Co worker in the picture: Kaatje!

A company isn't all about products and how to sell them. Well, in a way it is :) But still, you need great people to do that. So why not introduce them to our dear readers?

We're gonna start with the most creative of them all: our photographer and DTP-star, Kaatje Verschoren.
Since she was a little girl, Kaatje has been passionate about photography. These pictures are an obvious proof :)

She literally grew up between cameras and flash lights as her father was (and still is) a professional photographer. So to study Photography for her was a logical step. She obtained her Master's degree at Sint-Lukas in Brussels and almost immediately started working for XLBoom.

Kaatje! In the 3 years that you've been working for XLBoom you've gained loads of experience. Could you tell me what projects you're most proud of?
Kaatje: When it comes to my professional life, I'm most proud of the annual XLBoom catalogue. Working with tight deadlines forces you to get the best out of yourself and I like that. When taking pictures in my free time I prefer creating the right atmosphere to applying the right technique. I really believe anyone can take beautiful pictures, as long as the atmosphere is right.

Pictures for the XLBoom catalogue

What type of camera do you work with?
Kaatje: Here at XLBoom and Smart Living Objects I work with a digital camera, which felt rather weird in the beginning. I was only used to shooting with an analogue or a Polaroid camera. Taking digital pictures is something I really learned here.

You're not only a photographer, but also a desktop publisher. Can you describe a typical day in the working life of Kaatje Verschoren?
Kaatje: My work is very various, which is a positive thing. For Smart Living Objects I design flyers, ads, banners. I take pictures and prepare them for the web shop, the newsletter and the blog. And right now I'm working on a brand new zoom function, so that customers can see the products even better. For XLBoom my work is more limited to photography and the follow up of productions.

Are there products that are difficult to photograph? 
Kaatje: Oh my...YES. The Ball Chair is quite a nasty one. It's a shiny product, so there's a lot of reflection. So you always see yourself when you're taking pictures. Thank God there's Photoshop (laughs) 

Before - After

On the other hand, Extra Large products are very easy. So in the end, it all cancels each other.

What's your favourite photography spot?
Kaatje:  A city - any city - by night. It's then that I can capture the perfect atmosphere, the anonimity, the colours, the reflections. 

'City Shots' by Kaatje Verschoren

What is important to you when taking pictures? What moves you?
Kaatje: Simplicity. Day-to-day situations. Pictures that tell a story and leave you wondering.

'Simplicities' by Kaatje Verschoren

Who inspires you?
Kaatje: There are couple of photographers that I refer to as my examples: Sivan Askayo, Saul Leiter and Bruce Davidson. Their city style and the colours they use really appeal to me. For the same reasons I admire film directors such as Martin Scorsese, Wong Kar Wai and Wim Wenders.

What do you like to do in your free time apart from photographing?
Kaatje: Well, the usual I guess (laughs). I like to meet up with friends, discover new things, whether that's music, series or places in the city I live. And I really love it when I can share that knowledge with someone. But my biggest passion apart from photography is music. Almost any kind of music. I'd love to travel around the world and take pictures at big concerts and festivals. I'm trying that out already, but on a tiny tiny scale (laughs).

'Concert pics' by Kaatje Verschoren

And our very last question: what is your biggest dream?
Kaatje: At some point in my life I want to move to a very big city, like New York or Tokyo. A city where I can be entirely anonymous and where I can take my career as a photographer to another level. Something else I'd like to do there is open my own gallery and give new talented photographers the chance to show their work and what they're capable of.


You can follow Kaatje on Instagram.