Luctor et Emergo

The Latin phrase 'Luctor et Emergo' is the official motto of the Dutch province of Zeeland, and means "I struggle/wrestle/ and I will emerge/win/"

It celebrates the fact that Queen Elisabeth I of England backed the struggle of the Dutch against the Spanish king.

Today - the First of May / labour day - is a celebration for me too as it marks the day that I decided to make a mayor career shift and try to become an autodidact professional photographer with my own New Delft Blue signature style. This was exactly two years ago today and it's also the official date that I started my daily Blip journal.

Over the past two years I've been creating photo's daily to use as experimental study material to develop my post production skills old school and new school ;-)

This special underwater selfie is first made with an underwater camera - the Olympus TG2 - in a bath tub and then reshot while processing it in an old photo developing tub in a red lit darkroom.

The past two years have been a struggle, but upside.... I learnt so much too. I'm confident I will emerge and be able to make a new living with the thing I like most.... doing my thing in photography.

By the way: It was a very special gift to myself to make this shift for my future on the first of may as it's my b'day too :-))

Ps: The final print can be viewed on my Flickr page