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

A lovely snaphot from my "lunch break" at the latest #larp event I attended.
It was fun to return to the biggest post-apocalyptic event in Germany after nine years.

#LarpGermany #LarpCharacter #PostApocalyptic #FallenLarp #CharacterPortrait

The photo was taken by a fellow attended I also shared fun scenes with. Sadly he's not yet in the Fediverse as far as I know.

Held a raffle on my two main pages (bluesky and furaffinity)
this one for @kefkorr.bsky.social
#mastoart #characterportrait #furryart #anthro #dragon #raffle

Dag 104 / Day 104

Dagens bild blir ett självporträtt, taget för nytt skoterförarbevis. / Today’s photo is a self-portrait, taken for a new snowmobile driver’s license.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

#självporträtt #svartvitt #porträtt #fotoprojekt #vardagskonst #selfportrait #blackandwhite #portrait #monochrome #minimalism #studioportrait #face #documentaryphotography #simplicity #naturallight #portraitphotography #characterportrait #authenticity #everydaylife #365project