I am

an enthusiastic, social, chaotic, and spontaneous person with a strong sense of humor. These qualities often come through in my images. Using photography, I like to tell people’s stories — or better yet, my vision of their story. I aim to create images that balance between tragedy and comedy. Laughter gives strength, connects people, and makes difficult subjects more accessible. Humor and energy are therefore elements I strive to incorporate as much as possible.

Contact

If you like my style and this is how you want to document yourself, your office (or office party), your business, your wedding, your grandma - or let’s get crazy - your whole family, then please feel free to contact me anytime. I take much pleasure in creating a wonderful story or single shot of what it is you want to have photographed.

Tel: +31 6 29 23 55 40
Email: renatebeense@gmail.com
Terms and conditions

Printsale

If you see a picture you like and want it in print, I sell most of my pics in a limited edition, depending on size etc. Again, feel free to contact me for further information.

Represented by

LumenPhoto
+31 (0) 20 7370974
info@lumenphoto.nl

Education

2014 BA Photo Academy, Amsterdam
2010 BA Film and TV Studies, University of Utrecht

Interview

video by Fotostudio De Jong about me and my series ‘Just Dad/Gewoon Pa’ (in Dutch) starting from minute 14 in the program
video by LensCulture about me and my series 'Just Dad' (in English)
video by CameraNu about me and my series ‘Just Dad/Gewoon Pa’ (in Dutch)

ozz.jpg

Renate Beense | 1975 | Amsterdam
Currently resides in Utrecht, The Netherlands

Awards

2017 winner Wildcard Melkweg Exhibition grant, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2015 3rd prize, Domestic Documentary Zilveren Camera 2014 | series Gewoon Pa/Just Dad, The Hague, The Netherlands
2014 3rd prize, Selection of Dutch Photography/SO2014 | series Gewoon Pa/Just Dad, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2014 winner IPF Leiden | series Gewoon Pa/Just Dad, Leiden, The Netherlands
2014 Top 50 Emerging Talents, LensCulture | series Gewoon Pa/Just Dad
2013 winner ‘Kijk mijn Familie’, Fotoweek 2013 | series ‘En Alle Dingen Meer/And All Things More’, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2012 3rd prize Fotogram Trofee | series Brugspringers/Bridge Jumpers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2010 winner One Hour Art, Centraal Museum Utrecht | single Hank III, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Exhibition

Past
2025/2026 Group | series ‘Post voor’ Bibliotheek Neude, Bibliotheek Leidsche Rijn, Bibliotheek Overvecht, Bibliotheek Kanaleneiland, Utrecht, The Netherlands
2022 Group Ouders | series ‘Just Dad’, Fotomuseum The Hague, The Netherlands
2022 Group Photography for Ukraine | series ‘Thug Life’, De Balie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2021 Group | series ‘Just Dad’, IPF Leiden, the lustrum edition, Leiden, The Netherlands
2021 Group | series ‘Just Dad’, Holandska kuća Museum, Sisak, Croatia
2019 Group Charles goes Arles | slideshow from a campervan, Photofestival Unseen Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2018 Group Charles goes Arles | slideshow from a campervan, Triennial of Photography Hamburg, Germany
2017 Group Charles goes Arles | slideshow from a campervan during Photofestival Unseen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2017 Group Charles goes Arles | guerrilla slideshow from a campervan during Rencontres d’Arles, Arles, France
2016 Solo | series ‘Gewoon Pa/Just Dad’, Volkshotel Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2015 Solo | series ‘Allemaal Beestjes’, IPF Leiden, Kunsthuis Leiden, The Netherlands
2015 Group 1000 photos Amsterdam | series ‘De Kankerboom’, pakhuis de Zwijger, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2015 Group Under the Coke Sign | series ‘Gewoon Pa/Just Dad’, SBK Dordrecht, The Netherlands
2015 Group Top 50 Emerging Talents ‘14 | series ‘Just Dad’, Head On Photo Festival, Sydney, Australia
2015 Group Zilveren Camera | series ‘Gewoon Pa/Just Dad’, The Netherlands
2014 Group | series ‘Just Dad’, IPF Leiden, The Netherlands
2014 Group Photoville | series ‘Just Dad’, New York, USA
2014 Group Top 50 Emerging Talents ‘14 | series ‘Just Dad’, galerie Valid Photo Barcelona, Spain
2014 Group Top 50 Emerging Talents ‘14 | series ‘Just Dad’, Tokyo Photo Tokyo, Japan
2014 Group Top 50 Emerging Talents ‘14, | series ‘Just Dad’ Festival de la Luz, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2014 Group LOADED | series ‘Just Dad, The Cancer Tree, And All Things More’, Loods 6 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2013 Group 2nd Round | ‘a series of portraits’, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2013 Group The Eye | ‘Brugspringers & Twins’, Gallery PhotoAcademy Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2012/2017 Group | ‘Mirliton Portraits’, Hoog Catharijne Utrecht, The Netherlands
2011 Solo | series ‘Summer Darkness’, Plato Utrecht, The Netherlands
2011 Solo | singles ‘Charles Bradley en Lee Fields’, Plato Utrecht, The Netherlands
2010 Group One Hour Art | single ‘Hank III’, Centraal Museum Utrecht, The Netherlands