Lighting like a Dutch master: an interview with Carla van de Puttelaar

Inspired by the 17th century painters known as the Dutch Masters, modern-day Dutch photographer Carla van de Puttelaar utilises the 50.6MP resolution of a Canon EOS 5DS to capture the intricate details of her subjects, all in natural light. "I've always been fascinated by skin and light. I look at how the light falls on people, how fabric shimmers and folds. I have a huge hunger for art," she says.

The photographer is well placed to satiate this hunger. She holds a PhD in 17th century Scottish portraiture and has lectured at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. She says that her fascination with light, shadow and texture has been nurtured by Dutch painters such as Jan Davidszoon de Heem and Rachel Ruysch.

Carla's work normally focuses on the female body but in her book, Adornments, she looks at flowers with the same gaze. She captures the sensitivity and sensuality of the petals in such detail that it feels as though the viewer can touch the petals with their eyes.

Finding the perfect subject

The same goes for Carla's selection of human models. She usually scouts for models at art fairs and exhibitions, where she knows the subjects will have an interest in art. "I like the personal encounter. The idea that you feel, just like with the flowers, that 'this is the perfect one. That's somebody I could take a really good photograph of.'"

At other times, she might just spot someone in the street. "Once, I was cycling to the circus with two of my kids – one at the front of the bike and one at the back. I saw somebody and thought, 'This is really someone I should ask.' So I turned on my bike, with the two kids, and cycled as fast as I could to catch up with her. We still made it to the circus in time," she laughs.

Using natural lighting

Carla always uses natural light for her photographs, and a set up that is so simple that it can be used at home and on location, as well as in her studio; a portable, black background and light from a window. "I often use cool light from a Northern-facing window, but lately I've included more variety – even direct sunlight occasionally," she says.

The flowers are often best photographed at home, Carla finds. "The thing is with flowers, you want to monitor them when they are changing and withering, to catch them at the right moment. I like to use the light that falls on the petals, and goes through the petals, to bring out the magic," she says.

The high resolution of the Canon EOS 5DS has allowed her to work on large-scale photographs, combining several images into monumental pictures, without losing any of the flexibility of a hand-held camera. "Perhaps you can't see it in my photographs because they have a certain stillness about them, but I'm actually a very dynamic photographer, moving back and forth constantly. The Canon EOS 5DS has helped me so much because I can really do something extra with the scale and monumentality, which I could only do with medium format before," she says.

For the same reason, Carla's lens of choice tends to be the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM. "Being a dynamic photographer, I like to have the option to zoom and change my perspective quickly, and it's a really nice lens. I also love using the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM – it's a beautiful portrait lens," she says.

Next up, Carla is planning to experiment with candlelight. "I'm thinking about using candlelight in my photos, but in a different way," she says. "I'm still figuring out exactly how I'm going to do it, but I know that I will need a camera like the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV to work with candles in the way I want. I love natural light sources, and I find [experimenting with them] very exciting. It opens up a lot of new possibilities."