Going out

Photography may be a starting point. When Luuk talks about that, you immediately hear that he knows about it and that he is interested. Valerie invites him to take photos together in a park, because Amsterdam parks are trusted places for Luuk. But it is still difficult to get him moving. "Grab your camera, let's go!" Valerie eventually pushes him a bit. After that difficult first step, they regularly visit different parks to photograph nature, animals and people.

In the parc

Sometimes Luuk is unsure about his qualities. “Ik kan het niet!” klaagt hij op een dag. "I can not do it!" he complains one day. She watches with him and asks him to show how he takes a photo. In this way he slowly gains more confidence.
"From now on, I want to meet every week in the park instead of at home," says Valerie. "If you participate, I will get a new camera." Luuk's current digital camera isn't great, but he has no money to buy a new one. This will change through FBNA, a special Fund from Amsterdam. Valerie arranges a brand new camera for her "park friend".

Photo album

Luuk has no income of his own. Valerie suggests taking pictures may be a way to make some money yourself. To show that it is a realistic goal, she proposes to combine a selection of the photos into a book. She makes a first copy via the Hema photo book service. Then she convinces Hema to give the next ten books as a gift. Luuk receives many positive reactions from people in his immediate environment. He sells the ten books for € 10 each. The fact that he has made money with a homemade product makes him very proud.