Features

Young Days, Dangerous Times

18 Dec 2022

176 files

"In this country young people are like the dawn, they do not last long" - Roque Dalton~ ~One of the leading causes of mortality among youth in El Salvador are homicides, since more than 50% of the murder victims are on average young people of both genders due to this the country is one of the most dangerous for youth and young adults.~ ~The post-war has deteriorated the Central American country of El Salvador than the actual civil war during the eighties where tens of thousands lost their lives and thousands went missing. The popular movement sought to establish a system that looked to the welfare of its people, especially the labouring class, peasants and poor. Meanwhile, the Reagan and the Bush Sr. administrations of the United States provided military aid to El Salvador?s right-wing government under the pretext of fighting communism. Reagan even said, "San Salvador is closer to Washington D.C. than San Francisco" to illustrate the importance of intervening in the conflict during a speech. In the nineties when the Peace Accords were signed it brought an end to twelve years of bloodshed. The Salvadoran peoples begun to dream of a peaceful and prosperous nation, but a new danger was harvesting that will soon create a different kind of social unrest. Due to the massive deportations of Salvadorans who had fled to the US to fled to refuge from the war were now being deported, many of these returnees were members of gangs from various major cities of the United States, such as Los Angeles for example where the Mara Salvatrucha - MS13 gang was founded. Within less than a decade after ending the war its people were dealing with a gang war as a result from the anti-immigration policies the US was enforcing, sending back thousands of young gang members. Once arriving to the country where they were born but never lived, not knowing the culture, not speaking fluent Spanish and with no higher education skills they did what they knew best and begun to organize as gangs or 'maras' as the Salvadoran slang labels them, this paved the way to the current gang land.

Nepalese migrant workers to Qatar

22 Nov 2022

22 files

High unemployment in Nepal drives young people to find employment in the Middle East. Every week at Tribhuvan airport in Kathmandu 4 dead body’s of Nepalese migrant workers arrive. We witness the return of Mr Dhital, who was working as a lorry driver in Qatar. Cause of death: cardiac arrest.

Red Light District, project 1012

17 Nov 2022

51 files

Zip code 1012 project is a project of the City of Amsterdam and the City Center District to change the socio-economic structure of the Red Light District and try to let a variety of companies settle there. A number of fashion companies under the name Red Light Fashion have established themselves in the Red Light District.

Recreation in Rotterdam Harbour

17 Nov 2022

33 files

The harbour of the Dutch city of Rotterdam is the largest one in Europe but it's also frequented by citydwellers looking for a place to relax and hang out when weather permits.

Op campagne 1981

17 Nov 2022

25 files

De Verkiezingscampagne voor de Tweede Kamerverkiezingen in 1981

Metalworkers

17 Nov 2022

25 files

Metalworkers a selection out of over 250 portraits of Metalworkers in the Netherlands.

Man made Dutch islands

16 Nov 2022

13 files

Marker Wadden is a Dutch nature reserve in Markermeer, consisting of seven islands, and is intended to create spawning areas, islands and natural shores in Markermeer for fish and birds. One island, the Haven Island, has been open to the public since 2018.

Meth Lab in Mexico

15 Nov 2022

42 files

Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico On a hidden location in the jungle near Culiacan, a crystal meth lab is operated by a group affiliated with the Sinaloa cartel. Their production is around 50 kilo a week and it is considered a midsize lab. A kilo is worth 12.000 dollar in Sinaloa. Workers earn 80 USD a day. Security is provided by a man in a military uniform wielding an AR-15 machine gun.

A year since

9 Oct 2022

86 files

It has been more than a year since the Islamic Emirate has govern over Afghanistan. Since the chaos of August 15th when the Taliban officially took over the country the Afghan peoples have had to endure tough times. A wave of repression for women, the Hazara community and those who once server the foreign forces started. Opportunities to women have been diminished, all the progress women had accomplished during the past 20 years have all been lost, to the point that women/girls are banned from obtaining a higher education among other lost liberties. The economic crisis the country found itself once the Taliban took power has worsen and created a humanitarian crisis as well as massive migration, those who can, there is a lack of jobs and the increase in prices of basic goods have left the Afghan families to struggle to survive.

Crisis at the registration center for asylum seekers

18 Aug 2022

26 files

The refugee organisation of The Netherlands talks with asylumseekers outside. There is a (policy) crisis in the reception and housing of refugees. Hundreds of asylumseekers sleep outside in the open air. Vluchtelingenwerk, has gone to court to force an improvement in degrading conditions for asylum seekers.

Natura Morta of a War

11 Jul 2022

50 files

All wars are senseless and this is no exception.~Wars not only uproot life, but also love, joy and hope. ~Where there was love, security, family, happiness, humanity and life, now there is only hate, orphanhood, tragedy, ruins, sadness and loneliness. ~Now death haunts the places where there used to be life. ~A look into the effects of war through still life as a way to portray this senseless war.

I want to be a farmer

11 Jul 2022

5 files

'I want to be a farmer' is not something many children who living on a farm say anymore. ~~Budelman visited them on their home farm, where they showed her around and engaged her in conversation. The portraits of the children show that they often struggle with how to do things in the future, if they become farmers. And it shows how much they love the animals and life on the farm. All feel that it is something special, living on a farm.~~The background is that there are fewer and fewer successors. Every day in the EU 1,000 farmers stop their business. These are mainly young farmers. In the Netherlands, an average of three farms stop every day. The recent government plans for reducing nitrogen emissions will lead to a 30% reduction in the number of livestock in ten years or so. Farmers are protesting vehemently, especially against the possibility of forced buyouts of their farms by the government.~With a society increasingly critical of farmers, societal appreciation is declining, which has psychological effects on many farmers. The number of suicides among farmers is increasing and is above the national average. ~Budelman made the series because she wants to show the emotional generational bond with the land and the farm. She misses in the public debate, where farmers are mainly seen as causing damage to the environment and animal welfare, that farming is not a cold economic activity. Children aged 10-12 are young enough to still be able to dream, while at the same time they also get to experience the reality of farm life.~~Budelman is a photojournalist who now and then writes. Her last project was about 'the human tragedy behind the affordable bell pepper' on the African migrants working in the greenhouses in Spain.

Donbass The Next Target

10 Jul 2022

74 files

The Donbass region is now the main objective of the Russian army as they try to advance on their pursuit of invading Ukraine, They are advancing and the Ukrainian army as well as Tactical Civil Defense units are not being able to hold them back. This area is of much interest to the Russians.

Bitcoin Country

8 Jul 2022

77 files

El Salvador made history in 2021 when President Nayib Bukele announced that the country was going to pass a law in order to make Bitcoin a legal tender, now Salvadorans could use the cryptocurrency to pay for goods as well as get their salaries with this type of payment. The country was not prepared for such a change, specially without having the technological infrastructure nor a tech savvy population. Since then the country has been struggling with using the cryptocurrency and the tax payers money is being invested in this volatile financial sector. The financial future is at stake for a country which is still under developed and a weak economy.

Bitcoin Beach - El Zonte

7 Jul 2022

49 files

The Bitcoin Beach Project started 2019 at the bach village of El Zonte a popular tourist spot for surfers. On this beach people coud pay commodities and receive their salaries in cryptocurrency, the project was backed by the donation of an anonymous early Bitcoin adopter and it was implemented in the area by Mike Peterson a surfer and Bitcoiner from California. Bitcoin beach was the sample project to the future implementation of Bitcoin as a legal tender in El Salvador by President Nayib Bukele.

War in Ukraine

22 Mar 2022

174 files

Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues. The civilian population is bearing the brunt and continues to be targeted. Many towns and villages are destroyed and millions of Ukrainians have had to flee the country to escape the war. Residential areas, hospitals, zoo are hit by missiles.

Ukraine - Russia War

22 Mar 2022

164 files

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia continues, everyday citizens have joined either the Ukrainian army or militias to fight, the civilian continue to be targeted and many towns and villages destroyed and millions of Ukrainians have had to flee the country in order to escape the war.

Mobile Bird Watching

19 Mar 2022

18 files

A mobile bird observation hut has been placed near the Wadden dike outside Oudebildtzijl in Friesland. The Agrarisch Collectief ANV Om 'e Koaien places it during the breeding season at locations where there are many meadow birds active at that time. The huts are freely accessible, equipped with binoculars and lots of information about nature and birds.

Crystal Meth in Afghanistan

17 Mar 2022

59 files

Afghanistan has a serious problem with crystal meth, production as wel a consumption. Heroine and opium addiction are rampant as well, but meth has taken over in recent years. Hundreds of addicts are bundled up in small groups in the center of Kabul; under the Pul-e-Sukhta bridge and on the banks of the Paghman river. They smoke crystal meth and opium and heroin. Many are homeless. Sometimes they smoke under blankets and scarves to hide the consumption. At times, there are arrested by the police and brought to the Ibn Sinar addiction clinic for forced treatment.Addicts are shaven bald for hygienic treatment. After 45 days, many are released, often to relapse again. Staff has not been paid for six months and mistreatment of patients happens frequently.

The Limes, the landscape as palimpsest

4 Feb 2022

19 files

The landscape is a legible palimpsest. (A palimpsest is a reused piece of parchment that bears a manuscript. The top layer of this parchment with the text on it was scraped off so that the parchment could be rewritten.) This means that, with some effort, we can still discern the almost disappeared historical layers in the landscape. In this way, we can still see traces of the Roman era today. In my images I expose the hidden layers of the places along the Limes in the landscape.~~The places I have photographed are all protected by~UNESCO World Heritage status, where the archaeological value is mainly under the ground. The question that interests me is: what made this particular place so important to the Romans? Why exactly here? And could we still experience it that way today?~~In a sense, the Limes runs parallel to the river Rhine. However, the course~of this river is always subject to change. In the past two thousand years its course has also been altered several times. This can be clearly seen on the basis of this old Roman border.~Important places of the Limes, such as Fort Vechten near Bunnik, are no longer situated along the water, but in this case along the A12 freeway. The town of Neuss-Koenenlager, on the other hand, is still on the Rhine,~at the place where the river Erft flows into the Rhine. Just like the Romans, you can see the river landscape of the Rhine and the Waal from the lateral moraine near the Hunerberg and the Kops Plateau in Nijmegen.~The confluence of rivers as a logical location for trade and as a strategic military site was essential for the Romans to settle. Natural resources also played a role, such as the limestone in Iversheim or the clay at Holdeurn in Berg en Dal from which roof tiles were made.~~The qualities of the landscape were thus put to very good use. And even now, one only has to look at a map of the area where~the Romans were located, and you see that the link with the river or other natural elements is obvious. However, without this knowledge of history you quickly overlook the piece of forest, the housing estate or the hill that is there now. With the historical and archaeological knowledge the landscape becomes readable and thus the experience of the contemporary landscape is enriched. In this way the landscape is a palimpsest, layer after layer after layer of history reveals itself, in this case that of the Limes.~~In my photography I have developed a process that combines many elements. With the direct experience of the landscape by walking and looking, combined with the knowledge I have of a place, I make my shots. I combine these into one composite image that ultimately constitutes the essence of that place and its landscape qualities. In this way I bring back to the surface the almost disappeared layers of the landscape.

Max Verstappen the road to World Championship F1

12 Dec 2021

63 files

Calais ‘Jungle’ – five years after its demolition

7 Dec 2021

37 files

t has been five years since the refugee camp the Jungle near Calais was cleared and demolished. A report by Human Rights Watch, using data from local charities, estimates that some 2,000 migrants are still staying in wooded areas, in and around disused warehouses, and under bridges in and around Calais, including about 300 unaccompanied children. Several hundred others bivouac in a forest near Dunkirk. Hostility to the migrants is growing on the French side, and police in Calais are daily evicting people from the crumbling camps that have replaced the Jungle.

Opioid Crisis in the streets of Philadelphia

3 Dec 2021

50 files

America has been hit hard by the opioid crisis. A record number, nearly 100.000 people died in 2020. One of the most deadly drugs is fentanyl, artificial heroin that is 50 times stronger and already available in consumer portions of five USD and that has completely replaced heroin that is hardly available on the streets anymore. Epicenter of the drug pandemic is Kensington Avenue in North Philadelphia, between the subway stops Huntingdon and Allegheny on the elevated Market-Frankford subway / metro Line. A population of a few thousands addicts roam the streets, several people a day die from overdosing. Aid workers try with opioid blocker Narcan to revive unconscious people. The fentanyl is often diluted with tranquillizers such as Ketamin. People deal drugs with impunity. There are several shoot outs a day. Law enforcement is not acting, since city government condones this open air drug market.

Plastic Free World

1 Dec 2021

42 files

The European Union has introduced a new law banning the use of many products made from disposable plastic since this year and has also set specific targets for 2030 whereby at least 70% of packaging materials must be recyclable. Worldwide, 1 million plastic bottles are produced every minute. In the Netherlands alone, we produce 400,000 tonnes of plastic packaging a year. More than 3/4 of the plastic that goes to landfill is incinerated and a large proportion is never recycled and finds its way into nature. Plastic is made to last, but it is mainly used as a disposable product. Plastic still makes up the majority of waste in Europe. This project aims to map out the various initiatives in the Netherlands undertaken by individuals, organisations and industries to reduce and recycle the plastic we use. The goal is to get a better understanding of the effects of these different initiatives on the environment and whether they offer concrete solutions for a better use of the plastic materials. The initiatives cover different levels, from local to global.~~~~This project was made possible through a grant from the Steunfonds Freelance fotografen of The Matching Fonds.

Albino Beauty Pageant

17 Nov 2021

39 files

Mr/Mrs Albinism South Africa is the first Beauty pageant to be held in South Africa for contestants with Albinism. It main focus is to uplift, create awareness and be an advocacy for people with Albinism. Held at Victory Theatre in Houghton, Johannesburg on Saturday, October 30, 2021, the event attracted an audience from different provinces and from as far as Botswana, with a noticeable majority being people with albinism. At the end of the evening, Brian Makhubela from Mpumalanga and Lerato Sethibe from Free State were crowned winners.

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