Interview with LUC VAN STRALENDORFF
Luc van Stralendorff (b. 1990, The Netherlands) is fascinated with people and their unique, one of a kind beauty. In his recent project, he directed his camera at kids with albinism living in Nepal. Due to their particular look, albino people struggle to be accepted within their communities. Fathers of the children often refuse the parental responsibility, leaving the offspring to their own fate. In support of the Maya Foundation, Stralendorff portrays the albino children, at the same time financially supporting those in need.
In an interview with GUP, he talks about his experience with portraiture and the community.
How did you stumble upon the unique community?
I came across the community through the Maya foundation. My girlfriend volunteered there and that’s how I came to learn about the foundation and their work. The Maya foundation supports local start-ups in Nepal providing financial and educational help. The projects they organise circulate around education, healthcare and rural development. People with albinism often face difficulties caused by the lack of acceptance within the community. Because of that, those albino outcasts need an extra support.
All the children I photographed attend the same school ('Snow View’ located in the outskirts of the Himalayas), that keeps close ties with the Maya foundation. The schools focus on building equality for every child. Most pupils consider the children with albinism as European, and find it hard to believe they are actually Nepalese. This particular school teaches about albinism and that is why many albino families move to this area in order to live peacefully and feel accepted. The Maya foundation collaborates with the school in order to help those families who need it the most. In some cases they provide sponsors, who support the child during four years of their education.
How did the albino children first react to the camera?
As I have expected, they were all a little skittish at the beginning. The first time my girlfriend and I encountered them, was in school during classes. I did not want to focus on separate individuals, so I photographed the children in a group. However, after showing the photos to them, each child wanted to have their portrait taken. Soon after, the atmosphere got very relaxed and we all just had fun. After class, we managed to get to know the children with albinism a little better. Our interest and the amount of time we spent, made them feel special and unique.
Being an outsider, how long did it take you to establish a bond with the children and their families?
This happened quite fast. After our first meeting at school, we immediately established a great connection with the children. The next day, we set out to their homes to meet the families. Due to their simple way of living, sometimes it was difficult to communicate. To break the ice, we brought a lot of sliced pineapple, which is considered a treat, due to its high price. Soon it wasn't just the families, but all the neighbours, coming to get a slice of the pineapple as well. While my girlfriend handed out the pineapple, I looked for good spots to shoot the portraits. Afterword, we sat and talked with the families about their situation, our project and the reasons behind it. Because of the language barrier, we had a translator to help us communicate. We ended our visit by photographing the children together with their families as well as taking portraits of the neighbours who came to see what was going on. In order to make the children with albinism feel equal, I photographed everyone who was around. The few days we spent together allowed us to have a unique glimpse into their lives, that was both challenging and very special at the same time.
When looking at your portraiture photography I always have the feeling the photographed subject stands right in front of me. What do you consider a good portrait?
For me, a good portrait is when the person photographed, looks you right in the eyes. The gaze of the photographed person is what catches all the attention. It's the gaze that shows the emotion and the story. It’s the gaze that makes it hard to look away. The feeling of the individual standing right in front of you is a mesmerising one. However the rest of it plays a big part as well; the background, the perspective and the lighting have to all join their forces in order to create a beautiful portrait.
Is there anything you are working on at the moment?
Currently, I am not working on anything specific but there are still more portrait series to come. For my latest project 'Silence' I wanted to try something other than portraiture photography. The title speaks for itself. You can see it on my website.