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I often feel privileged. Over the past decade, I've been able to make my profession out of my biggest passion: Photography. It allows me to see and do so many wonderful things. It even allows me to travel. For all of those things, I am deeply grateful. But one of the things I love best is working with people, in all shapes and sizes. In the end, that's my favorite part of the job. Every now and then, I feel the urge to pinch myself to see if all of this is actually real.
A little while ago, there was another one of those pinching moments. During a nice sushi dinner with my girlfriend, I received a message from a colleague, stating that I had won a Fearless award. In case that doesn't ring a bell, a Fearless award is one of the most prestigious and hard to win international wedding photography awards. Out of many thousands of submissions, only a few are awarded. It was one of my goals for 2016 to win a Fearless award, and just when this amazing year was coming to an end, this goal was fulfilled. I couldn't be happier, and I'm still very happy with this lovely photograph.
But that's not all. The weekend was barely over, and there was even more amazing news. Next to winning a Fearless awards, I got the news that I had won not one but two Masters of Dutch Wedding Photography Awards. 'The Masters' – in short – represent the absolute best of the Dutch wedding photography industry. It's an enormous honor to be awarded in this contest, judged by an international jury of the world's finest photographers.
The two winning photos are among my favorite images of the 2016 season. The first photograph represents family love in the purest form. An intimate embrace between Pablo and his mother when Pablo is being 'given away', while his brother gets emotional in the background.
The second photograph is equally special. Have you ever seen such a photogenic pigeon?
What a perfect way to end a perfect year!
To view the other awards I've won during the past years, look here.
I am so very happy that I was able to make photography my profession. It allows me to see and do so many beautiful things, even traveling for work! But especially to work a lot with people. That's actually what I prefer to do. So in that respect I can truly call myself a blessed person. I regularly feel the need to pinch myself to see if everything is reality.
A week or 2 ago there were more of those pinch moments. During a delicious sushi dinner on a Friday evening, I suddenly received a message from a colleague informing me that I had won a Fearless award. That was one of my goals for 2016, and I was so happy that I succeeded at the last minute! For those who are not familiar with the Fearless Awards: This is a very prestigious, worldwide competition for wedding photography, in which only the very best photos from many thousands of entries are awarded an award. You can imagine that I couldn't run out of luck anymore. I am also still very happy with this photo that I was allowed to take during one of the first weddings of this year:
But the weekend wasn't over yet, and more great news arrived. In addition to the Fearless award, I have also won not one but two Masters of Dutch Wedding Photography Awards! 'The Masters' as they are called for short, represent the absolute top of the Dutch wedding photography industry. It is therefore a huge honor to win a prize in this competition, which was judged by an international jury.
The photos that won prizes are really two of my favorites from the past year. For me, the first winning photo represents the ultimate family feeling. Pablo and his mother have a warm embrace during the 'giving away', while Pablo's brother watches emotionally in the background.
And the second winning photo is also very special. Because have you ever seen such a photogenic pigeon?
In any case, I'm freaking out. What a wonderful way to end the year!
You can find the other awards that I have won recently here
