As a photographer I like to get inspired and surprised by the people, location, daylight and weather. With those elements combined, my creation starts. I use both overviews and details to tell a story and to capture a specific atmosphere of the environment and the interior. It also helps to make the story of the person to be portrayed more personal. I like to photograph details to give a complete new view of an, at first site, common person or object.
Photography has always been a passion. For many years it was my hobby, up until the editor in chief of Living, Rozemarijn de Witte, in 1997 decided to publish 4 of my holiday snaps in the first issue of the magazine Living. That moment opened up a whole new world. I realised that travelling with my camera made me feel very happy and that my hobby could become my job.
After I followed a photography course at the Photography Academy of Amsterdam, I went on studying photography at The London College of Printing in London. Soon I realised that I just had to start doing my photography, to be able to realise my dream of making a travel story for a magazine and document the work of a NGO.
Vietnam became my first destination. The magazine Living wanted a travel-story about Vietnam and the SNV (a Dutch NGO) asked me to document their Microfinance projects in central and northern Vietnam.
It was a very special and liberating experience to travel on my own. I worked, travelled and acted more and more intuitive. I felt where and how long I had to be somewhere, to get the best pictures at the right moment.
Coming home I had so many slides and prints, which after a severe selection, formed a divers portfolio. The magazine Living published 8 pages of my text and pictures about Vietnam. Many travel stories in different magazines would follow in the years after.
I listened to my heart and made my job out of my hobby. A decision I am still very glad and grateful about.
