Haje Jan Kamps
Encyclopedia
Haje Jan Kamps is a Dutch
photographer, writer and journalist. He is best known for running the popular Photocritic photography blog, and for writing the book Macro Photography Photo Workshop. He currently lives in London
and works as a freelance writer and editorial consultant.
, South Holland
to parents Hielke Kamps and Lizeth Rovers, Haje moved to Norway
in 1988, and to the UK in 2001. In England
, he studied Journalism at Liverpool John Moores University
, and started a stint working in publishing and media.
which later evolved into akam.no.
In 2002, while working at Granada Television
, on a Coronation Street
specials series, Kamps started a website called Photocritic, which became extremely popular in December 2005, when it was featured on Slashdot, and subsequently got heavy coverage on Digg and dozens of other large blogs. It was later awarded the best DIY photography gadget in Lifehacker.
The Photocritic.org photography blog continues to be popular.
In 2007, Kamps wrote a book on macro photography
for John Wiley & Sons
publishing, entitled Macro Photography Photo Workshop (ISBN 978-0470118764).
He has worked at Future Publishing
as web editor for Fast Car Magazine
and T3
magazine, and now works as a senior producer at Five, the British TV channel. At Five, Kamps was the Senior Producer
on the highly successful FiveFWD website.
He currently works as a freelance (ghost-)writer and editorial consultant.
rapid prototyping platform. The Triggertrap connects cameras to various sources (light, laser, sound, or any other arbitrary source), and can be used to trigger the camera on a certain event. The Triggertrap project was successfully crowd-funded via the Kickstarter
platform, raising $77,262 - more than 3 times over its original $25,000 goal.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
photographer, writer and journalist. He is best known for running the popular Photocritic photography blog, and for writing the book Macro Photography Photo Workshop. He currently lives in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and works as a freelance writer and editorial consultant.
Short bio
Born in LeiderdorpLeiderdorp
Leiderdorp is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland near the city of Leiden. It had a population of 26,182 in 2004....
, South Holland
South Holland
South Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.South Holland is one of the most densely populated and industrialised areas in the world...
to parents Hielke Kamps and Lizeth Rovers, Haje moved to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
in 1988, and to the UK in 2001. In England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he studied Journalism at Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool John Moores University is a British 'modern' university located in the city of Liverpool, England. The university is named after John Moores and was previously called Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts and later Liverpool Polytechnic before gaining university status in 1992, thus...
, and started a stint working in publishing and media.
Media career
In 1998, Kamps founded and started developing Digitalkamera.no with Martin Lexow Wirak, a major Norwegian technology news and reviews website about digital photographyDigital photography
Digital photography is a form of photography that uses an array of light sensitive sensors to capture the image focused by the lens, as opposed to an exposure on light sensitive film...
which later evolved into akam.no.
In 2002, while working at Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
, on a Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
specials series, Kamps started a website called Photocritic, which became extremely popular in December 2005, when it was featured on Slashdot, and subsequently got heavy coverage on Digg and dozens of other large blogs. It was later awarded the best DIY photography gadget in Lifehacker.
The Photocritic.org photography blog continues to be popular.
In 2007, Kamps wrote a book on macro photography
Macro photography
Macrophotography is close-up photography, usually of very small subjects. Classically a macrophotograph is one in which the size of the subject on the negative is greater than life size. However in modern use it refers to a finished photograph of a subject at greater than life size...
for John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., also referred to as Wiley, is a global publishing company that specializes in academic publishing and markets its products to professionals and consumers, students and instructors in higher education, and researchers and practitioners in scientific, technical, medical, and...
publishing, entitled Macro Photography Photo Workshop (ISBN 978-0470118764).
He has worked at Future Publishing
Future Publishing
Future plc is a media company; in 2006, it was the sixth-largest in the United Kingdom. It publishes more than 150 magazines in fields such as video games, technology, automotive, cycling, films and photography. Future is the official magazine company of all three major games console manufacturers...
as web editor for Fast Car Magazine
Fast Car Magazine
Fast Car magazine is a UK-based car magazine covering the modified car market and car culture. It was the first UK magazine focusing on this genre. It is owned by Future Publishing, based in Bath, Somerset...
and T3
T3 magazine
T3 magazine is a UK-based technology magazine, which specialises in gadgets, gizmos, and other technology.Originally, T3 stood for Tomorrow's Technology Today, but this isn't used anywhere in the magazine or on the website anymore. It's exclusively referred to as T3 or T3.com. The magazine is...
magazine, and now works as a senior producer at Five, the British TV channel. At Five, Kamps was the Senior Producer
Senior producer
Senior producer is a title given usually to the second most senior person of a film of television production. Used mainly in the United Kingdom, a senior producer would be the most senior member of production personnel underneath an Executive producer...
on the highly successful FiveFWD website.
He currently works as a freelance (ghost-)writer and editorial consultant.
Hardware / product development
In 2011, Kamps created the Triggertrap universal camera trigger, a device based on the ArduinoArduino
Arduino is an open-source single-board microcontroller, descendant of the open-source Wiring platform, designed to make the process of using electronics in multidisciplinary projects more accessible. The hardware consists of a simple open hardware design for the Arduino board with an Atmel AVR...
rapid prototyping platform. The Triggertrap connects cameras to various sources (light, laser, sound, or any other arbitrary source), and can be used to trigger the camera on a certain event. The Triggertrap project was successfully crowd-funded via the Kickstarter
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an online threshold pledge system for funding creative projects. Kickstarter has funded a diverse array of endeavors, ranging from indie film and music to journalism, solar energy technology and food-related projects.-Model:...
platform, raising $77,262 - more than 3 times over its original $25,000 goal.
Books written
- Macro Photography Photo Workshop (ISBN 978-0470118764 / Published 2007)
- Focus on Photographing People (ISBN 978-0240814698 / Published 2011)
Other book credits
- Project editor: Lights, Camera, Capture! by Bob DavisBob DavisRobert "Bob" Davis was an Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League .-Playing career:...
(ISBN 978-0470549537 / Published 2010) - Technical editor: HDR Photography Workshop by Pete CarrPete CarrJesse Willard "Pete" Carr is an American guitarist. Carr has contributed to hit recordings by Joan Baez, Luther Ingram, Bob Seger, Joe Cocker, Boz Scaggs, Paul Simon, The Staple Singers, Rod Stewart, Barbra Streisand, Wilson Pickett, Hank Williams, Jr., and many more over the past four decades...
and Robert Correll (ISBN 978-0470549537 / Published 2009) - Technical editor: Creative Close-ups by Harold DavisHarold DavisHarold Davis may refer to:* H. L. Davis , Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist* Harold A. Davis, pulp fiction author working under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson, 1930s, 1940s* Harold Davis Harold Davis may refer to:* H. L. Davis (1894–1960), Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist* Harold A. Davis, pulp...
(ISBN 978-0470527122 / Published 2009) - Technical editor: Digital Field Guides: Exposure by Alan HessAlan HessAlan Hess is an American architect, author, lecturer and advocate for twentieth century architectural preservation."Alan Hess [is] a prominent California architecture critic who has written extensively on roadside strips," writes the New York Times...
(ISBN 978-0470534908 / Published 2009) - Contributing Photographer: Photos that Inspire by Lynne Eodice (ISBN 978-0470119556 / Published 2007)
External links
- Haje's Photocritic photography blog.
- Macro Photography Photo Workshop on Amazon.
- Focus on Photographing People on Amazon