Born 1980, The Netherlands
The style of Dekker is easily recognizable, due to his working method that could be described as spontaneous and playful. When shooting, Dekker does not know how the photos will turn out in the end, as he always tries to capture the unexpected.
‘The Project’ is an ongoing series of portraits created by Sander Dekker from 2011 onwards. His subjects are never his friends or acquaintances, but people he finds on social media. He chooses people he admires as his subjects: outgoing, spontaneous, and always a bit eccentric. He contacts them to ask if he can photograph them at home, then books a ticket and gets on the plane. Raging through their house together, Dekker captures the high energy of that first encounter. A shoot usually last for an hour or so, before he’s off to his next visit. Meeting his models just before the session and working without a preconceived concept, creates the spontaneity that is distinctive of Dekker’s work.