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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
The rain didn’t wash her clean—only woke the wild beneath.
Eyes sharp, feral, haunted.
She doesn’t speak.
She remembers.
Gangrel don’t forget.
They endure.

#gangrel #vtm #kindredthoughts #vamily #selfportrait #photography #monochrome #storytelling #ttrpg
A black-and-white self-portrait of a woman with wet hair veiling part of her face. Her intense gaze cuts through the strands, raw and unfiltered. Harsh light and shadow emphasize her wild, defiant presence—evoking a feral, Gangrel-like strength and quiet rage.
May 21, 2025 at 3:52 PM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
She stirs in the blur—beast, shadow, memory.
A slow shutter experiment capturing the masks we wear and the monster beneath.
#VtMInspired #SlowShutter #TheBeastWithin #VtM #Vamily #selfportrait #photography
May 20, 2025 at 12:03 PM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Exploring what’s behind the mirror—the upside down, the unseen parts of me. But not today. My mind needs space, and priorities come first. Some doors will open when the time is right.
#selfreflection #mentalhealth #conceptualphoto #upsidedown #photography #mirrorphotography
A close-up photograph of a finger gently touching a reflective surface, possibly glass or a mirror. Behind the surface, a blurred, shadowy reflection of a hand reaches toward the finger, creating a ghostly, dreamlike effect. The lighting is soft, with a dark, moody background, evoking a sense of introspection and mystery.
May 12, 2025 at 8:15 AM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Some days my mind feels like this photo—layered, chaotic, trying to make sense of overlapping thoughts. A reflection through an antique store window, capturing life, mess and beauty all at once.
#reflection #mindscape #photography #amsterdam
May 7, 2025 at 7:04 AM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Beyond glass and water, she lingers — a breath, a shadow, a memory. Silent, patient, daring me to see her. The Beast, the mirror, the hidden self. Friend, foe… or something far older.
#VampireTheMasquerade #MirrorWorld #ShadowSelf #ConceptualPhotography #TheBeastWithin
A color image showing a blurred reflection of a person in a mirror, surrounded by shadow. Soft light and muted colors create a dreamlike, uneasy mood, evoking the feeling of facing a hidden, waiting presence beyond the glass.
April 29, 2025 at 10:04 PM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
April 23, 2025 at 2:55 PM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Found my dad’s old camera — the one I took everywhere in my late teens. Flipping through the photos I shot back then brought back that familiar thrill of waiting for film to develop, hoping the memories were still there.

#FilmPhotography #photography #AnalogNostalgia #Warmmemories
April 17, 2025 at 12:04 PM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
The underpass of the Rijksmuseum: where darkness meets light, where art meets the mundane. Here, the ordinary steps into the spotlight and becomes quietly beautiful.
#streetphotography #Amsterdam #everydaypoetry
Black-and-white photo of people walking through the arched underpass of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. A man and woman with a stroller are lit by a shaft of light, while others move through deep shadow. The contrast between dark and light highlights the beauty of everyday life in motion, framed by historic architecture
April 15, 2025 at 9:46 AM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Drawing soothes me — the pencil, the paper, the quiet. I miss dancing, singing, bouldering… but my mind only holds space for drawing and photography right now. Maybe that’s what it means to listen inward.
#artistlife #creativeflow #sketchbookmoments
#creativeexpression #visualdiary #selfexpression
A black and white photograph of an open sketchbook resting on a soft, textured blanket. On the left page are pencil sketches of two realistic female faces, one looking forward and another in a side view with her chin resting on her hands. A well-used eraser lies between the pages. The right page shows a more intense and detailed pencil portrait of a haunting figure with deep-set eyes, gaunt cheeks, and a veil or hood. Several graphite pencils and a pencil case are visible nearby. The photo has a soft, grainy quality and a quiet, contemplative mood.
April 11, 2025 at 9:39 AM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Discovered how easily I can overwork myself—especially doing what I love. No external pressure needed; my brain’s got it covered. But this time, there’s calm inside the chaos. A quiet place to just be. Learning to accept it.
#adhdlife #selfacceptance #artistlife
Black and white photo of a person in profile, facing left. The image uses long exposure, creating a double image effect: one sharp version of the face and another slightly shifted, blurred version overlapping it. The person has light skin and their hair is pulled back. Their eyes are closed or cast downward, and their expression appears calm. The background is completely black, making the face and neck stand out in soft grayscale tones. The double exposure gives the impression of motion or emotional tension while the person remains still. The lighting is subtle and focused on the face, leaving the rest of the image in shadow.
April 10, 2025 at 7:51 AM
estherfreespirit.bsky.social
Good Sunday! Hope you're having a good day so far. Caught this moment in strong contrast—light, shadow, and a touch of mystery.
#StreetPhotography #BlackAndWhite #SundayVibes #Photography
High-contrast black and white street photo capturing pedestrians in shadow walking past a brightly lit window display. A man in profile, wearing glasses and a beanie, stands out against a white frame with a curtain backdrop. Faint figure visible in the dark display window.
April 6, 2025 at 7:58 AM