Interview: Photographer Roger Sanders (Netherlands)

Briefly introduce yourself to our readers Hi to all you readers, my name is Roger Sanders. I was born in 1971 in a small village called Tegelen situated in the North of Limburg a Southern County of The Netherlands. I am married and love animals And of course I like photo and videography.

How and when did you start photography? In 2012 I started with aireal photography combined with 360 virtual reality photography. Also in that same year I visited the photographers paradise Photokina Cologne in Germany. There I found a workshop in models photography which was taught by top photographer Benjamin Wong from Montreal Canada. There I stood with my Canon 70D and a kit lens, Wong threw a remote trigger to me and insisted me to shoot with him. The model was none other then Ophelia Overdose from Germany. Up till now I had only taken some photographs of buildings and interiors, so there I stood with sweaty palms shooting away. For the hour that I stood there shooting away, I kept saying to myself by every shot it is just a bit of fun. When I came home after a long exciting, sensational and nerve wrecking day and put the photo's on my PC something came over me, and at that moment i realised. I stared at the photo's in front of me on the screen and straight away I was hooked on proverbial photography.

Which goal is the right one? That for me is short and simple. To work together as a team including the client, model, designer and make up artist. To produce something special in the form of photography, with something beautiful as end result.

What does photography mean to you? To be honest with you photography has become a way of life for me. It gives me inner peace and it is very therapeutic. To use my creative thoughts combined with the camera, to create something beautiful fills me up with joy. So yes it means a lot to me.

What makes your work different from others?? This is a very hard question to answer. I personally could tell you my work is different then any other work, but if you would ask another 1000 people will they say the same? The answer is no you would get a 1000 different opinions. I think personally that my work is different and stands out in the way I post-process my photographs. But ultimately it is a matter of taste, I guess.

Where do you get inspiration from? I take inspiration out of life that surrounds me. I try to capture a feeling that I have within a certain moment. This could be me being in nature, walking around in a city, down in the countryside or being in inside a beautiful building. It could be the person in front of me trying to capture there personality and inner beauty. Basically all the diversities around me.

Do you think in advance what you want in the picture? Generally yes I do, but when it comes down to practice it often works out different. You need to be able to improvise, to adapt to any kind of circumstances. I think this is the essence of creativity.

Are you editing your photos and what are you doing? To think that post processing stands from the Analog age, it is so much easier to use these days. The amount of post processing really depends on how much the photoshoot was prepared in advance. I use post processing to create my own style by colour, cropping, sharpness ect.... I also use extreme post processing, only this I wouldn't call photography anymore but more photo shop art in the biggest sense of the word. By that I mean that the original photograph is only the basis of the end product.

Where do you prefer, Location or studio? My preference has to be location, simple because it is easier to get certain idea's / theme's shown better on the end product when combined with the right location. I am very fortunate to have my own studio space which definitely has it own advantages. One thing is for sure if you understand what light is, then it doesn't really matter where you take your photographs as you can use any type of background in your composition.

What kind of locations or subject do you like the most? I don't really have a preference when it comes to locations, each location has got its own charm it really is all about what the client, team and myself want to tell in the photograph. Subject i think models fashion and fine art.

What or where do you absolutely want to photograph once more? I would love to visit Dubai and The United States Of America. There are so many idea's for future work, one of them idea's is waste combined with beauty.

What is the most important thing you have learned in the last years? Most important thing that I have learned is that the world of photography is not made out of a bed of roses. As a photographer you need to stay focused and work hard to get your name out there. If you want to work on a high level you need to want to put the afford in as success doesn't come by itself. You need to be able to work together with other people even though that sometimes means you need to give more then you take.

What are your future plans or what can we expect from you soon? At the moment I am working towards an exposition for in the near future. This will give me the ability to show you all my work and the story behind the work. Also to all readers keep checking my website and social media sites as I always update them with my current work.

What do you look for in the models you work with? I like to work with models who go for it and give themselves 100%. Models who say what they think and think of what they say. What is very important to me is that the models keep their appointments.

What do you think of our new magazine? In one word TOP!!!!! It is an amazing magazine which offers a stage for photographers, models, makeup and hair stylists, song writers and designers. People with an creative mind and view.

Do you have a message to the modeling world? Yes there is only one message treat each other with respect.!!

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