Many years later, at his very first Roland Garros, he found himself sitting next to Gérard Vandystadt — founder of one of the most renowned sports photo agencies — on Centre Court in Paris.
The little boy, now grown up, turned to him, slightly in awe, and said:
"It’s incredible, when I was a kid, I used to buy the Vandystadt Agency's annual retrospective every year."
And the famous photographer replied:
"Ah! So that was you!"
A lovely story, isn’t it? And best of all—it’s true!
And that was just a taste of what was to come…
The Sydney Olympic Games, and along the way, one of my photos won the Fuji Award for the best Belgian sports photo—and second best in Europe.
Fourteen years covering the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments (the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open), the Tour de France and the great cycling classics (a perfect way to combine my two passions—photography and motorbikes), and hundreds of football matches across Belgium, the Euros, and the World Cup.
There were unforgettable encounters that led to incredible assignments—with Luc Van Lierde at the Ironman in Hawaii, Xavier Malisse in Florida, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, Marc Wilmots, Stefan Everts…
Beautiful images, yes...
but more importantly, friendships that have stood the test of time.
At the same time, I’ve worked on the image of companies, sponsors of sporting events, and public figures.
I’ve had the privilege of capturing a slice of European history in the corridors of the European Parliament, from Brussels to Strasbourg.
But none of this would mean anything without the human side of the job, the people, the stories, the discoveries.
So, when shall we meet to talk about your image?