WILLIAM MAANDERS, TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER

Travel: when can we go again? MASTERS Gallery hosts a tribute to travelling this week. Travel photographer William Maanders shares stories from the world's most beautiful and distinctive places.

Journeys: when is it allowed again? In MASTERS Gallery this week an ode to traveling. Travel photographer William Maanders has been visiting the most diverse, memorable places in the world since he was a child world. He looks for inspiring stories from people and their connection to the nature.Online editor: Larissa Schaule Jullens
Image: William Maanders

The Modern Classic

“When I visit the museums here in Amsterdam, I am often amazed by the beautiful skies schilderijen of the Dutch Masters. I imagine what that specific day must have been like. Sometimes they seem a bit dramatic and then I wonder to what extent they approximate reality. With the famous Dutch light in mind, you constantly look for such settings in the Netherlands landscape. Especially now that I have been in the Netherlands a lot lately photographed, I hope you can capture such a classic one day. During the recent wintry week my wish was answered. I'm an early riser and always take a morning walk in the city, but I always check the weather first. That particular day I was in for a treat: a dramatic sky, similar to the sky on that of the Beautiful Classic schilderijen. A sun shining through the clouds towers over the silhouette of the city. What a way to start the day!”

The Curious One

“That I wouldn't be the only one to have the sunrise to photograph at Angkor Wat Cambodia, I knew in advance. Still, I enthusiastically set the alarm for 04:30 am and headed to the spot where you could take the best pictures of this extensive temple complex. Like the other three hundred photographers and tourists, I took pictures of the sun rising behind the mystical temple towers. Beautiful of course, but not really special. It got lighter and suddenly she was right in front of me. A girl with shaved hair, nothing seemed to bother me or my camera. And then it really got interesting. She looked straight through the lens, turned around and quietly continued eating her piece of bread, as if I wasn't there at all. Why exactly she chose my lens is still a mystery to me, but I was so grateful to her, it made my image unique.”

The Ocean will heal you

“In the past year, I traveled to Portugal in the short time that traveling was possible. There I started creating content for a future photo book. It will be a collection of visual stories about people who want to find themselves by connecting with nature. I get my inspiration from my immediate surroundings. A friend of mine is considering emigrating to Portugal, the country she has a special connection with. She is half Portuguese and lived there for four years as a child. When things were going badly mentally, she decided to visit a friend who lives near the coast. 'Come here', her friend said, 'the ocean will heal you!'. And a beautiful process of healing arose. The wide views, the smell of the salty sea and the resonating sounds of the waves. I can't imagine a better location to start your inner journey!”

Please here a look at William Maanders' website.