Let me introduce myself. My name is Tessa Gorissen, 31 years old and originally from the Netherlands. Around 10 years ago I started with photography. I bought my first camera, got some lenses and a bag to bring all the gear in. "I'm gonna do this. I love this", I told myself multiple times. And there I went.

 

For a few years I focused on concerts and festivals. Every week I was in another venue, taking pictures of some smaller artists or bigger ones. Think of The Casualties, The Exploited, Paul McCartney and some unknown Dutch artists. Within no time I figured out how diverse photography was and how much fun it was to look back at the pictures of the concerts and festivals I attended. A lot of my pictures have been published on Dutch music websites. A nice way to get my portfolio ready. But that wasn't all. I also took pictures of animals already. Some better than others, but I just love animals and I love the expression and love they have. 

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A few years ago everything changed. Due to Covid there were no concerts or festivals in the Netherlands anymore. A wake up call. Was this what I wanted? I decided to focus on other photography skills. I've been following workshops for animal photography, seen how professionals made sure there were not only good pictures, but also that the people and animals felt comfortable and learned a lot more about my camera and editing. Before I knew it, I realised animal photography was way more diverse and it became the thing I wanted to develop in. Animals are a lot different than people. They react different and need another approach. And that's what makes every photoshoot fun. 

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Nowadays I take pictures of a lot of different animals. One day it's a dog, the other day a cat, bird or horse. Everything is possible and I love the fact that the bond between people and animals are that strong. 
With animal photography you need a lot more patience. Animals don't always feel comfortable, they react different on new people or surroundings and don't always do exactly what you want. That's why I always do a photoshoot on a location that is familiar for the animal or where you know the animal feels comfortable enough. Sometimes it takes a little more time to get those perfect shots or you have to admit that the animals have enough of posing. But in the end it's the end result that counts: amazing pictures and memories that last forever!