This story originally appeared on i-D Germany.
A truly great journey surprises, challenges, inspires and constantly readjusts your inner compass. Travelling makes you more open, more confident and keeps you curious. Dutch photographers Bamboo van Kampen and Arthur Groeneveld, aka Arturo + Bamboo, are partners in business and in life. Together they have lived in Greece, Spain, Kenya, and Berlin — and travelled a whole lot further — before ultimately moving to a house by the sea somewhere between Amsterdam and Rotterdam, where they currently reside.
Most of Bamboo and Arthur’s photos were taken on the road; capturing the spirit of the destination so well that they appear to make themselves instantly at home no matter where they are. “New environments inspire us immensely, and our photography is an attempt to understand these places,” they tell us. “Many people start a very structured life when they are in a committed relationship. They get married, buy a house, have children. We were interested in what there is to discover and what life can be like when you have your partner but don’t commit to anything else.”
We speak with the duo about their special places, capturing memories and turning their hobby into a successful career.
Firstly, how exactly did you meet each other?
Bamboo: It was in Amsterdam, neither of us were working as photographers at the time. When we had been together for about half a year, we travelled together for the first time. I had my ex-boyfriend‘s analogue camera with me, an old, rather strange thing that we used to take pictures of each other. Our first attempts at photography actually didn’t turn out too badly, so we kept going.
You managed to turn a hobby into a career. It started with a book, right?
Bamboo: Yes, the nice thing is that we captured the beginnings of our relationship photographically without any intention of doing so. A lot of very intimate moments. Of course, it was mainly about the love that developed between us back then, but also about the places we discovered together on our travels. It didn’t matter whether it was a beautifully decorated restaurant, a work of art or a lonely beach. We were never touched by particularly luxurious places, but by simple, charming places.
Arthur: After three or four years, we had so many photos together that Summer Diary was born. The book has a Mediterranean theme: you see places in Italy, especially Sicily, the south of France, Greece and Spanish islands. Making the final image selection in our bedroom in Berlin was really emotional – we had so much material. It’s hard to decide against pictures when each one tells a story. We really had to kill our darlings.
You’ve travelled so much together. Which place has touched you the most?
Bamboo: We felt very comfortable in Greece. The light there is simply different from everywhere else in the world. Everything is still so real, not as fancy as Ibiza, not as touristy as Italy.
Arthur: The hypnotic über-blue of the sea is something very special. Many people in Greece live a very simple but wonderful life, which we are fascinated by. The tavernas serve almost the same food everywhere, but I don’t mean that negatively. It’s just equally good everywhere.
What’s your process like? Your pictures seem so spontaneous and taken in the moment.
Bamboo: We don’t actually stage anything. Even on bigger fashion shoots, we try to work with sunlight and capture the natural movements of the models.
Arthur: When we travel together we capture very personal situations – the morning light when waking up, for example, or me photographing Bamboo in the shower. We don’t want to stage anything but rather tell about our lives, about real moments and encounters. Our clients often want us to shoot digitally, but we like the feeling of analogue photography. Analogue is always slightly foggy, like a vague memory. We love all the supposed flaws that actually aren’t flaws at all. Odd colours, grain, small irregularities, things you don’t expect. This also leaves a lot more room for interpretation. In commercial shoots, of course, people ask for post-production, but we always like the originals best.
How long did you live in Berlin for, and why did you leave in the end?
Bamboo: We lived in Berlin for a total of seven years. It was great. We had the best friends and were out every weekend, but at some point the longing for the sea grew and grew.
Arthur: I can still remember how stunned I was in the beginning when someone from Berlin moved back to their hometown. Why would you ever leave? But at some point we were gripped by exactly the same feeling. Priorities change. So we moved back to the Netherlands at the beginning of the pandemic.
Bamboo: Nevertheless, Berlin feels like home when we arrive at the station by train. We know all the streets here, you meet familiar faces everywhere. There are so many favourite places that you always come back to.
Arthur: Where we live now, everything is very organised and clean – that sounds a bit boring now, but it’s not at all. Our dream would be to live permanently in different places. The search for the ultimate place to live is a little stressful and magical at the same time. There’s something liberating about starting over again and again.
What kind of situations on your travels do you like the most?
Bamboo: For me, the most exciting thing is to really get to know the country and its people – and not just in the glare of the tourism spotlight, but to participate in local life. After all, you go on journeys to see something different from home.
Arthur: I also like the moments of transit, whether at the airport or on a ferry. It’s about letting go of something old and setting off for a new place. I’ve always been soothed in an almost absurd way by the hustle and bustle around me. I couldn’t concentrate at all in a quiet office. I like it when everything is in motion. Even as a child, I used to watch the people at the airport who looked like they were travelling for work. It always seemed like the ultimate goal.
And how do you feel when it’s time to go home?
Bamboo: We love coming home! I used to just want to travel, but now that we’re on the road so much, I really look forward to my flat and my bed and everything being familiar.
Credits
All photography courtesy Arthur Groeneveld and Bamboo van Kampen