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PETER BOSS, INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

A true autodidact, renowned interior photographer Peter Baas picked up the photography profession and chased his boyhood dream. He travels around the world, sees impressive projects by designers such as Marcel Wolterinck, Bertram Beerbaum and François Hannes through his lens and is already working on the next book for Marcel Wolterinck. In short: Peter does not sit still for a moment. Who helped him throughout his career?Text: Mical Joseph
Image: Peter Baas

What did you used to aspire to as a teenager?

"I grew up working with my father in the machine shop in Papendrecht. The original plan was for me to follow in his footsteps, but actually as a young adult I aspired to something completely different... In addition to my high school and helping my father, from the age of fourteen I photographed HDR landscapes, animals and insects. After high school, I attended metal training at a large shipyard and from there I worked at Hydrohammer. This company specialized in hydraulic pile drivers mostly for offshore use.

At one point I went back to my father's business. As a hobby I then photographed more and more (old) buildings (urban photography) those photos often appeared in the photography magazines Focus and Zoom. one day I was called by someone who said I should specialize in interior photography. He thought I had an eye for that and saw great potential."

How did you end up in your current job?

"On my route to the company, I passed DKHome every day, which then became Cravt. One day I walked in with the thought of taking pictures for them so I could build my portfolio with them. I got no further than the door: they weren't interested. I didn't just let myself be put off and then went back in the evening to take beautiful evening photos. Then I was invited to photograph for a day. Within a month I was with Marcel Wolterinck, Erik Kuster and Axel Vervoordt; big names in other words. The confidence I gained there allowed me to develop quickly. Around 2010, due to the crisis, things went very badly with my father's company. I decided to quit my job in order to focus completely on photography. In 2012, at the age of 32, I started for myself."

In that, who was your wheelbarrow?

"My great role model is Hans Fonk of OBJEKT. He was in my eyes at the time the best interior photographer around. Besides this example, I do consider myself my own wheelbarrow. I followed my own path and didn't let myself go crazy so easily. I also always listened to the client's wishes, in a way clients also contributed to my own development."

What is your greatest passion in your profession?

"I have been able to combine my hobby with my work for quite some time now, which I love! Through the lens I only see beautiful, interesting things and that's what makes my job so cool."

What else would you like to photograph?

"I've always said Superyachts but that's pretty hard to get in between. This is because they often use the same, regular club of photographers." so now I have set my sights more on Luxury Resorts or cool projects in America, I already have a few lines there so who knows what great things will come my way soon."

Actually, like you did at DKHome, you should photograph a superyacht. Who knows where you'll end up again?

"Yes, haha, that could be, Then I would have to go to the Monaco Yacht Show sometime next year, for example. Maybe such an action will get me into that industry. In any case, a fun trip!"

What has been the biggest learning moment in your career?

"I never stop learning, every day I learn something new, but what I do much less now than I used to do is shooting photos from different angles. Out of uncertainty I used to shoot as much as I could, whereas now I know exactly what works and what doesn't. As soon as I enter a project I actually already know immediately what my positions should be to get a good result, this works super nice for the client and we can work quickly and efficiently."

What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?

"Choose the passion you have for yourself. Don't choose, in my case, to take over the business because that's the way it's 'supposed' to be. I used to feel the pressure to take over my father's business, even though my father didn't literally ask this of me. That's why I say: chase your own dream."

Have you been a wheelbarrow for anyone?

"Photographer Monique Mathijssen is like a 'student' of mine. I met her on Ibiza and to this day I am her coach and give Monique advice where needed. She may do very different things than I do, is more into portrait photography, but still we know how to find each other."