Richard Westerhuis is an independent creative photographer with a love for pure and timeless (portrait) photography.

what is beauty? Nowadays, the world seems to be obsessed with being perfect and will even prefer artificiality instead of someone's natural appearance. Westerhuis on the contrary photographs his models without judgment and encourages his models to be authentic. He believes there's a beauty in being vulnerable and being yourself. His aim is to portray people the way they are; as real people, without pretending and each with their own story to tell.

reallife
In this dynamic school of life there are welcome emotions like joy and hope, but also unwelcome emotions like sorrow and uncertainty. Westerhuis isolates these emotions by photographing his models in a studio setting with a 'less is more attitude'; simplicity as a tool to stay close to reality. He often puts his models in front of a dark backdrop and uses painterly lighting reminiscent of old masters like Rembrandt. A good Portrait, to him, is a Portrait that captures an emotion or a gaze in its purest form.

It is the mixture of inspiration from art of the past and the present, which helps shape his art photography today. He believes experimenting and practicing are key to grow as a photographer and as a person. By always asking questions and letting curiosity guide him, he is constantly discovering and learning different ways to visualize stories. The overall theme in his projects is 'the beauty of life and the wonderful vulnerability of human kind'.