Take a walk through the Prielenbos and in addition to plants and birds, you can also see something bright pink moving through the bushes. There’s a good chance it’s Sharmaine’s brightly colored hair. In her spare time she regularly visits Zoetermeer’s nature with her camera. “You have to be patient.”
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Sharmaine works as an all-round photographer at Empire Studios in Dorpsstraat. There she photographs people who have a beautiful portrait, a group photo or… lingerie shoot want to have made. In her spare time she goes outside looking for beautiful images. She uses them for social media, stock sales and photo competitions.
Spotting mushrooms
Most people look around during a walk, but Sharmaine takes a long time to take a walk in the woods. Every few meters she stops, squats in the grass or dives onto a bush to see up close what beauty is blossoming there.
Even as a child, Sharmaine accompanied her father when he went looking for mushrooms. “His challenge was to spot a special mushroom, and then I captured it on camera.” Her interest grew and Sharmaine increasingly went out to photograph nature and phenomena such as the Northern Lights and sea sparkle.
Purple beetles
With her lens she zooms in on small spiders, flowers, raindrops, dragonflies and hundreds of other mini representations. Stay in one place for a long time and discover, for example, that black beetles are actually purple-colored. “Or suddenly encounter a pheasant that starts and suddenly appears in front of your lens. Nature takes its course, so you are constantly treated to something beautiful.”
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Tattoos and smoke
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One day Sharmaine heard that the acquaintance tattoo artist Marky Chavez from Los Angeles was in the Netherlands. During his visit he visited his friend and tattoo artist Remko Hook from Hook’s ink in Zoetermeer. “I thought it would be really crazy to take some pictures of him because of his striking facial tattoos,” says Sharmaine.
She photographed Marky while he was standing outside vaping and chatting with her husband. “I looked at my photo and thought ‘wow, what a great photo with all those tattoos and the smoke’.” After Marky’s approval, she submitted the photo for the National Geographic photo contest. On Wednesday, November 19, she was told during the finals in the H’art museum in Amsterdam that she had won second prize in the ‘portrait’ category. “I’m very proud!”
Near the city
She really enjoys her work in the studio, but after a long day at work, Sharmaine only really relaxes after a visit to nature with her camera. “The city is very close, but here it seems so far away. Every time I am amazed at how beautifully everything is interwoven.” Despite the relaxation, Sharmaine still has to pay attention. “I was recently here with my mother. I was so absorbed in my work that I didn’t notice a small swamp next to me. She pulled me away just in time,” she says, laughing.
Who is the next Zoetermeer of the week?
Do you also have a special story? Or do you know a Zoetermeer resident who we really should interview? Let us know via [email protected].