being a photographer
Clients, or their friends or colleagues, often take photos of me taking photos of them – whether in the studio, on-site in their offices, or elsewhere.
If I’m aware of this, I always ask them to send me one or two of the pictures. It’s fun to see my work from a different perspective, and over the years I’ve accumulated quite a collection of such images.
Now I’ve made a new gallery to share them. Take a look!
2022 has been another exceptional year, with great light, lovely people, some exciting new equipment, and a huge variety of work – almost more of it than could be fitted into 365 days. I’m still loving every single job all the way from planning to delivery, still learning something new each time, and still improving my craft.
My calendar for the year ahead, featuring the pick of my images from the last 12 months, has been printed and I have started to distribute copies to friends and family. As a thank you to all my clients, as I’ve done in previous years I’m sharing the selected photos publicly here, with brief descriptions and technical details.
At an exhibition of my neighbourhood street portraits in Schaerbeek, 24 September 2022. People loved finding faces that they recognised, and sometimes their own.
Nikon Z 9, Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8 S lens, 1/250 sec at f/2.0, ISO 1600
A runner in the Brussels 20 km race, 29 May 2022.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 300 mm f/2.8 lens, 1/750 sec at f/4.0, ISO 1600
Studio portrait of a young girl against a white backdrop, Brussels, 11 January 2022.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24 mm f/1.8 lens, 1/250 sec at f/8.0, ISO 64
‘Noir’-style studio portrait of the young Belgian actor, Gianni Guettaf.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 50 mm f/1.4 lens, 1/1000 sec at f/2.4, ISO 64
Percussion workshop for primary schoolchildren, Ixelles, 28 April 2022.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24 mm f/2.4 lens, 1/250 sec at f/2.4, ISO 800
Tomato farmer Kris De Weerdt in his greenhouses, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver, 28 October 2021.
Nikon D850, Samyang 14mm f2.4 lens, 1/250 sec at f/4.0, ISO 200
Child playing in the grounds of a Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB) housing complex in Molenbeek, 26 March 2022
Nikon D850, Nikkor 85 mm f/1.8 lens, 1/250 sec at f/6.7, ISO 64
Swedish secondary school graduate, Brussels, 22 May 2022.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 85 mm f/1.8 lens, 1/250 sec at f/8.0, ISO 64
A young friend and her newborn baby, Brussels, 25 May 2022.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 50 mm f/1.4 lens, 1/180 sec at f/4.8, ISO 400
Folk dance participants, Brussels, 30 October 2021.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24 mm f/1.8 lens, 1/250 sec at f/2.0, ISO 6400
Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB) resident, Molenbeek, 26 March 2022.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 85 mm f/1.8 lens, 1/250 sec at f/2.8, ISO 800
Bassist Denis Van Der Brempt playing at a jazz jam, Loonbeek, 20 May 2022.
Leica Q2 Monochrom, Summilux 28 mm f/1.7 lens, 1/250 sec at f/1.7, ISO 2500
Girls on a demonstration, Brussels, 20 March 2022.
NIKON D850, Samyang 14mm f2.4 lens, 1/500 sec at f/6.7, ISO 1100
I get every one of my clients to sign a contract. Some people are surprised, until I explain that the contract’s main purpose is to document my commitment to delivering their photos within a reasonable time and at the agreed price. Here, I’ll take a look at the main points that should be covered in a photographer’s contract.
My contract begins by setting out my name and address as the photographer, and the name and address of my client. It explains briefly what I am going to photograph, where the shoot will take place, the date and the start and finish times.
It’s helpful for both parties to have these details down in black and white, in order to avoid any possible confusion.
The contract should clearly state the agreed total price for the services to be provided, as well as the payment conditions – when a deposit needs to be paid, and when the balance is due. I also include a clause covering what will happen if, by agreement with the client, the shoot lasts longer than expected.
The goal here should be to remove any possible uncertainty or ambiguity about the price.
The contract should explain clearly when, where and in what way you may use the images that the photographer delivers, and what rights he or she retains. In my case, clients have an unlimited licence to use the images I deliver as soon as payment is complete. They are not permitted to sell the images, but they can print, distribute, and share them online, or make them available to others to print, distribute and share online, without having to pay anything extra.
I retain the copyright to the images, and the standard version of my contract gives me the right to use them myself. As I usually explain to clients, showing my past work is absolutely essential for winning new work. All the images on this website are displayed with the clients’ permission. Understandably, some clients do ask for complete privacy. I am always ready to respect their wishes at no extra charge, and amend the standard contract to reflect this.
The contract should also make clear what the photographer is going to deliver, and how and when delivery will be made.
I deliver JPEG files – light ones for web and screen, and heavy ones for printing – using a file transfer service. In the contract, I commit to delivering within seven days of the end of the shoot, though in practice I almost always deliver within 48 hours and, by arrangement, even more quickly.
This is a point that is always worth checking. Just yesterday, I photographed a couple who told me that they had waited six weeks to receive their wedding photos, and I have friends who ended up waiting six months for theirs! Whether the photos are from a wedding, a corporate event, or just a portrait session, such delays are totally unacceptable, and I doubt these people would have entered into ageements with the photgraphers concerned if they had known in advance how long they would have to wait.
