Jaïr Pietersz: photography that puts people first
For Jaïr, photography does not start with a camera setting, but with curiosity about the person in front of him. Who are you? What are you doing? What makes you enthusiastic? Only then comes the image. You can see that in his street photography, portraits and events: people do not have to become someone else as soon as the camera comes up.
That did not always come naturally. Jaïr says he used to take very few photographs. His mother encouraged him to capture moments so that later you can return to a memory. During his ICT Media studies, photography then took on more shape. He learned not only technique, but also a question that remains central to him: what matters to the person on the other side?
About three years ago, he turned the streets of Eindhoven into his practice space. Going outside often, taking lots of photographs and, above all, learning to approach strangers. One response stayed with him: someone looked at a portrait and said he had never had a photograph of himself like that before. That moment showed Jaïr that a photograph can be more than a beautiful file: it can make someone genuinely feel seen.
The name JP Captivated grew from that idea too. JP stands for Jaïr Pietersz; captivated refers to that brief moment when an image holds your attention. Not because the image is trying to be as loud as possible, but because there is something recognisable and human in it.
“If someone is happy with a photograph, that makes my day.”
Contact first, then the camera
Street photography asks for speed, but Jaïr never wants speed to matter more than respect. When a person or scene catches his attention, he prefers to approach that person first. He introduces himself, explains what he makes and asks permission. A refusal is simply part of it. Not everyone wants to be photographed, and that is no problem for him.
That short conversation is often exactly what creates the spontaneity he is looking for. After the introduction, someone does not suddenly have to pose. A musician can go back to playing, a performer can continue an act, and someone in the street can simply be themselves. The camera follows the moment instead of dictating it.
At first Jaïr often got the same logical questions: who are you, what will you do with the photograph and how will I receive it? That led him to develop a clear introduction. He shows the kind of work he makes and explains how someone will receive the image later. That clarity removes tension on both sides of the camera.
He takes the same approach with people who do not consider themselves photogenic. First a conversation, sometimes a joke, then finding a posture that feels comfortable. His favourite images happen when someone briefly forgets about the camera. The street is not a studio — and that is precisely where its strength lies for him.
“In photography, connection is the most important thing. The photograph comes after that.”
Photographing in Eindhoven: the city as a creative comfort place
Eindhoven became Jaïr’s regular place to practise street photography because the city was nearby and familiar. He now calls Eindhoven his go-to: the place where he has made most of his photographs and where he can keep walking into the city without knowing exactly what he will encounter.
In the centre, he watches for people who are visibly absorbed in what they are doing. Musicians, dancers and street performers attract his attention because the energy is already there before he raises his camera. That connects with his broader interest in dance. Jaïr has danced from a young age and mentions salsa, bachata, kizomba and kompa, among others. On the dance floor he sees the same thing as in the street: moments become stronger when you do not direct them too much.
He also photographs outside Eindhoven, but the city remains his creative home base. There is immediate advice for beginning photographers in that: start somewhere you already feel relatively comfortable. Approaching someone with a camera is exciting enough for many people. If the surroundings are familiar, that first step becomes a little smaller.
The other side of that is to keep moving. Comfort is not an end point for Jaïr. As soon as something becomes easier, you can try a new location, look for a different kind of light or photograph a subject you have little experience with.
“Start where you feel comfortable. After that, you can keep taking another step.”
Portrait and event photography: natural moments over perfect poses
For a planned portrait, Jaïr first looks at the light and the surroundings. His attention then quickly shifts to the person: do they feel comfortable here, and can they remain themselves? A one-to-one shoot offers more room for direction, but even then he does not want the pose to become more important than the person.
At events, the pace changes. You cannot rebuild every moment. Jaïr observes, anticipates and responds to what is already happening. A performer on stage, contact between audience and artist, or two people in the middle of a dance are interesting to him precisely because the story is already in motion.
In post-processing, he works in stages. First he selects the strongest images, then edits that selection and finally looks again at which photographs carry the story together. Lightroom is a tool, not the end goal. By “timeless images” he mainly means a natural look: an edit can support the moment, but should not take it over.
That approach connects his different kinds of photography. Street, portrait, dance and events may look like separate categories, but for Jaïr they always come back to the same thing: portraying someone in a way that still feels recognisable when that person looks at the photograph later.
Eindhoven Creator Community: why makers grow faster together
When the conversation turns to Eindhoven Creator Community, Jaïr comes back to the same theme: connection. To him, a creative community means you do not have to figure everything out by yourself. You can ask questions, get tips, join a photowalk and try something you might otherwise keep postponing on your own.
That fits the way he looks at his own development. He wants to keep growing technically — for example in working with flash — without losing the human side of his photography. Other makers can help with that, not by making everyone create the same thing, but by putting different experiences next to each other.
A community also lowers the threshold for starting. Going to a location together, trying a new type of photography or asking for feedback often feels easier when you know others are learning too. For Jaïr, that is the value: you do not have to be “finished” before you belong.
At the end of the interview, he sums up his message in three words: “Find your people.” Find the people you can learn, experiment and grow with. Because according to Jaïr, getting better at photography mainly comes from continuing to make a lot — while not losing sight of the people behind the images.
Join Eindhoven Creator Community
Are you a photographer, filmmaker, designer, musician or another creative maker from Eindhoven and the surrounding area? The community is here to share knowledge, make things together, organise photowalks and creative activities, and meet new people. Join through the Eindhoven Creator Community website and find your people.
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