Photographing Difficult Times with Jacqueline Dersjant

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In this special episode of Workflows, we speak with funeral and end-of-life photographer Jacqueline Dersjant about her transition from weddings to this very niche style of photography and a lot of what goes into photographing difficult times in people's lives.

Jacqueline Dersjant is a photographer from Amsterdam known for her candid, documentary approach. Her expressive photography is about capturing special moments, interactions, and emotions between people. 

Since her mom died in 2015, she has been passionate about end-of-life and farewell photography. No one forgets to have pictures taken of their wedding. Her mission is that people won’t forget photography in hard times, either. She is committed to capturing reality and has an eye for spontaneous, once-in-a-lifetime moments that feel honest. Her images are intimate and sometimes fun(ny), always telling a true story. All photos are made in a relaxed, sympathetic, and unobtrusive way.

Jacqueline has received several awards, such as Fearless, WPJA, PANL, and Px3, and has been honored to participate in the jury of several prestigious photography contests. Jacqueline is also the owner of The Full Monty Workshop, an intensive year-long training for photographers who want to take a more documentary and storytelling approach.

• (00:00) - 013
• (02:58) - What inspired you to pursue end-of-life photography
• (05:59) - What do you hope people will take away from your images?
• (08:06) - How do you capture such honest moments?
• (11:20) - How do you handle the emotional impact it can put on you, to witness such events regularly?
• (13:25) - Chapter 6
• (14:44) - What challenges do you face when photographing end-of-life moments?
• (18:01) - What would you say if you had one minute to recommend a photographer to get into this niche?
• (21:47) - Chapter 9
• (28:08) - What are some of the most memorable moments you've captured?
• (32:30) - How has Imagen played a role in your post-production workflow?
• (34:01) - How did Imagen impact your life?
• (35:04) - Can you also share a bit about your mentorship program?
• (36:15) - What do you love doing when not worrying about your photography business, thanks to Imagen?