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Interview: Canon Travel Photography With Sjoerd Bracke
Janine van der Kooij - Vink
Interview with travel photographer Sjoerd Bracke
Sjoerd Bracke is a Dutch travel photographer. He started photography when he was travelling through Asia in 2017. That trip deepened his passion for photography and creating travel content, and today he is a full-time travel photographer. Over the past years, Sjoerd has travelled to many different countries and became a Canon Netherlands ambassador. He has visited 38 countries so far, with many more on his bucket list. The aim of his images? To convey the feeling of a moment — sometimes the small feeling you get when imposing mountains surround you, but other times the feeling of powerlessness when a volcano erupts.
Sjoerd is happy to tell us more about his work as a travel photographer and how he conveys the feeling of a place through his images. He also shares his tips for when you want to start travel photography yourself.
The world of travel photography
When Sjoerd started photography in 2017, he was travelling through Asia with his girlfriend. "I was allowed to borrow her entry-level camera and I used it to document the trip." That is where his passion for travel photography began. He started learning more about photography and how to create travel content. "I studied marketing and found it a fun project to explore how the world of travel photography works."
Sjoerd says he started travelling young — since the age of 12 he went on holidays with his parents to countries like Ecuador, Vietnam and southern Africa. "They introduced me to the nature and culture of those countries." Before that they mainly went to Switzerland and Austria on holiday. "I think my love of mountains and nature was born during those holidays." In total Sjoerd has now visited 38 countries and whenever he travels, he still loves to seek out the natural side of a country. "I am always looking for places where I feel very small. That feeling is what I always try to find wherever I go."
Canon ambassador
Over the past years Sjoerd produced a lot of content and learned a great deal — at first with his girlfriend's entry-level camera, but a few years later he was invited to become Canon Netherlands ambassador. "I still find that so amazing. It has given me the opportunity to use such beautiful gear and create great images."
When you photograph a lot, you sometimes want to redo shots you took years ago. Sjoerd got that chance. "Years ago I did a gorilla trek in Uganda using my girlfriend's entry-level camera and I could make reasonably good photos." Last year he had the opportunity to photograph gorillas in Uganda again, this time with Canon gear and the knowledge he has now. "That was truly a dream," Sjoerd reflects. He says one of his other all-time favourite images is the photo he took during the sixteen-day hike to Everest Base Camp. "You have to walk nine days before you can take this photo."
Through the photographer's eyes
A photo is successful for Sjoerd when he can convey the feeling he himself had at the moment he took it. "I think with a photo you look through the eyes of the photographer. It also needs to stay fairly close to reality for me." He explains that he edits his photos but would never alter the image. "I sometimes adjust the colours, but otherwise I minimally retouch my images. I never add things and I do not manipulate shapes or sizes." When you are in a mountain range, you may recognise that feeling of being overwhelmed by the imposing peaks. "That is the feeling I want to convey — not by making the mountains bigger in post-processing, but by thinking about composition." Placing a person in front of the mountain, for example, allows the viewer to put themselves in that moment.
Since Sjoerd started photographing in 2017, he has learned a great deal. "In the beginning I did not know very much. By spending time with other photographers I learned more." Good preparation is also very important. "Sometimes you see photos and think: I will just go and make that too. That does not work." A trip needs to be well prepared so you know where to be at what moment, and the conditions need consideration too. "Is it a photo you can take at sunrise or sunset? What about the weather?" Sjoerd says a successful photo depends on preparation.
Local people know the best spots
Although you can prepare a lot before you travel, not everything can be predicted. Sjoerd was on his way to Iceland when a volcano erupted. "That is such a coincidence. You already need to be lucky enough to travel to Iceland for such unique natural phenomena, and I was already on my way. I was able to capture beautiful images there." Besides unpredictable moments, Sjoerd loves to be surprised. "When I am travelling and the schedule allows it, I like to ask local people where I should go." This happened on East Java too. He was there with his girlfriend when he joined a group of local content creators who took them to several waterfalls. "We slept at the friends and family of those local creators for a few days and went out together. Of all the waterfalls we visited, I could maybe have found one or two myself through preparation. This is a great way to see more in an unfamiliar environment. I recommend letting local residents take the lead."
In the coming years, Sjoerd hopes to see many more beautiful places. He wants to go to Tanzania and Kenya, and Patagonia is high on his bucket list. "I would also really love to go to Greenland. I am definitely not done travelling yet."
Tips
- Prepare thoroughly. "Without good preparation you will get nowhere. As a travel photographer, you spend 90% of your time preparing your trips — doing research, finding assignments and pitching ideas. You are actually only on the road 10% of the time, but thanks to good preparation a trip becomes truly rewarding."
- Find your own style. "Virtually the entire world has already been captured. It is therefore important as a travel photographer to find your own style."
- Know why you want to be a travel photographer. "Travel photography looks very romantic on social media, but bear in mind that your travels change when you have to create content about them. Travelling also becomes your work and it takes away part of your travel experience. As a travel photographer you also need to be a good entrepreneur."
Sjoerd Bracke's work
Website: www.sjoerdbracke.com
Instagram: @sjoerdbracke
Gear
For his photos, Sjoerd uses the following Canon equipment: the Canon EOS R5, a 15-35mm, a 24-70mm and a 70-200mm lens.
