ERNA RIJNBOUT HILLING 19-04-1956 From a young age, I photographed together with my father, who had photography and filmmaking as a hobby. His hobby and passion became my passion as well, when I was allowed to capture beautiful memories with his camera. After completing my basic training at the Fotoacademie, which I finished with a certificate, I followed various workshops and courses to further develop my skills—some at CCC and the Foto Unie. During these educational workshops I made many wonderful friends. Foto Unie feels like family and like coming home photographically. Ki is a great teacher, full of positive energy. He makes sure you always leave with a full stomach and beautiful photos! I have been enjoying early retirement for almost six years now, which allows me to pursue my passion as often and whenever I want—and that makes me very happy. I am very versatile in photography, but my preference is street photography, preferably in black-and-white images with a creative, artistic approach that I developed during a workshop with Ki. I also love experimenting with my vintage lenses; the soft, painterly images these lenses produce feel magical to me. I also enjoy photographing with other photographers during a photo walk. Going out alone has its charm too—doing your own thing, as long as and wherever you like. In addition, I have the privilege that several walls and corridors of the city hall in my hometown of Steenwijk are decorated with my photo wallpaper, and through this I have been able to expand my network with various companies. As a volunteer, I am active as a visual reporter at events in my hometown. In this way, I continue to grow in photography, and it also leads to enjoyable assignments. My way of looking at photography is my way of looking at who I am.