© Wouter le Duc, Noor Remmen, 2021

“I believe nobody chooses anything. It’s already within you, you just have to find it.”

© Inga Powilleit, Wouter le Duc by Inga Powilleit
© Inga Powilleit, Wouter le Duc by Inga Powilleit

Name
Wouter le Duc

Profession
Photographer

Website
wouterleduc.com

Where are you from?
The Netherlands

Your style in 3 words? Daylight, analog, personal

When did you decide to become a photographer?
I must have been 16 or 17 years old. I was involved in the music scene and two of my teachers were willing to give a class on photography if anyone was interested. With just a couple of students, we were taught how to use these old analog Minolta cameras. I started to photograph punk rock bands and bought a dark room set at the local thrift shop. I set it up in my parent’s basement and started figuring out how to print. The first time I saw the image appearing on the paper, I fell in love with the medium.

Do you choose your art form, or does the form choose you?
I believe nobody chooses anything. It’s already within you, you just have to find it. And when you find it, it makes perfect sense.


© Wouter le Duc, 'Ntianu Stuger, 2021
© Wouter le Duc, ‘Ntianu Stuger, 2021
© Wouter le Duc, Francis Nagy, 2022
© Wouter le Duc, Francis Nagy, 2022

What do you find most fascinating about the creative process?
I am really fascinated by the process of creation. At some point, I have a thought or idea and this idea leads to the creation of a work. This didn’t exist before, and because of the process of creation, it’s now there to see for everyone.

A few words about your favorite creation?
I don’t really have a favorite creation. There are so many portraits that mean a lot to me. But this portrait of Luke always evokes a special feeling of a careless summer in the French countryside.


“The passing of time is something that has always fascinated me.”

© Wouter le Duc, Daniëlle Zawadi, 2022


Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…I think the greatest work of art I’ve ever experienced is James Turell’s Celestial Vault. You experience the sky in a very different way than ever before. For me, that’s what art is about; experiencing something in a way you otherwise would never do.


Who would you like to work with someday and why?

I would love to work with Tilda Swinton one day. Every time I see her, I am amazed by the way she submerges herself into the work.

Do you think about time as an artist?
Yes, the passing of time is something that has always fascinated me. Obviously, it’s at the heart of photography. But also in daily life, it’s one of the things I am always fascinated by. The time passing feels so different in different places, and it’s so hard to grasp it. The Italian physicist Carlo Rovelli wrote a book called The Order of Time. The first line struck me, “Let’s begin with a simple fact: time passes faster in the mountains than it does at sea level.” After that I read the whole book and the more I know about the concept of time, the less I understand anything about it.


© Wouter le Duc, Lotte Zuidema, 2021
© Wouter le Duc, Lotte Zuidema, 2021
© Wouter le Duc, Mikkeline, 2019
© Wouter le Duc, Mikkeline, 2019

When the going gets tough…
I think about Werner Herzog when he produced the movie Fitzcarraldo. There is a beautiful documentary called “Burden of Dreams” about the process of creating this movie. I don’t think anybody had to face so much setback as Herzog did. And in the end he pulled it off by just not giving up.

Tell us about your future plans…
I just started working on my first book. This is something I dreamed of for years and I am really excited about the process. I hope to publish it in 2023.


Last but not least: what is your favorite Song?
At the moment I am listening to “Vodiga” by Brainwaltzera a lot, it really fits these gloomy Autumn days.

© Wouter le Duc, Loïs de Vries, 2021
© Wouter le Duc, Loïs de Vries, 2021
© Wouter le Duc, Lieke Tijink, 2021
© Wouter le Duc, Lieke Tijink, 2021
© Wouter le Duc, Amarante Nat, 2022
© Wouter le Duc, Amarante Nat, 2022
© Wouter le Duc, Luke, 2018
© Wouter le Duc, Luke, 2018

Your #…? #wouterleduc