AMSTERDAM
Welcome! To the city of weed, bachelor parties and prostitutes. That’s what tourist brochures will try to sell you, flashing bright photos of red light district, meadows of colorful tulips and cannabis logos.
It IS a land of all that - if you’re looking into the first page of google search results... Coming here for the third time as “Alien”, and this time - with "Local” photographer Melanie Lemahieu, finally kicked me out of oblivious state of what the “Dutchland” is all about.
“I am a people photographer, mainly covering events with a journalistic approach. Capturing sharp moments during festivals, concerts and various shows brings me the greatest joy. So this photo-shoot was a great experience in terms of photography. Also, I rang at a prostitute’s door for the first time in my life! Who knew, that you can have a casual chat with her, as if you were talking to your neighbor!”, - Melanie shares few fun facts, as her life-time friend helps her with camera optics. “Amsterdam is all about diversity. With approximately 180 nationalities represented in this rather compact area, it feels like a Dutch cocktail shaker, where all influences mix together, drawing me along with it. I adore the potential of Amsterdam, yet sometimes there’s a feeling, that individualism and conformism might take over and this great freedom to be yourself might vanish.”
Following the rules of Alien-Local, we chose few of the stereotypes for the photo shoot inspirations - stoner, prostitute, bicycles, green, decorative tiles... And since I heard dutch people have no interest to impress with their couture and bling, the outfits were toned down a little bit. Except one. Of course - the Prostitute.
To begin with, being a character of male courtesan was quite a challenge. As much as I am already used to receiving attention or weird looks from passengers (thanks to Alien-Local experiences), this time it was not only the case of attention. As we strolled narrow streets in the Red light district, the biggest threat was... laws. Yes, the laws, that guard privacy of the girls and discretion of the clients.
You can only imagine the adrenaline rush, when suddenly, while me trying to be most seductive, posing with all my might and flexibility, the curtain behind one of the windows open and my eyes meet the look of another girl 30 cm away, sitting in her bikini. Thankfully, we both burst into laughter, as she didn’t expect to see another competitor (with a beard!) dancing right next to her “office”. We parted with friendly goodbyes, right after quickly measuring our bra sizes through a distance with a firm boob grab.
“No photo’s allowed” didn’t stop us from finding a perfect neon-lit corner, where men kept coming over for their dreams to be made come true. But in the end, all I know now is - I would be a very unsuccessful street walker.
Tuck the abs in! Arch your back, chest forward, point that toe! Freeze, camera, shoot!
Do you pay in cash, honey?...
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