Martien discovered her love for photography as a teenager. Her first pictures date from her high school years, when friends would pose willingly in her home-made studio. After her art history studies, with a major in contemporary photography, she decided to take her own pictures more seriously.
By composing handmade books of her photographs, she established a visual language that connected to the magazine world. She started travelling the globe, wherever assignments would lead her, and created personal work at the same time. She has always been interested in the relationship between people and their environment.
The variety of her subjects asked for a strong consistency in style and approach. Martien creates stories that are truly minimalist. People seem to be at ease in front of her, and static objects are brought to life by her quietly focused attention. The essence of any subject is revealed without force. Her pictures are “pure”, “personal” and “universal”, and therefor find their way into magazines, advertising campaigns and galleries.
Up until today her handmade books are a very specific way to present her work. The books are visual stories that reflect a personal experience. With a focus on the natural and the real, Martien is always looking for the things that are delicately abstract. As a stylist once said of her work: “It has a rare and lovely lightheartedness. She is one of the few photographers out there who is doing work that does not undermine one’s self esteem, the way so many fashion or beauty images do. Her work is calmly reassuring.”
See Martien's Portfolio HERE
Martien is reped by Walter Schupfer
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