When did you first become inspired to become a photographer? Is it something you have always wanted to do?

I’ve been intrigued by photography for as long as I can remember. When I was little my dad always brought along a camera to our holidays, and more often than not I ended up taking photos with it. I never really thought much of it, until I started traveling on my own in my late teens. Here I was in these beautiful countries, by myself, and I wanted to document these moments somehow. But all I had was an old smartphone. This created the dream of one day having a DSLR camera,that way I could finally start taking the images I always wanted to take! Years passed in which I did research on cameras, but never dared to buy one. Until a friend of mine forced me into a camera store, told me to point at the camera I wanted for so long, and made me put down my card. And that’s when it all really started!

Why do you call yourself an empowerment photographer?

With more and more people daring to show up in front of my lens, I noticed that confidence was a repeating topic that was discussed. Combining this with my own history of eating disorders, I decided to try to make a difference in people’s lives with my photography. I want to show people that no matter where you are in your life, you are worthy of being celebrated. We see so many distorted images in all forms of media around us, as well as toxic societal standards, that we can lose track of what a normal body looks like. Punishing ourselves in so many ways, to achieve this unrealistic standard. Nowadays I like to say that I follow ‘’the story of women*’’. From boudoir to maternity, to birth and newborn. In each stage of life, you go through waves of insecurities, but if you’re able to always reconnect with yourself, to not lose out on who you are. Then you have the most important relationship in life sorted: the one with yourself. And if I can help people to find themselves, even just for a little bit, with my photography, then my mission has succeeded.

*I believe that gender is a spectrum, Marieke Captures is inclusive of plurality of femme voices including trans, queer and non-binary people.

Is there a specific process you go through to create your images?

Most of my work is created with people who have never been in front of a camera before. We all know how intimidating it can be to be in front of a camera. To be able to really capture someone how they truly are, from the first minute I meet someone I put all my effort into getting to know them as best as I can and making them feel comfortable and relaxed. I always discuss with them what kind of images they would love to have, after which I put my own creative vision over their concept to see if we can truly create something special together. While always thinking of the person foremost.

In your opinion, what makes a good photograph? How do you decide when something you create meets or exceeds your expectations?

A good photograph is a photograph that stops you in your tracks to look at it a while longer. If that is because you want to figure out the story of the photograph, if you’re intrigued by the person in it, or if it has made you feel anything. A good photograph is one that makes you stop for a little while.

With my photography, I very much focus on the people who are in front of my camera, when I’m able to make them feel empowered, comfortable, themselves, amazing, while holding their photographs saying ‘’that is really me!’’ then I know my job is done.

Starting all over again today, what would you do differently?

Purchasing a DSLR camera sooner!

Do you think social media sites restrict content creators or make them more creative in finding different ways to express themselves?

Absolutely restricting. I know many creative people, including myself, who just have social media because nowadays it’s very difficult promote your work without. It’s your live portfolio that is constantly being updated. But it’s difficult with more and more restrictions being put on these platforms, think of not being allowed to show female nipples, or too much nudity, and algorithms favoring bigger accounts instead of smaller ones. Most of us are just trying to stick to our own creative vision while keeping up with the constant juggle of all the social media rules nowadays.

What was the reason for the shoot of a group of women and non-binary people in the woods, and what was the inspiration behind it?

Throughout my journey as a photographer, I realized quickly how important representation is. Seeing a body that you can find yourself in, is such a powerful tool to make you realize that yes, you are also perfectly amazing! With this in mind, I really wanted to create a shoot with different kinds of bodies and people, together, celebrating each other. While indoor shoots have a place of their own, I adore photographing people outside. There is something raw and beautiful about capturing bodies together in nature.

Was it a challenging shoot to arrange?

I knew from the start that although I wanted to make this vision of mine come to a reality, I wanted to make sure that everyone involved would have an amazing experience and most importantly: feel safe. For this reason, I decided to only work with people who had been in front of my camera before. I approached everyone individually, sharing my vision and making sure that everybody understood that there would be nudity involved and making sure that everybody was fully onboard.

It was quite a long process to really explain every detail and to gather everyone’s full consent. Because of this everyone knew so well what they had signed up for, it created this wonderful environment where all of them were truly cheering each other on and helping each other out. That gave me enough space to direct a group of people for the first time, while making sure that everyone was making use of the hot tea and snacks! Even when it’s a summery day in Scotland, being outside, naked, in the woods: you need it!

It was truly special to see people come together, to realize my vision while being so wonderful and kind to each other. A shoot that I will always remember!

If you could plan your dream photoshoot, can you please describe it?

I would love to have a group of people together one day, in different stages of life, different bodies, different ethnicities, in the Highlands of Scotland, celebrating each other. To have this wonderful group of people together; showing that love, respect, and support are all we need.

What goals would you like to achieve in the next 2 years?

There are still so many things I would hope to realize one day! I would love to create an online community of people where they can get and give support, no matter the topic, without receiving any form of judgment and/or hate.

To create workshops for femme voices who want to become photographers themselves, cause we’re massively outnumbered currently.

To have an exhibition somewhere in Scotland, showcasing my work, would hopefully inspire people to take a step closer to accepting themselves.

This is not something I can see happening anytime soon, but who knows, dream big right?!: to one day have a studio.

And to be perfectly honest, this list could go on for much longer! There are still so many things I would hope to realize one day.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my interview questions. I wish you luck with all your future shoots.

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