amsterdam Nov 2013

Unit c.m.a is a broad-based agency for photography, illustration, motion and more.

Located directly in the heart of Amsterdam, the company represents over 50 national and international creatives working for a wide-range of ad agencies, editorial and fashion clients.  Unit c.m.a also offers production to independent (inter)national photographers and directors.

"With a group of devoted image addicts, we hope to stimulate quality, insight and specialism within the world of visual perception."

Founded in 1996, Foto Formation is an agency for photography, film and production based in Amsterdam.

The agency represents 14 photographers and six directors in different disciplines such as portraiture, stills, sports, commercials, fashion, documentary, interior, food, travel, cars, nature, beauty, art and architecture.

Contact Foto Formation direct with any questions about its photographers, directors or production services.

Paul Roberts works in a beautiful area of Holland used by Dutch master painters for inspiration, just 15 minutes from the centre of Amsterdam. His clients are a vibrant bunch of international photographers.

Commercial clients include Rabobank, KPN, Belgacom, Ziggo, Sensation and NS. Paul draws inspiration from his creative background to continuously look for new and exciting ways of artistic visual expression. Experience has shown that his expat status brings a special tension to the creative process that both he and his clients can feed off, making the journey from input to final image a unique and pleasurable experience.

Jan Ruinard has been working as a photographers producer for 11 years. He produces still photography but also initiates and organises online videos for Dutch photographers also interested and specialised in making motion pictures. He takes care of financial details before, during and after a shoot, handling all aspects of a photo or online video production.

Recent cliënts include Renault, C&A Germany, Ziggo and the Dutch Defence
Office recruitment campaign.

The Amsterdam office of Bituman Produkties (BP) has over ten years of experience in all aspects of producing (inter)national photo shoots and is specialised in the scouting and arranging of film, television and photography locations.

During this time, BP has gathered over 1750 private, industrial and corporate Dutch locations in it's extensive digital database. On request, the company can deliver a custom-made online location proposal.

BP works with the best professionals The Netherlands has to offer, producing and scouting for The New York Times Magazine, Vodafone, Philips, Wieden & Kennedy, Nuon, Audi, The Dutch Government, They, Ikea, Vogue NL, MIG Berlin, ABN-AMRO, Lays, Eurostar, Albert Heijn, Nike, IDTV Film, Statoil & Statkraft, MAP London and Heineken.

Martin Sweers is a European-based fashion and beauty photographer with a great eye for creative images of strong, beautiful woman. Martin understands his clients and is always looking forward for a way to make powerful and efficient productions.

Featured in this Showcase is a selection of his editorial and beauty work for Avenue Spain and Avenue China.

Music was Otto van den Toorn's greatest passion, but after 15 years of working as a DJ/composer he decided to leave his secluded studio life behind and move into the real world.

20 years of modelling experience gave him a decent insight into the fashion business. Otto loved working and connecting with people and so established himself as a full time photographer. His work is aesthetic with the strength to make reality more powerful and beautiful.

Otto's assignments are mostly fashion related and he has shot campaigns for brands such as Silvercreek, Superstar, van Gils, MiMoneda, Lookx, Makeupstudio and Inglot, as well as magazines such as Talkies Magazine, LAF, FYI and Stylevision.

Arjan (pronounced Airy Anne) Benning works for various advertising agencies, cultural institutions, museums and magazines worldwide. In his work he seeks to find the fine line between authenticity and amazement. His work is staged, and to him, "form" figures prominently as part of the content. He always strives to ensure that by understanding form, his staged shots seem effortless and natural.

He has won many awards for his work, including two gold, five silver, four bronze and
one lamp at PANL, AOP AND ADCN. His name is listed in Luerzer's '200 Best Advertising Photographers Worldwide.'

Ronald Tilleman is an experienced and award-winning creative photographer. Based in Rotterdam, many of his shoots are in Europe but he is available for assignments worldwide. His passion for photography, technical knowledge, a clear eye for composition and a deep understanding of visual language has led to many returning clients. One of them described his work as "visual poetry, with a high commercial value."

Ronald has won numerous awards and nominations in (inter-)national competitions for both commissioned and personal work, including the International Photo Award (aka Lucie-award) (4X nominations in 2013 and 2012, 5X nominations in 2010) PANL-award (2012, 2010), and the AOP-open (2010). 

Recent shoots include projects of UNStudio, Shindler, Euro RSCG, Hunter Douglas,TataSteel, Mark magazine, Arup, ProRail, Strukton, MVSA, VMX-architects, Kraaijvanger, VenhoevenCS, A10 magazine and others.

Pim Hendriksen is an Amsterdam-based advertising and portrait photographer. After studing technical business management and a career in the automotive industry, he decided to follow his heart and make photography his profession. He hasn't looked back and now works for internationally established brands like Red Bull, Heineken, Vodafone, McDonald's, Porsche, SEAT, KIA and Renault.

Peter Bak is a people, lifestyle and travel photographer based in Rotterdam. His signature styles include dramatically lit environmental portraits and intriguing travel images. In 2008 he started a series about "Cuba 50 years after the revolution."

Peter runs his own studio in Rotterdam and travels for projects all over the world.

Visit his website for more of his work.

Karen Steenwinkel doesn’t just capture the beauty of a moment, she creates the moment - the smile on the face of the chairman, the twinkle in the eye of the model, the glimmer shining through the architectural structure of a building. How does she do it? Technique? Skills? Gear? Perfection all along the production process? Sure. But mostly by being Karen. Instant happiness. And most of all: fun to work with.

Expertise includes corporate, lifestyle and people, beauty, advertising and portraiture.

With 10 years of experience in the industry, Joost van Manen has compiled an impressive portfolio of award-winning photos that have been published in numerous magazines, books, websites and as advertising assignments.

His elegant, sensitive and sophisticated style combine with technical skills and an eye for composition. He captures both beauty and authenticity in the world of fashion and entertainment. He specialises in lingerie and swimwear, fashion, beauty and celebrity portraits. His business background results in a deep understanding of the ideas of the client, whether editorial or advertising.

Joost shoots both on location and in his own studio, based conveniently in the centre of Amsterdam. His work includes projects with Keune, Canon, Evian, Jan Jansen Shoes, Philip Treacy and Starbucks.

"Fashion by the highest standard like it's worn by regular people like you and me. Making a young child feel at home in a big studio with lots of people and crew around. Creating unpretentious portraits of famous Dutch people. Sculpting still images with a poetic feel."

Astrid Zuidema glues all of these elements together to create the desired image while ensuring the highest level of quality. Be it in a studio environment or shot on location, she always seeks to create images that entice the viewer.

With years of experience she has worked for numerous editorial and corporate magazines, including Elle, Linda, Jan, Dutch, Upstreet, Max, Man, Carls Cars, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Elsevier, FHM and Intermediair, along with advertising agencies and retail clients such as Mexx, Wehkamp, Hema, Bijenkorf, Oilily, Tuff, Cakewalk, Panasonic and Philips & Design Academy Eindhoven.

Netherlands-based photographer Marcel Briaire approaches every new assignment as a fresh story. For each assignment he looks to use the right mix of techniques ( lighting, camera, post-production ) that best suit the picture. "I don't like to repeat the same 'trick' each time; this way I keep it fresh," he says.

Wherever he can, Marcel incorporates his love for the stylish 1940s and 50s in his work. His eye for detail and finish always shows through in his images.

Amsterdam based international photographer Sander Baks specialises in fashion, portrait and commercial photography for editorial and advertising clients.

Sander has a huge passion and talent for capturing beautiful imagery. Whether it's creating an editorial or shooting advertising campaigns, Sander brings a signature style to all of his work.

Recent notable clients include FHM, IKEA, Heineken, Red Bull, Samsung and many others.

Visit his website for more information.

For award-winning photographer Robbert Jan de Witte (1966), versatility and playing with light are key elements in his work. The Amsterdam-based photographer has an impressive portfolio with advertising assignments for companies such as Sony, Heineken, Unilever, Philips, Shell, ArkeFly and others. Robbert Jan graduated at The Royal College of Art in The Hague (1990), won the prestigious Photography Award SJP (1999), gained three Merits at PANL, and has been nominated several times.

Pim Ras was born in Rotterdam. As an eight-year old he visited Feyenoord football stadium with his father, where his focus was more on the sports photographers on the sidelines than on the football players themselves. From that moment on, he wanted to become a photographer.

10 years later, Pim began working for Inter Football, the agency behind the commercial activities of Ajax Amsterdam. In 1988 he joined the photo agency of famous cycling photographer Cor Vos, where he shot cycling and football for leading Dutch sports newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. Although he now enjoys a freelance career, the paper is still Pim’s podium and he has covered six Olympic Games and eight European and World football championships.

His pictures have won 42 prizes in the Dutch Silver Camera contest. In 2009, he won the Silver Camera for a news story documenting the Queen's Day assault on the Royal Family.

In a 25-year career, Pim has developed himself into an all-round photographer. As well as sports photography he shoots portraits for magazines and is also a renowned news photographer, with regular clients including Dutch publications Panorama Magazine, Voetbal International and Quest Magazine.

Richard Terborg is a conceptual fashion, portrait and fine art photographer. His background in media and design helps his over-active brain keep-up with the many things he does at the same time. Add a drive for getting people to "stop talking and start doing," and you have Richard in a nutshell.

His experience as a multimedia engineer gives Richard the sharpened ability of finding the most creative solution to every problem. By specialising in everything the media world has to offer, he taught himself the art of multi-tasking several ventures at a time… and rocking them!

Deep Thought productions is a full service production company based in Amsterdam. The company specialises in the creation and production of music videos, short documentaries and commercial films.

Deep Thought has three in-house directors, two photographers and an in-house production and editing team. The company is always searching for innovative and creative solutions to fulfil the needs of each client and for every budget.

Over the last 14 years Deep Thought has become a solid production company with top-notch clients from all over Europe.

Carmen Gonzalez' origins, her way of working and living, are rooted in Argentina, where she was born. She gets most of her inspiration and creativity for her work from team spirit.

When she’s working with her models she enjoys the challenge of getting the 'part of the soul' that’s hidden, out into the open. She likes to encourage the models to feel strong and confident, knowing well that this will radiate through in the photos.

Carmen has travelled all over the world with various fashion magazines and has been involved with advertising campaigns in different countries.

To grow professionally, she has lived in Milan, Paris and Miami. This has afforded her great opportunities, to build an international portfolio, and importantly, to learn how to look 'out of the box'.

Umsjatka provides the perfect infrastructure for a photo or film production. The company provides tailored support and can arrange for professional assistants and equipment. Umsjatka studios are located within an old church on one of Amsterdam's most beautiful canals, with hotels, restaurants, art galleries and specialty shops all within walking distance. Umsjatka is known for its lively coffee and dining establishments as well as its open, creative atmosphere for making film and photo concepts a reality. Each day a personal chef prepares fresh, healthy meals.