19th of August 2020 is World Photography Day. It's an annual, worldwide celebration of the art, craft, science and history of photography. The perfect occasion to discover the person behind our Photography.
- An interview with Sandra Declercq.-

Where does your passion for photography come from?
When I was still in high school, I was very much into conceptual thinking. I used to work out an idea and then used my younger sister or my friends as models to recreate the scenes I had in my head. It were often experimental or poetic approaches on photography. After winning a few photography contests my interest started to grow and became more serious. 

What training did you get to become a photographer?
I started my studies at the School of Arts in Ghent but after two years I realised I wanted to go into commercial photography rather than art. I then finished my studies at the KdG University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Antwerp.

Can you describe an average working day?
My working day ritual starts with a good cup of coffee while checking my mails and planning. When there is a shoot planned, I receive a photography brief from one of our designers. This tells me what I need to shoot, for which client and what the result should look like. I often start with a few test shots to define the type of lighting we want to use. Our in-house stylists Els and Vicky are my best friends in the studio, as we work together very closely in search for the perfect composition. When we’re done, the final images are selected and exported. I also take care of the image editing and post production.

Which skills are important in your profession?
Being a team player is important because every image is the result of the creative collaboration between a designer, the stylist and the photographer. 

What is the biggest challenge in your profession?
Being able to translate a brand’s identity into a matching atmosphere.

Which QM photo project are you most proud of?
One of the most fun projects for me was shooting Food of the World for Delhaize, together with stylist Els. 
The aim was to add visual inspiration to the world-food inspired range of traiteur meals. Shooting each dish in a setting that reflects the origin of the meal was a very fun thing to do. 

What else would you like to shoot in the future?
We’re currently working on a new and very exciting project, shooting dishes created by Belgian chef Jeroen Meus. I would love being part of a new cookbook production.
Other things I would still like to shoot are cosmetics and perfume.

Other photographers you admire?
I adore the work of Dutch photographers Erwin Olaf and Cornelie Tollens. I also find Gregory Crewdson’s oeuvre very interesting. 

Favourite photography gear?
Nothing compares to the studio’s Phase One with digital back of course. But I also love to work with my Fuji X100S camera and an old analog Leica.