Mood for Tonight
MelanieFirst Book I ever bought for myself, at the patronal festival, for 1 Mark - sponsored by Grandma M. a firm believer in reading.
THE PERFECT DRESS by Omi M
Tailored perfectly, so one could climb a tree with it
Maikel de BakkerTrip 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
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
Trip down memory lane.
This photograph was taken in 2010, just six years after the portrait I shared earlier of Shigeru Miyamoto. And looking at it now, I can already see how much had changed.
This time, the subject was Ryota Niitsuma, former Capcom developer, producer, and one of the people behind several of the company’s fighting game titles, including parts of the Street Fighter legacy.
The difference with my earlier work is striking. Better composition. Better understanding of light. A more thoughtful moment. It was shot on a Canon EOS 350D with a fairly standard Sigma zoom lens—nothing fancy, just a simple tool and a growing eye behind it.
At the time, I was running my own media company with a staff of 27 people. Life moved fast. Deadlines, interviews, events, constant decisions. Photography was never my main role, but when my team needed me to step in, I did.
And somewhere in that chaos, I started to fall in love with the craft.
What I notice most now is not just the technical growth, but something else: even back then, I was already teaching. Showing younger photographers simple things—where to stand, how to use the light, how to frame a subject. The same small lessons I would later share with others in nature and beyond.
Funny how some paths reveal themselves only when you look back.
#RyotaNiitsuma #Capcom #StreetFighter #GamingJournalism #PhotographyJourney #Canon350D #PortraitPhotography #MediaHistory #Throwback #PhotographyGrowth #GameIndustry #LearningPhotography #CreativeGrowth #PhotoArchive #CanonEOS350D #OldPhotos #VisualStorytelling #ThenAndNow #PhotographerLife #Mentorship #TeachingPhotography #CreativeCareer #MemoryLane #GameDeveloper #BehindTheScenes #Nostalgia #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens
This photograph was taken in 2010, just six years after the portrait I shared earlier of Shigeru Miyamoto. And looking at it now, I can already see how much had changed.
This time, the subject was Ryota Niitsuma, former Capcom developer, producer, and one of the people behind several of the company’s fighting game titles, including parts of the Street Fighter legacy.
The difference with my earlier work is striking. Better composition. Better understanding of light. A more thoughtful moment. It was shot on a Canon EOS 350D with a fairly standard Sigma zoom lens—nothing fancy, just a simple tool and a growing eye behind it.
At the time, I was running my own media company with a staff of 27 people. Life moved fast. Deadlines, interviews, events, constant decisions. Photography was never my main role, but when my team needed me to step in, I did.
And somewhere in that chaos, I started to fall in love with the craft.
What I notice most now is not just the technical growth, but something else: even back then, I was already teaching. Showing younger photographers simple things—where to stand, how to use the light, how to frame a subject. The same small lessons I would later share with others in nature and beyond.
Funny how some paths reveal themselves only when you look back.
#RyotaNiitsuma #Capcom #StreetFighter #GamingJournalism #PhotographyJourney #Canon350D #PortraitPhotography #MediaHistory #Throwback #PhotographyGrowth #GameIndustry #LearningPhotography #CreativeGrowth #PhotoArchive #CanonEOS350D #OldPhotos #VisualStorytelling #ThenAndNow #PhotographerLife #Mentorship #TeachingPhotography #CreativeCareer #MemoryLane #GameDeveloper #BehindTheScenes #Nostalgia #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens
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
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
Naida… Childhood confession:
I used to sneak into my brother's room, sit on the floor just to read his comics …
#tradition #SpookySaturday #Spawn #ToddMcFarlane#Malebolgia #JasonPearson #Nostalgic #ComicArt #1992 #2 #ComicBooks #90sComics #ChildhoodMemories #MemoryLane #Gothic
I used to sneak into my brother's room, sit on the floor just to read his comics …
#tradition #SpookySaturday #Spawn #ToddMcFarlane#Malebolgia #JasonPearson #Nostalgic #ComicArt #1992 #2 #ComicBooks #90sComics #ChildhoodMemories #MemoryLane #Gothic
Defector | The last good website. [Unofficial]There’s Never A Bad Time To Gawk At Young Shaq Highlights
https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://defector.com/theres-never-a-bad-time-to-gawk-at-young-shaq-highlights
bythehandofbobI forgot to post this in December or January whenever Elvis's birthday might be. I drew this about 4 years ago, when I did funny (to me) things like this. #memorylane #bythehandofbob Mouseover for full movie. #caricature
CeceliaWhen you get sucked into a time vortex, looking at old photos.