I
n 2010 I felt the urge to re- vive my photographic style. A new challenge, a new creative impulse, pushing myself to cre- ate beautiful new images! Because had I gained my Dutch fellowship in 2006 with portraits from my “everyday” studio – groups, babies and children – I wanted to create something completely different for my MPA fellowship. I decided to contact Henk
van Kooten for some advice and it became clear to me that the MPA sets the bar even higher than professional associations in the Netherlands. A concept, a vision, a distinctive style – the images would have to tell a story.
I am a typical down-to-earth Dutch person: I want to create great pictures but do not see myself as an artist, I and found it difficult to convert my ambi- tions into a concrete plan. It did cost me a few sleepless nights to figure it all out.
Last year I sent two images
to the MPA to see how they would be received. Both pictures scored well, both achieved merits and one was a final- ist, selected for display on the MPA stand at Focus and for the magazine cover. It was clear I was on the right track and from that moment on I developed my ideas and my new theme was born: “Beauty & Nature”. Beauty and Nature is a series that represents the beauty of nature in all its aspects (think about rough, wild, grim but also romantic and breathtaking) and also the beauty/nature of the female body (naked without exposing). The nudity is used to support, strengthen and excite but not to distract from the beauty of the whole picture. I planned to use one year to create the series. After devel- oping some ideas and testing some natural products, the brainstorming sessions started, together with my permanent hairdresser/makeup artist. And indeed, together we came up with some fantastic ideas! Not all easy to carry out, but all worth a try.
On an average of one shoot a month it should be possible, we thought, to complete the se- ries within the year. But I used
models who were just starting out, and even some with zero experience. Because this project was to be co-operation between model, stylist and photographer, we decided not to pay in cash but to give beautiful enlarged pictures of the shoot for the models’ own portfolios instead. The first few models were found quickly. Half-way through the series it became increasingly difficult to find new models. Fortunately, the models who had
already posed for me were very happy with the results and they told other model friends about the project.
For this series I did not want to use standard studio back- grounds so I decided to order a custom-made, hand-painted, movable background wall. This panel, painted on two sides, can be turned around so I have two unique backgrounds. Later one side was repainted with more earthy tones.
To get the natural products together was quite an adven- ture in itself – visiting nurseries searching for special orchids with large roots, getting to an island by boat in pouring rain to pick fresh vines, exploring wholesalers for odd-looking logs, off to the coast for sea- weed, down to a marina for the perfect rope and searching at city markets to find the right cheesecloth. Anyway, never a dull mo-
MASTER PHOTOGRAPHY 25
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