More about me
Some fun facts
CHOCOHOLIC
Chocolate is my only addiction. Every candy bar lying near me disappears without a trace in no time. Bars with caramel and nuts are my favorite! And brownies and chocolate cookies and chocolate desserts and…
CREATOR
I always have a craft project going on: pimping the play kitchen, painting the bunk bed pink, building a Barbie house, making a mural, sewing fancy princess dresses for my girls . I never get bored.
SnOOZER
As an evening person, I often fo to bed late – against my better judgement. I really enjoy snoozing in the morning, so I ca enjoy staying in bed just a little bit longer.
TEACHER
I graduated as a primary school teacher and still teach few days a week. I do this with passion too. I still believe I can make the world a better place by teaching.
How it all started
MediaMarkt
My adventure started at the applience store Mediamarkt. When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I wanted to buy an DSLR camera so I could take high quality photos of her. I went home with a Canon 1300D and an invitation for a tour at the photography school.
Photography tour
I really enjoy learning and discovering new things. So I went to the photography tour. After a promotional talk about the courses they offer, we were allowed to start photographing each other in the studio area. That’s where I fell in love with flash photography. and in no time I had a starter set of flashes in my living room. A photography course never happened.
Living room studio
In no time I was taking pictures of friends, friends of friends and suddenly also strangers. I regularly converted my living room into a photo studio. More and more people found me. I knew that photographing was something I definitely wanted to continue doing. So it was time for the next step.
Company name
It was time for the next step: registering with the Chamber of Commerce. For this you need a company name. I quickly came up with: Lana Pictures. Lana, that’s me and with Pictures most people think photos, so it’s immediately clear what I do. Only with pictures I mean the verb, because I believe that if I really want something and visualize it, it will work out. What Lana pictures, will happen. One way or the other..
Entrepreneur
Suddenly I was an entrepreneur. I was ready. In a few days I built my first website – without any experience – and designed my own logo. The clients started coming, the first invoices were sent and I enjoyed it.
Investments
Every euro I earn with photography is invested back into my business. So with every paid invoice my equipment gets better and my dream gets bigger. I now own the latest mirrorless cameras from Canon and various Godox flash units. It’s like I’m financing my own hobby.
Studio
After a while it wasn’t doable to convert my living room into a studio every time. Renting a space at Ekkersrijt was the next step. I have had the pleasure of doing many shoots there. From the start, I have mainly photographed people: from newborn shoots to business portraits. I did this at people’s homes, on location or in my studio. I liked it, but I was missing something…
Glory
Until I ended up at Glory Kickboxing thanks to Remy Online. I was asked to replace him at a few press conferences. After a while I was also allowed to take photographs at the ring during the events. I absolutely loved it. I enjoy the game of getting the shot at just the right moment, the vibe, and even the stress of having to upload photos on the fly between battles.
Combat Sports
I knew this is what I want to do! I immediately quit my studio and fully committed myself to combat sports photography. My client base expanded and I became a regular photographer at various events, including Glory, Versus MMA, Cage Warriors Academy, Nijmegen Open BJJ and many more…
Studio shoots
Flash is usually not allowed during events. But during the studio shoots – prior to the competitions – I can express my love for flash. It makes the colors more intense and increases the image quality. I also like that I can influence every detail of the lighting.
Growth
My personal goal is continuously develop myself: reflect, improve and continue to grow. But above all: do what I love.
Video by Michael Broxks
Photos and video by Lana Pictures
Video by Deborah Kok