I love photography. Everything about it, from going out to get the shots to processing them. I learned the trade when everybody still worked on film, at the Fotovakschool in Holland, and then by working at the professional lab S’Color in Amsterdam. Like most other photographers, I have since made the switch to digital, although I still own a Mamiya C220 in mint condition.
I’ve recently picked up aerial photography again, and am currently working on a photo book about Isla Taboga, Panama.
Here are some galleries with samples of recent and not-so-recent work.
KABUL
I went to Kabul late 2006, for US-based NewsMax Magazine. Most of my work was researching for written pieces, but I also took time to take pictures.
SKY OVER PANAMA
A real estate developer wanted aerial photos of four different properties at different locations around the Gatun Lake in Panama. We flew for about 2.5 hours and got everything we needed – and then some.
Many people think that for aerial photography you need a helicopter. Not so. A slow flying plane will do the job in 99% of the cases, and costs about half the money. Feel free to contact me if you’re interested or like to know more.
SKULLS AND BONES IN PARIS
So now for something completely different. In Paris, France, they don’t have enough space on the cemeteries to keep all the bodies buried. So the surplus, so to speak, is stored in an expansive network of tunnels under the city. Not normally open to the public, your reporter managed to sneak in years ago and took some photos – existing light, flash is forbidden. You might wake up someone….
PANAMA PHOTOJOURNALISM
I don’t do a lot of news photography in Panama – there is little interest in it and I only report about Panama irregularly for Radio Netherlands. So what I do is mostly an attempt not to get too rusty covering events with my camera.
PANORAMAS
Panoramic shots can be made with special cameras or with “normal” ones. In the latter case, a collection of different pictures is stitched together to make the panorama.
Panoramic photography is usually used for landscapes and such, but I’m currently experimenting to use it in more reportage-like situations.
RETRO
Ah, the days of cross-processing, Polaroid direct positive 35mm film, obscure East-German B&W film stock and what have you! Retro is hip. You can’t find an ad these days where the photo doesn’t have a Lomo filter applied to it. Some photographers even retrofit their cameras with century old lenses to get the desired effect.
That’s it for now. Want more? Hire me!
