This idea had been in my head for some years, but snow has become a rare phenomenon in the Netherlands. For this photo, I needed falling snowflakes during twilight. This year, in 2024, the moment came. I took my son with me to the centre of our village Barneveld, where this statue of a 15th-century knight was standing. Or, to put it better, sitting. It’s a monument in remembrance of Jan van Schaffelaar, who saved his men by handing himself over to the enemy during a civil war. The enemy had threatened to burn the tower in which van Schaffelaar and his men were hiding. Finally, van Schaffelaar jumped from the tower, right towards his death…
At first, I considered making a black and white image, but I soon realized that the contrast between the statue and the boy would be greater if I kept the colours. The statue was already black, so I didn’t need to convert anything. I placed two strobes behind on either side to illuminate the contours. Now I had to hurry because the snow was already decreasing. Thanks to my 5-year-old son, who just loves knights and medieval weaponry, and was certainly willing to pose next to this hero who saved our village almost 550 years ago.