“Could be fun to do a photo shoot sometime” – Instagram | February 2023.
Monday morning of a summer that has been filled with rainy days like we haven’t seen in years. But for some reason, Peter and I were fortunate to pick one of the sparse sunny days of the season. With a bag full of clothes I make my way to our meeting spot, a charming café tucked away on the corner of a street near the Erasmus Bridge. Peter meets me there with a big smile, camera bag hanging from his shoulder like it belongs there.
“I didn’t want to bring too much equipment today.” He tells me. “I thought it would be nice to see what we can do with just these two cameras.”
I first met Peter in the summer of 2022, when I was looking for a photographer to help me capture new brand images for the company I work for. Having had a wonderful experience working with him back then, we have kept in touch ever since.
I continued to be charmed by his work, from the sensational band and event photography to the heart-warming way he captures weddings. At one point he suggests doing a photo shoot together. To which I reply I’ve been thinking about doing something for my 30th birthday that’s coming up. We talk black and white city street photography, and an idea is born. Fast-forward six months later and here we are.
The café has barely opened with only a few other early risers starting their day here. As we sip our cappuccinos and catch up, I tell him I’m quite nervous, to which he laughs warmly, assuring me there’s no need. And it hardly takes a minute to convince me of the fact there’s really nothing to be worried about. Peter knows photography. It’s where his heart is at and it shows. He sits back and tells me about the research he did for our photo session, laid-back and enthused about all the creative opportunities. It instantly puts me at ease as well.
As we start, he talks me through the possibilities he sees and allows me to pose in a way that feels natural to me, professionally guiding me through adjustments that he feels work best on camera. Every so often he stops and shows me the images he’s excited about and I can’t help but be in awe. The way he manages to capture a feeling in a single frame is astonishing. He takes note of the pipes running over the walls, the reflection in the window and even the way the fabric of my clothes moves. Assessing in a split-second how he can make it work or if he wants to sidestep it altogether.
We continue outside, where Peter points out several locations he would like to try. He sees the art in everyday things such as doors, steps, windows, crosswalks and plain white tile walls. It’s truly inspiring, and I try to see the world a little differently myself.
Minutes turn into hours, and we eventually decide to call it a day. But in all honesty, to me it feels like barely any time has passed at all. I go home with the biggest smile on my face, any trace of apprehension I felt in the morning long gone. As soon as I get home I message to thank him for the wonderful time, to which he replies he had a great time as well.
Not even a week later, he sends me a file of 180 photographs, each one of them amazing. I’m pleasantly surprised at how at ease and confident I look in all of them. For what is probably nearing the 100th time in the last couple of days, I thank Peter from the bottom of my heart. But it still doesn’t quite manage to express how grateful I am for the results of what started as a casual idea.
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