being a photographer

2025 Calendar

in

As I do each year, I’ve produced a calendar with some of my favourite images from the past 12 months.

Cover

The 11th-century abbey of Saint-Martin-du-Canigou, in the Pyrenees of French Catalonia, September 2024.
RICOH GR III, 28mm equivalent lens, 1/200 sec at f/8.0, ISO 160

January

Sheltering from a downpour in the doorway of a bookshop, Paris, May 2024.
Leica Q2 Monochrom, 28mm lens, 1/250 sec at f/4.0, ISO 400

February

Brussels Pride Parade, May 2024.
Nikon Z 9, 24mm f/1.8 S lens, 1/640 sec at f/6.3, ISO 400

March

Kaito Winse performing for Muziekpublique at La Signare in Brussels’ Matonge district as part of the Look@Matongé festival, June 2024.
Nikon Z 9, 85mm f/1.8 S lens, 1/250 sec at f/3.5, ISO 3200

April

Street scene, Castillon-la-Bataille, south-west France, August 2024.
RICOH GR III, 28mm equivalent lens, 1/200 sec at f/8.0, ISO 160

May

Making pizza outdoors in Parc Saint-François, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, July 2024.
Nikon Z 9, 50mm f/1.8 S lens, 1/250 sec at f/2.8, ISO 200

June

Neighbours’ children during our co-housing’s weekend away in the country, April 2024.
Leica Q2 Monochrom, 28mm lens, 1/125 sec at f/2.8, ISO 200

July

Café during the annual Foire du Midi, Boulevard du Midi, Brussels, August 2024.
RICOH GR III, 28mm equivalent lens, 1/60 sec at f/8.0, ISO 800

August

Daniel Dzidzonu of The Pan-African Brothers in performance at Pianofabriek, Brussels, March 2024.
Nikon Z 9, 85mm f/1.8 S lens, 1/250 sec at f/2.2, ISO 1600

September

Painting in Parc Saint-François, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, July 2024.
Nikon Z 9, 24mm f/1.8 S lens, 1/320 sec at f/3.5, ISO 200

October

Jeroen Baert playing with Sara Salverius at Paraplufabrique, as part of Muziekpublique’s Hide & Seek Festival, August 2024.
Nikon Z 9, 300mm f/2.8G lens, 1/300 sec at f/3.5, ISO 1600

November

On the bridge at the entrance to the fortified town of Villefranche-de-Conflent, in the French Pyrenees, September 2004.
RICOH GR III, 28mm equivalent lens, 1/200 sec at f/8.0, ISO 500

December

Suspended dancers, Résidence Brusilia, Schaerbeek, September 2024.
Nikon Z 9, 85mm f/1.8 S lens, 1/500 sec at f/5.0, ISO 400

The photographer's eye

in

It’s been a lively event season in Brussels, with long days and late nights for conference guests – and for photographers.

Reflections of a gala dinner in full swing, with nighttime Brussels through the window

But it’s essential that no tiredness shows through in the photographs. Images have to be fresh, spontaneous and vital. The responses I’m aiming for are “What a fantastic event it was!” (from those who were present) and “Damn, I wish I’d been there!” (from those who weren’t).

I have a number of techniques to prevent myself from getting stale:

  1. I pay attention to the content. It’s often fascinating (of course, I treat it as confidential), and understanding something of the participants’ interests makes it easier to speak with them.

  2. I interact as much as I can. I smile. I joke, gently and politely.

  3. I accede to all requests. Of course people want posed group photos with their colleagues. When asked to, I retake the same groups with their own mobile phones.

  4. I treat the often horrible lighting as a challenge to be overcome. (Whoever thought hard, vertical spots creating a chessboard of bright light in an otherwise gloomy room would make for pleasant conversation, let alone for flattering photographs?)

  5. I do not turn off my photographer’s eye.

Guests at a dinner event wait for champagne at the bar

The last point is critical, I believe. In the course of a lifetime, I have trained myself to see, and to capture, arresting images. If I restricted myself to fulfilling the letter of the client’s requests – speakers in action, VIPs in front of branded backdrops, ambience, networking, and so on – I would probably respond to them less effectively. Those requests remain my priority. But I allow myself, in addition, to make a few images that please me, but which do not correspond to any client expectation. It’s what keeps me on my toes through the presentations, the dinners, the awards.

After a long day of conference presentations, a participant finds a quiet corner to catch up with his email

The three images here, from three recent events, are examples of this kind of work. I delivered all three, though I was not sure that they would be used or even much appreciated. But the clients concerned keep coming back to me for more, so with luck at least they did not hate them.