Archive material from Antoinette Beenders’ portfolio

– my father’s a photographer so I was brought up in studios all my life; it’s no surprise I’m a creative director. I love creating images, whether it’s a picture, a show, or even a client.

What do you do in your downtime? AB: One of the places I live in is Minneapolis [Antoinette lives between Minneapolis, New York and London]. I live on a wonderful lake, so I spend a lot of time there and I like to fish. I’m so lucky because I travel to so many cities I like walking around, I like watching people. The other day I was doing a shoot somewhere nice so I stayed an extra couple of days; I work hard but I play hard too.

So how does this non-stop lifestyle affect your private life? AB: I’ve never had time for children or pets. I have a husband, Monty, who is very patient and travels everywhere with me. He’s an interior designer. After 9 -11 we just decided it wasn’t worth it, being apart due to travel. He’s now taken up behind the scenes photography on our shoots.

What have you learned over the years? AB: Number one: give up your personal life. If I’m in the office I work 9am til 8pm; if I’m on a shoot it will be 5am to 7pm – you’re always working. That’s why you’ve got to love what you do. If you don’t love it, you can’t do it. I was never about being famous; it was always about the craft. I wanted to get my work in Vogue Italia, and now it’s happened. I’ve got another picture going into Visionaire – those are my personal dreams and are not related to fame. Also, say yes to everything that comes up – don’t say no to anything. A lot of young kids want it all to happen tomorrow, and they might succeed because they’re cute, but then have no longevity. I’ve been in this for 30 years – I’m still going. I took my career in a different direction, a corporate role; I never opened a salon. But how many times do you get to run a creative department? To be in charge of the image of a large brand? It’s not something that comes up every day. I’ve learnt a lot about business. When I was in London, being creative, I never earned a penny. You can go the business route and end up maybe less tied to creativity, but it’s up to you to maintain it.

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