Charlie Wessels Studio, Veldkamp 77, Havelte (2026)

14/11/2022

The past few months have been quite overwhelming at times… I welcomed some incredible people and families into the studio, photographed weddings, events, a funeral and packed up and closed the studio in Havelte… I got to visit my family in South Africa and celebrate with them in advance of our wedding taking place next year and today… had my last client meeting before getting on a flight to America in the morning. My other half is being sent to America for work for a few years and I am of course joining him. This was not planned… and making all the arrangements have been quite stressful, but all the help from friends and family has made it possible.

To each and every person who sent a kind word of encouragement, thank you! To our friends who have made coffee, stood ready with wine, helped us pack, gave us little gifts to remember them by and bought us our ’Dutch pajamas’, you are AMAAAAZING!!!

For each and every client who came to my studio over the past 18 months, thank you for your trust in Mariëlle, Esther and I and thank you for being brave and teaching us to take more chances in life.

I have learnt more than I ever could imagine and forged new friendships along the way.

Keep in touch… watch this space as I have lots more to share… and ’to be continued’…

Lots of love,

Charlie

02/09/2022

Meet Sonja.

Sonja lives in Eesveen, is a mother, a wife, a seamstress, loves the outdoors and being creative and... is the most positive person I’ve ever met. Her energy just fills a room when she walks into it and she refuses to let anything in life get her down. She will see the best in any situation you throw at her. Spending time in her presence literally changes the way you feel about yourself and the world around you.

Sonja loves being creative. When she was younger, she wanted to do something in fashion. She studied fashion design and worked at the Hema for a while, but most of her creations now are for herself and her family. Sonja can just look at a pattern and beautiful winter coat appears!

Sonja invests all of her time and energy into the loved one’s around her. This Dream Session was a chance for Sonja to do something for herself. I asked her if she was nervous before the session and she told me that it was ‘healthy nerves’ and that is passed over quickly 🙂

I asked Sonja how her experience was with having her hair and makeup done by Mariëlle, and she said that she loved it and was positively surprised with the results. She had told Mariëlle to do whatever she wanted and to ’surprise’ her. The results were absolutely perfect!

I asked Sonja how her overall experience was during the session and she said that she was totally relaxed. She felt that both Mariëlle and I made her feel at ease and that all the laughing we had, helped a lot 🙂 Overall… Sonja found the final results of the images were ‘fantastic’!!! 🙂 (Thank you for the compliments Sonja :))

Sonja’s advice to anyone considering a Dream Session is:

“Let is just wash over your and ENJOY!!”
(Laat het over je heen komen en GENIET!!)

Sonja’s life motto is:

“Put a smile on your face every day.”
(Tover elke dag een glimlach op je gezicht.)

Sonja, thank you for sharing your story, trusting us with this honour and for spreading the love! May more of us… be like you!!!

Sonja’s hair and makeup:

01/09/2022

You may have seen me using this hashtag over the years… Well... here’s the story.

When I first moved to the Netherlands, I spent my first month in a Dutch hospital on the cardiology ward while the love of my life, was fighting to stay alive.

When you are confronted with life changing situations, you end of having a lot of time to think while waiting around. Waiting for news… waiting outside of operating theatres… waiting for a call that you may come to see the one you love… waiting to find out that everything is going to be okay… just waiting. Sometimes your mind is blank while waiting and sometimes you think of what could be and how you would do things different and better… if only the news were good. You make yourself promises and above all, pray and promise to be better and be different and make a positive impact on the lives of others.

For us… we got to walk out of that hospital together and every day since… we have laughed and cherished each other, thankful EVERY DAY that we got to spend one more day together.

When times are tough, work gets too much or whatever crisis comes our way, I try to take a moment and think back to that time in the hospital when I created my own life motto:

Love, laugh and be kind.

Short, simple, powerful, and true to me.

I need to remind myself sometimes of what is really important… and I’m thankful to be surrounded by people who get it and understand it. And today… I want to celebrate all of the good in our lives (and especially the good people in our lives) and remind you of the words I learnt along the way:

Love, laugh and be kind.

And most of all… be kind to yourself! If that means that you need to step back and take some time out to focus on what is most important to you… then do it!

Love and hugs,

Charlie

30/08/2022

This incredible woman is celebrating her birthday today!

It’s difficult to find the words to sum up who she is… but I will try.
starke is a business owner, a pet mom, a traveller and an inspiring friend who lights up the room she walks into.

In short… beautiful inside and out :)

Dear Marielle, thank you for your love and support and for pushing me past my comfort zone in all the projects we do together. I’m so thankful that our paths crossed!

May you have a wonderful happy birthday and may all your dreams come true ❤️

29/08/2022

‘Caring’ is such a small word with such big impact…

The world will be so much of a better place if we take the time to care more about each other… This is a thought I consider daily when I see someone being unkind, and even more so when I see someone being kind 😊

Thank you to each and every person who has shown me kindness in the past week. There is quite a lot going on at the moment and I’m struggling to keep all the balls in the air… but I will not forget how your kindness has made me feel.

Pay it forward… reach out to someone who might need your kind words today ❤️

24/08/2022

Meet Esther.

Esther lives in Dwingeloo, is a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend, a tailor, a gardener, a social worker and one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.

Esther loves working in her garden and greenhouse as she loves the whole process of seeing her own flowers bloom, growing her own vegetables and just being at peace.

Esther also loves sewing and embroidery and is one of the very talented volunteers who makes the fabulous costumes each year for the Shakespeare production in Diever.

Esther has wanted to be a care worker for as long as she can remember, she just didn’t know in exactly which field but she knew that she wanted to help people. She is now a social worker who specialises in helping people with addictions, an incredibly important role which she is very proud of.

I asked Esther why she wanted to do a Dream Session and she told me that she wanted to make some memories with her daughter and show her just how beautiful she was.

Esther described her overall session experience as wonderful… An afternoon spent in an intimate atmosphere with all the attention on her and her daughter 😊

She LOVED having her hair and makeup done by .starke. The whole process was out of her comfort zone, but it all felt really natural and made her feel very feminine.

Esther loves her images 🥰 She now sees herself in a different light. She feels that she looks confident and beautiful in them and told me that this experience has boosted her self esteem.

Esther’s life motto is:

“Enjoy every day and make memories together.”

Esther, thank you for sharing your story. You are beautiful inside and out ❤️

Esther’s hair and makeup:

11/08/2022

Have you ever tried something new even when it scared you? Or travelled so far away from home that you had to learn to communicate differently (in a new language, with a different accent or a new culture) or decided to learn to play a new instrument or master a new hobby at a later stage in life?

Then you will understand what it is like to expand your mind with the thrill of experiencing something new.

All of our experiences shape who we are. I have moved twenty-something times in my life (due to university, adventure and my time served in the Army) and I wouldn’t want to change any of my experiences, the good and the bad.

We started the studio ‘Dream Sessions’ to offer a new experience to women and their families and I cannot believe the great success it has been! Thank you to each and every person who has trusted us with this experience and for your love and appreciation after receiving your images.

I have news about a new adventure… but more on that later.

Have a great day and for those in Europe, enjoy the summer weather ❤️

03/08/2022

“A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.” - PRINCESS DIANA

I adore this portrait of Esther & Naomi. It was an ‘in-between moment’ while I was testing my lighting for the portrait I planned to take and it was just… perfect ❤️

02/08/2022

Listen to your heart and follow your dreams… life is too short for regrets ❤️

29/07/2022

Meet Naomi.

Naomi loves nature, being creative, playing games and spending time with her family. For many years, she did gymnastics and now, she attends the ‘Drama School’ at the famous Shakespeare theatre in Diever, the Netherlands.

She is currently in secondary school and has no idea what she want to be when she grows up, but loves trying new things and may even consider being a model 🙂

I asked Naomi what her reason was for wanting to do a Dream Session and she told me that she wanted to do something nice with her mom and the idea of a portrait session and making memories together, looked like fun.

Naomi said that she was not nervous before her session at all, only excited and couldn’t wait for this day to come!

She loved being pampered and she loved spending this time with her mom.

Her advice to anyone considering a photo session with their mom is ‘do it!’. Naomi feels that the experience was incredibly valuable and that she will love to look back at these portraits someday as happy memories, glad that she had this day with her mom 🙂

Naomi’s own personal motto is:

“Don’t look back, just go forward.”

Naomi, thank you for sharing your story and convincing your mom to do this with you. I hope these portraits will be a beautiful treasure for you both someday ❤️

Naomi’s hair & makeup:

29/06/2022

No matter what you have done or experienced… each day is a new chance to start over ❤️

12/06/2022

Meet Ninja.

Ninja is a kind and spiritual person who lives in Meppel, loves reading and acting, and is also the best giver of personalised gifts in the world! (Speaking from experience 😉)

When she was younger, she dreamt of being a dolphin trainer but ended up studying education instead.

Ninja always puts others ahead of herself. For years, she booked me to photograph her children shortly before their birthdays, but never has she wanted to be in the photos too.

I was over the moon when Ninja booked herself a Dream Session and when I asked her why she did, she said that she had wanted to book this session from the moment I told her about it at the opening of my studio.

I asked if she was nervous before the session and she said ‘no’. She said that having known me as a photographer for so many years put her at ease and that she found the whole process to be quite exciting as she was now the one to be in front of the camera instead of her kids.

Ninja described her session as a ‘perfect afternoon’. She said that she felt a little awkward at first because the day was all about her, but once she became more relaxed it was a wonderful experience.

Ninja said that she loved getting her hair and makeup done and that Marielle is an absolute sweetheart. Ninja said that she never spends more than 5 mins on her own makeup so it was a new experience getting pampered by Marielle and she LOVED the results.

Ninja’s advice to others considering having their portraits taken:

“Just do it. It’s a great experience. A gift to yourself.”

Ninja’s own personal motto:

“NOTHING is a coincidence.”

Njnja loves the results of her session and so do I 🥰

Ninja, thank for sharing your story and for trusting us with your portraits ❤️

Ninja’s hair & makeup:

Charlie Wessels Studio

14/11/2022

02/09/2022

01/09/2022

30/08/2022

29/08/2022

24/08/2022

11/08/2022

03/08/2022

02/08/2022

29/07/2022

29/06/2022

12/06/2022

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