Finding purpose as a photographer
Over the past few years I've learned so much about photography, and I mean that in the broadest sense. Photography is not just taking good pictures, or having the right Lightroom preset. It's about intention, impact and responsible use of your position of power as an image maker.
My journey as a photographer has gone through different phases. I started at a very young age, and back then photography had no deeper meaning for me. I wasn’t trying to express myself, make an impact or tell a story. And honestly, that was a lot of fun, there was absolutely zero pressure to make something specific. It was ultimate freedom. I photographed everything from flowers to thunderbolts, and if you think any two photos from that period have something to do with each other, you’d be completely wrong. There wasn’t a single thought behind any of those images. I’d just look at them on my laptop and go: “Yeah, this looks kinda cool.”
But when I looked back through my archive, I realized those images did have something interesting in common. The subjects were all over the place, but they showed me what I was really chasing as a photographer: light. More specifically, good light. I had no control over it. I never used flash or a studio setup, so I was completely dependent on the weather. That’s probably also why I have around 100 shoots from golden hour.
After a few years of this, I decided to apply to art school. I was a bit naive and overconfident, but I still managed to get through the selection process. Together with one of my best friends, I moved to Rotterdam, and that’s where my real journey through photography began. I learned about analog photography, studio lighting, flash and alternative printing techniques. A whole new world opened up in front of me, and at the same time my confidence plummeted. Everything I thought I knew turned out to be either incomplete or a simplified version of reality. It was humbling, but truly necessary.
Once everything I thought I knew about photography had fallen apart, I was ready to soak up all the new information. And that’s exactly what I did. Over the following years at the academy, I grew as a maker. I discovered where my interests within photography lie and learned how to create work that actually makes an impact.
Looking back, I don’t see those early years as a waste. That kid running around with a camera, shooting flowers and thunderstorms without a second thought, was already learning to see. He just didn’t know it yet. Art school didn’t replace that curiosity, it gave it direction and purpose. These days I think a lot more before I take photos, but I’m still chasing the same thing I always was: good light. The difference is that now I know why.