Travel nominee

On an autumn evening in Guilin, China, two fishermen and their trained cormorants rest on their rafts. Cormorant fishing is a Chinese tradition that goes back more than 1,000 years. The fishermen tie small snares around the cormorants' necks. The bird leaves its post, catches a fish in its beak but can't swallow it, and then returns to the boat, where the fisherman retrieves the catch.

I am an amateur photographer based in Amsterdam. I graduated from the Stichting de Nederlandse Fotovakschool / University of applied photography in Amsterdam in 2017.

My passion for photography and images in general started when I initiated travelling at the age of 18. After I bought my first camera in 2000 I started exploring the relationship between people and their environment following light.

My inspiration comes from photographers Ansel Adams, Philippe Halsman, Anton Corbijn, Ed van der Elsken, Jimmy Nelson and Marc Lagrange.

I love to capture people, in their emotions and their environment. Investigating the relationship between people and environment following light. I like to interpret the atmosphere of people and their surroundings in an unique and exciting photograph. Feelings, fantasy and aesthetics are important elements in the story behind my photography.

Special Photographer of the Year - International Photography Awards 2018 Non- Professional