“I got my first camera when I was about twelve and my first SLR at the age of sixteen,” says Maarten van der Voorde. He leads a life in photography.
As a professional photographer, Rotterdam was his home base for many years, but he has been in Drenthe for six years and lives in Tweede Exloërmond. How his new neighbors welcomed him made him want to capture Drenthe. And he does this as he always does, with portraits.
“I have always been interested in people,” says Van der Voorde. “How they act, who they are and what they have to say. And now I try to find as many people as possible in Drenthe who have something special to say.”
This is how the photographer ends up in the workshop of clog maker Lute van de Bult in Beilen. His eyes light up when he looks at all the tools and workbenches. “I’m learning so much,” says Van der Voorde. “Just that curved axe, or asymmetrical axe. I’ve never seen anything like that. So I learn a lot from the people I meet.”
Lute van de Bult is very pleased with the photo series. As a clog maker he is often photographed, but this project is special for him, also because Van der Voorde is a professional photographer.
Van de Bult: “I think it’s fantastic, of course. Then what we do with the old crafts, in this case clog making, is preserved for posterity. And the result is there.”
Van der Voorde does not yet know what the end product should be. He hopes for an exhibition or a photo book. A number of photos will be available on his website from next summer. He also does not have a fixed end date yet.
Van der Voorde: “If people know someone, please come. Contact me and I will take a look and come visit. It’s that simple.”
