belgium Sep 2018

If you’re looking for a photographer who talks commercial yet walks the fine line between advertising and art, Lieven Dirckx is your man. Light is his medium. This results in a highly stylised approach, in which he is always looking for a sharp edge to blend with the beautiful, keeping the eye entertained at all times.

These graphic, bold images emanate instant star quality, which have earned Lieven the moniker ‘the Belgian Irving Penn’. To him, photography is about embracing the moment and making it live on forever.

Studio Ballena is a high-end commercial photo studio in Belgium with two large fully equipped studios, one near Brussels and one between Brussels and Gent, as well as a professional team working both in studio or on location.

Offering a full service approach to clients including an in-house food and set stylist with an eye for detail and a large selection of tableware and set accessories, Studio Ballena is a valued partner for many brands and agencies. By always using the latest technologies and equipment, an edge in efficiency and quality is guaranteed for all projects.

Post-production work is taken care of by the team in a fully colour calibrated workflow from camera to print. They provide mouth-watering photography to food and drinks companies as well as brand and marketing agencies for use in advertising, packaging, social media and publishing to support marketing campaigns and branding.

Recent projects include some of the most delicious Belgian food specialties.

Black Box Studio is a highly experienced commercial photography and video studio. Specialised in food, drinks and still life, the Brussels-based studio is unique in its human scale approach and wide-range of skills.

"Black Box Studio is the place where inventive technology interplays with inspiration. That’s the key for the making of all of your food shoots and creative commercial motion or videos. Imagine your products get transformed into exquisite images, and customers into an audience. Shooting your commercials in Black Box Studio means freeing your ideas from limitations."

Doreen Dierckx is a highly experienced photographer and film-maker working and travelling between Antwerp and NYC. A creative mind, she always has a handful of ideas to help visualise and strengthen a concept.

Photography, editorial and commercial, has always been Doreen's main focus, but she is happy to announce that she is currently finalising her first editorial video on Belgian fashion and is already preparing a script for an upcoming beauty/hair commercial.

Visit her website for more information or customised portfolios.

Mindbox has been producing photo and film shoots in Belgium and abroad for 10 years. With love and enthusiasm, the company has built a large location database and a strong team that knows how to service an excellent production.

Mindbox knows the importance of being hands-on and flexible on set. The team know how to adapt to any kind of production, fashion, catalogue or commercial shoots.

Mindox can help clients with art buying, location scouting, casting, local crew, camera, production and styling equipment as well as good food.

Clients include Another Magazine, C&A, Dust, H&M Home, i-D Magazine, Instyle, Komono, Love Magazine, L'Officiel, Lola Liza, Mango, Raf Simons, Rolf Benz, Samsonite, Terre Bleue, Vogue (Italy, Netherlands, Turkey and US), and Willy Vanderperre.

Iris Rombouts has 20 years of experience in the world of publishing. During tthat time, she has put her stamp on the Flemish media landscape as a designer of upscale magazines.

Over the past nine years, she has created concepts and projects for her company Image Boulevard, specialising in art direction, photography and graphic design for art, fashion and lifestyle campaigns. In 2014 she created digital platform Les Petits Belges - an influencer magazine about art, fashion, architecture and lifestyle.

Studio Scott is an online database with exceptional locations that can be rented for photo shoots, film shoots and events. From a lively vintage lounge to a sleek Scandinavian bathroom or an eclectic hall, the company focuses on renting exclusive private properties in Belgium but also offers very special spots abroad - all of them spaces you wouldn't normally have access to.

"We provide a quick and straightforward service, with attention to all your questions, and offer an open database with easy search functions. Not quite found what you were looking for? We will go location scouting for you, and won't stop until you are 100% satisfied. Because that means we will be too."

Studio Scott was initiated by three professionals in the creative sector. While talking and listening to clients, the trio sensed the need for exceptional locations and an easy way to find them.

"That is our story. We would also love to hear yours. Do you have questions, or do you own a photogenic property? We would be more than happy to stop by for a 'photosynthesis'. If your property is selected for a shoot, you will be paid a fee.

Sounds exactly as the thing you've been looking for? Then let us know and we will get in touch."

50.8 Studio is located just outside of Brussels near the Zaventem international airport. Offering two cost effective rental spaces as well as all necessary equipment, the studios are ideal for photographers, videographers and production companies.

The studios offer ideal shooting spaces with all comfort and technical needs catered for, including a full kitchen, hair and make-up/styling room, rest space, shower, and more.

"With a great range of in-house equipment and delicious catering options, we can ensure your shoot runs smoothly from start to finish.''

The studios are at street level and there is a loading zone in front of the building. On-site parking is always available.

Visit the website to check availability and to book directly online. Stay tuned to the latest news on Instagram.

Belgian make-up artist Vera Dierckx works in Paris for magazines such as Vogue, L’Officiel, Madame Figaro, Harper's Bazaar, Hunger, Elle, Qvest Magazine, Schon Magazine, Common & Sense, The Observer, and more.

Her clients include Schiaparelli, Agnes B, Azzedine Alaïa, Cerruti 1881 Balenciaga, Chaumet, Zara, Felipe Oliveira Baptista, Hermès, Christian Wynants, Morgan, Women'Secret, Lacoste, Bon Marché, Bluefire & Co., Allegri and Sandro.

Her focus? "To be happy with what I am doing every day!" Her style in three words: "Minimalistic, artistic, modern." Her magic trick? "Take a creme blusher in your handbag, you can use it for blush, eyes and on lips!"

Visit Vera's Instagram for more.