1. What’s your background?

By profession I’m a mathteacher at a high school. Being teacher at our school I was often asked to photograph events.
But what truly made me switch to the art of photography was the fact that at our school there was a make-up course with mini-photoshoots with pupils/seniors.
Instead of my “normal” profession as a math teacher, when everything is going through the brain and mind (logical thinking, not emotional, left cerebral hemisphere), photography drills to the artistic and emotional part of me (right cerebral hemisphere). Photography is, to me, a way to average this two parts and make me a whole human being.
Beside that: photography and math are interlinked (the technical part for example the aperture and the laws of light).

2. What does your work aim to say?

In my opinion art has to move people. You can like it, but it can also bring a sort of disgust to people. Anyhow art has to provoke a certain emotion to people.
Many artists label their art with a name for the piece of art they’ve made. Beside that I’m not that creative to label every photo with a certain name, I think that giving a name to a piece of art also pushes the viewer into a certain direction. I want my audience to be viewing the image completely neutral, with no hints from my side. Portrait photography is just as that: depicting a person in a photo. With most of my photos the eyes are the most important aspect of the image, as it is the mirror of the soul. What do people see in these eyes? Can they imagine what is behind the face, what drives people and the portraited one in particular? What is the subject thinking? All in all, art is just a matter of ones own perspective, so what tells art about yourself?
But first of all it’s important that the depicted person and her/his family and friends can see him/herself in the photo just the way he/she is, or as one mother once wrote and describes: “I’m happy with your way of looking to people through the lens. You bring out the finest and deepest and still stay in purity. My compliments!”

The core of my art is, as I mentioned above, trying to capture the purity of the person. In the preparation of the shoot, I try to figure out what moves that particular person. Sometimes we’ve a so-called moodboard with images to give an idea for what the photos of the shoot could look like. But I noticed by myself that this can block creativity during the photoshoot and that is important to me. I want to feel that connection with my model, that we’re on the same page and in the same flow. Than the most interesting photos will occur. Or as a model told me lately: “I like to shoot with Tjeerd, because he gives me the freedom to explore and be creative instead of a doing it the way the photographer wants me to do it”.
I always take a lot of props with me, in cardboard boxes, and models can choose the props they like to use, or I give them an idea which prop could be suitable. A makeup artist can also contribute with ideas, so that it is truly a collaboration with some great images as a result.
Most of the models I’ve had a photoshoot with, are not very experienced models, so I can capture the true person instead of the, forgive me the phrase, “acting” person.

3. How does your work comment on current social or political issues?

I have no intention to discuss or comment any social or political issues with my work. If anyone would see such a relationship, it’s simply coincidence.

4. Who are your biggest influences?

The first photographer that pops into my mind is Lindsay Adler, a beauty and fashion photographer from New York. I have followed her for almost a decade now and I find her a very inspiring photographer, not only because of the images she delivers and the ideas she’s showing, but also because of the personality she has. I was lucky enough to follow a one-day workshop in the Netherlands a couple of years ago and also in real life, she’s a very engaging person. I like her concepts and the way she works things out, often using materials and props that are selfmade. Also her instructions to the models as well as the editing of the images is a great inspiration to me.
I also am inspired by the American photographers Brooke Shaden and Peter Hurley, by the British photographer Gavin Hoey and the Dutch photographer Frank Doorhof.
For the postprocessing part, so the editing of images, I’m influenced by, again, Lindsay Adler, Unmesh Dinda (piximperfect on YouTube), Pratik Naik and Aaron Nace.
During the editing I’m also influenced by music, mainly the scores of filmmusic, but also from electronic music (Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre). From the music artists Jon and Vangelis comes my tagline: “Shine for me and I’ll shine for you”.
Considering lighting in the photographs, I’m also inspired and influenced by the Old Dutch Master of painting: Rembrandt.