Hey stranger, you made it at last.  

You now entered the world as I like to see it, in its purest form. 

My name is Arjen. I live in the Netherlands and as a daytime occupation I am a mechanical engineer.
Since 2015 I discovered the world of photography. It all started out as a hobby but has now become so much more than that. I wanted to expand my horizon, so I did. And the beauty of it? You are in it!

I have a big heart for nature, birds stole my heart since I was a little boy.  Just take a glimpse on my page and you will find out yourself. I also have a big heart for human beings, we are just as diverse and stunning as nature itself. 

Like any camera does, I focus on…..

  • portraits
  • glamourphotography and boudoir (covered nude or lingerie) 
  • wildlife
  • concerts and life performances
  • tropical & travel
  • analogue midformat monochrome photography
  • your wishes

So, you want to shoot with me. Like every other artist, painter, bricklayerbuy, bookkeeper a photographer makes costs. Making a picture isn’t just a matter of click on a button and the picture is ready. Every hour of shooting takes about an extra hour of post processing. Data on internet, storage of your higly costs data, taking the trip to the shooting spot, getting new gear when its broken, the valuable time a shoot takes.. It all costs a lot. Keep that in mind, even when you tend to ask an other photographer to shoot for free.. To my humble opinion its quite rude to ask to do something for free. My rates are set quite low, but its definitely affordable. I’ll shoot with you for 175 Euro for 3 hours. Ex BTW/tax. Ex extra’s (studiorent, props, travel expenses. I can give you up to 15 pictures in high res which you can use yourself for single use.

I improve myself by reading lots of magazines and books, searching the internet for tips and tricks, going to courses and masterclasses and of course: go out and play, for hours, for days, for weeks forever. Getting experience means getting better!M

In my bird- and/or wildlifephotography I try to shoot differently than other photographers. I try to test my creativity as much as possible. High key, low key, different angles, movement, slow shutterspeed. True, a lot of pictures I make don’s succeed in that way, but that makes it more fun when it does.

Besides that, I work for my girlfriends company SurfArt. I am in charge of her productphotography and marketingvisuals and I work with her models.  

The world is my playground and the sun and moon are my light and shadow. Beauty is just around every corner. And so are you. Do you want to shoot together? Don’t hesitate to say hi and ask for details. It is OK if you have no plan yet, we can work it out. It is OK if you are a bit insecure or perhaps scared in front of a camera. That’s all natural and OK to say out loud. 

Take your time to enjoy my gallery & shop, and if you like to set the date right away to book a shoot, just give me a heads up.

Arjen

ps. The name Darka is a little souvenir from my time in the militairy back in the days. I’ll tell you someday if you like to hear it. Cheers.