Mentoring international
20 COUNTRIES
As a mentor I operate nationally and internationally, so far I have worked with students in 20 countries on 5 continents on their development as a photographer
6+ YEARS COACHING EXPERIENCE
More than 6 years of coaching experience helps my students overcome their insecurities and excel as photographers.
PUBLISHED PHOTOGRAPHER
My photo project Hidden Friends was published as a photo book by Komma Publishing and has been sold all over the world
YOUR CREATIVE AND BUSINESS GROWTH,
GUIDED BY ME.
Your art
Why do I explicitly emphasize that you are an artist? Because you are; anyone who creates, anyone who expresses his or her vision of the world through a medium is an artist. Reality becomes art because you it’s you that makes the decision when you press the shutter button. How you portray the world depends on your creative vision. The more you can put of yourself in your photography, the stronger this vision becomes and the more unique your photos become. Many photographers are still searching for their own voice in their work. I help you develop your unique vision so you can confidently call yourself an artist and capture the world in a way no one else can.
Your business
Even as an entrepreneur, your business should be adapted to your life and who you are as a photographer. In our mentoring process, we will focus extensively on how to build or grow your business into a full-fledged creative business in which you enjoy working every day.
Please contact me if you have any questions!
leer alles over de dieren wereldwijd
What program suits you best?
About me
Let's start with the fact that I am the mother of the most stubborn 7-year-old living on this planet. But even so, I love him and he is my muse. I am a co-parent and enjoy life together with my son in my apartment in the center of Haarlem, The Netherlands. My son is the reason I became a professional photographer: two years after I started photographing him in documentary style and posting his photos on Instagram, I got booked as an (international) family photographer and mentor in the same field.
My father is the one who introduced me to photography at a young age, back then we were still developing our own rolls of film. I always saw photography as a hobby and when I graduated from Art School I was an illustrator and sculptor for 6 years before I fell in love with photography again. And thank god for that, because it turned out to be the greatest passion in my life. And with that same passion, I now create the most beautiful memories for other families.














One-on-One Mentoring
Your wishes, my guidance
Are you looking for a mentoring program that is completely tailored to your wishes and in which you are supported by a dedicated and experienced photography mentor? Then my One-on-One mentoring program is for you.
Beginner or experienced?
You can follow the One-on-One mentoring year as a Year Long mentoring program (for beginning and semi-experienced photographers) and as a Master Year mentoring program (for students who have completed the Year Long program and (semi)experienced photographers). You can find more information about the Master Year here.
Year Long program
You choose whether to go for a full creative program or a combined creative/business program. This program is going to give you a clear understanding of both basic and more complex composition and in addition you will work on developing your unique creative voice. Storytelling, both in a single photograph and in a photo series will also be a very important focus. Among many other topics. Business wise, together we will build the foundation of your business so that after this mentor year you will be ready to go out and acquire your ideal client.
Curriculum
Do you want to know exactly what topics are covered in the Year Long One-on-One Mentoring program? Then check out the curriculum . Of course, this curriculum can be adapted to your specific needs.
Master Year
A creative (and business) deep dive
Are you a photographer who has already mastered the basics and are you looking for a challenging and in-depth mentoring program that will bring your expertise next level? Do you want to understand what drives you as a person and photographer and how to express your specific vision of the world in your photography? Then this mentoring program is for you. You can follow the Master Year as a One-on-One mentoring (creative only), or as a group mentoring (a both business and creative program).
Group Mentoring
In the Master Year group mentoring program, you and three other students will work together intensively for a year. You will receive guidance from no less than two experienced mentors: I will take care of the in-depth creative part and will show you who you are as a photographer through psychological exercises and challenging assignments. In addition, Cassandra Polman, marketing specialist, will teach you how to use the most important marketing tools for photographers to put your business on the map so you can attract your ideal client. An intensive program for photographers who want to develop their creativity and business at high level.
One-on-One mentoring
Don't need or want to develop your business? In the Master Year's One-on-One mentoring program, you work with me alone on the in-depth development of your unique creative vision. After this year you will understand who you are as a photographer, what drives you and how to express your vision in your photography. So that your photos become unique and recognizable. In addition, you will have learned some very important creative tools that will ensure that you use the right composition to best express your visual story. A high-level creative deep dive.
Want to know exactly what topics are covered in the Master Year? Then check out the curriculum.
In The Field
A unique field experience
Do you apply all the photographic theory you've learned in practice? Do you need a creative boost or want some experienced eyes watching along with you when you do a photo shoot? Then the In The Field mentoring is for you. During an In The Field, I help you with your creative development while standing next to you. Together, we will go to a photo shoot that you have arranged and there I will personally assist you while you are shooting. An In The Field is a very valuable experience because we get an insight into your mindset while you are photographing. I will analyse this mindset and change it where necessary. During an In The Field I will teach you to see scenes from a new perspective, analyze behavior you have taught yourself and give tips on composition. And of course you can ask me very specific questions on the spot if you run into something while shooting.
Complete analysis
Prior to the photo session I will do an in-depth analysis of your work and suggest some points of improvement before we start shooting. When the In The Field photo session is over, we sit behind a computer together that same day to review your photo session and go through the last points of improvement. You will receive a summary of these points of improvement to take home. An In The Field is a very effective method to go through an enormous creative development in one day. By exchanging theory lessons for a unique and instructive lesson in practice.
Review Mentoring
Creative help when you need it
Do you want to have your photographic work reviewed so you can start working on your specific areas of improvement? Are you working on a personal project and would like to spar about its content and development? As an experienced mentor, I am often asked to think along with photographers who need a few extra eyes on their work or need some help with their creative thinking. With the Review mentoring you can make use of my experienced eye for a year, at any time that is convenient for you, to take your work to a higher creative level.
Single mentoring session
Do you need help with your portfolio? Are you stuck in your creativity and don't know why? Would you like to have a photo session reviewed? Single mentoring sessions can be used whenever you feel the need and as often as you like. We plan a Zoom meeting of 2 hours together so that we can give your work or thought process a creative boost. Short meetings with long impact. The investment for these single mentoring sessions is 345 Euros ex.VAT.










How do you want to develop yourself?
Choose the type of mentoring that suits you best here:
Do you have something else in mind? Consultation is always possible. Click on the 'Sign up' button of one of the packages below and indicate your wishes in the form. I will contact you as soon as possible.
One-on-One Mentoring
- Year long program, divided into 12 monthly Zoom sessions of 1.5 hours
- Exclusive 1-on-1 guidance
- A program specifically tailored to your needs
- A private environment where I review your work and where you can ask questions in between mentoring sessions
- Access to exclusive recordings of Q&As with well-known photographers
- On weekdays easy and fast contact via email, Whatsapp or PM
- Entry level does not matter
Master Year (group)
- Year long program, divided into 12 monthly 2-hour group Zoom sessions.
- Two professional mentors: creative and business
- A small group of students, up to 4 per group
- Attention for everyone's personal development
- A private environment for you and your fellow students in which you can ask me and each other questions and where you can keep in touch with each other in between mentoring sessions
- 2 live Q&As with guest speakers chosen by you and access to exclusive recordings of Q&As with well-known photographers
- Entry level: advanced hobby or professional photographer
In The Field
- 8 to 10 hours of teaching, in person, in 1 day
- Exclusive 1-on-1 guidance
- An in-depth analysis of your work and a summary of points of improvement to take home
- At a location of your choosing
- Entry level does not matter
- Students who are already mentoring with me pay €675, new students pay €775.
- Travel expenses excluded
Review Mentoring
- Trajectory of one year, divided into 3 Zoom sessions of 1 hour each and a monthly in-depth analysis of your work with a summary of points of improvement
- Exclusive 1-on-1 guidance
- Topics of your choice
- A private environment where I review your work and where you can ask questions in between mentoring sessions
- Flexibel program
- Photographic level does not matter
FAQ
We will use Zoom for our mentoring sessions. You will get a personal Zoom link from me that you can use for each mentoring session. During the Zoom call we will talk to each other live and I will share my screen to talk about assignments and show examples. You can also share your screen to show me what you are working on.
During each mentoring session, we discuss new educational material and I show examples associated with that particular topic. We also discuss how last month’s assignments went and where necessary we go a little deeper into the topics of the previous month’s. And of course there is room for discussion and consultation: you can always ask me questions or we can discuss a specific topic that is on your mind at that moment. A digital connection that still feels very close.
When we start mentoring together, I will create a private environment in Facebook especially for you and me. In this Facebook group you can post your homework so I can review it for you. You can post your homework throughout the month, it is up to you how much you want to practice with the assignments. I strive to review all your work within a week so you can continue working on the assignment with new information. In this private Facebook group you can also ask all your questions and I’ll post all the educational materials you need for our mentoring there. A trusted place for a good collaboration.
I teach photographers of all levels. From advanced hobby photographers to professional photographers. It is important, however, that you have a camera that can be manually set so that you can work on the creative lessons properly. Wondering if your level is high enough? Then be sure to contact me!
No absolutely not, but I do primarily work with documentary photographers. But the field of documentary photography does not matter: are you a documentary family, wedding, funeral or corporate photographer? Then you can certainly guide you. Are you not a documentary photographer, but would like to be guided by me? Because of my training at the Art Academy, I have already helped several photographers from various fields. Please contact me to discuss the possibilities.
You certainly can! With my One-on-One mentoring programs, you decide what your mentoring looks like. Do you want a full creative program? That’s no problem. Only in the group mentoring of the Master Year the business part is an essential part of the mentoring.
No absolutely not! I teach all over the world through Zoom. From Singapore to Alaska to Iceland. Together we will find a convenient time for our mentoring that suits both of us. Currently I already have taught in 17 countries, but there is always room for one more!
That’s up to you! You can pay for the mentoring in monthly paymnts, in smaller installments, or all at once. Just tell me what you prefer.