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AMBITION<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
FROM PROFESSIONAL<br />
CYCLIST TO PROFESSIONAL<br />
PHOTOGRAPHER<br />
LEON VAN BON<br />
As a professional cyclist,<br />
Leon van Bon won two stages<br />
in the Tour de France and a<br />
silver medal at the Olympic<br />
Games. After he stopped as<br />
a professional cyclist in 2012,<br />
he explored a different passion:<br />
photography. He now can be<br />
found along the cycling course<br />
at classics such as the Tour<br />
of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix,<br />
the Tour de France and the<br />
World Cycling Championships.<br />
For nonstopfresh magazine,<br />
Leon photographed the giant<br />
pumpkin farmer and the<br />
women’s team of Beek Vooruit.<br />
We wanted to know how he<br />
captured the perfect image<br />
and photography ambitions.<br />
Casual encounter<br />
We coincidentally met Leon as a photographer during the Bredase Singelloop,<br />
a running event where <strong>Aartsen</strong> is one of the main sponsors. While runners were<br />
racing towards the finish in the rain, our question was short and sweet: would he<br />
like to take some photographs for our ambition issue? He was pretty honest that<br />
pumpkins and women’s soccer is not his speciality, but he was curious enough<br />
to take on the challenge. As editors, it’s impressive that a former top athlete now<br />
takes professional photos as a photographer and steps outside his comfort zone.<br />
The story behind the photo<br />
The aspect that distinguishes Leon from other sports photographers: he always<br />
looks for surprising perspectives. You won’t find many generic photos of an<br />
athlete at the finish line, but an image that says more about the competition,<br />
the person or the moment than what the results or scores tell you. Leon van Bon:<br />
"I always try to capture the rider’s emotion in the heat of the battle. I like people<br />
who show their emotions. I prefer to work with freedom and trust from the client<br />
and without a tight schedule. You capture a striking image by always keeping your<br />
eyes open and never stopping looking around."<br />
Challenging photoshoot<br />
"At the photo shoot with the giant pumpkin, it was put on a terrace of a busy<br />
restaurant, I had no idea if it would work and how the photo would turn out<br />
exactly. The same goes for the women’s soccer team: everyone was lined up in<br />
the warehouse. These challenges make it fun for me!"<br />
Ambition is like the Opera House<br />
"At one point during the last World Cycling Championships in Australia, I sat on<br />
a bench opposite the famous Sidney Opera House. Then I thought if you can<br />
build that as an architect, that is your life’s work. I aspire to take pictures as the<br />
architect who made the Sidney Opera House, and since that moment, the photo<br />
has been my screensaver as a constant reminder never to forget my ambitions."<br />
82 | AMBITION<br />
AMBITION | 83
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