About
Biography
I was born in 1964 on a houseboat in the middle of lush farmland in the Netherlands.
Here I grew up being virtually part of the nature that surrounded me.
My first passion was music, joined by photography in 2007, and the link I see between both is composition
I am a professional- and self taught photographer.
When I started with photography I wasn’t looking for a particular style or trying to find my own way, it just evolved playfully. And soon trees and forests caught my attention.
Trees & Woodland
Trees are like living beings to me, none is alike and their beauty is that they do not pretend to be something other than a tree. Trees and forests are very relaxing and the older and bigger they get, the more respect they enforce. Wherever I travel or stay, my search for trees is a daily job.
My goal is to respectfully portray them in their old strength and timeless energy, the mixture with the famous Dutch light results in landscapes that remind me of those of the Old Masters.
Colors
I first picked up a camera in 2007. I always noticed interesting things worth a photograph, but always invested my money in musical instruments. instead of camera equipment. When I finally bought my first camera, I stepped right into the digital age of photography.
Because of the quality of my first camera, a Panasonic DMC FZ50 and the lack of any technical knowledge of photography, I started very early on with editing my images to make them look better.
Colors are of great importance to me. By working on the colors I can make a scene look very surreal, unreal. And yet it looks familiar because it’s a real picture.
I always aim for an image that could both be a painting or a photograph, dreamy and magical.
Influence & Inspiration
Since I am not schooled I never looked at other photographers in the beginning, that’s mainly the reason I developed my very own style.
To have no expectations and do freely what I wanted, I was not limited by any rules or knowledge
Of course I had to catch up with the technical side of photography later on
While influenced by romantic landscape painters, Dutch Masters such as Barend Cornelius Koekkoek (1803-1862), my prime source of inspiration comes from the mysterious encounter of nature and light..
I do not have any particular favorite photographers, however I admire many. Especially those who have found their own style, search for unique locations or concepts and are willing to give up everything for photography. I must admit I enjoy other people’s work, but I never study how it is done. Once it’s done by someone, you can try to copy or improve it, but that’s not the kind of fun I am looking for.
Awards
You will not find a long list with awards of my achievements. I am not a big fan of competitions between artistic people, however I understand it can be valuable for someone’s career, as I experienced myself when I won the Hasselblad Masters, category Landscape & Nature award in 2016. However I never joined any competition after 2016.
I have no other goal with photography than where I once started: Walking around the corner and being amazed what Mother nature has to offer. It’s the childlike wonder I am after, being surprised by nature’s beauty, but also being surprised by whatever will arise during an editing process.
You can read more about me in the interviews of which you can find the links below.
Traveling
Since September 2017 me and my wife Annemarie started a new way of living and working. We exchanged our home in Lochem, the Netherlands, for a mobile one in which we travel through Europe. 
Awards
–Winner Hasselblad Masters Award category Landscape/Nature 2016 One of the most prestigious in the industry, honoring the best in both established and rising photographic talent.
–First prize in the ‘Season & Weather’ 2016 Trierenberg Super Circuit
–Gold Medal 2016 in the ‘Streets and Paths’ categories of the prestigious Trierenberg Super Circuit, the world’s largest photo salon.
-Finalist Hasselblad Masters Awards 2010
Member of the Jury for:
Judging Panel: 2020 Annual Photography Awards
Trierenberg Super Circuit 2017
One Eyeland ‘World’s Top 10 Landscape Photographers: 2017
Interview On Landscape
Interview Icelandic Phototours
PDF Interview Master of Woodland
PDF Hasselblad interview
Interview 1x.com
Interview Starpics on Facebook
Interview Sleeklens
Interview Natuurfotografie (NL)
Interview Pf magazine (NL)
What’s in the bag:
– Sony A7RII + A7RIII | Lenses FE 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6 GM OSS , Sony 16-35 mm, 24-70 2.8 GM and a 24-240mm
– Hasselblad X1D with XCD 45mm
– Nikon D800 with a 70-200mm
– DJI Mavic Pro drone
– Gitzo tripod with a RRS ballhead
– Filters: Lee and Hoya little and big stopper, some soft gradients and polarizing filters HDX Circulair