Project info: For 16 days rail workers have been working day and night to finish the job before the train service should be up and running on the next Monday morning. Beautiful impromptu film sets with bright artificial lighting, orange working suits, fire, smoke and drizzle were erected along the site.
Client: Autonomous
Media: Photography
Project info: Viganj, a small coastal village in Southern Croatia is one of Europe’s top surfing destinations. Windsurfers, kiters and foilers enjoy the strong and consistent Maestral wind blowing through the straight between the Peljesac Peninsula and Korcula island. Surfing Viganj explores the surf culture of this local surfing gem.
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Client: Autonomous
Media: Photography
Project info: Portrait photography of design and journalism researchers for the Designing Journalism professorship of Fontys Journalism.
Client: Fontys
My role: Portrait photography
Media: Photography
Languages: –
Project info: Portrait photography of artist Maria van Gerwen who made a new design for the Concertgebouw concours award.
Client: Het Concertgebouw
My role: Portrait photography
Media: Photography
Languages: Dutch
Project info: Spread in Dutch newspaper NRC on the living situation of Spanish migrant workers in a monastery in The Netherlands. The story was published in NRC’s weekend edition, on the website and app and the photography Instagram channel ‘In Beeld’. The text reads:
After work, they go to the monastery
It can be chilly in the monastery. Despite the fact that spring is coming up. Guerra Arroyo (26) wears a padded jacket above his shorts. He is walking through the long corridors to snow photographer Michiel Bles his room. In a niche in the wall a statue of Saint Lidwina stands with a cross in her arms. The wood has bare spots and she looks sour. A little later they pass the shared showers.
The Lidwina Monastery in Tilburg, The Netherlands, built on behalf of the Sisters of Charity, dates from the thirties. The nuns started a Montessori school and a boarding house for the elderly. Since the beginning of this century there are migrant workers living here.
It was a surprise for photographer Bles that the monastery has – next to the 75 residents from Eastern Europe – also houses 45 migrants from Spain and Portugal. Most work in distribution centers in the area, via an employment agency that pays the rent of 500 euros per month, withheld from their wages. Bles decided to make a report about them.
Iván Guerra Arroyo is an engineer, specialized in telecommunications and renewable energy. He comes from the South of Spain, city of Sevilla, but he could not find a job there. “There is a surplus of engineers and it pays poorly. Only after the age of 45 you can live off the salary.” He shares his room in the monastery with a compatriot, like all singles men in the building. The room has two single beds, a refrigerator with freezer and a TV. Gas, water, electricity and internet are included. There is a shared kitchen.
Oscar Pérez (26) studied human resources at the University of Cádiz, a city with high unemployment rates. He shares the monastery room with his girlfriend. Alvaro Gaspar (52) lives with his wife. He is born in Colombia and lived in Madrid for 24 years, until he could no longer find work. “If even young people cannot find jobs, I have no chance at all.” He has been in the Netherlands for six years and has lived in “countless” many places in the country. Now he lives within walking distance of one of his daughters, and his grandchildren aged 1 and 5 years. His other daughter still lives in Spain.
Walid Aguili Aguili (24) from Murcia came to the Netherlands with three friends. “When it comes to work for young people, this is the perfect place.” Although he might want to do something other than warehouse work, after a year and a half, such as sales. He speaks English, Spanish and Arabic. He calls the monastery the most beautiful place where he has lived until now.
Iván Guerra Arroyo wants nothing more than studying in the Netherlands in order to become an engineer. In his spare time, he learns English and Dutch through online courses. He’s dating a girl from the small town of Deurne, he says. The place he used to live. She is half-Dutch and half-Brazilian. “My future is here.”
Client: NRC
Media: Photography
My role: Idea and photography
Languages: Dutch
Watch the photo series on NRC’s website
Project info: Photo reportage of anti Israel protest at the Dutch Radboud University for news paper NRC
Client: NRC
Media: Photography
My role: Photography
Languages: Dutch
Watch the photo reportage on NRC’s website
Watch the longreads on migrant workers
Project info: To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Concertgebouw Concours, I made a booklet with portraits and interviews with the 15 winners of the concours. A music competition for young classical musicians aged 9 to 14.
The winners are also brought to life in stop motion animation for social media and the television screens in the iconic concert hall in Amsterdam.
Client: Het Concertgebouw
My role: Portrait photography, interview and graphic design
Media: Photography
Languages: Dutch
Project info: Photo reportage of the vert halfpipe contest October 28, 2023 at World Skate Center Den Bosch
Client: Autonomous
Media: Photography
Project info: ‘De Bandbus’. For the Dutch news paper NRC, we jump in tour buses, used by music bands and artists. Together with music journalist Leendert van der Valk we tell the on-the-road stories of endless hours behind the wheel, the conversations, the accidents, the silly jokes and terrorising farts.
Client: NRC
Media: Photography
My role: Idea and photography
Languages: Dutch
Watch the various episodes of ‘De bandbus’ on NRC.nl
An interview on Dutch radio 2 about the Bandbus series (in Dutch)
An extensive image research project, ‘Het Beelddepot’ (Image Depot, in English) found that the imagery used in Dutch media when reporting on homelessness is stigmatising, biased and unrealistic. A new image bank, to be used by Dutch news papers, broadcast companies and other news platforms, offers a more realistic, neutral and constructive visual approach of the issue of homelessness.
A small group of young, talented photographer and experienced photo journalists developed new photo stories. I coordinated the collaboration and curate the collection. And did photo consultancy for media, partners and stakeholders.
‘Het Beelddepot’ is a journalistic initiative to find and fight stigmas around the issue of homelessness.
More on the Beelddepot on beelddepot.nl (in Dutch)
During a visual language and photography workshop for the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment we trained policy makers, government staff, social welfare workers and others about the power of the image, semiotics and visual language on the subject of homelessness.
In an extensive image research project, we found that the imagery used in media when reporting on homelessness is stigmatising, biased and unrealistic. In the workshops we shared the findings, made the audience aware of the power of visual representation and shared tools to achieve a more realistic, neutral and constructive visual approach of the issue of homelessness.
The workshops are conducted by members of ‘Het Beelddepot’, a journalistic initiative to find and fight stigmas around the issue of homelessness.
More on the Beelddepot on beelddepot.nl (in Dutch)
Project info: Various portraits made for Utrecht University for their annual Lecturer of the Year election
Client: Utrecht University
Media: Photography / animation
Languages: –
Watch all animated portraits here
Project info: Opening event of skateable letters at the World Skate Center in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Client: Autonomous
Media: Photography
My role: Photography
Languages: –
Project info: For the award ceremony of the 2020 Teacher of the Year award, I created animated portrait series of the nominees, combined with text animation. In the run up to the award night, the portraits were published on the Utrecht University social media channels, the full animations were shown during the online award ceremony.
Client: Utrecht University
Media: Photography, animation
My role: Photography, graphic design and editing
Languages: –
Project info: As water levels rise in Dutch rivers, I made a visual report of a Dutch couple living in the floodplains of the Waal river. .
Client: Autonomous
Media: Photography
My role: Idea and photography
Languages: Dutch
Project info: For the annual award show of the teacher and talent of the year competition of the Utrecht University I shot these portraits of the nominated teachers and talents of the year. The portraits are used as background stop motion animations in short portrait movies of the teachers and on social media channels of Utrecht University.
Client: Utrecht University
Media: Photography, animation and video
Languages: –
Project info: Photo report of a data visualisation conference in Utrecht in 2019 organised by data visualisation training agency Graphic Hunters. The international conference was held in the ‘Anatomiegebouw’ in Utrecht, a former anatomic lab. The pictures I made were used by the client on social media and website.
Client: Graphic Hunters
Media: Photography
Languages: –
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: –
Project info: Five brave, aspiring photojournalists from Latin America face major challenges expressing their opinions. Prejudice, intimidation, violence, it’s part of their daily job in Mexico, Venezuela and El Salvador. This long scroll honours these young professional photographers and video reporters.
Client: RNW Media
Media: Photography, webdesign
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.
Watch more of my street photography on Flashes by Bluesky
Stay updated on this project on Instagram
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: –
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
Tear sites, rather than tear sheets. External websites my photographs have been published on.
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: –
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: –
Project info: For the new website of training institute RNTC, launched June 2016, I produced a photo series of their training courses for international students.
By applying a specific, distinctive color grading to the photography, the website gets a consistent look and feel. The photo series represents the activities RNTC organizes for their international clientele.
Client: RNTC
Media: Photography
Selection only
Go to the new website of RNTC to see the full photo series
Indulgence by Michiel Bles
Project info: In times of work pressure, stress and our newly acquired need to be in touch 24/7, room and time for indulgence are diminishing. This photo series explores situations and persons who take time for enjoyment. Forget about time, being idle.
Exercising, as French revolutionary Marxist socialist journalist, political writer and activist Paul Lafargue stated, the right the right to be lazy. These progressively scarce moments are captured in this ongoing photo project.
Client: Autonomous
Media: Photography
Languages: –
Project info: Portrait series of RNW’s editorial team ‘Love Matters’. Goal: to develop a consistent visual presentation of the team.
Client: RNW.org
Media: Photography
Languages: –
Project info: Visual report of Amsterdam Gay Pride 2014. For five days I followed eight LGBT activists from seven countries around the globe
Client: RNW.org
Media: Photography, social media reporting
Selection only. Photos are cropped for navigational purposes.
Watch the Amsterdam Gay Pride 2014 in 18 photos
Project info: Various portraits for various clients
Client: War Child and RNW Media
Media: Photography
Project info: Visual report of an inspiring film night ‘Cinecook’ at the Jeruzalem church in De Baarsjes neighbourhoud in Amsterdam
Client: Booming Baarsjes
Media: Photography
Selection only. Photos are cropped for navigational purposes
Watch the full photo report of Cinecook 2013
Project info: Various photography portraits I made when working in the field and studio portraits at the Photo Academy Amsterdam
Client: Free work
Media: Photography
Project info: Visual report of international students participating in various media courses organized by RNTC. Used on RNTC’s social media pages.
Client: RNTC
Media: Photography
Project info: No less that 80 times Amsterdam ferrymen and women go up and down the IJ canal each shift. Each day, each week. 80 times the same 5 minute passage. 40 times a view on the same quay.
A few meters above the passenger deck, they look down on the cargo disembarking their vessel. A couple of minutes when docked allow for a moment of woolgathering.
When the buzzer sounds, the mesmerizing is over and a new crossing is about to begin.
Is this the most peaceful or the most dreary job in the world? ‘Musing on the ferry’ is a visual quest for the answer to this question.
Client: Autonomous
Media: Photography
Languages: –
Have a look at more photography projects via blessedshots.com
Project info: Concert photography for various outlets at North Sea Jazz festival in Rotterdam and So What’s Next jazz festival in Eindhoven (Holland) and private (wedding) party shots.
Client: Various
Media: Photography
Languages: –
In his The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1956) American sociologist Erving Goffman approaches social life as a theatre play. Goffman’s theory develops around various forms of impression management people use to present a desired image of themselves to others.
The front stage is where people perform roles to conform to social norms. The backstage refers to private settings where individuals are not in the presence of an audience, allowing them to relax and drop their performance. Each person in everyday social intercourse presents himself and his activity to others, attempts to guide and control the impressions they form of him, and employs certain techniques in order to sustain his performance, just as an actor presents a character to an audience.
Idleness in public (urban) spaces often takes place in the backstage. People withdraw – mentally and sometimes partly physically – from public space. Assuming they don’t draw any attention from others and being oneself, imagining to be private in public. Without being distracted from phones, the idle person can truly be present at the time and place. In solitude and isolation.
This project is a visual ethnographic take on Goffman’s theory, illustrating the authentic self in public space. In the realm of human behaviour in social situations and the way that we appear to others.
Stay updated on this project on Instagram
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A video impression of the RNW NOOR Academy in Mexico. A five day visual storytelling workshop for ten young, aspiring photojournalists from Mexico, Venezuela and El Salvador I initiated and organised in collaboration with leading photo agency NOOR.
