Angelo van der Klift

I actually haven't been to a photography school. I am a didactic and learned everything about photography by trial and error, and by learning from some great international artists, such as Adrian Sommeling, Renee Robyn, and Dmitry Rogozhkin.

That was probably around 40 years ago. My father had an old camera, that belonged to his dad who passed away before my birth. I still own that camera and it stands proudly in my studio in The Netherlands.

I have always been a Canon user. The way they interpret photography suits me well. I currently use the Canon R6 Mark II as my main camera for studio portraits and digital artwork.

My main purpose is to make an impact through imaging. That is why I also use my knowledge and time to make an impact on social and environmental issues. I frequently make the world a bit more beautiful in my images. What if I can make the world more beautiful through imaging? That would be my ultimate dream!

When I started compositing around 10 years ago, I got short compliments about originality and creativity. That was nice. But what inspired me to go through with photography was when I participated in Christmas Wish, where photographers and digital artists worldwide collaborated to make an impact on families of sick children who had to stay in the hospital during Christmas time. We made digital artwork so that the children were held out of their bad situation in the hospital for a brief moment to have some fun with Santa and the photographers. Ultimately, the parents and the child got their artwork and were so amazed. It was so inspiring to do what I do nowadays.

The stories that I visualise are the inspiration for my artwork. With that said, the red line in my work is always my mission: to make a real positive and emotional impact on people's lives. Life is a truly unique concept that exists only on our pale blue dot as far as we know now. The fact that we, as humans, understand the concept of life is unique. With creativity, quality, and engagement I can make a positive impact on life through doing what I do best. How inspiring is that?

Creative, original, and eye-catching.

Thank you. To win this Award has already been awesome. But to win not only 1, but 3 categories is truly outstanding. It is the crown of my work and it's something to be very proud of.

A few years ago I exhibited at Rotterdam Photo during Rotterdam Art Week with this image and 2 others. I made this image after being in a difficult period in my life. And it was a step in the good direction for me personally. During the exhibition, people walking by this image, slowed down because the image caught their eyes. But stopped after seeing the surreal part of the image. Every time the visitors stopped and grabbed their phone to take an image making an impact. People love this image because it is surprising. a

To be awarded as a photographer means not only a great plus behind your title, but also helps your market value rise. Besides that, the most important thing is that as a creative it is hard to stay creative and original all the time. To be awarded helps you to keep faith in what you are doing and keep up the good work.

Adrian Sommeling, a creative compositor.

Peter Hurley as an entrepreneur and his professional portrait style.

Erik Johansson as a surreal artist.

Make sure everything is in balance: your life, your work, your balance account, and everything you create!

Think, do, learn, repeat, and do better. With everything you do, do it with your heart and soul.

Perseverance. Giving up is not an option. My motto is "When you can think it, you can make it."

For me, it is stepping out sometimes to stay in. Always on is not a good thing. Sometimes just turning it off is very effective.

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Would be proud to be a judge next year: frageolet@gmail.com