Laga Handbags was blessed four years ago to have befriended a really amazing and talented photographer, a Dutch Indonesian man from The Netherlands, Rob Bakker, who was introduced to us by Roy’s cousin. When we met him, he was just in the beginning stages of launching his photography business. For years, he had enjoyed taking pictures but over the years his camera had truly become an extension of himself and he was now ready to take his photography seriously.

As our conversations always seemed to come back to his photography, you could tell that his focus up until now had been portraits and he showed me many photos he had taken. As a matter of fact, when you are in his home, you will see evidence of his obsession everywhere. From a collage of New York to images of performers to intimate wedding and family shots… You can see the progression of his work…  and what jumps out at you is that he has a real passion for getting inside his subjects’ minds. He is not satisfied until his photo tells a story. He just HAS to get the story.

In the natural progression of our friendship, we asked him if he would be interested in helping us with Laga Handbags which would in turn help him to build his portfolio. We had used several photographers in the past but were looking for someone who could really help take Laga to the next level, visually. Our request was met with a very enthusiastic “Of course!” and we began discussing what we would need and what he could do.

Next thing we knew, he was on a plane headed for California.

We spent several weeks putting together a mood board and choosing handbags and researching locations and finding models who would be willing to help us. Two of our dear friends, Leila and Kelsey, who both actually used to work for us, helped us coordinate a photo shoot and found us an amazing location.

Over a two-day shoot, Rob took photos at the beach, at a hotel, on the streets and in an old dilapidated photo studio (that was a story in and of itself). When all was said and done, we worked with 7 models and 4 locations. But no matter the location or challenges we faced, we came away with some amazing images that we have used time and time again. Here are a few of the pictures he took:

We loved the experience so much that Rob agreed to come back to California a couple of years later to do it again! This time he brought his wife, Hennie, who has become one of my dearest friends. And while they were here, we focused more on backgrounds and had only a couple of models in Las Vegas, one in Huntington Beach and two in Burbank. I think it’s safe to say that we’ve helped sway Rob’s focus from portrait to fashion photography. He certainly wasn’t complaining about being surrounded by and working with all the beautiful ladies! Check it out:

Besides the tremendous work he’s done for Laga Handbags, he has also been the photographer at our family reunion in The Netherlands, for my cousin’s band and a family get-together here in California.

Rob is truly a dedicated photographer. His obsession is his strength, and his love for what he does speaks volumes in the quality of his work.

Thank  you so much, Rob, for your willingness to help Laga! We appreciate your work and your friendship!

If you are interested in seeing more of Rob’s work, you can visit his website here: B-The-Image

And you can also see his work on our website.

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Reminder:
It’s Daylight Savings time for most of us in the United States… so don’t forget to set your clocks one hour AHEAD tonight!

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