Nice places are soothing for the soul of a man who often portrays the horrors that result from violence, disasters and poverty. Benno Neeleman has now been a professional photographer for more than 20 years and is often on the road for SOS Children's Villages. The relationship between the child care organisation and the Dutchman dates back to a trip to Romania at the beginning of the 1990s. It was there that he fell in love, first with a woman and then with the work of SOS Children's Villages, or rather with the children who blossom again at SOS Children's Villages. At first, he associated SOS Children's Villages with "something religious". When he went to the facilities in Cisnadie, the first SOS Children's Village he visited, he knew this was it. Since then, the relationship has become stronger and has grown significantly.
At the SOS Children's Village in Bucarest/Romania - Photo: B. Neeleman
Neeleman takes photographs for different aid organisations, which all have their own visual language according to the difficulties and problems that they fight against. At SOS Children's Villages he focuses his camera lens on happiness. "Ironically enough, that does not sell as well as misfortune", says Neeleman. The special thing about SOS Children's Villages is that "you can see a solution. All across the world, children express their feelings in the same way. No matter which cultural setting you are in, the atmosphere at SOS Children's Villages conveys that the children feel secure."
He recalls a girl he met in Albania who had never even been inside a school before she went to the SOS Children's Village in Tirana. Two weeks later, he saw the girl again and he was already able to notice an amazing difference. They met again two years ago and she is now studying graphic design. He has great respect when he talks of the changes seen in the girl, who, despite having a bad start, was able to discover the skills she had and make use of them within just six or seven years.
At the SOS Children's Village in Tirana/Albania - Photo: Benno Neeleman
Neeleman has been to many crisis areas across the world, but does not see himself as a war correspondent. He calls his work "social documentation". He does not like to fight for a good shot, but tries to get close to people and the reality of their lives, showing caution and respect. At SOS Children's Villages, he can, as in the case of the Albanian girl, observe people over a longer period of time, "track" them and follow up on their development. Portraying a disaster for the sake of it does not correspond with his way of thinking. Neeleman is concerned about getting people to take responsibility for people who are suffering, and giving a voice to those who cannot reach the public, who do not have anyone who tells their stories.
Whilst talking, we come up with a nice term: photographer of hope.
Do you need a particular approach to take photographs of children? "It sounds quite simple, but it's love. I love children! That's the first thing that you need. I usually spend a couple of days in an SOS Children's Village so that the children learn to trust me and so that we can get to know each other. Then everything comes on its own. The children are playful and are not self-conscious. For me, they are a real source of strength", says Neeleman. They are the source of strength that he needs when he goes to countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
SOS Children's Village Bahir Dar/Ethiopia - Photo: B. Neeleman
Flashes of happiness / part 2