Henk Aalberts

Over the last ten years I have tended to move from mainly reading about life (study Modern Literature, University of Amsterdam) to mainly watching the life directly (daily occupation now is photography). There are days when I don't touch my camera, but then I work on viewing photographs from other people or studying the many books on photography. Or I am teaching the ins and outs of photography to others. See my courses on Photography on this website (in Dutch). My favourite subject is Portraiture and Nude.

I am one of the people who love the why of things. I practice this in my courses on photography. Not only the 'how', but the 'why' of things will be in focus. For better understanding and lifelong insight. Alongside that I tell people who want to learn photography: don't be into trends, don't make fashion own you. You decide what you photograph, but only photograph what you love.

My photos are female-dominated, but the actors are not on stage to simply offer their beauty or sensuality, they are enscenated to express a sentiment or emotional perception… the nude model could be seen as an allurement that interact between the scene and the conception… I feel attracted to the old Greek view on emotions: these feelings were experienced not so much as an inner state but first and foremost as a reaction to public encounters in which a person’s social self was at stake…