Gijs van de Veerdonk grew up in a conservative part of the Netherlands, and as a queer youth, he had a different lens as he aged and discovered his community. He has drawn a great deal of input and approaches from this. His queerness has made him more comfortable with abstract and novel approaches of other creatives and informs unexpected areas of my work.

Gijs combines traditional lighting techniques with innovative, original lighting techniques to create a bridge between traditional, more classic lighting and modern fashion photography. 

His work is driven by a desire to unpack the world around him. Be it in editorial- or commercial-shoots, he finds new and challenging ways to confront norms not only in himself and his community but also in the larger body of aesthetics.