Laura van Cutsem

A year of doing what makes me happy. A year of documenting nature. A year of being inspired and creating.

This is just the beginning.

I am so grateful that I made the decision to buy myself a beginner DSLR camera. I wanted to level up my creative journey but I didn’t know a thing about photography or cameras. As the months went by, I continued to learn and with my motto “passion over perfectionism”” in mind, I got where I am now today, a year later. I improved a lot, but most importantly: I had so much fun along the way. I had so much fun creating and felt whole when I could go outside and search for elements that I found beautiful. My connection with nature grew deeper and I became more sensitive to all the tiniest details of the natural landscape. I shared my enthusiasm for the often-overlooked elements and documented little changes throughout the seasons. It has been magical. And the best part of all this is that it’s just the beginning. There are so many ways in which I can grow. There’s so much space for new ideas and projects. It will be a tough challenge to navigate the urge to create, take on projects, rest and be a good university student.

Sharing my journey online has been at times scary but also so rewarding. I received messages from some of you about how my nature pictures give you a moment of calm; or that those pictures are a reminder to go outside or inspire you to make a painting. One of you suggested to organise a print order and so I did and I never expected such a big response. That means a lot to me. It really does.

That’s the positive side of it. Of course, it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. Being creative is a big part of who I am but it’s also an outlet, something that gives me joy when things aren’t going well. Struggles are part of life but it isn’t always easy to cope with them. But being my creative self gives me strength and it motivates me to do what really matters to me. I can’t wait to see where I’ll stand next year and I hope I will look back with as much contentment as I am now looking back at last year.

My first year of photography: An overview

Documenting the seasons

I underscore the impact of photography in my life and the difference buying my camera made, but most important was the mindset it gave me. The first months of learning photography were thrilling, yet when I look back at the pictures I then took, I realise they were not extraordinary. But the enthusiasm I felt with each improvement, no matter how small, kept me going. I was (and still am) determined to bring people closer to nature by letting them see my perspective of the world.

Autumn

Winter

Spring

Summer

Sustainability Night at Arts 🪲🎤🗣️

Ecoteam Letteren of the KU Leuven had invited me to speak on their event “Sustainability Night at” Arts. I presented my projects (nature photography, Geogarden and interviews) and how they contribute to individual climate activism. I had so much fun even though there were a few things I could have done better. (Hello dry mouth.) It was the first time I had an audience listening to me talking passionately about my projects. I was speaking to people who were actually interested in what I am doing. I felt seen and heard and that was such a great feeling. I am so grateful for Ecoteam Letteren for inviting me. They gave me an unforgettable opportunity and experience.

Collaboration with Ecoteam Letteren of KU Leuven 🎥

Taking pictures for Veto 📷

This term I took some pictures for Veto (an independent student magazine). My picture of Abdij van het Park became the cover photo in the article “Ontdek groene ruimtes in Leuven” and they even used my heron picture as well in the paper edition of the magazine.

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Dear reader,

Thank you for tagging along. 🙏 I did not mention all the things I managed to do this year so if you’re curious about the first six months of my photography journey, do check out this blogpost. Even though this is already a quite lengthy post, there’s so much I haven’t yet written about, hence the “part 1” in the title. Part 2 will follow soon and I must say, It’s one of my favourite blogs ever. (Something about portraits…) So if you’re interested in that as well, keep an eye on your mailbox!

Until the next blog,

Laura