I had an incredible 2019, with over 50 paid photographic assignments (so far), a bunch of fascinating voluntary projects, and personal trips to Japan, France, Italy and Spain.
I did a lot of portrait work in the studio and on location, including sessions around Europe for a major prostate cancer awareness campaign. There were weddings, baptisms and confirmations, conferences and corporate events, music and dance performances, documentary projects and street photography. It’s been a blast. Overall, the year’s work amounted to more than 30,000 clicks of my various shutters.
But now October’s here, and it’s time to pick 13 images for the wall calendar that I make each year as a gift for clients, friends and family. I can’t afford to print one for everybody, so I’m going to share the images here with brief notes on the subjects and some explanations of why I chose them.
Cover, January
Cover – Shot for a corporate client at their ‘lucky number’ stand in a Brussels street party. This guy wasn’t so lucky!
January – Harpist Alejandra Paniagua from the fabulous Mexican folk band La Calandria playing at Muziekpublique.
February-March
February – Over a few weeks in the summer I participated in the Bouwen aan de Zomer summer project organised for local kids by community origanisations in Saint-Josse.
March – This is from a personal project documenting the rather faded charms of Brussels commercial galleries. I like the way the plant is imitating the posture of the statue.
April-May
April – Another of the kids from the community project in Saint-Josse. She just posed for me like that.
May – A museum of modern art in Japan. I like the way the woman’s face is tipped up towards the skylight.
June-July
June – This is one of the prostate cancer sufferers I photographed for the awareness-raising project. They have all been hugely impressive in their determination to break through the taboo surrounding the subject.
July – I loved the session with this young Congolese doctor, currently working to combat malaria in Madagascar. She was 35 the day of the shoot.
August-September
August – The end-of-course performance by students of traditional Congolese dance. I just went with the colour of the stage lighting.
September – This is the back of the Lycée Émile Jacqmain in Brussels’ Parc Léopold. The reflections in the window are of the European Parliament building.
October-December
October – Mother and child. I love the way her hand cradles his head, and her glance into the camera.
November – Belgian Pride parade 2019. I captured this moment of passion through the glass of a bus-stop. I like the way the shapes of the tagging play against the shapes of their faces.
December – The trumpet player of the Cape Verdian band Rabasa which played a hot gig in the recycling centre of Les Petits Riens as part of Muziekpublique’s Hide & Seek festival 2019.