De Donkere Kamer platform

De Donkere Kamer platform De Donkere Kamer is een platform over fotografie voor liefhebbers en professionals.

This week I spent three hours with photographer Max Vicca during his mentoring kick-off.Like many photographers, Max arr...
11/06/2026

This week I spent three hours with photographer Max Vicca during his mentoring kick-off.
Like many photographers, Max arrived with questions about growth, clients and opportunities.
He showed me a recent assignment he was incredibly proud of. Exactly the kind of work he wants more of.

And yet there was doubt.
What if it was just luck?
What if I can’t do this again?
What started as a conversation about clients and growth became a conversation about who he wants to be as a photographer. I’ve heard versions of these sentences hundreds of times over the years.

A little later, we were talking about identity, about direction and about the photographer he wants to become. I’ve seen this happen over and over again.

The biggest breakthroughs rarely happen because someone buys a new camera, rebuilds a website or posts more on social media. They happen when someone becomes clear about where they want to go and starts making decisions from that place. That’s often where the real work begins.

The biggest blind spot isn’t usually your photography.
It’s the gap between where you are today and the photographer you could become.

I’m curious:
What’s the biggest gap between where you are today and where you want to be as a photographer?
👇

If you’ve been thinking about working with me, my 1:1 mentoring programme is still available at the current rate until June 30. From July 1, the programme changes and the price increases because I’m adding extra live sessions.

Type MENTOR in the comments or send me a DM and I’ll send you all the information. You can also book a free call with me. No pressure, no sales pitch, no pushing you in any direction. Just an honest conversation to see where you are today, where you’d like to go, and whether I’m the right person to help you get there.

Is your photobook worth killing a tree?It’s a harsh question but maybe it’s one every photographer should ask before sen...
10/06/2026

Is your photobook worth killing a tree?

It’s a harsh question but maybe it’s one every photographer should ask before sending a project to print. Because making a photobook is relatively easy these days. Making a photobook that travels beyond your own circle is something else entirely.

I sometimes see photographers invest thousands of euros in a book without really thinking about who it is for, why it needs to exist in this form, or how it will find its way into the world once the launch is over.

A photobook is not just paper and ink.
It is editing, sequencing and positioning.
It has an audience and it has something to do with distribution. And perhaps most importantly: it is knowing why this project deserves a life beyond your own bookshelf.

That is exactly what we will discuss during this online masterclass with Dutch photographer Rob Hornstra.

Rob has published more than twenty books throughout his career, both independently and with publishers. He knows the realities behind funding, grants, self-publishing, publishers, visibility and long-term impact.
This is not a conversation about paper stock or book design. It is a conversation about how photographic projects find their audience and continue to travel long after the photographs have been made.

📍 June 23, 3PM CEST
💬 Live masterclass + Q&A
🎥 Replay available with a small additional fee

Whether you are dreaming about your first photobook or already working on your next one, this conversation will give you a broader perspective on what it takes for a book to truly matter.

Comment ROB and I’ll send you all the information 🤍

The value of returningTwo weeks ago I sat down with World Press Photo winner in Amsterdam.Victor has spent more than tw...
09/06/2026

The value of returning

Two weeks ago I sat down with World Press Photo winner in Amsterdam.

Victor has spent more than two decades working on stories in places like Guatemala, Afghanistan, Syria and New York. Stories that often begin long before they reach the headlines and continue long after the world has moved on.

As I listened to him speak, I found myself thinking less about photography and more about time.
The time it takes to gain someone’s trust. The time it takes to understand a place. The time it takes for a project to become what it is meant to become.

So much of our culture revolves around speed. Ideas are expected to prove themselves quickly and projects are often judged before they have had the chance to fully unfold. Yet the work that stays with us rarely emerges from urgency. It grows through attention, patience and a willingness to return again and again, even when the outcome remains uncertain.

At one point Victor said:
“Every photograph is a picture of time.”

I have been thinking about that sentence ever since because it says something about photography AND because it says something about almost everything that matters. The projects we care about most, the relationships we build, the questions we keep exploring and the work that slowly becomes part of who we are, all of it asks for time.
Perhaps much more time than we would like.

🎧 My conversation with Victor J. Blue is now live on the podcast. Comment PODCAST to receive the link.

07/06/2026

A few weeks ago I was pruning trees on our land in France. I’ve been planting trees here for years and every now and then, some branches need to go.
Not because there’s something wrong with the tree.

Quite the opposite because growth asks for space.
Space for more light, for stronger branches and for what wants to develop further.

While working between the trees, I found myself thinking about the photographers I mentor.
Most of them are talented, hard-working and fully ommitted.

Their challenge is rarely a lack of knowledge. More often, they’re carrying too many ideas,
too many possibilities, too many directions at once. Sometimes you need someone beside you who helps you see more clearly.
What deserves your attention, what no longer fits or what is ready for the next step.

That’s also why I’m changing my 1:1 mentoring programme from July 1 onwards.
I’m adding more live interaction and more in-person moments because some conversations
simply go deeper when you’re sitting across from each other, right?

As a result, the investment will increase from July 1.
You can still secure your spot at the current rate until June 30, even if you want to start later this year.
I only work with 10 photographers at a time, so availability is limited.

Curious whether mentoring is a fit for you?
Type MENTOR below and I’ll send you all the information.

07/06/2026

This morning I was pruning trees on our land in France.
I’ve been planting trees here for years and every now and then, some branches need to go.
Not because there’s something wrong with the tree.

Quite the opposite because growth asks for space.
Space for more light, for stronger branches and for what wants to develop further.

While working between the trees, I found myself thinking about the photographers I mentor.
Most of them are talented, hard-working and fully ommitted.

Their challenge is rarely a lack of knowledge. More often, they’re carrying too many ideas,
too many possibilities, too many directions at once. Sometimes you need someone beside you who helps you see more clearly.
What deserves your attention, what no longer fits or what is ready for the next step.

That’s also why I’m changing my 1:1 mentoring programme from July 1 onwards.
I’m adding more live interaction and more in-person moments because some conversations
simply go deeper when you’re sitting across from each other, right?

As a result, the investment will increase from July 1.
You can still secure your spot at the current rate until June 30, even if you want to start later this year.
I only work with 10 photographers at a time, so availability is limited.

Curious whether mentoring is a fit for you?
Type MENTOR below and I’ll send you all the information.

06/06/2026

The photography world is shifting.
And I have the feeling many photographers are still looking at their work, but not really at their position.

You can create strong work. That’s usually not the issue. But if it’s not clear where you stand, who you work for, and why someone would choose you, things stay diffuse. And you feel that. In your pricing, inquiries and in your energy.

What I often notice is that style is seen as something visual but it sits just as much in your choices. In what you do, and what you stop doing.

That’s where it actually all starts.

That’s also what I teach in my free webinar ‘why good photography alone is not enough in this day and age’. You can register for free and I promise you I leave you with a lot of insights 🔥

If you recognize this in your own work, this might be the right moment 💛

Type MORE and I’ll send you all the details.

(here I’m photographing in Patagonia)

What can a photo book and an exhibition do that Instagram never can?Three years ago, Dutch photographer Bastiaan Woudt g...
05/06/2026

What can a photo book and an exhibition do that Instagram never can?

Three years ago, Dutch photographer Bastiaan Woudt gave the very first online masterclass for De Donkere Kamer. Since then, we’ve built an entire library of conversations with some of the most respected photographers in the world.

On July 23, Bastiaan returns with a theme that feels increasingly relevant today. Photography lives more and more on screens. We scroll through hundreds of images every day. Yet some photographs ask for a different kind of attention: What can a photo book and an exhibition do that Instagram never can?

What changes when work becomes a book?
What happens when photographs enter an exhibition space? How do sequencing, scale and presentation influence the way people experience and remember your work?
…

For this masterclass, there is no presentation and no keynote. For ninety minutes, will answer your questions about photobooks, exhibitions, publishing, authorship and building a body of work that continues to resonate.

Bastiaan’s work has been exhibited worldwide and is included in collections such as the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

📅 July 23, 2026
🕓 4PM CET
📍 Online
Can’t join live? For a small additional fee, you’ll receive lifetime access to the replay.

And for everyone attending live or purchasing the replay, we have something special waiting for you 🔥

Comment BASTIAAN to receive all info.

04/06/2026

My bike is my freedom.
It’s where I think, where ideas settle and where I zoom out and look at the bigger picture.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I want to spend my time.
About the projects I want to invest in, the people I want to work with and about the life I want to build around my work.

These are the same conversations I often have with photographers.
A question about a portfolio often becomes a conversation about direction, a question about an exhibition often becomes a conversation about choices and a question about photography often becomes a conversation about life.

Over the past months, I’ve been rethinking my mentoring programme as well.
Listening carefully to what photographers need and looking at where the biggest shifts happen.
From July 1st, I’ll be adding more in-person moments to the programme and the investment will increase.

If you’ve been thinking about mentoring, you can still reserve your spot at the current rate until June 30th, even if you’d like to start later this year. And if you’re wondering whether it’s the right fit, you’re welcome to book a free 30-minute call.
We’ll simply explore where you are today, where you’d like to go and whether I can help.

Comment MENTOR to receive info.

Where do we really belong?I recently sat down with filmmaker and visual artist Tina Farifteh. What started as a conversa...
02/06/2026

Where do we really belong?

I recently sat down with filmmaker and visual artist Tina Farifteh. What started as a conversation about her acclaimed documentary series Tina in Sexbierum quickly became something much bigger.

We talked about home. About leaving. About community. About growing up between Iran and the Netherlands. About the strange tension between wanting to belong somewhere and wanting to remain free.

One quote really moved me:
“I wanted to belong somewhere. Until I discovered I also wanted to be able to leave.”

A thoughtful, moving conversation about identity, empathy and the places that shape us.

🎧 The episode (in Dutch) is now live on The Donkere Kamer Podcast.

Comment PODCAST and I’ll send you the link.

Last week I spent a week alone in France: photographing, walking, thinking, listening. Mostly listening actually because...
01/06/2026

Last week I spent a week alone in France: photographing, walking, thinking, listening. Mostly listening actually because underneath all the work, all the mentoring, all the podcasts and projects, there was still something asking for attention. My own photography ;-)

What surprised me wasn’t the work itself.
It was the resistance I felt around sharing it.
And the moment I realised that resistance is often a sign that something actually matters.

I see it in the photographers I work with all the time.
The next step rarely comes from pushing harder.
It often starts by paying attention to what keeps calling you back.

So here’s my question:
What is the creative idea, project or obsession that keeps returning to you, that asks for your attention?
I’d genuinely love to know.

And if you’d like to go deeper, I’ve put together a free webinar about the 5 patterns I see in photographers who continue to grow, evolve and create meaningful work.

Type FIVE in the comments and I’ll send you the link.

Adres

Antwerp

Website

Meldingen

Wees de eerste die het weet en laat ons u een e-mail sturen wanneer De Donkere Kamer platform nieuws en promoties plaatst. Uw e-mailadres wordt niet voor andere doeleinden gebruikt en u kunt zich op elk gewenst moment afmelden.

Contact

Stuur een bericht naar De Donkere Kamer platform:

Snelkoppelingen

Delen

Type