Esmee (1992), was born and raised in a small seaside town called Beverwijk. Known for it’s weird contrast between the beige dunes and the grey high towers of Tata steel. Where thick clouds of smoke mingle with the salty air of the sea.

Her autodidact journey started when she got her first camera for her fourteenth birthday. Over the years, her camera became her visual diary. Her way of expression. Capturing personal images. It helped her reflect, grow, transform and see life in new ways. Approach it in a more softer way. 

She moved to Amersfoort in 2016, what triggered her interest in photography even more. The sight of the ocean got replaced by pretty old buildings and pine trees. New surroundings, getting to know new people, starting a new life, gave her new perspectives on things. By using her camera, she also found new ways to connect. An handy tool to randomly talk to strangers, so she discovered. 
While creating, she met a lot of new people along the way. The conversations that took place between photographer and model while shooting, always seemed to get intimate quite fast. She became more and more fascinated by that aspect of photography. Taking portraits, especially intimate ones, caught her interest. The movement of the naked body, and the use of elements of the earth, draw a red line throughout her work. Playing with natural light and shadow, her work can be described as soft, dreamy and poetical. 

For Esmee, photography is a way to make her words and thoughts more visual but also a way to connect. She hopes to inspire others to stay open-minded, communicate with the world around and not to hide their emotions but in stead to share them, through art. She believes it really softs our ways of perceiving all that is happening around us.