Another Loveshoot in Soesterduinen

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Another Loveshoot in Soesterduinen

With the wedding photography season in full swing it can be difficult to fit in a loveshoot but with a chance to shoot again at the amazing Soesterduinen came along I jumped at the chance. I just love this location. Sandy dunes, forest landscape and a super photogenic couple made for some amazing photographs on the day. Bo and Morris were so easy to shoot. Both of them had done some modelling in the past and so they didnt need much instruction at all. I just asked them to be themselves, and be romantic, then positioned them in the landscape. It was a great day with great weather and the late afternoon sun lit them up beautifully. See the full shoot HERE

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New headshots in London and Amsterdam

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New headshots in London and Amsterdam

Business as usual in 2016 with lots of headshots as well as wedding and architecture work. Next week I am off to London to meet with Alison Brooks Architects and do some headshots for them.  For now check out some of the latest portraits for businesses, architects, and personal clients in London, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Den Haag below.

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New Inspirations for Amsterdam Weddings

You might not have seen this site yet but if you come here then now you can. I was asked by Marieke, the owner of the site, if I would like to be part of it.  She explained to me that she wanted to do something a little different from other wedding blogs and sites in the Netherlands. I was excited to see someone making a new effort to promote more down to earth weddings and their suppliers and really like the philosophy of the site. There are other wedding sites that show many vendors here in the Netherlands from photography to wedding dresses, flowers and more. However, they all promote the same style. This is great but there needs to be a voice for the independents and Marieke has made a great start with this fantastic new wedding site.  If you are a thoughtful, or adventurous, couple or if you like bohemian or hip venues and suppliers then head over and have a look. Be different, think different, and have yourselves a great wedding.  Here is the link: http://www.amsterdamstrouwen.nl/

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Loveshoot in Sunny Amsterdam

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Loveshoot in Sunny Amsterdam

I love great architecture and I have a passions wedding photography and capturing the story of the people I am so lucky to shoot. So what better place to do a loveshoot, bridal shoot or any kind of wedding photography indeed. So a couple of weeks ago in sunny Amsterdam at the Eye Film Institute in Amsterdam Noord I met Wijdie and Laurens there for their loveshoot. The contemporary architecture of the building stands proud over the mouth of the Ij with strong clean lines and was a powerful backdrop for the quiet interactions of the couple . Wijdie and Laurens were a willing couple and they shared some lovely romantic moments on the day. All images shot with the Sony A7Rii. 

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Portraits from a loveshoot

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Portraits from a loveshoot

Shooting loveshoots has kept me very busy of the last few weeks in the run up to wedding season, not to mention my other work in the architecture sector.  Wedding photography is becoming more and more of a passion as time goes by and all the loveshoots really have made my experience as a wedding photographer in Amsterdam richer. This one in particular was just fantastic. Jennifer and Hannan are such a lovely couple and it was such a great afternoon photographing them in Bloemendaal, just a short train ride from Amsterdam. This is a little of what Jennifer had to say after the shoot. "From the first moment we met Mark he gave us a really easy-going and relaxed vibe, that definitely helped with the nerves.  Mark was awesome, he helped us when we needed help but made himself invisible at the same time. When I look at the photo reportage I see emotions, I see certain moments that I recognize from our private lives. Even people who don’t know us in person will ‘see us and our love for each other"  

I cant tell you how good it feels to bring the happiness to people like this. Heart warming indeed. 

See the whole shoot here: 

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Portrait from a Loveshoot in Bloemendaal - VSCO Presets

I started using VSCO about a year ago for my wedding photography in Amsterdam and to be honest I struggled with them a lot. It took me a long time to learn how to use them effectively for my work. I was expecting a straight out of the box beautiful image kind of thing and couldn't explain why my images didn't look like others I had seen. Finally i saw a video of someone else's workflow and I had been on the right track all along with my experimentation. Its all in the contrast, blacks and colour sliders.  Take the two images below for example from a loveshoot I did last week. Both images are using VSCO Kodak Ektar 100 Vibrant.  The second image is horrible and dark and is what happened when i pressed the magic preset button. All I did to make it into the lovely moody first image was to increase the blacks and shadows, reduce the contrast and orange saturation.  So that is a little insight into my workflow. I hope its of interest.  Click the second image to see the full gallery. All images shot on the Sony A7rii

Kodak Ektar 100 Vibrant (tweaked)

Kodak Ektar 100 Vibrant (tweaked)

VSCO Kodak Ektar 100 Vibrant

VSCO Kodak Ektar 100 Vibrant

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Headshots with the Fuji X-T1 and 56mm 1.2

Its been a busy year for business headshots and I've found that the X-T1 to be the perfect tool for the work.  Its light and small and I only need one lens, the 56mm 1.2.  I dont really need the wide aperture for business headshots as I soot mostly between F8 and F11.  I use a Bowens Gemini 500R with an Octabox for the main light and a speedlight bounced off an adjacent wall or whatever there is around for fill.  I do a bit of editing in photoshop including removing skin blemishes and a bit of dodging and burning to bring out the highlights and shadows but not much more.  For the girls mostly I use a technique show in this video here to remove stray hair from the background. Depending on the skin of the individual I Might use a bit of frequency separation to blend some skin tone but not much.  So here is a selection from the years work so far.

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Actors Headhots with the Fujifilm X-T1, XF 35mm, and XF 56mm

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Actors Headhots with the Fujifilm X-T1, XF 35mm, and XF 56mm

Great shoot yesterday with the awesome Thomas Janson who is off to Miami next momth to finish school in the entertainment world.  Shot with the X-t1, 35mm and 56mm lenses using speedlite and a Bowens 500R studio flash. If anyone ants to know any more about my process for headshots drop me a line or send a comment in the box below.

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Thomas Jansen

Thomas Jansen

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New Business Portraits with the Fujifilm X-T1 and XF 35m 1.4

Today I spent a couple of hours at All About Network in Amsterdam doing some headshots for them  for their upcoming re-branding as QONTENT MATTERS.  Here is the first of the selection. All images shot at 1/180 and F8.  Its super easy to set up the camera for off camera flash using YN-622 wireless triggers.  Just remember to set the screen view to EXP/WB preview off and Mechanical shutter only. I did have the studio strobe connected with a pc cable but the speedlite for the fill was wireless. If anyone has any questions about setting the camera up for flash photography please feel free to drop me a line or leave a comment below. Check back soon for an update.

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Portraits & More with Ruud Vriese

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Portraits & More with Ruud Vriese

Ruud Vriese

Great new portrait sessions today with Ruud Vriese.  Ruud spends his time analysing businesses and providing them with ways to work more effectively, both internally and externally.  An expert in team training and coaching Ruud provides an invaluable service to businesses across the Netherlands that help them work better in the ever changing current market place. See www.teamsandmore.nl for more information on Ruud.

I like the photos a lot.  Feel free to push them to the next big business magazine Ruud. ;-)

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This is GREAT!

Karin wanted a portrait to convey the job of reviewer for Yelp in Amsterdam.  She says its good, that means ITS GOOD!

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MORE Headshots!

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MORE Headshots!

Great session today with such an easy candidate.!  More people asking for Peter Hurley Style. Very popular.

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