Wilco Westerduin is an amateur photographer from the Netherlands, who started more seriously photography a little over one and a half years ago. That’s when he bought his €400 entry-level camera. Before this, he just played around with an iPhone, looking for different perspectives in the world, to express his creativity.

Having 44 years of life experience, he ended his work as a Human Resource-consultant and is now passionately dedicated to photographing and being an active member of the 500px community.

Photograph The promised path by Wilco Westerduin on 500px

The promised path by Wilco Westerduin on 500px

After shooting a little with my iPhone at first, I started out ‘really’ photographing a little over a year and a half ago with an entry-level €400 camera and nothing but iPhoto on my MacBook for some tweaking and optimizing. No Photoshop or Lightroom. Photography as ‘pure’ as possible.

I have kept this approach to this day, challenging myself—and inspiring others—with the idea that it’s not necessary to have very expensive gear and complicated software to achieve good results in photography. The eye and mind of the guy (or girl) essentially make the shot, not the price of the camera!

When you look at the world in a different way, you see incredible things. The essence of my photography, I hope, is to make that visible.

Photograph Round it up by Wilco Westerduin on 500px

Round it up by Wilco Westerduin on 500px

Photograph No more defense by Wilco Westerduin on 500px

No more defense by Wilco Westerduin on 500px

Photograph At day's End by Wilco Westerduin on 500px

At day's End by Wilco Westerduin on 500px

Photograph (B)eau de Cologne by Wilco Westerduin on 500px

(B)eau de Cologne by Wilco Westerduin on 500px

Photograph Dutch Star Wars by Wilco Westerduin on 500px

Dutch Star Wars by Wilco Westerduin on 500px

Photograph Harsh habitat by Wilco Westerduin on 500px

Harsh habitat by Wilco Westerduin on 500px

Photograph Looking back on a promise by Wilco Westerduin on 500px

Looking back on a promise by Wilco Westerduin on 500px

This approach has, so far, resulted into almost 1.9 million views, 135,000 points of ‘affection,’ 1,752 followers, more than a dozen photos with a pulse over 99, and even an Editors’ Choice pick with a 99.7 pulse!

All this just by being active on 500px, since I am not on any other social media or photo website. I only just recently opened a Facebook page, posting links to my 500px photos, but no further activity there.

I am truly amazed by this, and think 500px is a wonderful community that has made it possible for me to have confidence in my photography to the point where I’ve even had the opportunity to do paid work, plan exhibitions, and prep for the release of my own photo book!

I would like more people to know my story; hopefully it will inspire them to have confidence in their personal photography too, especially when they don’t have expensive equipment.