Each year, wissner-bosserhoff publishes a new portrait calendar with pictures of people with life experience. Every year, there is a new motto and many different photographers have already photographed for the calendar. This year’s theme was „Family & Friends“ and the photographer was Rienne Wopereis (aka „Fotografiënne“). We interviewed her because we wanted to know what motivates her to work mainly with older people. Here is part 2 of this interview:
What attracts you to a new task?
You do not always know in advance what to expect. I find that positively exciting. How are the people? What is their attitude? How are light and space? Last week, my nearly 7-year-old daughter said, „I understand that you like your job so much. Over and over again funny things happen.“ That was after a photo shoot in a nursing home in which people with dementia live. I was allowed to take photos of the inhabitants there. I always take enough time for me to be able to move around with the models. A resident helped me to assemble the so-called softbox, which is a kind of cover for my lights that is quite sturdy and able to withstand minor knocks. As soon as the softbox was set up, the lady danced with it on her head through the room, so we saw a softbox with two legs, hilarious! Alone this experience made it a successful day for me, but apart from that, the shoot went well as well.
What should you pay particular attention to when photographing older people?
Fotografiënne at work
It is not necessarily the same as, for example, a portrait of a younger person. You have to take different pictures. In my experience it is important that you really have to be interested in the people and their life stories. For me it’s just nice to deal with older people. Before I worked as a photographer for seniors, I worked for years volunteer in health facilities. I feel well among older people. Their experiences teach me how to make my own life more fulfilling. So I can give my enthusiastic contribution to the world of seniors in my own way.
How and where do you find topics?
In most cases, the client priorizes the topic. But apart from working for clients, I also start my own projects and often find inspiration in social issues that play a role in healthcare. An example is „WORKOUD“, sports enthusiasts with one more year of life experience. This is an exhibition of black and white images of older people still doing sports, not less engaged than the younger generation. This exhibition is for me especially for one topic: self-confidence. Sport contributes to the strengthening of independence. In the gym, where I had been doing sports myself, we asked seniors if they wanted to work on this project. And so the project took off. The exhibition has a lot to do with educational institutions (in terms of care and well-being or sports and movement), with the aim of giving the younger generation an insight into the lives of older people. Not all people just sit at home and take care of their flowers. You can see that in these pictures!
Rienne Wopereis (aka „Fotografiënne“) from The Netherlands
