Evelien Buynsters (30 years) is a traveling photographer from the Netherlands. For Evelien photography is a way of life. Her camera is never far away. With her photography she captures what is present. To remember, in her own life but also in the lives of others. The photographs here here represent 3 big moments in her life.
“Part one: Taking off”
Picture taken in Ireland, Wicklow Mountains, 2016
“In the summer of 2013 I was in a very low point of my life. After getting fired and being depressed for six months I realized that this was not how I wanted to live my life. I started to challenge my fears, doubts and questions. This ended up in moving from my home town, discovering new talents and passions, learning new skills, re-discovering photography and starting my own business. All this developing, growing and discovering asked for a lot of energy and at the end of 2015 I was feeling tired all the time. Nine months after this realization I found myself walking the Wicklow Way with nothing more than I could carry on my back. Making the decision to leave everything behind was scary. I had no job, no home, and nobody else to rely on. It was just me. It was exactly what I needed after the growth I had made.”
“Part two: Living happiness”
Picture taken in Spain, San Vicente de la Barquera, 2017
“My initial plan was to leave for three months to recharge. After two months of doing what I wanted to do at that exact moment I wanted to do it, I didn’t want to go back. The mental and emotional freedom I was experiencing was one that I never known. I was getting to know myself in a new way and this made me happy. In the following 15 months I lived and volunteered in Ireland, Gran Canaria, Morocco, Spain, Portugal and England. In the final months I walked the Camino del Norte to Santiago with my best friend. Everything was right. I was right. I became the person I always was on the inside. It was one of the first times I felt truly happy. When I had nothing but 2 sets of clothing, a bar of soap, amazing people to share my road with and my camera.”
“Part three: Coming back”
Picture taken in The Netherlands, Ohe en Laak, 2019
“After the camino I felt ready to go home. I travelled back just before christmas 2017 and lived in my parents attic before finding my own place and a job. It was exactly what I had wanted for myself four years earlier. Only, one big thing had changed. Me. I was not the same person anymore and my interests and needs had changed. After three months I heard myself ask out loud: ‘What would happen if I didn’t get my contract extended after six months?’ Before the end of the year I stored all ten of my boxes again. A new adventure started: the experiment to be a traveler while living in the Netherlands. I decided that I’m going for a walk in the Netherlands. A walk of 1650 kilometers along the borders of the Netherlands staying over in houses of people I don’t know to experience more of my own country and meet new people. And mostly, to be who I am.”