Welcome to Classics, introduce yourself to our readers. Where are you from originally, where is home now?
I was born 1989 in Otterlo, a small village in the middle of The Netherlands. When I was 18 I moved to Amsterdam as soon as possible. June 2013 I graduated Cum Laude from the Photo Academy in Amsterdam. For my graduation series ‘Vagabond’ I explored how one lives without a permanent home, and how it feels to wander between friends and family with few possessions. After eight years of living in Amsterdam I really started missing the woods, the quiet and the smells of nature. So January 1st 2015 I moved back to the nature, the surrounding that inspires me most.
Who or What inspired you to shoot?
Life, daily life. Through photography I can create some kind of safeguard. I capture the situations I have little grasp of, from moments, emotions till memories. This approach is placed directly next to my research and curiosity into ‘the other’. I reflect upon my own struggles by looking how my friends and people who surround me cope with the same situations and emotions. Thanks to my camera I create my own hold fast to view my life in an objective way.
What was your first camera and can you recall your earliest pictures?
One time I found an old Yashica on my grandparents attic, thats where my passion for analogue photography started. It were mostly snapshots of my friends and surroundings.
Tell us about your journey into photography.
After high school I really had no clue what I wanted to do. Eventually I decided to go to the Styling Academy in Amsterdam, not really my thing. But I didn’t want to be a quitter. I shot my whole graduation project at the Styling Academy with my granddads camera. That’s when I knew I wanted to do more with photography and I went to the Photo Academy. I really learned a lot there. Don’t give me any technical questions though. I must be the photographer with the worst technical knowledge. But the Academy did teach me how to “think” and to look at everything with a different perspective. By photographing nonstop, I developed my current style.
How would you describe your style and aesthetic?
Pure, intimate with a dark edge.
Do you have a favorite photograph?
Three months ago I became a mother, so all the photographs with Buddy are my favorites at the moment. I know very sentimental…
Who are your favorite Cinematographers and Photographers?
Antoine D’agata, Todd Hido, Elinor Carucci.
What is your favorite camera?
I shoot everything with a Pentax 6×7, an analog medium format camera and use only daylight/ available light. With the Pentax I only have 10 photos a film. So I’m really busy with what am I going to capture instead of just clicking around.
What inspires & influences you today?
Motherhood, the whole journey of becoming a mom.
Where in the world would be your dream location to shoot?
I would love to go to the arctics one day…
What is your creative process?
I shoot everything around me that touches me, moments to emotions to memories. This happens mostly in situations I lost control of. I capture it, and afterwards I can look at it in a more objective way, like looking at somebody else's life instead of my own. This makes me understand it all a little bit better. I never 'start' a project. I just take a bunch of pictures and after a while a topic forms in the chaos.
What are your favorite publications/websites?
Ignant, Nowness, Somewhere Magazine and Classics of course, ha!
Who is you favorite filmmaker?
David Lynch by far.
What is your Favorite Book, Feature Film and Music Album?
At the moment, book: Rupi Kaur - milk and honey, film: Van Nuys Boulevard, dEUS - in a bar under the sea.
Any upcoming projects we can look forward to?
Right now everything is about the baby and becoming a mother, in my photographic work as well. In the new year I really want to continue my ‘Skin’ series and I have some ideas in my head for a booklet.
