Out of the Darkness – Book Presentation

My name is Guido van de Water. I am a 42-year-old nature photographer from the Netherlands and an OM System ambassador. For more than 30 years, I’ve been working with Olympus and OM System gear, chasing the beauty of nature through the lens. Over the years I’ve used many different Olympus camera models, but today I work with the OM System OM-1 Mark II and a wide variety of Olympus and OM System lenses—tools that allow me to capture both the smallest details and the grandest landscapes with precision and creativity.

Out of the Darkness is my very first photography book—but it’s more than just a collection of images. It is both a visual journey and a deeply personal story about resilience, passion, and rediscovering purpose when life takes an unexpected turn.

Every image in this book carries a story. Behind each photograph lies not only the beauty of nature but also the moment in time when I pressed the shutter—the conditions, the atmosphere, the emotion that inspired me to capture it. These stories are the threads that connect the pages, but woven through them is another, more personal story: my own.

A few years ago, my life changed in ways I never anticipated. Illness and depression cast a long shadow over my days. I reached a point where I felt I had lost direction, where everything seemed to collapse around me. Hitting rock bottom is something you never imagine until you’re there. But sometimes, when the darkness feels overwhelming, you find a spark that can guide you forward. For me, that spark was photography.

Picking up my camera again, not just as a hobby but as a lifeline, gave me a way to reconnect with the world. Slowly, step by step, I rediscovered the joy of creating. I also started my YouTube channel, sharing my process in the field, showing not only the final images but also the journey of capturing them. That project became a source of meaning and connection, both with myself and with a growing community of people who shared my love for photography.

Through this journey, something incredible happened: a lifelong dream began to take shape. Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of becoming a professional photographer. Life’s challenges pushed me closer to that dream, and today I am proud to be an OM System ambassador, able to inspire others not just with my photographs but with my story.

In Out of the Darkness, you’ll also see how my focus as a photographer has shifted over time. In the early years, my passion was wildlife and bird photography, chasing fleeting movements and moments in nature. But gradually, I felt myself drawn more and more toward landscapes—the stillness, the mood, the play of light and shadow across vast spaces. This book reflects that evolution, not just in subject matter but also in the way I see the world through my lens.

To make this journey even more immersive, I’ve included something special: QR codes of the images that you see throughout the book. By scanning them, you can step beyond the printed page and join me on location through my YouTube videos. You’ll see the full story behind the image—the challenges, the techniques, and the raw beauty of nature as it unfolded before my eyes.

More than anything, I hope Out of the Darkness can inspire. Whether you’re a passionate photographer searching for new perspectives or someone navigating a difficult season in life, my story is proof that creativity can be a way forward. Dreams don’t always follow a straight path, but they are worth pursuing, no matter how many obstacles stand in the way.

This book is not just about photography—it’s about hope, about finding light in dark places, and about the power of following your passion.

You can purchase the book in my webshop: www.guidovandewater.nl/webshop

Author: Guido van de Water

Book name: Out of the Darkness

Pages: 136 hardcover

Language: English