I was born in 1974 in the Caribbean because my parents were stationed there. They were stationed there because my father was a member of the Dutch Elite Forces, the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps (RNLMC). Coming from a military family I decided to join the RNLMC as well and I succeeded, and I became an officer within the Marines. After 17 years and several missions I went to Afghanistan in 2010. Later on this became the turning point in my career and my life.
During that mission I lost a good friend and colleague. And after that mission I became very ill. It took me almost 2 years to recover. A long struggle to return in this highly competitive and fysical demanding field of work. But I managed. It was during this period of recovery I picked up Photography and started my own business. And customers really seemed to enjoy my work.
It was during this period that I also became a father of a son and later a second. His birth, my road to recovery was the turning point in my life. The thoughts of being sent abroad and leaving my wife and kids was something I couldn't think of. So the next step was that I resigned and became a full time photographer.
I'm a self-taught photographer and eager to learn and develop. In 2020 I reached the 4th place in the World Photographic Cup (WPC) and a variety of international and national awards for which I'm very proud of.