Shooting Days

All events are on a single page, i had not much time in 2024 to make a review of eacht event. The processing of the images took much time and i also have a job at the military base in Zeebrugge. Three events were planned in 2024 and we went to our three nice locations.

Comblain-la-Tour begin may

It was a pleasant shooting in a house where we have been coming for at least 10 years. But a number of models did not show up: they were contacted by Robert Bams who forbade them to participate in the shooting days. If they would come to the shooting days, they would not be allowed to participate in the Best Model for Belgium contest. Two models were even contacted by telephone when they were already with us. After some explanation, the models of course stayed. It was the period when Robert Bams was quite vengeful. But the models who did not show up did not perform at the contest either: there simply was no competition in 2024. Now that Robert has no money anymore, he has become a lot calmer.

We went to the gardens of the University of Liège, the place is only good in the weekends, when there are no students.

We also went to a pond near the house. It is actually an abandoned quarry that has filled up with water, there are more ponds like this one in the area. But there is a lot of rubbish on the site and the people who walks around here when the weather is fine you will never encounter in Knokke-le-Zoute. I was injured at my wrist with shards of glass while changing position to take pictures.

Unfortunately, this is the last time we can go to the house in Comblain la Tour. At the end of our stay, we were informed by the owner that he had received a letter from the municipality. The house must be made completely fireproof, which is actually not possible without completely demolishing the house and rebuilding it. Among other things, a fire escape should be installed, but that would completely destroy the style of the house. Who would want to stay in a house with an ugly fire escape on the facade? A few months later I heard that the owner had sold the house.

Vogelsang mid augustus

Whe stay at the parc for all the shootings. The parc is a former military camp of the Belgian Forces in Germany. This is a view of the sports fields...

... and this is the result: (there is a second "making off" on the right)

One of the buildings that was normally closed was now open (actually the door was not closed properly) and I did a photoshoot in the showers. The showers were placed in the basement by the Belgian army. The owner would like to turn it into a luxury hotel with sauna, but the works are not progressing (to be more precise: nothing is happening).

Apparently there is a group of tuned cars at the gas station every Saturday. We took the opportunity to take a few pictures with the cars. Since the gas station was cleaned up it is not worth taking pictures there anymore.

We have a great view of the entire parc from the house. The nature reserve is definitely worth a visit, even if you don't do a photoshoot with models. We usually hang around the house, but we should also go to Wollfseiffen. This is a village nearby that was evacuated when the Allies were conquering the area at the end of the Second World War. Afterwards the terrain was used as a training ground by the Belgian army for the guerrilla war. It would be worth going there during the next shooting days in Vogelsang.

The intention was to do a photoshoot at sunset. It is one of the few places where we can make a perfect photoshoot at sunset (the other houses where we stay during the shooting days are located in the valley and there is no evening sun). Only one model was there on time (and actually it was already too late, the background was already too dark).

I only used my continuous light for another model, because there was absolutely no sunlight anymore. The next day the model climbed to the roof of La Redoute (one of the buildings that are not in use). He made a video for Tiktok.

And to finish, a photo of a model. He always has the same expression on his face and always seems to be sleeping, after a few photos you lose all interest.

Villa Mosa Huy, end september

One of the models arrived when there were no other models or photographers present. This way I can do a photoshoot in the pool. Normally the other photographers are almost always busy at the pool and it becomes difficult to take good pictures (it takes time to set the flashes correctly).

He is a beautiful model but he is bulking (in 2025 on the following shooting days he was still bulking and I didn't even take pictures). He will probably come back in 2026 because he lives nearby now.

Another model comes from the Netherlands. He could only stay one day because there was school in the Netherlands again. He left early in the morning by train and returned to the Netherlands late at night. He has the right body and face to become a mannequin, but he is not really interested in becoming a model.

And then a model with lots of muscles and little brains. Lots of fitness poses, but one photo in jeans in the salon works very well: the photo got the most likes on instagram.

A model stayed only for a few hours. I pick him up at the station in Liège, he settles in his room, and just as the shoot starts he gets a phone call from his father asking him to come back home immediately. And for the first shooting days of 2025 he was abroad. Hopefully he will come for the next shooting days in Vogelsang.

A model comes on Saturday, but he has his impresario with him who dictates the poses, chooses the clothes,... Of course no photographer wants to work with him.

Also characteristic of these shooting days are two male models who form a couple. Every time a model (hetero) comes with his girlfriend there are problems (he isolates himself with his girlfriend and is not interested in the shootings). The same is true with this gay couple: they were rude, did not participate in the group activities and created a bad atmosphere. I did not take a single picture of those two guys. By the way, we stayed in the house the whole week and basically I just went to pick up the models in Liège and took care of the food.

A model invites two of his friends, but they don't want to do photoshoots, they are just here to have fun. And when they have to go out for a photoshoot in the neighborhood they are late. Three more people that I didn't photograph. In the 5 days I photographed 5 models.