Portrait of a member of Pussy Riot.

Taken during a live event where I was working as a photographer, this was one of those moments that arrived quietly, almost unnoticed at first. The band took the stage with their usual intensity—music layered with political urgency, performance intertwined with protest.

During the show, I captured a frame of one of the male performers standing on stage, wet from the conditions, looking out with a deeply focused expression. The light hit his face in a way that naturally sculpted the mood of the image, emphasizing both the texture of his clothing and the emotional weight of the moment.

What struck me most was not just the visual intensity, but the sense of narrative contained in a single expression. You can almost read a story in it—one shaped by conflict, conviction, and the realities of speaking out in environments where criticism carries consequences.

Photography in situations like this is about restraint. No staging, no interruption—just observation and timing. The challenge is to recognize when everything aligns for a fraction of a second, and then to simply be ready.

Regardless of musical preference, the message and courage behind Pussy Riot’s work are difficult to ignore. Their performances exist at the intersection of art and activism, and that tension is what makes moments like this visually and emotionally compelling.

In the end, it is not about agreement or taste, but about witnessing presence.

#PussyRiot #LivePhotography #ConcertPhotography #PortraitPhotography #PerformanceArt #PoliticalArt #MusicPhotography #CanonPhotography #StageLight #LowLightPhotography #DocumentaryPhotography #VisualStorytelling #PhotographyJourney #EventPhotography #ArtAndActivism #CandidPhotography #EmotionalPortrait #OnStage #CreativePhotography #HumanExpression #ThroughTheLens #ReportagePhotography #CulturalExpression #MusicAndPolitics #VisualNarrative #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens #LiveMusic

Portrait of the Princess of Persia.

At Efteling, one of the actors from the themed area inspired by *1001 Nacht* asked me to create a portrait that captured her character: the Princess of Persia. A dreamy presence in a world of stories, music, and imagination.

This image was taken with the Canon 7D Mark II and Sigma 15–85mm. What made it more challenging was that she was actively working during the shoot. I couldn’t direct her in the usual way—no calling for attention, no asking for a different pose. The scene had to unfold naturally, while I moved around her and adapted to the moment.

Before she started, she gave me creative freedom. That trust made all the difference.

As she stayed in character and interacted with visitors, I looked for the moments where performance and authenticity blended together. I captured several images that, from a technical perspective, I considered stronger than this one. Sharper. More dynamic. Better framed.

But this was the image she chose.

And that matters.

Sometimes the person in the portrait sees something the photographer does not. A feeling. A version of themselves. A dream they recognize. My role was never to convince her to choose what I thought was best. She saw herself in this frame, and that made it the right one.

Her story. Her choice. Her portrait.

#Efteling #PrincessOfPersia #PortraitPhotography #ThemeParkPhotography #Canon7DMarkII #Sigma1585 #CharacterPortrait #DreamyPortrait #EnvironmentalPortrait #StorytellingPhotography #PeoplePhotography #CreativePortrait #BehindTheScenes #1001Nacht #PhotographyJourney #PortraitSession #VisualStorytelling #ThemeParkMagic #PhotographerLife #CreativeFreedom #NaturalMoments #ClientWork #FantasyPortrait #HumanConnection #ThroughTheLens #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens #PortraitArt #StoryInFaces

Portrait photography. Linda.

Taken with the Canon 5DSR and Sigma 24–70mm Art, this portrait was never just about capturing a face. It was about capturing something quieter: personality.

A camera can make people tense. Many don’t quite know what to do with their hands, how to smile naturally, or even where to look. That’s normal. Being photographed can make someone suddenly aware of themselves in a way they usually are not.

That is why portrait photography is as much psychology as it is technique.

Before this image, I took several other shots. Not because those were meant to be the final portrait, but because they served another purpose: helping Linda relax. Letting the camera become less important. Letting the moment become real instead of staged.

As a photographer, your role is not simply to point and shoot. It is to create a space where someone feels safe enough to lower their guard. Comfortable enough to forget they are being observed.

Only then does the genuine expression appear.

The slight smile, the softness in the eyes, the posture that no longer feels rehearsed—that is the moment worth waiting for. And technically, the 5DSR paired with the Sigma Art renders every subtle detail beautifully. But equipment alone does not make a portrait.

Trust does.

#PortraitPhotography #Canon5DSR #Sigma2470Art #Portrait #NaturalPortrait #PeoplePhotography #PhotographyTips #PortraitSession #HumanConnection #PhotographyJourney #AuthenticSmile #CandidPortrait #PhotographerLife #VisualStorytelling #EmotionInPhotography #LensAndLight #CreativePortrait #PhotographyMentor #NaturalLightPortrait #BehindTheLens #PortraitArt #ThroughTheLens #PersonalityPortrait #StoryInFaces #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens #LindaPortrait #PhotographyThoughts #HumanMoments

Trip down memory lane.

2025. Fifteen years after the portrait of Ryota Niitsuma, photography had become something entirely different for me. Not just a tool for documenting people, but a way of capturing stories as they unfold.

And you can see it.

This image was taken during a campaign event for Partij voor de Dieren. Rather than aiming for a simple portrait, my attention was drawn to the interaction: a campaign leader offering apples, a passerby reaching out to take one. In that small exchange, there was something real—shared warmth, curiosity, and a quiet sincerity.

That is what I wanted to capture.

The journalistic eye had changed. Once, I photographed “who was there.” Now, I was trying to photograph “what happened.” The story between people. The gesture. The emotion that only exists for a second before it disappears.

Taken with my Canon 5D Mark III and Sigma 100–400mm, the longer focal length helped isolate the moment, compressing the scene and letting the expressions speak for themselves. Light, composition, and timing aligned in a way that gave the frame its own voice.

My former company, Nisute Europe, was gone by then. That chapter had closed.

And quietly, another was beginning.

The Wondering Lens was taking shape—not as a business plan, but as a way of seeing the world. One moment at a time.

#PhotographyJourney #PartijvoordeDieren #DocumentaryPhotography #StreetPhotography #Photojournalism #Canon5DMarkIII #Sigma100400 #Storytelling #HumanMoments #CandidPhotography #VisualNarrative #DutchPolitics #CampaignPhotography #EmotionInPhotography #StreetMoments #PortraitBeyondPortrait #PhotographyGrowth #ThenAndNow #CreativeEvolution #WonderingLens #NatureOfPeople #SocialPhotography #FieldWork #Observation #MeaningfulMoments #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #ThroughTheLens #MemoryLane #VisualStorytelling

A trip down memory lane.

Long before I focused on nature photography, I started in a very different world: games journalism. First with Nintendo 64 Magazine in 1996, later at N-Europe, and eventually founding my own media company in 2004 while still writing for others. Back then, if you wanted photos for an interview, you took them yourself.

And looking back now… let’s just say photography was not yet my strongest skill.

This image is one of my first photographs I considered “good” at the time: a portrait of Shigeru Miyamoto, the creative mind behind Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and so many worlds that shaped my youth.

Shot on what I believe was a film-based Canon EOS Rebel with what was probably the kit lens, it reminds me how far both technology and skill have come. At the time, I thought this was a great portrait. Today, I would never frame or light it like this.

And that’s exactly the point.

If you look at your old work and feel a little embarrassed, that’s not failure. That’s proof you’ve grown. The eye that critiques your past is the same eye that has learned to see better.

And years from now, the images you are proud of today may teach you that same lesson all over again.

#ShigeruMiyamoto #Nintendo #GamingJournalism #PhotographyJourney #PortraitPhotography #FilmPhotography #CanonEOSRebel #RetroPhotography #N64 #NEurope #MediaHistory #LearningPhotography #CreativeGrowth #Throwback #PhotoArchive #OldPhotos #PhotographyLessons #VisualStorytelling #GameIndustry #NintendoHistory #PhotographerLife #ThenAndNow #GrowthMindset #CreativeJourney #MemoryLane #ThroughTheLens #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens

Linda, her very first time seriously holding a camera—one of mine. Knowing how much she loves animals, I took her to a park known for its squirrels. First the birds arrived, giving her time to learn the basics: point, focus, shoot. Step by step. An hour later, after spotting her first squirrel, I handed her a better lens. And there she was, smiling behind the camera. Lesson one: have fun.

#Photography #LearningPhotography #WildlifePhotography #Squirrels #BirdPhotography #NaturePhotography #PhotographyMentor #CanonPhotography #Telephoto #BeginnerPhotographer #CreativeJourney #NatureLovers #InTheField #OutdoorPhotography #AnimalLovers #TeachingPhotography #FirstSteps #PhotographyLife #PointAndShoot #NatureObservation #FieldMoments #BehindTheScenes #HappyPhotographer #WildlifeMoments #CreativeGrowth #ThroughTheLens #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens

Another protégé. Another lesson.

This time high above the Spoorpark in Tilburg, standing on a viewing tower swaying gently in the wind. Kevin is already a capable street photographer, comfortable in the rhythm of the streets below. But this lesson was about something different: perspective.

As we looked out over the city, I told him something unexpected.

“Look down.”

You could almost see the question marks appear above his head.

From a bird’s-eye view, the city changes completely. Streets become lines, people become patterns, cars become movement through geometry and light. A perspective many street photographers rarely explore, because we naturally see the world from eye level.

And that’s exactly why it matters.

Photographing from that height wasn’t easy. The tower moved with every gust of wind, making stability a challenge—especially with longer focal lengths. While I prepared a camera with a telelens for Kevin to use, he started experimenting on his own. That moment—his curiosity, his concentration—is when I took this shot.

When I handed him the camera, I showed him some of the compositions I had seen from above. And almost immediately, he understood the lesson.

Not just how to photograph a city.

But how changing your position changes the story entirely.

Sometimes growth in photography is not about better gear or settings.

Sometimes it’s simply about standing somewhere different.

#StreetPhotography #Spoorpark #Tilburg #PhotographyMentor #LearningPhotography #UrbanPhotography #BirdsEyeView #CityPhotography #Perspective #Composition #CanonPhotography #Telephoto #VisualStorytelling #PhotographyJourney #StreetPhotographer #CreativeGrowth #UrbanGeometry #LeadingLines #CityLife #OutdoorPhotography #ExploreTilburg #PhotographyLessons #InTheField #ArchitecturePhotography #SeeingDifferently #HumanPatterns #ThroughTheLens #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens

My protégé Dennis, standing on a beach near Donegal, Ireland.

A few years ago, I traveled there with a beginning photographer eager to learn the craft beyond simply pressing the shutter. Together, we focused on landscapes, perspective, and perhaps most importantly: learning where to stand, where to look, and why.

Photography often appears instinctive from the outside. Some people naturally stumble upon strong compositions through trial and error. But turning those lucky moments into consistent results—that takes awareness, patience, and practice.

And Ireland is a good teacher.

With coastlines shaped by Atlantic storms, shifting light, and dramatic geology carved by ancient glaciers, the landscape constantly challenges you to adapt. Light changes by the minute. One step left or right can completely alter the balance of a scene.

Watching someone slowly understand that is incredibly rewarding.

Over time, his images evolved from average snapshots into thoughtful compositions. After several courses, he now photographs for a local rock band. Seeing that growth—that confidence—makes me genuinely proud.

You don’t need exotic locations to learn photography. These lessons can be found anywhere. But traveling together, exploring unfamiliar places, and standing in landscapes like this… it sharpens both teacher and student alike.

And sometimes, with the sea wind in your face and the Irish coast stretching into the distance, everything simply feels right again.

#Ireland #Donegal #BeachPhotography #LandscapePhotography #PhotographyMentor #LearningPhotography #CanonPhotography #NaturePhotography #TravelPhotography #IrishCoast #AtlanticOcean #Perspective #Composition #OutdoorPhotography #PhotographyJourney #CreativeGrowth #NatureLovers #ExploreIreland #VisualStorytelling #EarthFocus #CoastalLandscape #AdventurePhotography #TeachingPhotography #FieldWork #WanderingPhotographer #ScenicViews #ThroughTheLens #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens

After a long, wet walk along the beach at Westkapelle, the storm finally moved on—and left this behind. Shot with a Canon 5DSR and Sigma 24–70mm, capturing the shifting light as the sun broke through lingering clouds. Storm systems often clear the air, enhancing color and contrast. Sometimes, you just have to wait it out.

#Westkapelle #Sunset #StormLight #DutchCoast #Zeeland #BeachWalk #NaturePhotography #LandscapePhotography #Canon5DSR #Sigma2470Art #WideAngle #GoldenHour #AfterTheStorm #Cloudscape #SeaAndSky #NatureLovers #OutdoorPhotography #CoastalLife #DramaticSky #LightAndColor #WeatherMoments #EarthFocus #VisualStorytelling #ThroughTheLens #MoodyNature #ExploreNetherlands #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens

Covered in dust.

During a walk, we passed an old store where two men were restoring what time had slowly taken apart—cleaning, repairing plaster, bringing fragments back to life. In a corner sat a bale of hay. And behind it, something hidden.

A motorcycle.

Curiosity pulled us closer. The owner noticed, came outside, and struck up a conversation. I asked if I could take a photo. The bike itself couldn’t be moved—but the hay bale could. With a bit of effort, it revealed a vintage Hungarian Danuvia 125, dating back to the early 1960s. Dark red, covered in dust, draped in spiderwebs. Forgotten, but not gone.

Captured with a Canon 5DSR and Sigma 24–70mm Art, I chose a natural perspective—wide enough to include context, close enough to hold detail. Dust particles, worn paint, the quiet texture of time itself.

Machines like this tell a different kind of story. Built in an era where simplicity and function defined design, the Danuvia 125 was a lightweight, practical motorcycle—engineered for everyday use, not display. And yet here it was, decades later, preserved unintentionally.

I didn’t want to take too much of the man’s time. I thanked him for his openness and hospitality, and we moved on.

But for a moment, time stood still in that corner.

#Danuvia125 #VintageMotorcycle #ClassicBike #HungarianMotorcycle #MotorcyclePhotography #AbandonedBeauty #DustAndTime #Canon5DSR #Sigma2470Art #VintageMachines #OldTimer #HiddenStories #Patina #RusticCharm #MechanicalHistory #Restoration #InTheField #OutdoorPhotography #StorytellingPhotography #ForgottenPlaces #VisualNarrative #TimeCapsule #OldWorkshop #BehindTheScenes #TravelMoments #ThroughTheLens #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens