How Merel Steenwijk started her photography career

As a true beach lover, life enthusiast, and mother of three, Merel's photography adventure began on her 30th birthday. She received her first DSLR camera from her husband. "He knew better than anyone how much I loved photography and gave me the perfect gift," Merel says enthusiastically. From that moment, she went all in. Everything, absolutely everything, was photographed. "Bees on a flower, my son who was just 4 months old, sheep on vacation, the unique streets of Marrakech. My camera worked overtime," says Merel.

Learning photography through trial and error

With trial and error, Merel taught herself the right skills, so she quickly moved from automatic to manual photography. However, it never occurred to her to make this her full-time job.

Merel recalls, "I remember well the first family I photographed. I asked for nothing and received a small contribution from them as a thank you." That was the first step! She went from photographing familiar families to unknown clients, attended some workshops, and step by step, her photography skills and reputation grew. She could no longer deny it: her hobby was truly becoming her job! She previously worked in education but gradually let that go, and now Merel is a full-time photographer. "I never would have dreamed this a few years ago!"

Where Merel's passion lies

Merel mainly photographs families and expectant mothers. She prefers to shoot outdoors in the dunes and by the sea. "I hop on my bike and ride through the dunes to my shoot location. As soon as I'm on my way, all the hustle and bustle falls away from me. The beach has something magical for me," says Merel. Even though she often shoots in the same places, no photoshoot or sunset is ever the same. The vastness of the dunes, the endless view of the sea... that's where she is at her best!

A love for light and teaching

Capturing the sun has always been a significant part of her photoshoots. "In the beginning, it was mostly frustrating (because the sun can be tricky!), but I got the hang of it over time," Merel explains. She evaluated every photoshoot and learned how to better capture the sun and light.

"When a photographer from Belgium asked if I could teach her how to capture sunlight as beautifully, I initially said 'no'. I didn't dare!" Until she asked again and convinced Merel. "What did I have to lose?" she says.

She got to work on a presentation, gathered all the information and related examples, created a workbook, and thus her Golden Hour Workshop was born! It was so much more fun to give than she ever imagined.

With her teaching experience, Merel knew how to share information effectively. So far, more than 35 photographers have attended the Golden Hour workshop in real life. The only challenge with this workshop? The Dutch weather. Unpredictable and always exciting to see what it will do. "But I promise a photo session with sun, even if it means a retry! No Golden Hour Workshop without a Golden Hour shoot!" says Merel enthusiastically.