Walt van Hulst (1972)
I believe photography is much more a reflection of reality than a mere interpretation of it. What you see is what you get; you cannot make your subject more beautiful than it is. But you can present your subject differently by looking at it differently. If you look at something from a different point of view, you may be able to see it in a whole new light, producing a different image. That is what it makes fascinating to take that particular photograph.
When I take my photographs, I start by looking at the subject for a while. After this careful study, I can see shapes that others did not see, because most of the time, people do not take enough time to look at something. Most of them look at it but do not really see it. If you take a little more time, you can take the most beautiful pictures. That is why I like to take enough time while photographing. I prefer to use an old-fashioned camera with manual settings. Of course, this can be a handicap sometimes when I am too late because the subject is moving, but sometimes I am lucky to be able to take a photograph from a moving subject as well. However, I prefer to use a static subject, such as architecture in cities or beautiful landscapes and natural environments.
I use a 35mm panoramic camera and a medium format camera, without filters and special lenses. I like to keep the image as original as possible, and I am only using my view of the subject. I am carrying two magazines, one with black and white film and one with colour film. Some subjects look better in black and white and others in colour. With digital photos, I feel you would lose the quality and the reality of the picture. That is why I am not using it. My pictures are real pictures from a negative, without digital manipulation.
I like to take photographs all around the world. That is why I use English titles for my photographs. Sometimes I know in advance what kind of photograph I would like to take, but most of the time I am just walking in a city or through nature while discovering my subjects spontaneously. It does not take long to find them, because beauty is all around you. If you just take the time to see it.