(Above Image Copyrighted By: Jeroen Helmink)

Jeroen Helmink is a Dutch documentary / street photographer. After a corporate career of 15 years, his love for photography led him to a new way of living. It was only two years ago he decided to dedicate all of his time to photography and explore the streets as a full time photographer.

His curiosity drives him to choose subjects that research different relations of people to their surroundings. Working with medium format (Hasselblad), he searches for a quiet composition and prefers his portrait work to have a natural look. On the streets, he uses a Leica M6 or M9 to capture the energy of moments in everyday life.

He is still using his business skills, by setting up an initiative called ‘United Streets of Europe’, which will provide a stage for the best street photographers in different European countries. Feel free to contact him if you want to share your thoughts on it.

A description of his latest project “Hybernation”

In the fall, winter and early spring of 2011/2012, Jeroen worked on a project called ‘Hybernation’. In this project, he tries to let the viewer feel the absence of people. Some places seem to lose their soul when people are not there. Just imagine your own house when you come back from vacation, an empty restaurant or a desolated movie theater. They come alive when you and others are there. The images were captured on expired Fuji NPH 400 film, adding to the effect of the series.

Check out more of his work and futre projects here!