Exposition in the Rhoon Castle

Aug

31

2021

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

Dear friends,

I am excited to invite you to the upcoming exposition of Sehnsucht photographic artists – including myself – in the historical Rhoon Castle. Our theme this time is the intersection of the concepts of Sehnsucht (that deep unattainable yearning of the human soul) and the Castle. Different perspectives, vision, and techniques are brought together by Annemarie van Buuren, Nicole Hagesteijn, Mark van Hattem, Jacqueline Louter, Mariska Pool, Dieter Provoost, John de Vos, and me. For the first time, I am presenting works from my “Time-Space Windows” project with a meta-historical view through antique glass.

Rhoon Castle was founded in the 13th century, and its current architecture is mostly from the 16th century. The Rhoon Castle Foundation holds cultural events, exhibitions and music performances here. It is only 15 minutes by metro from Rotterdam center (and a 5-minute walk from the metro), and you find yourself in a quiet oasis of history and nature.

The exposition will open on Sunday, 5 September, and run till Sunday, 26 September. Opening hours: Saturdays and Sundays 14.00-17.00. The entrance is free. You are most welcome to visit!

EXISTENTIA photo exposition in Gorky Park

Jan

17

2021

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

Dear friends,

I am happy to share the news of the forthcoming photo exposition in Moscow.

On January 18^than open air exhibition will open in the Muzeon Park of Arts. The theme is “EXISTENTIA”, and the exposition is curated by Dr. Nadezhda Kasavina from the Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences. The photographers explore the themes of existential philosophy such as one’s presence and self-being in the world, the inherent contradictions of the human existence and getting beyond them, transcending the limits of thinking, experience and reason. Bringing together philosophical and photographic perspectives, and visual expressions of existential experience is at the core of this project.

Existential philosophy has always resonated with me and influenced my artistic approach. So I am honoured and excited to have my work selected among the 24 photographs.

The exhibition opens tomorrow and runs for one month, till the 18^thof February.

Muzeon Park of Arts is part of Gorky Park, and the photographs will be placed at the Moscow River bank next to the new Tretyakov Gallery building (address: Krymsky Val, 2). The entrance is free.

OlgaRook-existentia

Happy New Year!

Dec

31

2020

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

Dear friends,

I hope you and your dear ones are healthy and that you enjoy the holidays.

I want to wish you a healthy, prosperous and happy year 2021!

With love,

Olga

Family photoshoot in Rockanje

Oct

25

2020

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

Let me share with you a moment from a recent family photo session in Rockanje.

family photo shoot in Rockanje: in high grass

It gives me pleasure to look back at that sunny summer-like day in September with a happy family and children.

Yulia: the Noir edition

Aug

23

2020

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

Yesterday I featured some color photos from a photoshoot with artistic Yulia in Rotterdam. Now it’s time for black and white photography. While color helps to capture the atmosphere of the moment, black and white lets you concentrate on the essence of the feeling.

character portrait in the city

Here are some black and white images from our photo session: timeless and full of character. Again, Rotterdam is a wonderful backdrop for street stories in black and white, and there is always something new to discover in this city.

Yulia: Vibrant portraits in Rotterdam

Aug

22

2020

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

Let me share with you some portraits of lovely Yulia from a recent photo session in Rotterdam. Yulia is an art curator and one of the founders of XXYZ project on the 20th century art. She is also a dear friend of mine, and I knew our photo session is going to be fun and inspiring.

portrait is a colourful harbour

Yulia loves black and white photography and so do I. We made some timeless noir photos but I want to start with the burst of color we had around us.

Summer photo session in the garden

Jul

19

2020

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

As promised, here are some solo portraits of my wonderful photo models from Apeldoorn. In the color photos I love how the flowers in the background help create a dreamy palette. And, of course, we have classic black and white character portraits showing different sides of kid’s personalities. The styling is children’s own: a part of fun and creative process for the children.

classic child portrait in black and white

Children and their horses: a photo session in Apeldoorn

Jul

05

2020

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

Today I want to share some photos from a recent children’s photo session in Apeldoorn.

It was great to meet gorgeous Josefina and Sylvana again and to see how their children have grown over the past time. The kids are awesome, I always have fun photographing them and having a chat. But they also have some very special skills and this is what I want to show in this blog post.

Jane: Fun photo session in Rotterdam after lockdown

Jun

05

2020

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

After a corona break, photo sessions are back! With necessary precautions and physical distancing, of course. For me as a photographer this is not a issue. I love outdoor adventures and my favorite lens for outdoor photoshoots is a long telelens that won’t even focus closer than 1,5 meters. In real life this lens demands even more space. That means you are safe with me and need not worry!

photo of a joyous woman

Happy Mother’s Day!

May

10

2020

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

It’s Mother’s Day today!

Dear mothers, you give the gift of life and unconditional love, you nurture and inspire.

You are beautiful beyond words!

Mother-daughter photography

A Gift for Mother’s Birthday: Children’s portraits

Mar

29

2020

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

Today I want to feature a photo session with four children in Berkel en Rodenrijs. You probably remember that I am always enthusiast when I learn that children’s photo shoot is meant to create a special gift for one’s partner or parents. With partners it also adds an element of surprise and is often kept secret. As a photographer I love that kind of projects!

Black and white portrait of a boy wearing boxing gloves

The photo session is planned when one of the parents is away for work or meeting friends (or something else is invented to keep them out of the house). Ideally, one does not know what is going on during their absence. Then we have the photo session at one’s home or outdoors and try to keep it secret. That surely adds an exciting element to the shoot.

Zinzi: A lifestyle photo shoot in The Hague

Feb

16

2020

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

A day in the life photo sessions belong to my favorite kinds as they are so full of possibilities. They are perfect for elaborate family reportages and loveshoots with many activities and locations. But it is an excellent option for individual photo shoots as well. It gives you plenty of time to combine indoor and outdoor portraits, visiting several locations and, of course, using more outfits.

Today I want to share some portraits from a half-day photo session I had with beautiful Zinzi in the centre of The Hague. Zinzi wanted to treat herself with a fun and relaxed lifestyle photo shoot. She has artistic taste and a wonderful sense of style, and it was a great pleasure for me to photograph such a lovely and gracious model.

The Snow Nostalgia

Feb

06

2020

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

Saying goodbye to the winter that wasn’t there.

To me, winter without snow is like coffee without caffeine. My Russian soul misses snowy winters, and when I visited Moscow last month I hoped to see enough snow.

We are all aware of climate change, but it was still a shock for me when artificial snow was used to decorate the center of Moscow for the New Year holidays. December 2019 was the warmest in Moscow since 1886 but January 2020 became the warmest January ever. Not a winter I was hoping to enjoy.

During my visit there was some snow after all but it was also humid and windy. I witnessed a single snowy moment that made me think of “normal” winters. I wanted to enjoy it with some nature around, so I went for a walk at a small forest at the outskirt of Moscow. White fluffy snow was everywhere. Such moments always make me feel happy. I made some photos and want to share a little “winter spirit” with you.

Love Story Photography in Rotterdam: 25 years together

Dec

22

2019

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

Today I have a special issue: my dear friends Karen and Marcel have been together for 25 years. They thought it was high time for a romantic photoshoot, and I couldn’t agree more.

The couple met each other in Rotterdam and lived here ever since. For them, the city is full of romantic memories. Some locations that have been important and symbolic for the couple were bound to appear in our pictures. We walked through different parts of Rotterdam, and it became one of the characters in our photo story.

timeless romantic portrait of a couple in the city

We started at the Maasboulevard enjoying the view on the river and the skyline behind it. Then it was time for a cup of coffee, and we went to Grand Café “Prachtig”. It had not only a speaking name (symbolic to use it in for a photo, isn’t it?) but also a panoramic view on the Maas. A Christmas tree was a nice feature too, I believe it was the only winter detail we’ve seen on this rather warm day.

One of the things I appreciate about wintertime photo sessions is that the Sun does not get too high. That means you don’t need to be up too early to get beautiful long shadows and dramatic silhouettes. One of my favourite photos from our reportage is the silhouette of Karen and Marcel against the Maas and the city skyline including Erasmus Bridge. It is nostalgic and timeless. If one did not know these impressive buildings were built over the past decades, one might think this picture is quite old.

Nostalgic Children’s reportage in Delft

Dec

21

2019

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

Today I want to feature a children’s photo session in the center of Delft. The atmosphere was so magical it fits Christmas holidays perfectly.

Timeless children's portrait in the center of Delft

Alaina called me for a photo session of her three children. An expat family from the US spent a few great years in the Netherlands and were now moving on to a new destination. Living in Holland was an important part in their children’s life. The youngest girl, Ella, was even born here. The family needed a beautiful photo story as a lasting memory of their beautiful time in the Netherlands.

Sunset in Tivoli and a magic olive garden

Dec

15

2019

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

Today I want to share one of the personal moments I had this year. In September my husband and I went for a holiday to Italy, and my mental batteries are still fully charged with sunshine and inspiration from that trip. I will have to make a couple of posts and I’m starting with Tivoli.

Sunset in Tivoli

Children’s photo session in Rotterdam Schiebroek

Dec

04

2019

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

Professional children’s photography is a wonderful gift for the grandparents. Roy and his sister had thought of such special present for their parents on a special date. We arranged a photo session with their little children in a park in Schiebroek, and today I am going to share some images from this fun reportage.

Naturally, we wanted to have a beautiful group picture of all four children together. The youngest, baby Thijs, was barely 5 months old. He could not stand yet, and the other children were too young to hold him. To make a nice group picture possible we had to let the kids sit together or, for example, lie on their belly. In the autumn the grass in the morning is mostly quite wet to sit on the ground. The answer was simple: to use a plaid and a layer to put under it. This worked very well: the children were dry and comfortable, and the photos turned out wonderful.

I wanted to incorporate that lovely moment of the children together into natural setting. Open field and trees far behind made a perfect timeless backdrop here. The photo is about the personalities of the children but also about childhood.

Four happy children in a park

Maaike and Music: Poetic portraits

Nov

21

2019

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

I have just shared images from a wonderful family photo session in Limburg. Now I wish to complete the story with a mini-series featuring charming Maaike playing ukulele.

playing music in a wonderful garden

If you have read my previous blog post, you know that Maaike’s family is fond of music and everybody plays several instruments. I wanted to capture the family playing music together and asked everybody to pick some music instruments (later I have counted at least 7 different ones used during the photoshoot). Maaike took a ukulele and was now playing in the garden while waiting for the others. I enjoyed the lovely music and of course made some photos. Let me share some of them.

Fruit garden, blowballs and music: A Family photo session in Limburg

Nov

17

2019

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

Today I want to feature a wonderful photo session in Limburg. It is usually the parents who initiate a family photo session with the kids. This time it were the children, students, who wanted to give a special present to their parents for a special date. My old client Maaike and her brother Cas knew a photo session is a kind of gift to combine memorable photos and fun family time together. And it worked out awesome!

Family photo shoot in an urban setting: a walk in Rotterdam

Oct

26

2019

by Olga Rook | Comments Off

Today I want to share with you some photographs from a family photo shoot in Rotterdam. This reportage is so full of sunshine and happy smiles, it’s like a sip of carefree summer joy.

It was my third photo session with Tugce and her beautiful family. Little Deniz has turned 5, she is a schoolgirl now. When I look at her portraits through these years, I am once again amazed how quickly children grow and how photography can help you mark different stages of that special time and build up a story: of a person and a family.

Rotterdam-fotoshoot-gezin-OlgaRookPhotography