Cooper Seykens grew up in the Netherlands and discovered his passion for photography when he traveled through the United States with his father at the age of seventeen. During this trip, he captured powerful black-and-white street portraits that formed the foundation of his artistic voice: raw, intimate, and authentic. At nineteen, he began his studies at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, where he further developed his technique and vision.
His career quickly took off. From a young age, he worked for international fashion magazines such as L’Officiel Hommes and established himself both in the Netherlands and abroad as a striking portrait photographer. Seykens is known for his analog working method with Hasselblad cameras, which he uses to capture his subjects in a pure and personal way. He creates a relaxed atmosphere in which his models can be simultaneously vulnerable and confident, giving his portraits their characteristic power.
In his later work, including a series in Mexico featuring iconic portraits such as “Charro Santiago,” he interweaves color and composition with personal stories. These images demonstrate how his style has evolved from classic black-and-white photography to a contemporary visual poetry centered on intimacy. His work has received international attention and has been exhibited in galleries and at art fairs, with both his fine art and commercial work continuing to explore the boundaries between art and portrait photography.
Today, Seykens combines his work as an artist and portrait photographer with an ongoing quest for authenticity. Each portrait he creates is more than just an image; it is a window into the subject's story and emotion, and thus a reflection of his own artistic journey.
