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During times of darkness and moments of deep turmoil in her personal life, Dutch photographer and mother of six, Marjolein Martinot, found herself lost, searching for a renewed sense of self. Each evening, she sought solace in nature, walking to a nearby river in the South of France with her camera in hand. There, she captured the quiet beauty of the natural world in the golden light of dusk, forming connections with the animals and families she en- countered at the river’s edges—jumping, splashing, climbing, and swinging from the trees.
What began as a ritual of aimless wandering and photographing soon became a form of visual journaling—a quiet meditation on healing and transformation. The water, ever-flowing and unpredictable, mirrored her own emotional state, while the families she met, however briefly, embodied the warmth and belonging she longed for.
Through these intimate, unguarded moments—children mid-leap, ripples catching the last light of day, trees bending towards the water, and horses galloping in the fading glow—Martinot began to piece together a new sense of self. Her photographs, though deeply personal, transcend autobiography, offering a universal reflection on resilience, connection, and the subtle magical beauty of the everyday.”
I first came across Marjolein Martinot whilst browsing through The Guardian Newspaper online. I often read News and Articles from papers across the Left Right divide as, to quote Arthur Machen; “There are strange things lost and forgotten in obscure corners of the newspaper.” In this case, not lost and forgotten by Guardian readers, but by those who neglect to look across at what lies beyond. I’m glad I do as sometimes my world changes in an instant.
“Riverland is Dutch photographer Marjolein Martinot’s poetic response to the dark sci-fi nightmare that was the global pandemic. With pictures that arise almost dreamlike from the water at the centre of her story, she focuses on the people—children, parents, lovers—drawn to the river to escape the pervasive loneliness and fear. Evoking memories of a favourite childhood summer, her images wash over us like a baptism of sorts, offering a new beginning.”
– Bill Shapiro, 2022 Former Editor-in-Chief at LIFE Magazine, writer
It was an article on the Sony World Photography Award Winners and my eye was drawn towards a square Photograph about 10 or so images down; I was immediately captured by the subtlety of the tones; light and airy, almost translucent, yet markedly real and obviously shot on Film. It was the only Photograph on the list I liked, the others I must say I wasn’t keen on and would likely just scroll past if I came across them on say a Flickr page.
The Photo felt strangely familiar and I wasn’t surprised when I discovered that Marjolein is featured on the Ilford Photo website along with many others for her series Riverland.
Riverland is simply a beautiful series of Photographs, almost like stills from a dream sequence. The gentleness and delicateness of the light fulls the images with a haunting luminosity which is oh so evocative, of what I do not know..
Her winning Photograph from the series Riverland and the other Sony World Photography Awards Winners were exhibited at Somerset House in The Strand, Somerset House has been a centre of The Arts and a World leader in displaying and exhibiting world famous and renowned Artists from Music to Performing Arts.
I wrote to Marjolein and she kindly replied, which was followed by a friendly exchange. Of course you can check out the links which I have listed below to find out more.
Marjolein Martinot. Portrait by Miquel Llonch
Ibraar: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you’re from, where do you live and what drew you into the art of photography?
Marjolein: Ibraar, Thank you for your kind words, I am Dutch and was born in Leiden, in the Netherlands. I moved to France in my early twenties, married and subsequently became a mom of six children. I have always been drawn to photography from an early age on. My father was a competent amateur photographer, and in part thanks to him I became interested in photography. I still remember my first camera, which was an Agfamatic Pocket that I got for my 10th birthday.
When I was about 18, I bought my first 35 mm SLR, and I have continued learning, using and exploring the medium since. I was always the prime picture-taker in our family – mostly family snaps – but it was only after my 5th child was born that I became more seriously interested in expanding my photographic knowledge and, more specifically, photography as an art form. I then decided to enroll in a local photography class, and subsequently attended workshops, notably Atelier Smedsby, a 1-year photography workshop with JH Engstrom and Margot Wallard, and later on a workshop in the Indre region of France with Vanessa Winship, George Georgiou, and Israel Ariño. Both great and very enriching experiences.
Ibraar:Your photographs are hauntingly beautiful and evocative, as if stills captured from a dream sequence, can you tell us briefly about what inspired you and what do you ‘see’ which gives you the gift to capture what you do?
Marjolein: I’m quite sensitive to moods, with a tendency towards occasional melancholy. I aim to evoke sentiments by using and mixing different photographic approaches (portraits and life’s moments) in both color and monochrome, and I often use different (analogue) cameras.
Ibraar:If you could briefly tell us about your favourite series and about Riverland – what inspired you and how do you feel it has affected your life? And of those around you?
Marjolein: The first inspiration for Riverland started while I was photographing several little boys, playing in trees on the Creuse river of the Indre in France.
It was in the early months of the global Covid pandemic, and it felt almost surreal to be there during those challenging times, and to be photographing these happy and enchanting moments. Something shifted inside of me then, and it made me want to come back there and do more work. I subsequently kept on searching for other unique moments in natural scenery, all in and around the rivers of southern France.
Ibraar: Why analogue?
Marjolein: All the photos for Riverland were taken with analogue cameras and from the start it was a clear choice for me to also opt for B&W film. By doing so, I felt that I could create a different, more specific mood, a different ‘land’ so to speak – one that perhaps has a slightly more otherworldly and poetic feel to it. For the series I used a Mamiya 7II, a Mamiya C330, and a Rolleiflex. I love the soft rendering results of the Rolleiflex – it really has a quite unique creamy overall feel. Although my strong preference for analogue photography hasn’t changed at all, I did purchase a new (2nd hand) digital camera recently and have been happy experimenting with it.
Ibraar: What’s your favourite camera which you most often use, and your film developer combination?
Marjolein: I much like using the Mamiya 7II for portraiture as it’s light & manoeuvrable, and quite easy to manipulate. Normally I like to hand-hold the camera, but I also use a tripod in case of low light situations.
I usually give my rolls to a film lab in Paris to develop and then scan the negatives afterwards. For me, printing is an altogether different profession, and I really admire photographers who manage to produce beautiful prints themselves. I am very fortunate to have found an extraordinary craftsman and printer in the vicinity of Paris (Diamantino Quintas), who prints my photos for me.
He truly does an amazing job!
Ibraar: Any advice you can give to budding photographers or more seasoned ones to veer more towards creativity rather than equipment and technical aspects of cameras and photography?
Marjolein: I am afraid to say that I am not a very technical person at all. After understanding the basics & use of a camera, I use it purely as a tool for expressing my creativity. That being said, I do have preferences for certain cameras as I mentioned above.
Ibraar:What’re your thoughts on the future of Film Photography?
Marjolein: With the now global use of AI and all, the trend to go back to film photography seems perhaps like a good thing – the real thing.
Ibraar: A little about your book release and any future plans, exhibitions and publications?
Marjolein: Well, the book just came out and it has been such a long and very intense journey in the making, so I am just enjoying that part of it now.
But yes, I think that down the road there will be an exhibition of Riverland, which will also be exciting!
Marjolein’s Book Riverland is available to purchase Here
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thorsten on Exploring the Dreamlands of Sony World Photography Award Winner Marjolein Martinot
Comment posted: 09/08/2025