Knights of the Windmill, a tribute to the miller’s craft

At the beginning of 2020, I was commissioned by the ‘Vereniging de Zaansche Molen’ to capture the miller’s craft. Since 2017 the miller’s craft has been included on UNESCO’s list of “the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” These images are taken at windmills located on the Zaanse Schans, one of the Netherlands' most popular tourist attractions.

There are literally millions of pictures of the windmills on the Zaanse Schans, but one thing that is often overlooked is the massive amount of labor that the millers provide each and every day to keep these historical wind machines in full operation.

I had the honor to capture the miller's craft that played an important role in the history of the development of the Dutch industry. During the 17th century, more than 600 windmills were constructed in the area around the Zaanse Schans, creating the first industrial zone in the Netherlands. The windmills were used to grind spices, produce paint, saw wood, and make oil. To make mills work, millers are needed and their training is extensive.

The goal of these images, taken at the Zaanse Schans, is to spur interest in the new generation to conserve, learn, and work with these historical wind factories.

The shooting conditions weren’t always easy, to say the least. Call times before sunrise to after sunset, small spaces, difficult lighting situations, places only accessible by boat, cold temperatures, and extremely high winds really mate it challenging. The good part was that these extreme environments provided some incredible light and skies in the background.

The client had seen my work online and wanted the same look I use for my personal projects. I thought that was an excellent fit because it really shows the purity and roughness of the subject.

Client’s reference images

To achieve this look I relied on my Phase One medium format camera and my broncolor flash equipment. In this project I used the broncolor Siros 800L because of a few reasons:

• It’s battery-powered, meaning it doesn’t’ need a power outlet so perfect for remote locations (such as windmills)
• A full battery lasts around 440 flashes on full power, that’s a lot..! I rarely use it on full power so I could easily shoot an entire day. But for safety, I always keep 1 battery as a spare just in case I went crazy on the power output. They also recharge from 0-100% in under two hours!
• The build quality is robust, it can take a hit. We had to pack and unpack a lot during the shoot to move from location to location and having equipment that won’t easily break is essential.

The combination of my Phase One medium format with the broncolor Siros 800L and an octabox creates a layer of light that has so much detail and richness I just couldn’t get any other way.

A list of the equipment used for this shoot:

• Phase One XF medium format camera with a Leaf Credo 50 digital back.
• Various Schneider leaf shutter lenses: 28mm - 45mm - 55mm & 80mm
• broncolor Siros 800L & octabox
• Small California Sunbounce reflector used as a fill for the shadows in some images
• iWorkcase, a case that secures my laptop on a c-stand turning it into a tech station

Jeroen Nieuwhuis is a commercial portrait photographer based in the Netherlands. Shooting professionally since the age of 17 (now 29) he continuously works for clients all across the globe and has worked with some of the largest advertising companies such as Heineken, JBL, Harman Kardon, Shimano, Johnnie Walker and more. Multiple personal projects gained international attention, for example, winning the Red Bull Illume in the category close-up, multiple awards at the Prix de la Photographie Paris, and the International Photo Awards.

Jeroen also works on numerous personal projects that take him all over the globe. His most recent project, about the life of the American Mountain Men, is a photography documentation shot over a three year period showcases some of the most beautiful but also extreme conditions these men are putting themselves in every day. The outcome will be a high quality art book with over 150+ images, stories and documents taking the reader on a historical journey.

NEW DAY studio:

At the age of 21, Jeroen teamed up with cinematographer Erik Journée and started NEW DAY studio. Over the years it has grown into a full production studio with multiple directors and assistants. Together with our integrated high-end recording studio, post-production is also organized entirely in-house: from color correction and retouch, to audio and mastering up to delivery.

Instagram: @jeroennieuwhuis
Website: www.jeroennieuwhuis.com