When Elin Molenaar came to Vancouver from Dirkshorn in the Netherlands for her gap year, she came with an interest in telling a visual story and capturing moments. Using a friends second-hand camera, she snapped the beauty in the world around her while taking notes from her boyfriend, who is also a photographer. She would later circle back to Vancouver to study journalism at BCIT—sparked from a love of sharing stories and the fact she missed Canada’s beautiful landscapes.
Implementing a simple but effective method to her skill, she frames her work around the beauty of nature. Elin fully embraces all the trails and mountainous hikes Vancouver offers and enjoys taking photos associated with a specific feeling or atmosphere. While honing her craft, she learned that many factors influence the outcome of a great photograph, including timing and creativity—and the person behind the lens will never be 100% satisfied.
She hopes by sharing inspiring and impactful stories, she can inspire others as well. Even if a story doesn’t seem to have value, everyone can interpret it in different ways. Elin believes what can be beautiful can be boring to another; and there is a power in perspective.
In most of these images, you will see Vancouver through Elin’s eyes on her gap year from 2017-2018. Back then, she was trying to capture Metro Vancouver in different ways. Now, the nostalgic images remind her of good memories and the person she was becoming.
