Esther Derksen
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estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Esther Derksen
@estherfreespirit.bsky.social
35 followers 50 following 81 posts
Photographer | Visual storyteller | Fantasy enthusiast Through my lens, I explore identity, emotion, and the stories we carry—real or imagined. More on my journey & work: esther-derksen.com
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estherfreespirit.bsky.social
I've been busy with finishing school. But yesterday I had to create some Vampire art for myself. #VampireArt #DarkAesthetic #KindredFragments #BloodAndBeauty #GothicArt #VtMInspired #DigitalCollage #VisualStorytelling #VtM #WorldofDarkness
October 13, 2025 at 12:22 PM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
youtu.be/28iHEfVfTFM?...
Time is like soup, as a wise faun once said. It took a while to finish this video. My chaos gets in the way sometimes :D Music by Daan van der Valk who is as chaotic as I am

#photography #behindthescenes #selfportrait #creative #blog
The Rose Garden – A Tiny Living Room Becomes a Magical Set
YouTube video by Esther Derksen
youtu.be
September 13, 2025 at 1:00 PM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Long Exposure
I went out for a school assignment to take some test photos. The assignment was specifically to create a series about a street. My concept was to capture the echoes of people passing by the street I had in mind, but I ended up in a tunnel instead.

#longexposure_captures #photography
September 5, 2025 at 1:37 PM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Homework assignment of my photography course I'm following. I had to show movement while keeping part of the subject sharp. It is not perfect but I like the shot. #photography #StreetPhotography #monochrome #b&wPhotography #Amsterdam #museumplein #movement
September 1, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Reposted by Esther Derksen
jcvim.bsky.social
We are less than £1000 from our goal!! Support indie filmmaking and help us make the dark fantastical world of Fairy Dust come to life! ✨✨✨

www.kickstarter.com/projects/fai...
August 17, 2025 at 1:37 PM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Is it Spooky season yet? TBH for me I feel like spooky season all year. I love it particularly when the sun is out and it's 25C + out side.

#spooky #SpookySeason #halloween #Wiccan #Witchcraft #ModernWitch #photography #stilllife
August 18, 2025 at 2:33 PM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
"You don't understand, baby sister, what it is like… the gnawing in your throat, the screaming pit inside you." Read Hunger:
www.esther-derksen.com/kindred-frag... #VampireLore #Storytelling #vtm #vamily #SelfPortrait #photography #longexposure #blog #ArtOfSelfPortraiture
August 16, 2025 at 11:20 AM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Listening to "Herr Mannelig" by Garmarna
tidal.com/browse/track...
Garmarna - Herr Mannelig (2023 Remastered)
Listen to Herr Mannelig (2023 Remastered) on your streaming service
tidal.com
August 14, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Reposted by Esther Derksen
jcvim.bsky.social
are the #vamily on BlueSky???
Sound off in the comments if so 🦇

fun fact, my cheeks were covered in hives on this shoot day due to an allergic reaction to antibiotics I was prescribed for some freak bug bite spreading up my arm (why my arm is wrapped in some episodes of #LAbyNight S5)
A photo of Josephine from the filming of season 5 of LA by Night in costume as Eva, the white witch. Josephine is dressed all in white, with a long white wavy wig adorned with pink flowers. There is an off white embroidered headdress with a pearl at the center resting on her head and they were red contacts with red eye makeup and pale white makeup giving a porcelain complexion. She looks off camera and is framed by a pink light and stands in front of a deep blue backdrop.
August 10, 2025 at 7:31 PM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Gangrel prowl the night, led by feral instinct. I’d love to shoot in the city at night, but self-portraits on dodgy streets make me hesitate. Any tips to feel safer?
#KindredFragments #GangrelClan #VampireInspired #SelfPortraiture #UrbanNoir #vamily #VtM #photography #portrait
August 8, 2025 at 10:21 AM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
"I miss the wind without blood in it.
But I rise, night after night.
Not to live.
But to guard what little still feels real.

Read Willow’s story:
www.esther-derksen.com/kindred-frag...
#KindredFragments #VtM #Gangrel #Vamily #photography #worldofdarkness #portraitPhotography
What Little Still Feels Real — Esther Derksen
A Gangrel reflects on lost innocence, survival, and the fragments of humanity that remain. Willow questions what still matters in a world built on blood, memory, and loyalty.
www.esther-derksen.com
August 5, 2025 at 2:09 PM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
The Rose Garden isn’t a safe place.
But neither am I.

Here, the wild and cultivated roses of my clan gather.
I watch. I listen.
I hunt for their weaknesses
and hide my own.

👉 www.esther-derksen.com/kindred-frag...
#photography #visualStorytelling #ArtOfSelfPortraiture #Vamily #Vtm #WorldofDarkness
A dramatic portrait of a woman mostly hidden in shadow, with only one eye visible through a veil of leaves and roses. Red petals and dark foliage frame her face, and a sharp beam of light reveals her watchful, intense gaze. The image evokes a sense of secrecy, tension, and predatory stillness.
July 19, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Reposted by Esther Derksen
lokihighlock.bsky.social
July 15, 2025 at 11:55 AM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
They call it the Rose Garden. But there’s no scent of roses here. Only masks, perfumed lies, and the hush of unspoken things.
A new Kindred Fragment has bloomed.
Read Milla’s story:
www.esther-derksen.com/kindred-frag...
#KindredFragments #Vamily #DarkPoetry #VisualStorytelling #Photography #vtm
July 16, 2025 at 8:55 AM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
"My letters to you were my SOS, and you were the angel who answered."
A letter to the past. A tribute to music, memory, and the girl I once sent away.
New #blog now live. www.esther-derksen.com/blog/the-gir...

#WritingAsHealing #LettersToThePast #EmotionalStorytelling ##ArtOfSelfPortraiture
A softly lit close-up of a woman holding a white, half-melted candle with a tall flame. Her face is partially blurred in the background, bathed in warm, ambient light. The candle glows gently, symbolizing memory, mourning, and a quiet tribute. The image evokes a sense of introspection and remembrance, resonating with the themes of loss, gratitude, and emotional healing explored in the blog post "The Girl I Put on the Mail."
July 7, 2025 at 9:52 AM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Took this in Zandvoort aan Zee two years ago. Something about it feels off—but I keep coming back to it.
I often revisit old images when creating feels out of reach. Lately, everything feels a little off.
#ZandvoortAanZee #CreativeBlock #ArtistsJourney #Monochrome
A black-and-white photo taken at Zandvoort aan Zee in the Netherlands. In the foreground, a seagull walks across the rippled sand of a wide, empty beach. In the background, two women in swimsuits walk away from the camera, carrying bags, heading toward a line of beach umbrellas and seaside houses. The contrast and shallow depth of field evoke a quiet, slightly surreal atmosphere—both ordinary and subtly unsettling.
June 29, 2025 at 10:42 AM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
It was power that drew you to this sacred place.
Its solemn weight lingers in the air, carried by the incense smoke and the whispered prayers of the faithful.

Read Lesson II: www.esther-derksen.com/kindred-frag...
#KindredFragments #VtM #Vamily #WorldOfDarkness #selfPortrait #portraitPhotography
June 19, 2025 at 3:17 PM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Stumbled upon this old soul in the heart of Amsterdam. Amid the chaos, it felt like a fragment of something real—unpolished, still breathing.
#StreetPhotography #UrbanGaze #AnalogAesthetic #Chevrolet #Amsterdam
June 16, 2025 at 7:13 AM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
“Smile, lock everything away, and just push through.”
A reflection on memory, silence, and the girl I once buried beneath strength.
New blog: The Girl I Locked Away
www.esther-derksen.com/blog/the-gir...
#WritingThroughIt #MemoryAndHealing #InnerChildJourney #shadowwork
The Girl I Locked Away — Esther Derksen
In this raw and personal blog, I revisit old diary entries, uncovering the silence around a painful chapter in my life. What begins as a journey through forgotten pages becomes a reflection on memory,...
www.esther-derksen.com
June 9, 2025 at 11:07 AM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Call me a rose, if you must.
But my petals were never soft.
I create not to impress, but to survive. My roots twist deep in wild earth.
🖤 Read Petals in the Dirt
www.esther-derksen.com/kindred-frag...
#KindredFragments #VtM #vamily #worldofdarkness #vampireart
A soft-lit self-portrait in muted tones. The subject wears a dark veil, partially obscuring her face. Her expression is solemn, reflective, yet resolute. Shadows surround her, with gentle highlights catching the texture of the veil. The image evokes themes of hidden strength, lost innocence, and quiet rebellion—mirroring the essence of the journal Petals in the Dirt, where identity, art, and survival entwine.
June 2, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Reposted by Esther Derksen
criticalrole.bsky.social
AGE OF UMBRA is a new 8-episode #Daggerheart series coming May 29th to Beacon, Twitch, and YouTube!

GM and Age of Umbra designer Matthew Mercer leads the #CriticalRole founders through a dark, survival fantasy undertaking, in which small communities hold fast against the darkness of a dying world.
May 12, 2025 at 4:05 PM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
castlefest.nl/nl is coming up and I don't know what to wear! Do I go #Steampunk or #Vampirethemasquerade inspired? #Darkfairy #witchy ? Too many options and so little time to gather all the stuff I need/craft 😱
Castlefest | Where fantasy becomes your reality
Where fantasy becomes your reality
castlefest.nl
May 28, 2025 at 11:33 AM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Listening to: open.spotify.com/track/7CBFRs...

Childhood rebellion 🤘😀

#GNR #rocknroll #memorylane #music #hairmetal
Nightrain
Guns N' Roses · Appetite For Destruction · Song · 1987
open.spotify.com
May 28, 2025 at 7:48 AM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
What if the part you, you fear most was never a monster, but your fiercest protector?
A journal entry shaped by instinct, myth, and memory.
Read The Beast Within.
www.esther-derksen.com/blog/the-bea...
#KindredFragments #ShadowWork #WorldOfDarkness #PersonalEssay #TheBeastWithin #Vamily #vtm
The Beast within — Esther Derksen
A poetic journey of shadow, rage, and self-acceptance inspired by Vampire: The Masquerade and personal healing
www.esther-derksen.com
May 26, 2025 at 9:37 AM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Two shots from my city walk through Amsterdam today. One moment bold and busy, the next quiet and a bit strange. Just how I like it.
#UrbanGaze #streetphotography #Amsterdam #photography
A street scene in Amsterdam with several people walking past a bold black-and-white mural that says "POP" in large graphic letters. A woman in black catches the camera’s gaze mid-stride, surrounded by motion and urban energy. An older man with white hair and a backpack stands facing a vintage shop window in Amsterdam. The display includes a golden mannequin hand and assorted antiques. The storefront is worn and painted in faded tones of blue and red, evoking a nostalgic, moody feel.
May 22, 2025 at 2:14 PM