More about me

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.

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.

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.

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..

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.

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.

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…

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.

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…

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.

My personal goal is continuously develop myself: reflect, improve and continue to grow. But above all: do what I love.