Passion and Love

Photography By Swen de Kam

Photographer Swen de Kam talks about traveling the world, documenting the surfers of Mallorca, and the good and bad of always having your camera.

Mallorca, Spain

What is your history as a photographer?

I bought my first camera about 3 years ago. In the beginning, I had no idea what I was doing and I didn’t really had an eye for it. There was also no one else around me that was taking pictures to learn from. Really, when I look back on my first year of pictures there is nothing good. But the most important thing was that I enjoyed it so much that I kept on going. Waking up early for sunrises, waiting till 3 o’clock at night for the Milky Way to show, and no matter where I went I brought my camera with me.

How did you get into surf photography? Why does this inspire you ?

On a Sunday afternoon about 2 years ago I had a coastal walk in Mallorca and this was the first time that I saw surfers on the island. I took some wide angle shots of the activity and posted them on the Gram. One local surfer commented under the post and asked me to come next swell to take some more pictures. From then on, I got slowly into the local surf community. Now surf photography for me is a time to relax, set my mind free and don’t think about anything else than the moment. It is a sort of meditation, where I feel one with nature. The waves keep me going. Even though the surf in Mallorca is nothing special and most of the time not good at all, I enjoy every minute of every session.

Tell the story behind your favourite image.

I don’t have a favourite image, but one of the images I would like to tell something about is the Empty Wave. In the 2 years shooting in Mallorca, this was for me the first time I saw a wave with this perfect shape. I was hoping for more but this was the only wave that came and broke like this. So I’m happy that I captured it, there is nothing like it in Mallorca.

Since you first started shooting, what do you think has been your greatest struggle as an artist? What do you think is your greatest strength?

The biggest struggle for me is to leave my camera home and spend time with other things than photography; I think I need to find a better balance. I'm pretty obsessed with photography. On the other hand, my obsession with photography brought me to the point where I am now: I get paid for doing what I love the most. I can’t remember the day that I was “working”.

Photography seems to take you all over the world. Which places have been your favorite to photograph and why ?

Travel is a big part of my life; for the past 5 years I spent the summer in Mallorca and in the winter I traveled for 3 months. Indonesia is one of the countries where I keep coming back to. I’m in love with the culture. The people are so open and friendly, the food is great, and getting around is pretty cheap and easy. Also, the waves aren’t too bad. Even though this has never been my main reason for travel. It is the same as in Mallorca, I shoot so many different things, as long as my “subject” is doing his craft with passion and love I can document it with passion and dedication and I will enjoy every second of it.

What’s next for you ?

I would love to shoot gigs of some music artist, I have always been a big fan of music and life gigs. But I never really found the chance to document it. I hope that when all is normal again I can meet up with some music artists and collaborate. So yeah if you are a music artist and would love to collaborate, shoot me a message!