Rain or shine, Sjef Kenniphaas (67) can be found every morning on the beach ofEgmond aan Zee, inseparable from his camera. With the photos he takes, he isone of the main suppliers (now 1,500) of images for weather reports ontelevision. But it doesn’t just record weather conditions. NH News asked Sjeffor his best prints of 2022.
Sjef Kenniphaas – NH News/ Maaike Polder
Sjef can be found on the beach every day. “I have to walk because of my leg,”he explains. He almost lost his lower leg in a serious accident at theHoogovens where he used to work. “It is now full of scars. By moving everyday, the moisture does not accumulate.”
Never without a camera
He has now lived in the coastal village for 32 years, but the beach, the sea,waves and clouds never get boring. “They are different every day. And I recordthat. Because that camera is always with me. You will see that if I don’t haveit with me, something fun happens right away. Like with that yawning seal.”
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Yawning seal – 3 September 2022 – Photo: Sjef Kenniphaas
“I caught sight of that seal when I was trying out the range of a new camera.That animal was about 200 meters out to sea and just quietly ‘doing itsthing’. Usually seals are quickly submerged again , but I could take 40pictures.”
According to Sjef, you only spot seals in the morning and especially not inhigh season. “They hear everything and are looking for peace. Just like meduring my walks. Wonderful. No one to bother me, nice in the sun, yawning abit. Exactly that seal. This photo makes me very happy.”
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Moon versus plane – November 14, 2022 – Photo: Sjef Kenniphaas
“It was clear weather above the sea and then you can photograph the craters onthe moon very nicely. I think this is a very successful photo, also becausesomething happens when you look at it for a while. The plane flies away fromyou, of course, but if you look longer, it looks like it’s coming towards youor falling down.”
As far as Sjef is concerned, the photo below also gives a nice – distorted -picture. “This took place 400 to 500 meters out to sea. It looks like a rescueoperation, but that cutter has nothing to do with it.”
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Rescue campaign – 15 May 2022 – Photo: Sjef Kenniphaas
“This was an exercise by the KNRM with getting people off board at speed. Thatcutter looks the same size as the lifeboat in the photo, but in reality it ismany times larger. It was therefore even further out to sea. That opticalillusion I like this.”
But Sjef can also enjoy himself with ‘macro’ shots. “I did that as a youngboy. My father was a beekeeper and it was very easy to find bees there tocapture from very close. But that fluff of a dandelion. I love it.”
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Pluis – 6 May 2022 – Photo: Sjef Kenniphaas
For the time being, Sjef has not hung up his camera yet. “As long as I can doit, I’ll keep doing it. And it’s also nice that so many people are happy withmy photos. I read that with pleasure in the comments when I share them onsocial media. That’s what I do it for .”
That his photos are so appreciated, also in his own village, is evident fromthe prize he won this month with the ‘Best photo of the year’, awarded by theEgmond weekly magazine Villagers. “The professional and public jury wereunanimous,” said publisher Remy Beukers.
In the meantime, the weather photos on television are also going very well.Last week number 1,500 was used in the weather forecast.