BIO AND CONTACT
Frank was born on May 6th 1971 in Amsterdam.
His parents and grandparents were very active with photography and film, so Frank was already in contact with photography and film at a very young age. Especially his grandfather had a deep impact on him and inspired him from the start to pick up photography. At a young age the whole family moved to the NoordOostPolder, now part of Flevoland. A wonderful area of the Netherlands with great nature and lots of photo opportunities.
After many years of shooting analogue mainly as a hobby Frank picked up video and completely switched to the video side of imaging. At that moment he had started a computer company together with his wife Annewiek and they were living in Zwolle.
The computer company grew larger and larger and after a move to Espel (back to the NoordOostPolder) Annewiek and Frank moved to Emmeloord. In Emmeloord they bought their house with a connecting building for the computer company. In the company Frank started his own department of video/photo editing, professional calibrations and home theater installations. Frank is an ISF / HAA trained calibrator and up to today still combines his photography with calibrations and reviewing projectors/displays. After a few years their son Brian was born and the computer company moved to a larger building 100mtrs removed from their home.
This was when Frank started to realize that his passion was still in photography and video was not something he wanted to do for the rest of his life (although that can always change). He picked up photography again with a few point and shoot cameras but quickly moved to the new Canon 10D. Due to his background in calibrations and video and of course photography before that, the switch to digital was very quickly and Frank is one of those photographers that loves the whole digital revolution.
At first nature and sports were the primary interests and especially animals in motion were photographed with passion, this passion for movement became later a prime subject in the model photography. He started with model photography due to the local photo club and absolutely fell in love with it,
In 2003 his wife Annewiek took over the computer company so that Frank could totally aim for the photography, and he focused all his energy and passion on his photography.
In 2004 Frank started working with Wibi Soerjadi on most of his releases and this was the start of the path that is still being followed, Frank loves shooting artists and does this in a way that really tries to show the real character combined with good lighting a combination that is very much in demand at the moment.
In 2013 Frank and Annewiek stopped their activity for the Computer shop to focus on photography, also in that year they moved to a much bigger studio and educational centre to further the development of their photography business and workshops.
After shooting for a magazine as a staff photographer, Frank realized that this wasn’t what he wanted to do full-time. When the magazine ceased publication, it was the perfect opportunity for him to make a change. Teaching has always been in Frank’s blood. For the computer company, he conducted several seminars on home theater and calibrations. At a very young age, he was already teaching guitar lessons to aspiring guitarists. In 2006, Frank made the decision to pursue a career in teaching and seminars. This was the right choice, as he is now teaching worldwide for various manufacturers and companies. While his work is still occasionally published in magazines, it’s only the assignments that provide him with the creative freedom and importance he values. Above all, Frank primarily focuses on shooting for artists, designers, photography equipment, educational purposes, and more.
Dutch publisher VanDuuren released a book with Frank titled “De magie van de kleine flitser” for the Dutch market in 2014. Frank also released “Mastering the modelshoot,” which was later translated into several languages, including Dutch, (which felt a bit strange). Frank created this book in collaboration with Scott Kelby’s team. The book became a bestseller within six months and received rave reviews from photographers of all levels. Later, Frank released a book dedicated to “working on locations,” which took him from a restroom to the desert of Dubai. As technology keeps developing, he also wrote a new book about working with the small flash systems.
Besides books, he also released several full-length instructional DVDs and videos that are sold worldwide. Frank conducts weekly workshops in the studio in Emmeloord. Additionally, he teaches workshops in other countries for manufacturers, as well as for events and photoclubs.
In 2010 Frank was the first European photographer to join Kelbytraining (now KelbyOne), a group of the world’s best instructors in both photography and retouching.
Frank developed a deep appreciation for the Medium format system and dedicated years to shooting primarily with a Leaf Credo digital back connected to a Mamiya RZ67ProII for studio work. For location work, Frank used a Mamiya DF+ camera with a Leaf back.
Until Sony approached Frank to test a new camera type, the A99. The EVF was slow and low-quality, but seeing the impact of the settings was an eye-opener. After testing, Frank became a Sony ambassador and continues to shoot Sony cameras.
Although Frank loves digital he still has a passion for analogue and occasionally shoots film with the RZ67ProII, Leica R and Yashica Matt 124, “the scans are great and have a certain look you can’t get really easy with digital”
Frank’s photography, while primarily focused on model and fashion photography, also encompasses a wide range of artists. What began with Wibi Soerjadi’s work has since led to collaborations with numerous famous and emerging artists. Frank’s unique and fitting style has made it a preferred choice for their albums, books, publications, and other projects.
Over the years Frank shot images for : Wibi Soerjadi, Penney de Jager, Annemarie Kremer, Sarine Voorn, Sarina Kay, Ali B, Darryl, Brownie Dutch, DJ-Dash, Atif and Suggest, Bad Boyz, G.O.D. FthPrTIII (infamous mob), Magenta, Simon Kuipers, Sean Webster band, Maria Bertrand ….. and many more.
In 2010 Frank started to shoot a series of “test” videoclips, he shot the hit “Number 1” for Atif and Suggest, “ikke ook” for Yung-C/Farell and “Friends” for Yvonne.
According to Frank capturing the artist in his or her “style” and feel is the most rewarding thing a photographer can do, he loves to find the challenges in really capturing the character instead of just creating a “pretty” image. The contrast between this and the glamour and glitter often asked for in Fashion photography really completes the “feeling” of photography.
Frank is recognized by many companies as a leading voice for their products and is active for many companies on trade shows and dealer events.
Frank is an Calibrite/X-rite Master Collorati, Adobe Influencer and DxO image master, he works together with companies like Sony, Synology, Rogue/Expo Imaging, Sekonic, Adobe, DxO, Topaz, Reblum, Skylum, Cascable and BenQ in both beta testing as in their ambassador programs.
Current Business
Frank and Annewiek currently run the studio and workshops from their studio in Emmeloord. In addition to their workshops, they represent the following products in the Netherlands and Belgium:
IQwire : Tethercables and solutions
Rogue/Expo Imaging : Hybrid strobe and location lighting solutions, Expo Disc, Magnetic systems
ClickBackDrops : professional studio quality background solutions and backdrops
Geekoto : Portable and studio strobes, light shapers and stands
Platypod : the tripod replacement
Teaching
Over the years Frank has taught on different kinds of events including trade shows like :
Photokina, Professional Imaging, Photoshop World, Imaging days, FotoFair, Photodays, ClickLive, WPPI, The Photography Show, PhotoPlus Expo.
Frank also enjoys smaller photo clubs and events that cover a wide range of topics, including model/portrait photography, street/travel photography, and more.
He is primarily known for his small group workshops, which he has conducted worldwide and weekly from his studio in Emmeloord. For more information about the workshops, visit www.photography-workshops.eu
Frank and Annewiek, maintain an active social media presence. Their YouTube channel hosts a vast collection of tutorials, while they also offer a monthly 2-hour live stream from their studio
In 2026 Frank released a new class for KelbyOne and has a large following on Skillshare.
The contact information for Studio FD is :
Studio Emmeloord:
Constructieweg 8
8305AA / Emmeloord
The Netherlands
+31-(0)6-14522327
Or Email : info@frankdoorhof.com
