In the last 140 years, photography has undergone a number of changes. Technical developments have made manipulation easier, and have extended the range of subjects and circumstances in which photographs can be made. Each development has been followed by creative exploitation of the improved process. In each generation, a proportion of such work has been sterile experiment - change for changes sake - often discarding traditional disciplines without replacing them with a real and effective alternative. Others have built upon the values of earlier work and extended their, and our, vision all the more effectively through a proper understanding of the technical and aesthetic principles of photography. Frank Peeters is such a photographer. While entirely in a modern idiom, his photograph shows a disciplined control of form, texture and lighting. He exploits fully the range of densities in the negative and printing paper, producing strong contrasts without the loss of shadow or highlight detail which is sadly too often seen in the work of some of his contemporaries, who do not have the same control over, or even understanding of, the medium. He explores the forms and textures found in nature, contrasting them with man- made object, and relates both to the human form, making strong visual statements which often express the uneasy relationship between man and his environment in the modern world.

Brian Coe, 1985