AWARD-winning photographer Ivo Kerssemakers took an unexpected path. He was born in the Netherlands and raised in Amsterdam, where he started his own software business. In 1997 he moved to the United States and continued to work as a software developer throughout the country before settling in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
In 2015 he began pursuing his passion for photography professionally. His signature work consists of long-exposure photography, with an emphasis on clean, surrealistic, minimalist-type imagery. The long-exposure technique means he uses neutral density filters up to 16 stops to achieve exposure times of more than four minutes in bright daylight. Kerssemakers pays careful attention to the way landscapes change in different lighting and weather conditions and will revisit locations to see how they change. He is currently focusing on the Charleston area, in particular Botany Bay, as well as working on an architectural series in London and Amsterdam.
He prioritizes using the highest quality sustainable materials for printing and framing, and he specializes in large-scale works. Venues in South Carolina where his work can be seen include Lowcountry Artists Gallery in Charleston, MISC-Everything Murrells Inlet Gallery and Waccamaw Boulevard Gallery in Myrtle Beach.