Until then professional photographers had used heavy plate cameras and tripods. Initially, the photographers were skeptical of this 35mm camera with large aperture lenses. 

Experimental
However, in 1930 Van der Randen was one of the first Dutch professional photographers to start using this new camera type. Using the smaller and lighter camera made it possible to experiment with, for example, the position of the camera. His unusual positions often depicted the subject from the top or from the bottom and usually off-center. 

The modern camera techniques were therefore also called “New Photography”. It gave Wiel van de Randen the means to identify with his artistic touch. He was given the freedom to experiment at De Spaarnestad.

He worked with close-ups, a dynamic framework and natural lighting. Van der Randen managed to give us a modern view of his times with his modest camera.

Visual Arts
Van der Randen’s interest in the new technique was probably sparked by his love for the photographic art in that period. Art photographers such as Moholy-Nagy and Man Ray were responsible for making  photography a part of the modern visual arts. Their photographic techniques were rapidly used by photographers such as André Kertesz and Erich Salomon in their work. 

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