Hi,
I am Marcel Van Eerd. When I am asked how long I have been a photographer, the short version I tell people is “I can’t recall not having a camera around my neck“.
If you care, here is a longer version.
Ever since I got my first camera at age 7 (a Kodak Instamatic 155X), I started photographing everything around me. I saved my allowance, birthday money and money earned from little jobs and bought 126 slide film. I took pictures around the house, took it on school trips and holidays. So much fun to have the slides come back and drop them into a slide viewer and watch the memories come alive on a big screen in a darkened room!
Time went on and an uncle (RIP, ome Martien) “sold” me a Petri SLR for 25 guilders, with the condition I could not sell it, but return it for a full refund whenever I wanted. That old Petri launched me into a whole new realm. Once, a photographer we met on vacation taught me the “exposure triangle” and the sunny-sixteen rule. I certainly needed the knowledge shared with me when the built-in light meter (ah yes, those old selenium cells…) failed, and I bought a light meter (Gossen Bisix 2) in a small camera shop in Austria.
Unknowingly, a technical foundation was laid for a passion for photography that has stayed with me thus far.
Leap forward…
I have been a professional wedding photographer for about 15 years and enjoyed that time very much. I have also done product photography, event photography, corporate portraits and for many years had the pleasure of having the most beautiful “Photo’s with Santa” location in town – in the Manitoba Children’s Museum’s Eaton Village. I remember clearly taking three or four photos of every child, placing alphabet play-blocks in the background so I could track which child was which and printing three or four sets of photos. Running them back to the Children’s Museum, where the staff had a large bin at the front counter for photo pickup. What a time-consuming process!!
Then, I bought my first digital camera (Olympus C5050) and it turned my photo-world upside down. I used it for weddings, alongside my Hasselblad, and was amazed what a simple semi-pro digital camera could do. Through the years, I graduated from Canon DSLR (20D, amazing in its day), to the Canon 1D series, full-frame Canons and so on.
And all that came to a grinding halt.
Somehow, in my race to get the latest greatest equipment, I lost track of what photography meant to me. I was blessed having had the opportunity to be a guide on Nature Manitoba canoe trips in the Whiteshell for three years. On my second trip, all I took with me was an old Praktica MTL5b, the 50mm lens and a couple of rolls of 24 exposure film. Freedom!!! I was overjoyed to have rediscovered what photography meant for me; looking, looking and looking. Simply enjoying the beauty around me in all that I saw. Whether it was people, nature or just objects. I started seeing the world again with new eyes.
Soon after, I gave up wedding photography and have never looked back on that decision with regret. I started shooting again with passion and no longer cared what the tool was that I was using. Right now, I still own a variety of film cameras, mostly older (“This Old Camera”…) that I pick up from time to time. (One camera I will probably never sell is the Minolta Autocord. It is simply stunning)
Fast forward once again. After a foray into Fuji mirrorless cameras (XT3, XPro3) and equally great lenses, I once again realized that I was going down the path of seeking purpose through acquiring more digital gear. It was time for some serious decision making, and I let go of all my digital photo-taking gear. My heart just didn’t go out to picking up a digital camera and taking photos. However, loading film in my Mamiya C330S… that gives me butterflies every time. Looking down that magnificent large viewfinder and framing the shot I already envisioned; taking a light reading, dialing it in on the lens, and gently releasing the shutter… man, it just doesn’t get any better. Have a look at my gallery “Film” and see my passion come to life, so to speak.
Having collected many negatives and slides over the years, I started converting my slides and negatives to digital images. When word got out to friends and family, it occurred to me that I might as well offer my expertise in this field as a service.
Combine that with a long-standing dream of having my own gallery to showcase (and sell) some of my work, and a plan took shape to create this website.
Keep looking at the world around you with new eyes every day. Discover the miracle of being on this planet. Use any camera and capture what you see.
Blessings to all of you,
Marcel