Photography projects by multimedia maker Michiel Bles, background photo stories, portraits, corporate photography and training

Street photography by Michiel Bles

3 November 2018

As a professional multimedia maker with a background in cultural sociology, I’m captivated by the continuous interplay between humans and their social environment. Whether these interactions are inspiring, confrontational or amusing, the meeting between the individual and its surroundings creates a fascinating playing field.

The ability of humans to deal with, build upon, take advantage of or simply enjoy the world they live in, is what intrigues me. It is what I love to capture in my street photography.

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Corporate portrait photography and web design

6 August 2018

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/ Categories: Photography / Portraits / Recent projects by Michiel Bles

Corporate portrait photography and web design

Project info: For business coach ‘Lieke Coacht’ I did the corporate photography and web design. By combining web design and color grading of the photography we created a sharp, distinctive corporate image. By working with a newly developed single minded message, the website forms the basis for new business generation of Lieke Coacht.

Client: Lieke Coacht

Media: Photography, web

My role: Shoot, selection, post production, web design and copy editing

Visit the website of business coach Lieke Coacht (in Dutch)

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Behind curtains – party shots

9 July 2018

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/ Categories: Photography

Party shots © Michiel Bles - freelance multimedia maker and photographer 01

Party shots © Michiel Bles - freelance multimedia maker and photographer 02

Party shots © Michiel Bles - freelance multimedia maker and photographer 03

Party shots © Michiel Bles - freelance multimedia maker and photographer 04

Party shots © Michiel Bles - freelance multimedia maker and photographer 05

Party shots © Michiel Bles - freelance multimedia maker and photographer 06

Party shots © Michiel Bles - freelance multimedia maker and photographer 07

Party shots © Michiel Bles - freelance multimedia maker and photographer 08

Party shots © Michiel Bles - freelance multimedia maker and photographer 09

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Background story: growing up in the refugee camps of Lebanon

16 January 2018

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/ Categories: Background stories / reportage / Photography

Sabra and Shatila refugee camp. Home of massacres in the past. Now a barren place to live. Only a few miles from downtown Beirut
Living conditions in Lebanon's refugee camps are bad. Houses are poorly maintained. Armed violence is day to day business in the camps
Young children are influenced by the arms they see around them
Children have little place to play in camps like Ein el Helweh, Rashidieh and El Buss. All are located in the south of Lebanon, not far from the border Israelian border
Next to Palestinians, Syrians now find a temporary home in Lebanon's refugee camps
In Safe Spaces children find a way to release stress and tension by dance and theatre performances
Dutch NGO War Child organises these activities in close cooperation with local partner organisations
By drawing and writing children and young people have an outlet to cope with their experiences and find a way to temporarily escape the daily pressure they live under
War Child founder Willemijn Verloop visits a creative workshop in Ein el Helweh, one of the most overcrowded refugee camps of Lebanon
Dutch singer Marco Borsato is War Child's goodwill ambassador. In one of the countless alleyways of the Sabra and Shatila camp he experiences the physical limitations of living in a refugee camps
Sports is an essential tool for children to learn to deal with violent experiences, to gain trust again and to learn how to cooperate

Reportage of children living in the Ein el Helweh, Rashidieh and El Buss refugee camps of Lebanon

Project info: Hundreds of thousands Palestinian refugees live in refugee camps in South Lebanon. Ein el Helweh, Rashidieh and El Buss have been the makeshift home of generations of Palestinians who have fled the violence in Gaza and the West Bank. In 2010 and 2012 I visited the camps in Lebanon to document the lives of children living in these dire conditions.

Together with founder of the Dutch NGO War Child Holland and its goodwill ambassador Marco Borsato I interviewed and portrayed children and their parents. The pictures, reportages, background stories and video reports have been and are still used in War Child’s printed media, website, social media and advocacy reports.

Client: War Child

Media: Photography

Languages: –

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Staff portraits Radio Netherlands Worldwide

17 November 2017

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/ Categories: Portraits / RNW Media

Portrait photography Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Project info: Portrait series of members of the editorial team of Radio Netherlands Worldwide. These editors and producers work for the China, Latin America, Africa, and Middle East desks. Goal of this staff portraits series was to have a consistent visual presentation of the RNW team.

Client: RNW Media

Media: Photography

Languages: –

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RNTC iPad training for journalists

14 November 2017

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/ Categories: (Corporate) event photography / Recent projects by Michiel Bles / RNTC

Corporate event photography

Project info: International journalists and journalism students are trained on the use of iPad in their journalistic work. This photo series shows the activities of the journalists from Egypt, DR Congo, Nepal and other countries. The iPad training course is organized by RNTC in Hilversum. The photo reportage will be used on RNTC’s website, social media en corporate print outlets.

Client: RNTC

Media: Photography

My role: Shoot, selection and post production

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Tear sites, external photo publications

3 October 2017

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Recent photo publications on external websites

Tear sites, rather than tear sheets. External websites where my photographs have been published.

RNWorg-RNW-NOOR-Academy

Dagdromen op het pont, het Ij, Amsterdam, schippers door fotograaf Michiel Bles

RNWorg-Turan-Ali

Photo by photographer Michiel Bles for RNW, freelance multimedia maker

Stimuleringsfonds voor de journalistiek Elvira van Noort fotograaf Michiel Bles.

RNTC training photo by photographer Michiel Bles

De Ceuvel Carianne van Raak fotograaf Michiel Bles

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Concert photography

15 August 2017

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Concert photography © Michiel Bles all rights reserved

Concert photography of shows at North Sea Jazz, Mundial and So What’s Next festival

Project info: Concert photography for various outlets at North Sea Jazz festival in Rotterdam, Mundial festival in Tilburg and So What’s Next jazz festival in Eindhoven (Holland).

Client: Various

Media: Photography

Languages: –

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Gulu carwash

16 February 2017

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/ Categories: Autonomous / Background stories / reportage / Photography / Street photography

Photo series of a makeshift carwash in Gulu, Northern Uganda

Project info: When the heat of the day leaves town and the sun gets low, men gather at the washing bay in Gulu. At this roadside carwash against a tropical backdrop, cars, trucks and motor bikes get their daily clean-up.

Client: Autonomous

Media: Photography

Languages: –

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Photo series: Beirut taxi

3 January 2017

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/ Categories: Autonomous / Street photography

Photo series: passengers and taxi drivers on Hamra Street, Beirut, Lebanon

Project info: A night on a Beirut pavement. Hamra street is one of Beirut’s most bustling avenues. Taxi’s swarm the street. The hot weather made passengers to open their window. Which created to opportunity to portray them while patiently endeavouring Beirut’s traffic nightmare.

Client: Autonomous

Media: Photography

Languages: –

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/ Michiel Bles / Freelance multimedia maker

Corporate portrait photography and web design

Reportage of children living in the Ein el Helweh, Rashidieh and El Buss refugee camps of Lebanon

Portrait photography Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Corporate event photography

Recent photo publications on external websites

Concert photography of shows at North Sea Jazz, Mundial and So What’s Next festival

Photo series of a makeshift carwash in Gulu, Northern Uganda

Photo series: passengers and taxi drivers on Hamra Street, Beirut, Lebanon