Gold 2021 / Editorial / Photo Essay

Proutboys

  • Photographer
    Ilvy Maijen
  • Agency / Studio
    Ilvy Maijen Fotografie
  • Prizes
    Gold in Editorial/Photo Essay

This is an ongoing project about gay and trans boys with the aim of stimulating and inspiring young people to be themselves and let them know that they are unique and special. Unfortunately, these types of projects are still needed. This was recently made clear again by the statement by Minister Slob (NL) that it is allowed to disapprove homosexuality in reformed schools. The portraits show a certain vulnerability by which I want to say that it is okay to show your inner self.

Ilvy Maijen (1976, Maastricht, the Netherlands) is a self-taught photographer and healthcare psychologist, based in Maastricht, the Netherlands. She is an admirer of the art of photography, and experiments continuously. She prefers to make portraits and every now and then she makes a foray into nature photography in which she has a predilection for the sea. In every work, she tries to capture beauty in her own way, whereby simplicity and vulnerability is characteristic. As a psychologist she is fascinated by people and their stories, which is a major motivation in her documentary photography.