What I like about portrait photography is that you get a peak into somebody’s life, house, mind, way of thinking… just for for a brief moment!
I cannot recall at what point exactly Y. crossed my path. I think it’s about 8-9 years ago, somewhere in Antwerp. What I do remember is that I always felt comfortably around her. Although we have very different backgrounds, interests and goals in life, we always found common ground to talk or discuss. And in the end we would conclude that our point of view was actually the same, or almost…
She has fought her battles and conquered her demons, that alone sets her in my personal hall of fame. I like her open mind, positive attitude and that little spark in the eyes. That spark can lead to fun or mayhem, you never know…
Great to see each other again after so many years and we headed off like we last met the day before. Talking about decisions in life, growing up (or old), digging up memories, … Finished it all with a good cup of coffee.
We should all do that more often, just grab a coffee every once and while!
When you talk bikes in Antwerp, you talk D.
Eight years ago when we were at the prime of our hipster culture he owned Fixerati, a bike shop exclusivly for Fixed Gear bikes. We went there to buy “Fixies” or accessorise the one we already had.
Life, the city and the shop changed but his passion for bikes still remained.
Nowadays he runs a new shop a few buildings further up the road, focussed on quality bikes with that little extra to it …. if you need a bike, talk to the man and you’ll see the passion for bikes he has.
What I like about him is his straightforward an honest approach to life, people and probably himself too. The two hours we spent during the portrait session were filled with lessons we’ve learned in life, observations of our own life, the joys and burdens of being independent, future goals, … we really had a nice chat and should probably continue that later in the pub or on a walk somewhere in the Ardennes.
To be continued!
Friends come in various forms and they come and go… Good friends are the ones that can be out of sight for a while and then pop up back in your life as if it where yesterday.
S. is one of the last, we skated together when we where teenagers, fell in love on the same girl (different timing though), went out in the same places, drove on our race bikes in the weekends, …
Our paths crosses every once and while and I can say I really enjoy that!
Last week I went to visit him in Houffalize and together with another friend we passed the day sitting in the kitchen around the table next to the stove. We talked, joked, laughed, sighed the afternoon and evening away.
What a great way to spent the day!
All shot on Hasselblad 501 CM and Konica Hexar RF.
Portrait photography is the delicate ability of stepping into someone’s personal space with respect and appreciation for the personality and without the desire to alter that personality.
Thank you An for letting me do my thing!
K. and me share a lot of passions in life: nature, outdoors, dogs, peace of mind, talks & walks, … So when she proposed to go for a walk in her favorite woods and fields I was keen on joining her and dog “Sir Nelson Rufus”.
So Melek was one of the first to respond to my open call for portrait sessions, we worked together on a commercial shoot for a bank a few years ago. She was also the first to be captured with the analog equipement after 6 years. We met at Antwerp Central Station and made use of whatever we found there.
Shot on Hasselblad & Konica Hexar RF
Went for a quick coffee with M. at Pakt and took the opportunity to snap some shots. All done with the 50mm 1.1 from 7artisans, which is a bit dodgy to focus on f1.1 but great atmosphere.
Last Friday I headed out with JB to my favorite getaway spot. We took time to talk a bit, let the strong winds clear our minds, enjoyed the contrast between nature and the harbour industry and took some portraits. Oh yeah and grabbed lunch at the famous café nearby. What a great time we had. Here are some portraits I made with the Hasselblad.
and some snapshots with the Konica Hexar RF
What a great morning!