I wouldn’t consider myself a full-time photographer. My passion lies in all things when I have a camera in my hand. I studied cinematography and have been working with cameras for the past eight years, but before that, my passion wasn’t really behind a lens. When I was a child and a teenager, my father owned a pharmacy and there was always a few disposable cameras lying around the house. I had no major interest in documenting life but I enjoyed taking photos of my friends skateboarding and growing up.
I love to document life and exert myself creatively by taking photos and making videos, it’s just become the greatest passion in my life.

There is no direct message behind my travel photos unless I work on a project with a set goal (like the ones I’ve done in Africa). I like to keep it spontaneous and free. I suppose that’s because I am interested in certain subcultures and types of people, and that influences my work in the way I choose the models and locations.

The first Asian country I visited was China, in 2014. I went with some friends and that trip sparked my interest in film photography. I only took five rolls of black and white film with me and travelled around for a month, only taking a photo when I felt the moment was completely right. That film mentality is something I carry with me to this day. After that trip, I was hooked and began to take my photos a bit more seriously. Its impact left a lasting impression on me and was definitely the spark to my photographic career.

I definitely have an obsession with Asian culture. I love how every country has its own set of ideas. I also love the mentality and inspiration I receive when I am there – and I see the effect it has on my photos. I suppose I feel freer to create the content I really want to do in Asia, as opposed to Europe or Africa. I wouldn’t box myself into shooting just there, but I really love the vibe and am generally happy with the results after each photo mission in the continent.

Travelling to new countries and having the opportunities I’ve had has definitely left a lasting impact on me, especially mentally. I lived in Shanghai for a few months last year and was able to travel quite extensively. I picked up things from the Chinese culture, be it mental or physical, that I have implemented into my everyday life. I feel like travelling is one of the best ways you can live your life and create experiences that are unique and fulfilling to one’s soul.

I try to capture as much as I can, not in terms of amount of photos but in variety. When it’s the time to select and put the stories together, it really comes down to what works and looks good together. A lot of my oeuvre is based on spontaneous moments – like street photography – and I try to incorporate that feeling and vibe into the portrait and fashion work that I also shoot.

I guess everyone in the world perceives photography differently. Everyone has his or her own opinions and tastes. In China, for example, there is a lot of censorship around art and culture so there is a lot of red tape around explicit art or something that goes against the government’s ideas. In every country I’ve been to, I’ve met open-minded people with opinions similar to mine, so there is always a market to show my work and have people relate to it in a positive way.

I like to shoot people I’m friends with. I’m not interested in shooting typical beauty models. I like to show them as the real people they are, not the done-up Photoshopped versions of themselves. This is also why I shoot all my work on film and limit the amount of post-production. I like to shoot with unconventional people and create editorials that are more interesting and have more substance than just a ‘beautiful’ model in a beautiful location.

In my past experiences, I haven’t faced any problems with shooting. When I was living in Shanghai, there was always the frustration of not being able to be totally free and having to find ways to work around that. In Seoul, there is a huge tattoo scene, but having a tattoo shop is technically illegal without a doctor’s license. Artists will always find a way to make it work. And it’s like that in most Asian countries: people find ways to work around the restrictions that the governments have implemented for their own reasons.

I haven’t faced many barriers with releasing my work. I will always make sure the models and the people I photograph are happy with the pictures before releasing anything. I always find the creative process stronger when it’s a collaboration, and I like to follow that way of working until the job is done.

I’d like to keep growing and learning with video and photo work. I want to be able to constantly challenge myself and get better creatively and as a human in general. Being able to freelance and travel has given me opportunities that I am very grateful for, and I hope to use them to improve my work and myself as a human being.