Mijn mentoring met Nienke was erg waardevol voor mij. Ik ben nu 6 jaar professioneel fotograaf, maar ik was een beetje 'lui' geworden in mijn fotografische werk. Nienke daagde me echt uit om anders te kijken en te kijken waar mijn verbeterpunten lagen. Ze heeft me veel geleerd, vooral op het gebied van compositie (achtergronden) als extra storytelling laag. Ik zie nu een duidelijk verschil in mijn foto's en daar word ik erg blij van. Daarnaast is Nienke een hele goede mentor die zich meer dan 100% inzet voor haar leerlingen. Elke sessie was zorgvuldig voorbereid en tussendoor kon ik altijd contact met haar opnemen. Een topper!

The absolute beauty of this lady is that she goes waaayyy beyond the expectations of mentoring. She has this natural ability to focus so individually and creatively on her students' needs... and ALWAYS with her heart. Oh and yes, with the right amount of ass-kicking for her more renegade students, who have a tendency to go off-piste whenever they feel like it!

I will never forget that mentoring session after entering a global pandemic. We spent those first emotional moments in tears across our screens with each other, not knowing what would happen next. We threw away the 'rule book' that day and you led from your gut, which is 100% my chosen language. Thank you lady, you rock.

Finding the right creative mentor is like finding the right therapist. So if you're looking for someone who preps and focusses on you like you're the only student in her world, then Nienke is, without doubt your lady. I've not only gained a deeper insight into my approach and what I need to do more or less of to keep going where I'm going, I have also gained a life-long friend.

Als mentor kruipt Nienke in je hoofd. Ze leert je niet fotograferen zoals zij dat doet, maar ze gebruikt haar kennis en vaardigheden om JOUW fotografie te verbeteren. Bovendien ziet ze echt wie je bent als persoon. In haar mentoring combineert ze al haar superkrachten en communiceert ze niet alleen met mij als persoon, maar ook met dat negatieve stemmetje in mijn hoofd. Nienke geeft eerlijke en opbouwende kritiek en is heel direct. Het is zo fijn om met haar samen te werken, ik zie mijn fotografie verbeteren en mezelf groeien als fotograaf. En als ik vast kom te zitten, voel ik haar schop onder mijn kont. Lieve Nienke, bedankt voor al je aandacht, tijd, kennis, kunde en humor. Ik kan me geen betere mentor wensen.

Nienke mentored me for 12 months and it was the best decision of my photography career! My skills have improved drastically (and that's an understatement!) since participating in her program. She tailored my homework specifically to me and my skill level. Nienke pushed me to do better in a kind, patient and FUN way! Nienke was (and is) extremely available to answer any questions between our sessions together; she encouraged and supported me when I had fears or anxiety about an upcoming session or about my homework. She checked in on me and I know she truly cares. I came away a different photographer and I am so very happy she pushed me in a positive direction. I will 100 percent work with Nienke in the future and I recommend her to any photographer looking to improve their skills.

When I signed up for a mentorship with Nienke, I had a straightforward goal in mind: stop taking pictures on my iPhone, and finally learn how to capture the images in my mind’s eye using a dSLR. I had taken many online classes before with this exact goal in mind, but for whatever reason my pictures were falling flat, and my camera sat in the back of my closet collecting dust. I was surprised to find that getting complete control of my camera was only the beginning of what I would learn throughout the year. I learned the beauty of failure (that triangle assignment!). I learned how to muster up the courage to try again. I even learned so much more about compositional techniques I thought I already knew. In essence, Nienke taught me how to be an artist. With the perfect amount of patience and persistence, Nienke took my photography knowledge to heights I never even thought possible. There was one particular assignment that changed me in a profound way; I found myself walking alone in a park in search of an image, and for the first time in my life, I listened to my inner voice to get it. Now it comes with me on every shoot. If you’re reading this and thinking about jumping in to this adventure, don’t hesitate - do it. You will come out of the year transformed into a more knowledgeable and confident photographer.

When I started my mentoring with Nienke I wanted to learn and grow as a documentary photographer; I found myself kind of stuck after some time. My images were a bit messy, and were more based on what I thought was a nice photo, that on telling a story within the image itself.

Nienke saw me, saw my potential and is helping me reach my goals. I can now proudly say that looking back, I’ve learned a lot during the year and half I’ve been mentoring with her. My composition is more intentional, I make deliberate decisions when I photograph, I think about the story I want to tell and she’s pushed me to develop my own voice. I see in colors now when I was mostly seeing black and white before, I’m on my way to start my own photography business and on top of it all, I have a good friend who nurtures me and cares for me. I am so grateful we crossed paths, and I can’t imagine where I would be now in my photography journey if it was not for her.

Of course it requires dedication and focus, but don’t think twice about mentoring with her. Not everyone has such a clear creative vision and is such a good teacher!