Giedo van der Zwan

Pier to Pier. My project ‘Pier to Pier’ is about the beach culture in my home town Scheveningen. The location where I shoot is always between the northern fishing pier and the iconic pleasure pier with the big wheel.
This is 2.4 kilometers of beach and the boulevard and a lot of activity takes place. Depending on the season people take a walk along the coastline, go walking with their dogs, do surfing, windsurfing, sailing, kites, et cetera. Also, a lot of events take place during the year which attract many visitors.
My project will be exhibited this summer on the big Pier itself, so if you are in the neighborhood, come and have a look!

Photographer: Giedo van der Zwan

Country: Netherlands

Bio: I was born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands in September 1967. Photography has been a part of who I am and the way I see the world since the age of 12. I rediscovered photography in the early days of digital (Canon D30 in 2001) and for quite some time I focused on shooting travel and wildlife.

Since last year, my focus has shifted completely to the street and I find myself very lucky, shooting with inspired street photographers in my hometown and in cities all over the world.

The way I shoot Since I took up the challenge of shooting with only one lens (and mostly only one camera, a Fuji X100F) I like to photograph people up close, in full colour. I use flash to add colour and contrast.
I seem to like formal compositions and clean shots but I try to add an extra element that is not always in plain sight: preferably something quirky, humorous, bizarre, or anything that makes a scene special.
I don’t want to be invisible as photographer. I like to connect. It feels good and sometimes provides an even better chance of making the shot that I’m aiming for.