I'm a Dutch photographer who's been shooting dance events since the late 90's. Although at that time I was also busy photographing extreme sports, travel and tons of other things. Slowly the dance photgraphy has taken over completely.

Nowadays I'm the senior worldwide photographer for Ultra Music Festival and Tomorrowland. 
 

I started way back in 1995 (!!!) anniversary and got into it by chance since I started working for a company that had a snowboard magazine  but also a music magazine. So I would do wintersports photography during the winter and got handed the music photography in the summer. Since there were not that many professional (dance) music photgraphers at that time and I seemed to be good at it things got out of hand quickly and very soon I became the senior photographer for ID&T, which has been the leading production company for two decades (Sensation, Mysteryland, Trance Energy and Tomorrowland for instance).

 

 

I really have no idea, even though I tried really hard to remember. I know it was a hardcore party and I was pretty much out of style with my baggy skateboard clothes, hahaha. 

 

 

I’m actually from Rotterdam, 45 minutes south. But yeah, growing up in the birthplace of the professional dance industry certainly helped me a lot.

The dance industry here got professional really fast due to the fact that local governments mostly supported the movement, unlike most other countries. As long as you had everything in order (safety, licenses, etc.) most authorities were good. This led to a grown-up industry very fast.

This year alone you’ve been to multiple countries for festivals including Defqon, Life in Color Izmir, Ultra Music Festival Miami. What have been some memorable episodes throughout the year?

 

Ultra Miami is always special, it’s the big kickoff for the season which nowadays runs into October. I’m just totally in love with the place and vibe, Ultra is really doing a good job in catering to the dance music lovers. Armin’s set at Ultra Europe was a definite highlight, after the first day had to be cancelled due to crazy weather he was the first big artist for the weekend, the moment he started “Dominator” the crowd went pretty much insane. And finally, the sunsets at Tomorrowland Brasil were unforgettable, the weather was so crazy hot but the sunsets were pure magic!



You recently posted a nostalgic photo of David Guetta at Tomorrowland back in 2011. If you could only pick two which would be your most favorite shots of artists? (on stage or backstage!)

Definitely my Carl Cox photo from 1996, which I gave him a long time ago – he’s a huge fan of my work and such a kind soul. And my famous Tiësto photo from 2003 balancing a record on his finger, I gave it to him earlier this year during a popular TV talk show.

He’s still the king and he’s done so much for so many DJ’s – I always love taking pics of him.

You already have Ultra Singapore, Ultra Japan,  Armin Only and more lined up for the rest of the year. Going to so many festivals have there been interesting fashion or fan episodes you’ve come across snapping pictures from the crowd?

Yeah, seems I have quite the following these days. Love people holding up signs like “Rudgr shoot me” or people wanna take selfies with me.

It’s very rewarding that people are so much more into photography these days although it can get a little crazy sometimes like in India for instance where I got bombed by 40 or so people for pics. Love it though!

Please tell us about your book ‘This Is My Church’. To put together a photography book is not just a bunch of photos but it’s a big deal with a story behind it. Please walk us through the process and the challenges you had to face.

Two friends and I had the same idea roughly the same time – to make a photobook with all my shots and stories. Some beers, a few napkins and the idea for This Is My Church was born.

The process of going from 30.000 images to 300 was not as easy, it took a lot of searching, discussion and killing my darlings but we worked it out. Then we thought it would be cool to have DJ’s comment on their own photos and to my happy surprise all DJ’s that have been important to me in the past two decades loved doing so.

We sat down for hours with Tiësto, Hardwell, Garrix, DVLM, Armin and so many others. It was great seeing their reactions to some really old photos (Tiësto images for instance went back to 1998, before his breakthrough) and hearing to what they had to say about those places and moments in time.

This Is My Church is the No.1 EDM Bestseller what are some of your favorite quotes or interviews in the book?

Yeah, we sold a crazy amount of them – especially for a 2.5 kilo photo book! Nowadays we only ship to Europe, it’s too heavy to send it worldwide and so many books get damaged during the long trips. Hardwell was for sure the funniest to interview, we really had to stop him after two hours – could have easily filled a book with just his quotes. Tiësto was very special for me since I’ve known and photographed for such a long time. I managed to dig up some photos that he’d never even seen – it was a real special interview and he’s been one of the biggest supporters of the book. Finally, DVLM was so much fun. We did it at their home and Mike just kept on bringing food onto the table and bottle after bottle of great wine. One of the most fun interviews from the series.

Are there any artists in particular you like taking pictures with and have a good camaraderie with?

Obviously, I know most of the Dutch DJ’s really well and in general most DJ’s are super easy to get along with. Guys like Armin, Hardwell or Garrix are some of the nicest people you’ll ever come across but there are so many.

Dimi from DVLM is really into photography, so is Nicky Romero or R3hab. It’s cool to try to do cool stuff with them.

You also seem to have a special friendship with Hardwell? Any fun episodes you can share with us and will you be on stage with him for Ultra Japan?

Robbert is just the best and we’re trying to do more together the coming years. I just love his fun-loving attitude, he’s always smiling, even when super tired. I remember when last December in India he was doing this massive (free entry) gig for charity and the people went so crazy that everybody was worried people would injure themselves. When this fortunately didn’t happen and the show was over the smile on his face was the biggest ever. Really an honor to have been a part of that!



Who’s your favorite DJ to hang out with and what’s been a memorable episode with him or her?

Armin has become a good friend over the years, especially since we’ve been touring more often. We are kind of the same age, have the same background and family life.

Just last week we went out into Jerusalem for a bit of sightseeing and we ended up doing this amazing tour, 14 meter deep, to the base of the Western Wall (Wailing Wall). It blew us away and it was just nice to do this without crowds or security. Only at the very end the guide dared to ask if it was really him, Armin. 

 

 

I LOVED Japan, spent time at the Izu Peninsula which has a unique system where warm and colder water mix.

So you’ll have cold water plants with tropical fish in it. Also, all the hotsprings you can dive into after getting cold out of the water was so amazing. Really would love to go back there again one day. 
 

My favorite place is Vancouver Island though, cold but so incredible. How about seeing starfish with 50 or more arms! Killer whales and so many other awesome animals. Best place ever.

Then Malaysia has some of the best and most unharmed coral reefs that I’ve ever seen. Went there for National Geographic Traveler and was blown away.

 

You really seem to be in extreme sports as well! What are some of the most challenging but fun lifetime activities you’ve done so far?

I love scuba-diving and a huge fan of sharks! Besides cage diving I also did an open water dive with Tiger sharks, such cunning creatures – possibly the most intense experience in my life.

Even though I don’t get to go to the mountains as often anymore I’ve had my fair share of hiking, climbing and going down endless amounts of powder snow. I really miss the snowboarding scene but I travel so much already for my music work I think it would place an unfair burden upon my family if I’d go back to shooting snowsports again.

 

 

Sometimes we plan, like the flag photo with Nicky Romero at this year’s Tomorrowland.

We do look for time-slots that are interesting, like fireworks or big name DJ’s but usually I take it from there. I’ve flown so much in my life now you really get used to it. On average I spend about 6-7 hours in helicopters every year!

 

 

Ultra Miami or Tomorrowland – both are amazing experiences that you will keep with you for the rest of your lifetime.

They could not be more different but each is so unique and worthwhile. If you’re more into a trip, definitely check out Ultra Europe which is held in Croatia, possibly the most beautiful country in Europe.

 

I’m a big trance head, I never leave home without some Above & Beyond.

Otherwise it’s mostly mellow tunes from both Kalkbrenners, Eric Prydz or Eelke Kleijn. 

 

 

Rarely if I work for festivals, when I’ve been on my feet for 12 hours or more I just want to finish some photos and hit the bed. Occasionally I’ll join an afterparty but it’s not very often.
 

You seem to keep “less is more” as a motto of your artwork. How do you keep your originality with so many photographers out there?
I really try to focus on myself and what I’m good at.

Sometimes the job requires me to be on the stage for a large part of the time and it’s not always easy to be creative there. I love it when my client just totally leaves it up to me. But gigs like Tomorrowland we work in teams because there’s just too much to photograph – you just have to limit yourself. My creativity works best when I can just walk around the venue for hours, sometimes there’s simply not the luxury to do so.