Revealing something hidden inside a creative soul and revealing their personality is a passion for Lismore photographer Raimond De Weerdt.

For Raimond, what started as taking some portrait photos of an artist friend, turned into a large-scale project - which will culminate in a book filled with 250 portraits of Northern Rivers Creatives. 

If you’ve seen some of the portrait photos Raimond has already taken, you may recognise well-known locals, most photographed on a dark background.

“I think people look good on dark backgrounds – it’s more of a traditional portrait look,” Raimond said. “I’m also Dutch and it’s the whole Rembrandt look. I want to create an atmosphere of mystique as well.”

Why portraits?

In the age of selfies and phone filters, Raimond said traditional portrait photography is a forgotten art. 

“Like with theatre, when you take a portrait, there’s a backdrop, a stage, an actor and a director in a collaboration that takes place in the studio,” he said.

“Few people take the time to set someone up. It used to be the normal thing people would go to a photographic studio to get their portrait.

"But, it’s been forgotten – and the portraits I take are not like the cheesy ones set up in the shopping centre, with a soft blurred background.”

Challenging

If you have already had your picture taken by him, you might already know it can be a shock to see what the camera reveals – blemishes, wrinkles and all. 

“It can be challenging to see a portrait of yourself,” Raimond said. “Photographs are freaky things – a marker in time.

“When I take someone’s portrait, I’ll take up to 50 shots. Once we’ve finished we look back at them, so the person can see themselves. We move forward and back through the shots and choose what we like. 

“People often see something in themselves they didn’t see before – different aspects of themselves are revealed.”

“One of my subjects was a tango dancer. I got her to sit down, but it didn’t work. So she stood up and pretended she was doing the tango – now she was in her element and struck a pose – and then I got her.”

The beginning 

Raimond opened his photography studio on Magellan Street after Covid restrictions lifted. His first portrait was of Rene Bolton.

“I put the photo on Facebook and it went crazy and people were saying they need headshots,” Raimond said.

“Then it clicked, the Northern Rivers is known for its creative people and I thought who are these people? That will be my quest. I thought most don’t have a lot of money, so I only ask for a donation and I’ll take some photographs of you.

“Then I thought what will I do with these photos – an exhibition? No – a book has more longevity, I’ll make a book of these portraits and what they do.”

And so was borne the idea for a book of portraits of creatives of the Northern Rivers. 

“It’s also about extending the creatives network and making connections,” Raimond said. 

“I photographed one woman who is a painter - she lived next door to a poet – and they didn’t know each other.”

Raimond has a background in traditional photography, after studying at Sydney College of the Arts. He also worked in a professional photographic studio in Holland and used to teach digital photography at Southern Cross University.

These days, he has his finger in many creative projects. 

So far, Raimond has already photographed more than 200 local writers, artists, dancers, comedians and creatives – but he still needs more.

If you are interested, you can message him via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008378899037