Expert Sofie judges expert Bie in ‘The perfect picture’: “Still underestimated how difficult this was”

It has been a great success in the Netherlands for eight years, now it is on Play. Manu Van Acker pits eight amateur photographers against each other in the hunt for the perfect photo. Attendees? From Julius Persoone and Barbara Sarafian to Jonatan Medart and Ingeborg.

“Normally we are compeers and we do everything we can to purchase a fascinating object. We are equal there,” says Bie Baert. “Now Sofie judges my creations. I received a phone call in advance to ask if I had a problem with “someone I knew being a juror”. We always had a great time working together, it was no problem for me.”

Fragile exercise

But Sofie Van de Velde didn’t think it was obvious. “People will always think that I judge her more positively. It was a fragile exercise. We deliberately had less contact because we did not want to seek confrontation.” And there was still a difficult cliff to overcome. “I underestimated the judging. I think it is important not to make value judgments when an artist shows his work. An assessment is always subjective. A creation that does not delight me, delights someone else. I always want to encourage creativity. But now I had to show my colours.”

There are two permanent jury members and a guest. “Sofie is more artistic and finds the artistic value very important, while photographer Zeger Garré looks more at the technical aspect,” says Bie.

Each assignment is completely different and has a different theme. From photographing food to an advertising photo to snapping athletes. “It’s not just taking a photo. It’s great that Bie dared to do that, who, so to speak, barely knew which button on the camera to press,” Sofie laughs. Bie nods. “Or how to rotate a lens on the camera. I was really blue. However, I regularly do photo shoots, but then I am the stylist. I bring the things together and create a nice setting. But I’ll let someone else take the photos.”

Why did she say yes? “It is close to my profession. Photography is art. It was also an opportunity to learn something again. We have busy lives, there is no time to quietly follow an education at the academy. My weeks are full. But I found this challenge useful for my profession. And it was. I now take photos in a different way. On the other hand, I underestimated how tough it was.”

“My mother died very young. I still have many photos of her and I am very grateful for that,” she says. “When we went on holiday in the 1970s, we had rolls of film for 36 photos”

Bie Baert

Contestant The Perfect Picture

Photographing really well is something that takes a lot of practice. Sofie knows that like no other. “I often receive portfolios for my gallery. An average of ten a day, although we always say not to accept that. People think they can take pictures, but I hope they get through it The perfect picture see how complex the work is. Those who dropped out often did not drop out because they were bad photographers, but because they made wrong choices. From the wrong framing to the camera not focusing at speed. It’s in the details.”

What was the most difficult assignment? “Everything is difficult if you don’t master the assignment,” says Bie. “Photographing food? Seems easy, because it doesn’t move. But you really have to be technically trained. Sometimes circumstances were bad. Forty-five minutes to take a photo, but it was storming and getting dark. A real photographer doesn’t even start doing it anymore.”

Sofie says that sometimes she would have liked to have been a candidate. But there were also plenty of reasons not to do it. “It’s a really difficult challenge,” she says. “Anyone can take a photo. But for me, a good photographer is also a visual artist. You can have as many technical skills as you like, but the photo you take must also tell a story, a feeling. And that is often missing.”

Photos as a memory

The ladies mainly take photos with their iPhones. On the set of Pieces of people Sofie is also the one who constantly makes images. “Often with colleagues in front of the lens. A photo always tells a story or anecdote. It is a means of connecting for fun conversations later. Two years ago my brother died suddenly. Afterwards I complained that I had photographed it far too little. Since then I have been taking many more photos of loved ones. Sometimes people find that annoying, but later they are always happy with it. It also tells your past. Did you know I don’t even have birth photos? That passage from my life has been visually erased,” says Sofie.

Bie understands Sofie. “My mother died very young. I still have many photos of her and I am very grateful for that,” she says. “When we went on vacation in the 1970s, we had rolls of film for 36 photos.”

The recordings of The perfect picture sit on it. We cannot reveal where Bie finished in the rankings. But both Bie and Sofie are happy with the result. “If only because it is unlike us Pieces of people (where they pay for all purchases themselves, ed.) did not cost a euro.”

‘The perfect picture’, Play4