Workshops International

7 RUNS

In over two years

175+ STUDENTS

In total

20 COUNTRIES

On 5 continents

UNFREEZE YOURSELF

A mini-workshop with
a huge impact

Are you searching for a deeper layer in your photography? Do you feel you are not fully expressing yourself? Or haven’t you touched your camera in weeks because you feel overwhelmed or bored?

Then I have good news for you: there is a way out of your boredom or overwhelm. By taking intuitive photos that really mean something to you. How? By learning how to photograph from the gut.

When you understand what emotionally and visually drives you, you will never get bored with your photography again. And your photos will reach a new artistic level because they show a deeper emotional layer in your work. And there’s another plus: photographing from the gut is a great way to develop your creative voice, to show your unique vision of this world in your photos.

This three-week workshop will get you out of your boredom, fatigue and lack of creativity. You will learn how to follow your instincts and you’ll understand that ‘inspiration’ is not needed to pick up your camera and create meaningful work. After this workshop you’ll have experienced sides of yourself as a photographer that you have never experienced before and you’ll understand that you can always create, no matter the circumstances. And all this while developing your own unique creative voice.

Sign up and let this workshop help you to find a new way of seeing the world around you. In a playful and intuitive way.

Dear Nienke - I would never have found the freedom or the voice to photograph the way I did had I not taken your workshop. It was so liberating to be able to allow myself to shoot from the gut and to put aside the structure and rules that I've grown so accustomed to following. You gave me a safe space that not only encouraged artistic freedom but allowed for experimentation and exploration to unfold without fear of judgment –especially from myself. Through your positivity and eloquent words, your in-depth feedback, and your gift of connection, you've given me the confidence to create without apology, unease, or insecurities. For that, I am forever grateful.

Lisa Hu ChenUnited States

Doing Nienke’s workshop was freeing and invigorating from the word go. The focus quickly became about getting to know your emotions with photography - and ‘plugging in’ to all these parts of life and your experience that mean something to you. I found that by doing this, the issue of ‘unfreezing’ yourself was left way behind, and what lay ahead was a whole bunch of possibilities for what you want to say through photography and how you can say it. This is how the workshop ended. With a whole bunch of wonderful and supportive people exploring this. It went places. Everyone went places. What a ride. And it was only three weeks! Hats off to Nienke to putting all of the pieces in place for making it happen. And for helping all of us in every stage of the process.

Ben HeasmanUnited Kingdom

Nienke's workshop allowed me to slow down internally and take the emphasis off results. The tasks appear simple but really challenged my understanding of the way I see. An intuitive playground."

Mikaela MartinUnited States

When the world is in turmoil around you and you feel unequal to the task of facing each day, much less picking up your camera and being creative, you need the tools that Nienke gives in this workshop. Each week was exciting, daunting, mobilizing, freeing, encouraging, rewarding and just plain fun. I felt safe to experiment and play and found that I grew as an artist; I'll never see through my camera lens the same way again. The content was mind-opening but what I appreciated the most was how Nienke empathized and encouraged but didn't let me get away with giving up. Yes, it's hard - do it anyway. And I am so grateful.

Marie O'MahonyIreland

Unfreeze yourself was the perfect workshop for me during these crazy and turbulent times. I had been filled with anxiety and stress and hadn't picked up my camera in weeks. Nienke's amazing workshop allowed me the freedom to use my camera to express and release my feelings. Nienke is an insightful, empathetic mentor and she gave me the gentle push that I needed to get out of my rut. Over the three weeks, I was able to find joy and creativity again while making work that I am really proud of. I learned so much and will carry the lessons with me forever.

Joyce ChienUnited States

Nienke has been one of the first photographers putting herself out there and offering something for photographers during this quarantine. Being such a good photographer herself, I decided without hesitation to subscribe to her ‘Unfreeze Yourself’ workshop. Because that was exactly what I needed: my creativity was frozen and I felt overwhelmed by the many emotions this pandemic has brought me. By constructing the work step by step, I was pretty impressed when I saw the final result: a gallery where I could feel myself, my pain and my anxiety dropping out from each one of my images. The final result is still a work in progress, and I really need it not only as a creativity opportunity, but mostly as a healing tool. Thank you from the deepest corner of my heart Nienke!

Sara PaolucciItaly

I've been in a bit of a funk during this pandemic. I feel like I'm moving in slow motion as I adjust to life at home while onboarding my little distance learners and managing my mind as it explores all the future unknowns. While I continued to photograph our experience, the photographs felt detached from the experience I was having. Nienke's workshop was the shake I needed to bust out of my funk behind the camera. Her generosity of expertise and encouragement was the perfect fodder for experimenting with leaning into those feelings and not overthinking the process. I was so inspired by the assignments as well as the work of the other participants. Thank you, Nienke!

Kaleen EnkeUnited States

For a long time, I've wanted to push my creative voice. I felt like I needed more in my work. I felt like I had reached a cusp and there was something bubbling at the surface. Taking Nienke's course was the perfect thing for getting me over the edge, for pushing my creative muscles. She is so intentional about her assignments. I really appreciated that. And I thoroughly enjoyed the space we had to create. Hmm, maybe I'll take it again.

Margaret AlbaughUnited States

When I signed up for this class my work was stagnant. I had become obsessed with technical perfection over my voice. This class gave the freedom to experiment - and the freedom to fail. In that freedom I found myself again.

Amy KattulaUnited States

Unfreeze Yourself came at the perfect time for me. Nienke created an open space for me to explore the world with new eyes. Her lessons were clever and her teaching was authentic. She pushed me to photograph outside of my comfort zone and it felt good! I know that I will return to her lessons many times over.

Karyn NovakowskiUnited States

This workshop from Nienke was so needed - and dumped out of I-don’t-know-where at the right moment for me. Actually I didn’t feel that frozen, but the workshop made me feel! A lot! My emotions were mostly about anxiety if my business was going down with the pandemic. So for me this group and the assignments Nienke’s created gave me such a lovely, safe, and warm place to create in, together with colleagues from all over the world. I felt inspired, and instead of my worries, suddenly it was my creativity that I was my following. Thanks for that Nienke. Seeing my colleague’s work has been amazing and I was filled with positive feelings for them, for myself and for photography! And meeting Nienke has been amazing – the next step will be meeting IRL - she seems to be such a loving woman with great humour.. I can’t wait to drink, talk and laugh with her someday!

Frederikke Brostrup Denmark

Nienke’s “Unfreeze Yourself” workshop has been like a breath of fresh air in the midst of this pandemic. Before the Covid situation I had been feeling stuck with my photography for many months, and when things changed, I felt the need to document this weird new life. So when Nienke launched her workshop I wasn’t actually feeling “photographically” frozen, (I was feeling frozen in other aspects though), but it pushed me to dive further into my feelings and to feel how this situation is affecting me. It helped me to look at my surroundings in a different way and to notice things I hadn’t noticed before.

Ana GuisadoGermany

Nienke's workshop has freed me to photograph what I feel at the moment. At times I think I'm too calculated and literal when I'm taking pictures so it was nice to just shoot what I feel and not care too much about the technical part. It made me more connected to my environment and appreciate my surroundings a bit more. It was exactly what I needed at the time and has given me a deeper appreciation for photography and connected me to my camera again. I look at things differently after taking this workshop and it makes me want to photograph from the gut more often.

Ania ZimnochUnited States

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.

Sounds good?

This is what the workshop has to offer you:

Huge impact

Unfreeze Yourself is a short workshop with a great impact: through 3 exercises in 3 weeks, your work and your thought process will undergo a transformation. The workshop will be a jumpstart for the (further) development of your own creative vision.

Private environment

You will work in a safe and supportive environment: a private Facebook group that you share with your fellow students. Here you can experiment freely and you learn to photograph according to your curiosity and from the gut.

Support and guidance

I am a committed teacher who gives feedback on all the homework you share, ensures that you get the best out of yourself and offers you support where necessary.

Weekly Facebook Live

Every week you can ask me questions via a Facebook Live in which I also share more information about the assignments and about the creative process in general.

Creatieve vrijheid

Besides the fact that this workshop can provide a considerable transformation, above all the students experience the workshop as a wonderful creative playground in which they can be themselves. During the workshop you will feel a sense of creative freedom that you probably haven't felt in a long, long time.

Your own time investment

How much time you invest in this workshop is entirely up to you. I recommend that you spend at least one hour a day on the assignments, but experience has shown that students like to spend more time on their creative development.

Some examples of the beautiful intuitive photographs that are created during the workshop:

Photography workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Nina Gebke - Germany 1

Photography workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Nina Gebke - Germany 2

Photography workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Nina Gebke - Germany 3

Photography workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Nina Gebke - Germany 4

Photography workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Nina Gebke - Germany 5

Photography workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Nina Gebke - Germany 6

Photography workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Amy Kattula - United States 1

Photography workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Amy Kattula - United States 2

Photography workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Amy Kattula - United States 3

Photography workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Amy Kattula - United States 4

Photography workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Amy Kattula - United States 5

Photography workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Amy Kattula - United States 6

Fotografie workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Deirdre Rusk - Ireland 1

Fotografie workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Deirdre Rusk - Ireland 2

Fotografie workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Deirdre Rusk - Ireland 3

Fotografie workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Deirdre Rusk - Ireland 4

Fotografie workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Deirdre Rusk - Ireland 5

Fotografie workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Deirdre Rusk - Ireland 6

Fotografie workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Deirdre Rusk - Ireland 7

Fotografie workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Deirdre Rusk - Ireland 8

Fotografie workshop Nienke Koedijk Beeld - Deirdre Rusk - Ireland 9

I am totally impressed by Nienke's workshop. It only runs three weeks, is well organized and straight forward, and I really did not expect it to have such a deep impact on me personally. And on my photography. I absolutely enjoyed to free myself from all the rules and to dive deep into exploring my feelings without having to fulfill any expectations. Creating with no audience in mind at all, neither for clients nor for any social media appearance, was something I needed so much but only realized it during this workshop. Nienke is a great mentor; she dedicates herself 200% and is the best cheerleader while meeting you where you are to elevate you where you never thought you could be by the end of a three weeks workshop. I haven’t stopped experimenting and creating from the gut ever since! Thank you, Nienke, it was one of the best experiences I have ever had!

Nina GebkeGermany

You know how when you first start dating someone, everything is fun, new, and exciting? Eventually you can start to take things for granted and that infatuation fades. Unfreeze Yourself is an incredible workshop that helps you "fall back in love" with your camera. It's fun; it's gratifying; it's refreshing. The community and Nienke's reliably insightful feedback is invaluable. You'll wish you had taken this workshop sooner!

Jessi WightUnited States

Nienke’s workshop “Unfreeze Yourself” is an amazing opportunity to help you create photographs that are born from your emotions - a way to respond to your gut feelings and use them to express yourself visually. After the three weeks ended, I found myself thinking much more deeply about my work and what I was trying to say as well as wishing I had so much more time to continue my growth. I can’t say enough about how wonderful Nienke is as a teacher. She supports everyone so well through the process with the perfect balance of positive feedback and the push required to improve your art. She also cultivates a space where you can experiment without fear with a group of photographers who support each other and grow together. I hope to continue working with her in future workshops and would recommend “Unfreeze Yourself” to anyone looking to become a better artist and photographer especially in these turbulent times when creating can seem so hard!

Ryan LeybaUnited States

Nienke pushed me in a way I didn’t even know I needed to be pushed! Learning to shoot in a new way where I trusted my gut to lead the way was so freeing. It was definitely a challenge to change my mindset, but with Nienke’s guidance, I pushed through it and continued to dig deeper and deeper and the result is work that I’m so excited about! I now want to pick up my camera again, I want to create, I want to explore, I want to experiment and I have this workshop and Nienke to thank for that.

Jenny RusbyAustralia

Stepping back from creating work with the mindset of ‘is this a good image’ or ‘will people like it’ and creating purely from the gut has been like gulping fresh air again. I get overwhelmed by the barrage of constant images on social media and the sheer volume of photographers out there that it is easy to feel like you’re ‘not very good’. Nienke’s course has been like a being back at art school again, creating and critiquing with like-minded people. I never used to other think my photography when I was younger. I would shoot from the gut, feel something and capture it. Now I often find myself being drawn to something but then stopping myself because I fear it’s not a good enough image / moment / composition whatever it is! I’d lost my confidence that I was a good enough photographer. This course has given me time and space to breathe and to actually just be present in my real physical life for the creativity to emerge. My surroundings have started become my inspiration again, as opposed to my discouragement. Thank you Nienke for helping me ‘see’ things again, things that I had overlooked and having the confidence to just photograph for me and no one else.’

Jess CheethamUnited Kingdom

Being a part of Nienke's Unfreeze workshop was a very personal journey of letting go. Letting go of perfection, fear and the noise that held me back from creating in a space of meaning and beauty. Nienke created a safe place to play, to explore and to shoot from the gut. My images were always met with honest critique and a gentle push to go even deeper with my work. My relationship with my camera, the way I photograph and see the world has forever changed because of Nienke's workshop.

Kyra BargerUnited States

I felt completely uninspired and hardly touched my camera anymore. Nienke's workshop came at just the right moment. Her assignments challenge you to let go and to experiment, to look differently. But above all to photograph what YOU feel. With a lot of passion and humor Nienke pushes you in the right direction. And then suddenly you are photographing 'from the gut' and it feels like pure magic!

Saskia Haartsen - van WeertThe Netherlands

As I took Nienke’s workshop, I was feeling overwhelmed by the world situation, quite unmotivated but somehow restless and stressed. The workshop, invited me to follow my heart (or gut!) and to let the brain “shut down” for a moment, which felt very liberating. I explored new ways to photograph, to see my surroundings in a new light and let my emotions count while taking pictures. Nienke’s workshop is great to open your heart again and start creating in a way that frees yourself and your art again. Nienke is also such a nice person and always give you honest and motivating feedback on your work, and the whole group was really supportive and inspiring. Highly recommended!

Simona DietikerSwitzerland

Nienke kindly demands you give time to your art. With an amazing amount of support Nienke pushes you into new places, where you photograph for yourself only. Nienke's lessons are informative, emotional, and art driven. This workshop is an immersion into a new way of photographing, where the story is your own voice and emotions.

Esther BryceCanada

Because of the workshop Unfreeze Yourself I had to revise my way of photographing. I’m always working for clients so I lost track of photographing from my gut. Because of the workshop and the tips Nienke gave me I rediscovered this way of creating and I can enjoy photographing freely again, without purpose and from the heart. Thank you so much for this Nienke, you have ‘switched me on’ again!

Anja OnstenkThe Netherlands

Unfreeze Yourself 2023
The 8th edition of the Unfreeze Yourself workshop will most likely run in November. Secure your spot right now and sign up via the registration form. After signing up I will keep you informed about the exact date of the workshop.

Unfreeze Yourself

€225

One time payment

Short-term 3-week course
A private environment for you and your fellow students where you can discuss the assignments together and ask me all of your questions
Daily reviews of your work
Weekly group meetings via Zoom or Facebook Live
Entry level: advanced hobby or professional photographer

SIGN ME UP

FAQ

Will the workshop be conducted in english?

Yes, the main language is English because students from all over the world participate in the workshop. Which actually contributes tremendously to the atmosphere of the workshop. If you are unsure of your English, please contact me!

Do I have to be a professional photographer to participate?

No, that is absolutely not necessary. However, it is desirable that you are at least an advanced hobby photographer, meaning that you can operate your camera manually. Not sure if your level is high enough to join the workshop? Then be sure to contact me!

I don't live in Europe, is that a problem?

Definitely not! This workshop is attended by students from all over the world. You can submit your work at any time convenient to you and I do the reviews in my time zone. The live meetings via Zoom or via Facebook Live are scheduled at a time when both Europeans and students from other continents can attend the live meetings. When there are both American and Australian students in the group, a choice of continent will be made and the live meeting will be recorded for the people from the other continent.

I haven't touched a camera in weeks or months. Do you think I can handle the workshop?

Yes, absolutely! The workshop was written during the Covid pandemic when many photographers stopped picking up their cameras because they were so overwhelmed. Unfreeze Yourself teaches you specific tools so you can always photograph, no matter the circumstances.

Can I also contact you directly with questions?

You certainly can! Email me at info@nienkekoedijk.com or call/app me at +31 (6) 14119298