I do not consider myself an architectural photographer. I came from documentary photography, which was my passion when I was in art school and even after that. I fell in the fields of architecture kind of unexpectedly. For my commission work, architects are always interested in that the detail and perfect moment in terms of lights, angles, materials, etc. But for me, it is very important to also show what brings the project to a specific place and how does it fit into the context. So I often try to get further and further away from those details, and I often end up in the sky. Tha is why I like to shoot from a helicopter, I think it is a very good way to tell the story of a city, to show how it has grown over time, and how the landscape and architecture has shaped it. Of course, Prague is significantly defined by its landscape – especially by the shape of the river, which is literally a lifeline of the city. Although you do not see the river from many places in the city, you always feel its presence. Especially in the aerial pictures, you certainly see the context of the relationship between the river and the city. For me, as a photographer, these moments are very valuable because they give me what I am looking for – the wider overview of people's lives.

Prague's architecture reminds me of big capitals like London or Paris. But then there is this strange juxtaposition between grand city-making with its grandiose architecture and the total laid-backness of the place, which was very nice and probably also part of the summer relaxing. Of course, just like in any other tourist meccas, there are those hardcore tourist points where everyone is trying to sell you something – The Charles Bridge is sort of central point of all of this, but in fact, it is quite a small area where it all happens and you feel all that bustle, but the moment you just branch out a little bit into the side streets, it all suddenly disappears and the relaxation of the city becomes visible again.

When I go to a new city, it is always a very intuitive way of discovering. I always try to let go of the „baggage“ of prior knowledge and get inspiration from the place itself and the encounters that I have in that place. Of course, I read a bit about the city, what are the important monuments, important places to visit and so on, but at the same time, I also look the other way and see what happens in those places where people really live. I think those kinds of interactions become almost more important in telling the story of the city.

When I go to cities to document them, I also often do it by bike. Of course, you walk around a lot, but you cannot cover such a distance. If you go by car, you can go much further, but on the other hand, you miss a lot of things. The bike is always a really great way to discover the places because you can cover distances, but at the same time you can stop anywhere – when you see something, you can stop, you can park, you walk around, and you continue again. And it is probably also based on my background as a Dutch person. We grew up with the bike – we rode to school every day, one hour there and back. In a certain way, Prague is a fantastic place to bike because it is relatively flat. When I was there last summer, we rented a big cargo bike, we put the kids in and went around Prague – we ourselves became a tourist attraction. It was a great way to discover the place and sometimes it was a little bit scary to cross the big highways, but I think that bikes have a lot of potential in the city, and Prague should become even more bike-friendly.

Capturing a unique moment and a certain directness of photography are very important to me. In terms of my equipment, I try to work as lightweight as possible – when you are going around the city, you do not want to carry too much with you. For me, one camera in my hand is usually enough. You try not to be so visible and act more as an observer than as a photographer. I try to be the "fly on the wall" and capture people in what they do in natural situations without making them pose or disturb them in any way. Therefore, everything I use I carry over my shoulder. Basically, I try not to let technology get in the way too much.

When it comes to my commission work on one building, you try to make this sort of heroic shot capturing a „shiny“ newness of a new building. But only after the building has its permanence there and people forget that it was new and get used to it, then, I think, it becomes really interesting.

Of course, the architects have to be planners and thinkers and prepare for all of possible outcomes. But the moment people take over and the unplanned things start to live, it is really the moment where the place starts to sing and becomes alive. And those are the moments I try to capture. Thus, there is always a back and forth play between the plans, the built environment and all the informal and non-planned things which make the built environment really work and which make it special and unique, and in the end really tell the story of the place.