The story of portrait photographer Anouk Boonstra

An unexpected start for portrait photographer Anouk Boonstra

Six years ago, Anouk Boonstra’s life was turned completely upside down. She had just quit her steady job to start working as a videographer when her relationship ended shortly after and with it, she also lost her home. “I basically had nothing left. My work as a videographer didn’t earn me enough to live off yet, so I decided to move back home and work really hard to build something for myself.” Out of necessity, she also took on photography jobs. To her surprise, she really enjoyed it and it turned out to be her true passion.

After six months, Anouk realized photography was what she loved doing most. She quit videography and focused entirely on photography. “It sounds like a fairytale now, but back then it was anything but,” she says. In the end, photography turned out to be her biggest passion and love, and she’s incredibly happy things turned out the way they did.

Anouk says, “People often say, ‘How great that you turned your hobby into your job’… But that definitely wasn’t the case for me. This all happened six years ago, but now it’s truly the best thing that ever happened to me!”

The power of portraits

Today, Anouk Boonstra is a successful portrait photographer who captures her clients up close. “I want to portray people in a way that feels natural and true to who they are. The best part is being able to show someone the way I see them. If my work gives people a tangible boost in confidence, then I’ve done my job.”

In her early days, she photographed just about everything, but she consciously chose to focus on portraits. “I just really like people. That’s what makes this work so special,” Anouk says enthusiastically.

A style true to herself

She doesn’t follow or copy trends. Over the years, Anouk stuck to one rule: only create what she personally finds beautiful. “You see so many trends come and go, so many people copying each other’s work but I think that’s such a shame. Maybe your client won’t notice, but you will. I don’t believe you can be truly happy as a photographer by copying others or shooting ‘by the rules.’ In the end, we’re all creatives, and we need that sense of spark.”

She now also shares that vision in talks and trainings. “I always tell everyone: please take photos that make you want to do a little happy dance. That feeling when you take a shot and think: YES. That’s the best thing there is. Then it’s a photo that came from you, because you love it, because it excites you. So many people, so many opinions. You’ll never please everyone… So make sure you do it for yourself! Authenticity will always be the most important thing in our field,” Anouk shares passionately.

Milestones to be proud of

Over the years, she has built an impressive portfolio. She’s worked with big names like Jutta Leerdam, Enzo Knol, and Myron Koops. And one of her favorite shoots was with Monica Geuze. She also loves that so many “unknown” people find their way to her and think: I want to be photographed by her. On top of that, she’s hired by Cameranu and Sony to speak about her vision on portrait photography. “I find that really special.”

One of her biggest highlights came this past April: her own theater show, a real bucket list dream. And that wasn’t the end of it. “For the first time, I’ve launched a product of my own that I’m incredibly proud of: [IN]FRAME.” It’s a luxury posing card deck with 50 pose cards, additional videos, and a dedicated community for her clients.

Anouk admits she found the whole process very nerve-wracking, as she had never launched a product before. “But I’m so proud of how beautiful it’s turned out.”

Inspiration and challenges

Anouk finds inspiration everywhere. “I’m always looking around and soaking things in. I only follow people who inspire me and I love scrolling for hours on Pinterest. I’m also really interested in what’s happening in photography abroad and love following that.” For her, inspiration can come from anything conversations, buildings, images, you name it.

Challenges along the way

The journey hasn’t been without challenges. “I tend to be really hard on myself and I’m rarely satisfied,” Anouk shares openly. That’s why, for a long time, she didn’t want to give talks, trainings, or workshops. “I always thought: ‘I’m just winging it too,’” she says. But she learned that putting that mindset aside is essential to grow a successful business. She’s now very glad she pushed through and finds teaching incredibly rewarding.

The past two years have also been tough personally. “Sometimes it’s a real challenge running a business on your own, especially when you’re the only source of income. I don’t share these things with my clients on social media, but we’re all human and everyone goes through things.”

Tips for aspiring photographers

For those just starting out, she has a clear message: Dare to invest. “A lot of people want to grow big, but don’t want to do what it takes,” Anouk says. “Go take workshops and trainings with people who inspire you. Create tons of personal work, ask everyone around you to model, and just start shooting! Get your reps in!”

It’s also important to keep making work that you love. “Don’t take too much to heart what others think about your photos. Your photos, your style, your vision!”

Finding clients and delivering photos with Shootstack

Most of Anouk’s clients find her through Instagram, where she’s very active.
To deliver her work, she relies on Shootstack. “I love that after editing, I can ‘complete’ the process in Shootstack. I can organize everything beautifully, add my client’s name… to me, it really feels like the cherry on top.”

She’s also enthusiastic about the client experience: “I think it’s perfect that my clients can choose whether they want the web version or the original file size. That way, I don’t have to store everything twice, and they’re not always waiting on me when they need smaller files.”

Dreams and goals

Right now, Anouk is focused on her new product [IN]FRAME, which she’s put a lot of work into. The product is entirely hand-curated. “I picked, designed, and created every single part of it myself. It turned out to be such a beautiful product that I’m insanely proud of.”

On Friday, August 29, the product goes live. The luxury posing card deck includes 50 different poses divided into five chapters. Each card has a pose, with Anouk’s tips and tricks on the back. There are also additional videos where she shares even more.

For more information about [IN]FRAME, click here.

She’s also super excited about her new community. After ordering the deck, you get access to a private, safe space for photographers, Anouk says enthusiastically.

It’s her dream and goal to grow this into something big. “Because I’m so active on Instagram, I have a lot of followers who are photographers. I get asked ‘How do you direct people, how do you pose them?’ every single day in my inbox. Since I can’t help everyone personally, this felt like the perfect solution. This way, I can still be there for everyone just a little bit.”

Curious to see more of Anouk Boonstra’s work? Be sure to check out her journey on Instagram @byanoukboonstra.