Sometimes words are not enough to describe loss.
Sometimes there is only silence, filled with memories, with love that never fades.
But where words fail, art speaks. And in my case, photography speaks.
My dad and my brother Johan. The two men in my life.
Two souls I had to let go, but who will always travel with me.
They shared a love of music: Johan with his clarinet and saxophone, Dad with his violin.
Their melodies do not fade with time; they live on—in silence, in love, in me.
My brother Johan lived in Antwerp in 1992. One day, he didn't come home.
After a night of searching, calling hospitals, and anxious hours of uncertainty, we received the unthinkable news.
Someone matching his description had been brought in.
Johan collapsed while jogging—a ruptured heart artery, so young, only 28 years old.
His greatest passion, apart from his work as an architect, was music.
He composed and played the most beautiful lounge, jazz, and fusion music on his clarinet and saxophone.
His sounds filled the room, his music created atmosphere and emotion. And then it became quiet.
Daddy had a long and beautiful life. His passion for the violin was inextricably linked to who he was.
At the age of 86, after a 16-year battle with cancer, he has found peace. We are deeply grateful for the extra years we were able to spend with him.
His strength, his zest for life, his courageous struggle—those were years of precious time.
But now his body was worn out. Now he rests, in peace, surrounded by our love and memories.
With this self-portrait session, I wanted to translate their passion for music into my own passion: photography.
I took Dad's violin and Johan's clarinet, held them close to my heart, and let the camera speak.
Because even though they are no longer physically with me, their presence can be felt in everything.
Like in a video above where daddy plays his violin. Or in a photo of Johan, beaming and young, full of life.
In the notes that linger on, and in the images I lovingly capture.
This session also includes a poem, a symphony of memories, a piece of my heart:
Two souls, two tones, two loves for music,
captured in strings, blown in reeds.
Your sounds did not fade with time,
they live on in silence, in love, in me.
Your hands played the strings of life,
now I carry the sounds with me.
With both in my hands, close to my heart,
the music whispers words that cannot be defied.
Daddy, Johan, your symphony sounds soft,
in every chord, in every night.
Your melody never dies,
it sings through me, it sings onward.
This blog is more than a memory.
It is a tribute. To two people who shaped me, who taught me how important passion is in life.
Music was their language.
Photography is mine.
And in these images, they come together, their story and mine, intertwined in a symphony of memory.
You want meaning.
A moment in your life
that deserves to be paused for a moment.
Not to decide.
Not to plan.
But to feel what this moment does to you.
That is why every session at ESSENCE OF YOU
starts with a personal discovery call.
A relaxed conversation
in which you don't need to prepare anything
or make any decisions.
Just space
for your story
and what is truly valuable to you.
Schedule your personal discovery call
(completely non-binding)
by Anja Maesen
