Why Project A Stocked Fridge? The Story Behind the Rotterdam Portrait Photography Book

The actual book name, “A Stocked Fridge,” came directly from conversations with my colleagues, Gerard and Cor.

I’m the kind of person who is more quiet and prefers to listen while my colleagues, Gerard and Cor, really like to talk, often debating various serious subjects. Most days, we start off talking about how tough yesterday was, and by the time we finish the conversation, we end up feeling better and then we start working. Gerard can talk about anything, but almost every time, our discussions tend to land on the difficult subject of war in various countries.

One day, Gerard told us something that just stuck: “We judge those people at war, but we look at it with our fridge stocked.”

At first, I didn’t fully understand it, but the more often he was talking about this idea, the more I started to realize its truth. We, as a society, often judge people’s behavior, choices, or outcomes, but we don’t like to look at the foundational reasons why this is happening. We judge from a position of guaranteed comfort—the invisible privilege of having a full fridge.

Before all this, I was already thinking about creating a photo book, but I never thought it was going to happen because I didn’t have any specific subject to focus on.

The Personal Connection: From Struggle to Subject

Then one day, I was struggling with myself again and felt judged about a personal situation in my life. The feeling was intense and unfair. And I thought: Why not create a book about my own struggling? Why not be creative and use this deeply personal situation to form a photography book? The idea shifted from judging others to understanding the universal vulnerability of being judged—and the personal security (or lack thereof) that frames our perspectives.

I started off by creating a little plan where I thought about what camera to use, the choice of color or black and white, the book size, and the general mood. At this point, I already felt connected to the name of the book, “A Stocked Fridge,” because of my personal situation that I was often dealing with. The name wasn’t just about global conflict anymore; it was about the invisible privileges and struggles we all carry.

So, the new challenge became: what questions should I ask the people on the streets of Rotterdam? And what did I want to accomplish with their answers?

Gear and Technique: The Medium Format Look

I headed to the streets with a Fujifilm GA645—a medium format film camera—and my on-camera flash loaded with Kodak Gold 200.

I chose flash for two main reasons. First, my hands are not very steady, and the flash guarantees a sharp subject. Second, I figured that direct flash would give me a stark, honest, and slightly dramatic look that I liked. The Fujifilm GA645 is a medium format film camera with a fixed 60mm lens about 40mm equivalent in full-frame and uses a popup flash, which gives great results.

After shooting film for some time—developing and scanning color and black and white myself—I was looking at the work of artists like Rob Hornstra and Robin de Puy. I noticed their use of flash with medium format cameras, which gives their environmental portraits something truly unique. Although they shoot digital medium format these days, their approach to light and environment deeply inspired me.

So, I got myself a Fujifilm GFX50s, a medium format digital camera, typically paired with a 63mm or 50mm equivalent lens. The use of flash started on-camera and, after a while, transitioned to off-camera flash to achieve more shape and depth, as you can see in the image below:

Photographer using off-camera flash for portrait

I am using a light stand with an umbrella and a Godox TT600 and a remote trigger to fire my flash. So far, I feel like I am getting the right, consistent results out of my camera.

My Technical Exposure Formula

Most of the time, I set my camera sensitivity at ISO 800-1600. I meter the background exposure with my light meter, intentionally underexposing the ambient light by 1 or 2 stops. This creates separation and drama.

Then, I start setting my flash power according to my ISO. For example, when my ISO is 800, I set my flash power at 1/8. If I increase my ISO to 1600, I often set my flash power to 1/16.

This approach is governed by the core flash rule: shutter speed, ISO, and aperture determine the ambient light exposure, but the flash exposure is determined only by the flash output and the aperture. This gives me precise control.

I also like to keep my shutter speed fast, usually at around 1/500 second. This ensures sharp images without blur, regardless of whether I’m using flash.

The Final Piece of the Puzzle

I start most of my photo walks by asking someone if he or she would like to be photographed. Once they agree, I try to find a great location for the portrait. A great location is usually the most challenging part for me, but once found, I fire off the camera.

At the end of the shoot, I ask people a few questions about the subject of the book and whether they know of a similar situation from their own life. At the end of the day, I feel that once all pieces of the puzzle come together the lightning, the pose of the person, the location, and, of course, the camera a truly great portrait exists.

I will continue writing this blog to keep you updated about the project and the fascinating people I meet.

That’s it for now! Thank you for reading it till so far.

Visit the projects gallery page here: Gallery
Visit the project shop page here: A stocked fridge shop

Discover the full collection, see the evolution of the project, and support the final print run by reserving your copy of the Rotterdam portrait photography book today!

Thanks again!
Robert Schreutelkamp.