Martin van Lokven with camera.

MARTIN VAN LOKVEN

INTRO

As a professional photographer Martin works since 1996 freelance for government organizations, ngo’s, publishers, communication agencies and magazines. In very diverse disciplines, from portraits to landscapes, from interior design to gardens, from cycling in a Dutch polder to wildlife in the freezing cold of Antarctica. Everything with great pleasure, for the love of photography.

Martin has done all the photography for more than twenty books, regarding the New Dutch Water Line (ANWB Media), Netherlands land of rivers (Publishing house Balans), travel photography (ANWB Media), cooking (also two for Albert Heijn), gardens and a report of the ecological main structure (Ministery of LNV).

For his stories in magazines Martin often also writes the text and he has also written the complete text for his book on travel photography (commissioned and published by the ANWB Media). He also did the art direction for a book about the national landscapes and parks of the Netherlands and for walking and cycling guides, all commissioned by ANWB Media.

Image of Bryce Canyon National Park, slide in lecture of Martin van Lokven.

Martin regularly gives presentations of his work, including for photography clubs, Rotary, businesses and associations. In 2019 he presented his photography at the Lowland Photo Festival in Antwerp.

Since 2023 he is a guest lecturer at the Van Hall Larenstein Universtiy of Applied Sciences.

For a compehensive list of his photography, see CLIENTS & PUBLICATIONS.

Highlights so far are assignments on the Seychelles with a team of photographers (twice), guiding on Antarctica and three assignments for National Geographic (Dutch edition of NG Traveler), to Tanzania (Tanzania, the wild paradise, published in 2/2016), Sri Lanka (Wild Sri Lanka, 2/2018) and Azores (The giants of the sea, 2/2020). Complete stories, text and photography. See the website of National Geographic Netherlands for TANZANIA: HET WILDE PARADIJS en WILD SRI LANKA.

Photographer Martin van Lokven in shallow water with camera.

AWARDS
Martin has won several prizes in prestigious international photo competitions. Such as in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year, European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Asferico, Oasis, Biophotocontest, MontPhoto and Memorial Maria Luisa. See AWARDS.

Since 2002, Martin has guided photo tours for SNP Natuurreizen and All for Nature Travel, to Antarctica, India, Costa Rica, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa, Costa Rica, Colorado Plateau, Alaska, Tuscany and Gálapagos. From 2024 on he will also be a PHOTO GUIDE for the Belgium tour operator Starling Reizen. All of them professionals in sustainable ecotourism. See PHOTO TOURS for the 2024 program.

Since 2008 he has been giving photography workshops, for groups, companies and private. See WORKSHOPS for the 2024 program.

Martin van Lokven and his family in Switzerland in 2015. In the background is the Matterhorn visible.

EARLY PHOTOGRAPHY YEARS
Martin studied biology at the Utrecht University and graduated in 1990, specialization Aquatic Toxicology. There he then worked for almost two years at the Research Institute for Toxicology (RITOX, now IRAS, Institute for Risk Assesment Studies – Toxicology) on a project for Rijkswaterstaat.

PHOTOGRAPHY EARLY YEARS
In the meantime Martin had become fascinated with photography. He decided to leave his career as a biologist behind him and pursue a life as a professional photographer.

Within a short time he was photographing for major clients as ANWB, Dutch Railways, Albert Heijn, Sanoma, Rijkswaterstaat and Natuurmonumenten.

PRIVATE LIFE
With his family Martin lives on the Utrechtse Heuvelrug, Netherlands.