Get to know me
Hi there! My name is Wynona Bakker, 26 years old.
Growing up in the Netherlands, one of the smallest, flattest and most artificial countries, I’ve been interested in wild, remote places and great adventures since I can remember. As a child I mostly spent my time in nature, while horse riding, drawing, creating art or writing stories. Being half Indonesian, I have been intrigued by other countries, cultures and exiting stories of far away places since a very young age. When I was 7, my parents took me to the Swiss Alps to hike and I was immediately sold. That's where my awe of nature began and my love for the great outdoors, untamed landscapes and my urge to travel was born.
When I was 20, I quit my study of Cultural Anthropology at the University to travel for half a year on my own through Asia. There, I realised that I wanted to be a storyteller, combining film, photography and my love for writing stories. I graduated at the Willem de Kooning, the art academy of Rotterdam, in Audiovisual Design. During my internship I worked for BNNVARA, a Dutch broadcasting association, as a camera operator, journalist, web content creator and editor. I followed the specialisation minor in Creative Storytelling at the High School of Utrecht and there I learned to combine the power of storytelling through theatre, dance and performance with my interest in socially engaged topics.
As a photographer, filmmaker and creative director, I create content that have an authentic touch and a dreamy feel. Intuition and emotion play a big role in my projects, that often tend to spread awareness, inspire or make you feel something. I love to seek the extraordinary in the ordinary, play with natural light and create meaningful content against a backdrop of wild places and exotic nature. I hope to generate a positive impact on society and leave some magical sparks on our earth while traveling the world.
why storytelling
As a visual thinker, I am always seeing images. A word, a smell, a melody or a passing thought is enough to see a story unfold like a film before my eyes. Photography and video are my means of bringing these images to reality. To capture and eternalise a fairy tale that until then only existed in your mind. It gives the opportunity to stop time for a moment - and travel back to that special moment. In my journey to storytelling, I always look for the authentic source and do everything possible to tell your story as personally as possible.
things I love most
I am happiest when I am in nature. Running around barefoot, swimming in the ocean and watching the moon rise over the landscape, sleeping under the stars - that's when I'm in my element. Traveling, discovering new places, getting to know other cultures and people, pushing boundaries and finding connection in new experiences: that's when I feel most alive.