I am Monique Velzeboer – former Olympic short track speed skater and now a portrait photographer with a passion for capturing the essence of people.
Sport has profoundly shaped my life. In 1988, I won gold, silver, and bronze at the Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, when short track was still a demonstration sport. Five years later, in 1993, a training accident abruptly ended my skating career with a spinal cord injury. The lessons I had learned through sport – perseverance, focus, and resilience – gave me the strength to start anew.
Where speed on the ice and pushing my limits once energized me, I later found that same energy and fulfillment in photography. Like sport, creativity requires patience, dedication, and rewards you with joy when everything comes together. At the Fotoacademie in Amsterdam, I found my direction and developed my craft. For me, photography is about fully zooming in on the person in front of the camera. I keep shooting until I capture that one defining moment – a spark of strength, a genuine laugh, or a glimpse of vulnerability.
Over the past twenty years, my camera has taken me around the world. In close collaboration with the Liliane Fund, I have photographed children with disabilities in Africa, Asia, and South America. A particularly meaningful project was a series portraying children together with their parents – often mothers raising their child alone. As a mother of a son and a daughter, these encounters touched me deeply. They showed me unconditional strength and dedication.
I have also portrayed Dutch Olympic and Paralympic champions, capturing their stories of passion, courage, and achievement. To me, there is no distinction – both represent extraordinary dedication at the highest level. Alongside this work, I create commissioned portraits for private clients and companies, always bringing the same attention and dedication as in my personal projects.
My journey – from Olympic athlete to photographer, from setback to new purpose – runs like a red thread through all my work. What connects everything I do is the belief that inner strength knows no boundaries, and that every person deserves to be seen.
Through my lens, I aim not only to capture faces, but also stories of courage, humanity, and growth.
