SASKIA MENGER 17 May 1971 Around the age of 20, I caught the photography bug through a photographer friend. After my burnout in 2014, my outlook on life changed significantly. I started looking for hobbies that give me energy. As a result, I have been a volunteer at Groendomein ’t Wasven for many years and I work with stone carving, alongside my job as a traffic engineer at the municipality of Eindhoven. I was also elected as a member of our municipal works council. In 2017, through another photographer, I also found my way to CCC Foto-Unie. At the first introduction, I thought I had ended up on a film set! I stood there looking around with my mouth open and almost forgot to take photos. My most amazing shoot with Ki was of a complete battlefield with Vikings from the north. I also really enjoy “spotting” models. I think it’s fantastic that Anouk and Jasper—whom I once asked to model just once—are now much-in-demand models. Even more amazing is that the three of us created our own shoot especially for this book in “our” Eindhoven! My enthusiasm for photography and my self-confidence have grown enormously. I have even received my own assignments at times! A very beautiful and special experience was photographing 16 women in their new outfits in one day at “Kunst van het Kleden.” With my photos, I want to inspire others and show the world through my eyes. To me, every living being is beautiful in their own way. A genuine emotion in a photo is more important to me than perfect technique. My greatest reward is when the person I have captured—or for whom the photo was made—is happy with it.