Rogier Ålexander

“What I really love about photography is creating my own world where everything is possible”

Intercru: Where are you from? Where do you live/work now?

Rogier: I’m originally from a small village called Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel close to Rotterdam in Holland. About five years ago I went traveling for one year and visited Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and Japan. After this gap year my hometown felt so small that I decided to move to Amsterdam.

I always considered Amsterdam to be a big city but now it feels more like a big village. Probably because you can get everywhere quickly by bike. I bike everywhere I go and it’s a good workout at the same time.

How did you first get into photography?

I started in high school when I asked friends to take pictures of them and doing little photoshoots after school. I’m a ’90s baby so the late ’90s and 2000s are the most influential years that really formed me creatively. Pop culture and seeing music videos on television channels like MTV and the Dutch version TMF made a big impact on me as a teenager.

For my 15th birthday I received a Nikon D60 camera from my parents. For a long time, I shot everything with this camera. I learned to understand that a camera is basically just a tool for a photographer to tell a story and to work with a good camera doesn’t mean you’re a good photographer. So, you don’t need to spend a fortune on camera equipment at first but slowly build it up.

What is the feeling you like to express with your creative work?

The best feeling would be to inspire people in any shape or form really.

When people see my work and get inspired then I served my purpose.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

What really inspires me are unfinished industrial places and spots that construction workers left for what it is at 5 o’clock and went home. It’s almost like finding a beautiful place in nature- all the beauty you see there is created by accident.

Sometimes I notice the weirdest things like green tubes sticking out of the ground and I think to myself, “Yep that’s cool, that’s what I like!”

Here are some snapshots I took this week on the street of things that caught my eye:

What’s your favorite part about photography and going on photoshoots?

What I really love about photography is creating my own world where everything is possible.

As a photographer, you are the director of your own little movie. It’s up to your imagination and fantasy what you want to portray. Also, the trust and the connection between the model and the people involved when you make something everybody’s proud of, is a really good feeling.

I just finished my new zine that I shot with some models in London which I’ll be releasing soon through my Instagram and website. It’s very cool you’re now able to release something on your own platform in this high-tech digital world.

What advice would you give to other aspiring photographers?

My advice would be to get your hands on an OK camera and buy an external flash. When people buy a camera, they forget this often. I really love the effect of an external flash on a picture.

I actually started out doing party photography when I did my internship at VICE Magazine in Amsterdam. They would send me out to clubs and music festivals to make pictures of dancing people and DJ’s playing. I really learned there to capture people’s movements. Those skills I still use in my work today. So, when the clubs and festivals start to reopen (hopefully soon), I would advise to take your camera and flash with you and start making pictures there. Later on, you will decide what element draws you to photography and what truly excites you in this wide spectrum.