I am Anita

I am Belgian, born in Germany, and have been home in Vancouver, BC, Canada, since 2010. I have been drawn to the art of photography as a form of creative play and self-expression from a very young age. A move from Belgium to Ecuador in 2006, followed by relocation to Canada in 2010, offered me new perspectives to grow as a photographer and taught me the power of visual storytelling.

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As an expat mother attempting to document and share our family life overseas, I began creating images that could stand alone to tell the story. Simultaneously, I gained eight years' experience documenting two international IB Schools: Academia Cotopaxi | Quito, Ecuador and Meadowridge School | Maple Ridge, Vancouver, BC. 

In addition to photographically capturing academics, sporting activities, and theatre production for the school's website, newsletters and publications, I also enjoyed designing art gallery announcements and creating and composing video slideshows for special events. 

Influenced by the IB vision to create a better world through education, my hobby grew into a passion and profession that left me with the strong desire to go beyond the how of my art to the why. A challenging and inspiring humanitarian photo workshop with The Giving Lens as part of the Tanzania Team 2015 instilled in me a desire to work on more humanitarian photography projects supporting education, women's empowerment and human rights. In 2016, I joined Photographers Without Borders, for whom I have been on documentary assignments in Peru (2017), Guatemala (2018) and Kazakhstan (2019). You can read the published visual stories from my overseas and local projects under 'Humanitarian Photo Projects.'

I have a Bachelor's degree in Public Relations & Communications. Before moving overseas, I worked for a prominent Belgian newspaper and a Dutch leader in Recruitment & HR. I am a self-taught photographer who continues to dedicate myself to honing my craft by taking inspirational workshops and courses as:

Curso Básico Digital & Taller Avanzado at Art School Centro de la Imagen Alianza Francesa, Quito, Ecuador 2006-2010

Commercial Photography with Kevin James Day, Vancouver 2011

Street Photography with Kathleen Hinkel, Vancouver Photo Workshop 2012

The Constructed Image at Emily Carr University of Art & Design, Vancouver 2013

Art History, The Movements that Mattered at Sotheby's Art Institute 2014

Humanitarian Photo Workshop & Volunteering, The Giving Lens, Tanzania 2015

Certificate Visual Storytelling, Photographers Without Borders, Cambodia 2016

Diploma Documentary Photography Projects, Danish School of Media and Journalism, NOOR and World Press Photo, Amsterdam 2017

Certificate Visual Storytelling, Photographers Without Borders, Mongolia 2018

Certificate Ethical Storytelling Photographers Without Borders, Workshop 2024