Wetsuits

Although I’m not a surfer myself, the whole surfers community attracts me very much.

Last year I got the book ‘Surf & Stay’ of Veerle Helsen. The sites, the pictures and stories in the book were a nice escape during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The whole atmosphere conveyed by the surfers life were the inspiration for the wetsuit project (a work in progress). It reflects what I feel an imagine what real surfers experience. Finding the wave, feeling free, feeling natural, being yourself. Traveling around, getting out there, the nomad, bare minimums, enjoying life, breaking out of the cocoon.

I’m in search of some more collaborations. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you want to know more. Hope to ride the wave with you and express freedom :-).

At the sea

It is at the sea where I feel most relaxed. It’s the place where I can take some distance from daily life or go in and conquer the elements.

So, doing a shoot at the beach has always been one of my goals. Getting model, location & weather synced took a while but at the end of September, when it finally happened everything came together.

The Last 30 Minutes

A photo shoot takes what it takes. Time, energy, emotion, it's all there. All my photo shoots are different. But, at the end, when the mission is accomplished, there is relief, joy and a very relaxed feeling.

An expo of Simon Annand (The Half) in Gallerie Huit in Arles inspired me to capture this moment. The last 30 minutes. The moment that the model can be whoever she is. The only restriction I imposed is that they all wear the same blouse (under the same light, with the same camera and lens, at the same aperture).

Sea, Sun, Sand & Freedom

Every summer thousands of people set out to find freedom and relaxation. Plage de Piémanson is no exception. Every year, hundreds of people build their freedom in the sun, by the sea, in the sand.

Only they do it in a more primitive way. No camping pitches, no running water, no toilets. Wild in nature on the beach, close to the water.

But still. That freedom is not 100% freedom. Out of the blue man organises a structure and a hierarchy. The temporary places of residence are grouped in lines. There are people who organise, arrange, reprimand. The man with the 4*4 suddenly becomes the local and temporary citizen father of Piémanson.

It is that freedom of freedom that invited me to take pictures.

Cyan

Make it Cyan!

Why not! I came across the work of Allan Jenkins and his cyanotypes and was immediately intrigued by the emotion they evoke. Since I was not ready yet to try the Cyanotypes process, some digital alternatives were the path to go. When printed on Cold press paper these pictures really come to live.

During the oil sessions I was always thinking of applying old technique on the pictures (collodium and cyanotypes). From the beginning it was clear for me I had to simulate the result. First because my practical knowledge using these techniques is limited. Secondly because I would need to use slow shutter speeds, which was not possible (not enough light and to much movement). Enjoy the result.

Oil

Jan Fabre created the performance 'Quando l'uomo principale e una donna' danced by Lisbeth Gruwez. The same year I saw a picture taken by Marc Lagrange, one of the Belgian photographers I really admire for his work with large format camera's and the way he uses movies for his inspiration.

'What if I make a setup in Studio and play around with oil' went through my mind for months.

I quickly found a dancer and model. Joke was courages enough to work on the first try. The result was right what I was looking for. It asked for more and so I did.

Olive oil is fantastic to work with. The texture, the feel, the light reflexions even the warmth come across the image making. Surely something I will do more in the future

A Part Of A Praga Khan Performance

I invited Jessica in the studio because I wanted to capture some special body scapes. Jessica is a former gold medal gymnastic and performs at Cirque du Soleil.

When entering the studio she had a small wooden frame in het bag. If I wanted to photograph a performance she created for the Techno band Praga Khan.

What a question. I love photographing dance and performance.

ABUSe

ABUSe is a story about ... abuse... I came into contact with a model that experienced some severe abuse from people she trusted. As a human being, father, husband this troubled me. During the shoot of this story it struck me that there is so much abuse (mental, physical and mostly sexual). It also struck me that there can be abuse so close to you without you even noticing it.

It's a story about how women can feel. It's a story to shout NO to any form of abuse.