Ocean and adventure photographer Melchior van Nigtevecht

September 07, 2018

Melchior and his boat in Greece with girlfriend swimming below

Can you give us a quick intro about yourself?

I'm a 41-years young freelance surf & lifestyle photographer based in Scheveningen, the Netherlands. Being a water person with all my heart.

I don’t care or own that much except a bunch of beautiful hand-shaped surfboards, some camera tools and an old, small sailing boat together with my girlfriend in Greece.

I try to live off my photography and filming from the water, collecting those permanent memories, what they call photos and saving up for my next adventure!

When did you hear about The Bamboo Brush Society?
I got triggered by friends on Instagram.

Swedish friend Peter Sahlberg on the nose in Sri Lanka

What do you think of the Bamboo toothbrush?

Besides the fantastic wood look and the great shape. I think it’s a great way to make a statement and support creating less marine litter. Plastic is ending up in the ocean too much, like toothbrushes, lighters, slippers, plastic bags, water bottles and much more. I think everybody can make a change every day! It also feels good to do it!

He loves to fish

You have travelled a lot around the world, what is the best spot you have brushed your teeth yet?

So many nice places! Mmmm, let me think Pavones area, Costa Rica, stole my heart with its amazing wild jungle pureness. Brushing your teeth with a crashing ocean in the background, howling monkeys, parrots screaming, jungle sounds, this, for me, is the best toothbrush soundtrack there is.

On a mission in Lofoten, Norway for the surf & travel guidebook I LOVE THE SEASIDE

What project you are working on this year are you most excited about?

Working on several personal projects, like I contributed this year to a new edition of a surf & travel guidebook I Love The Seaside where a lot of my Scandinavian work is published, this is for me one of the most stunning corners of the world.

I am also getting lately into new passions besides surfing, like sailing, bouldering and free diving (spearfishing) in Greece. Documenting this free life-style and uploading in the meanwhile my content to a Canadian company called Stocksy United, who re-sells my stock images and many other photographers, gives me the opportunity to keep doing what I love the most.

Making a fire at the beach in Sri Lanka after surfing

If you would be in charge of taking care of our beloved planet tomorrow? Which 4 persons would you pick to help you lead? (can be anyone in the world)

1) My girlfriend Tamar for her constant support and belief in me as a photographer.

2) Jelle Mul, a great Dutch photographer from Amsterdam, who is in charge of the marketing of the sustainable brand Patagonia Europe.

3) Frank Reef, a member of the board of SurfRider Foundation Europe. A good speaker, ocean conservationist and fighter against marine litter.

4) Hans van der Broek, founder of The Shore (eco-surf school & bio food) in Scheveningen, the Netherlands, a good surfer and a guy who’s really aware of what’s happening with sustainability and acting so, like his well run ecological place with solar panel showers, kitchen and re-use of water together with his business partner Geert Verhoef.

Sailing together with his girlfriend in Greece

Tell us your best travel story?

This is tough, too many to tell ;) Ok, this one! (Fingers crossed, it would not harm my career ;)

Ended up with a friend in a beautiful place called Hampi in India, where Ashrams, yoga-classes and hippies are flourishing. We got along with a bunch of Sadhu's (religious dready types) friends and smoking way too much at temples with monkeys sitting beside us, getting munched up with delicious yoghurt lassies, dahl curries and crossing rivers in a palm tree and weird looking rock formations out of movie of Indiana Jones.

(This was, by the way, my pre-hippie smoking period, 18 years ago, I'm not smoking anymore, healthy boy, only campfire smoke while doing push-ups)

Anyways, we got caught with our friendly Sadhu's by the police at a temple complex. These police officers were carrying those huge wooden sticks and real pistols, and they also didn’t want to take our money or camera gear, so we were screwed! I pretended to feel sick and showed them I had to make my way soon to the toilet, so I could get rid of the “religious stuff” out of my backpack in the bushes we had been smoking for days with these damn Sadhu's. Once “relieved” and we had nothing to show, we made our way as fast as we could out of there before they would find out and took the next day the earliest bus out of Hampi! That was a close “Midnight Express style” call.

Meditating is one of his daily rituals

Any books, documentaries, films or series you lately watched and like to recommend?

To be honest, I like reading books the best! I love paper and the relaxed feel of reading, instead of screen overkill during the day. Especially before sleeping it’s so lovely to read a book!

1) I Love the Seaside, Surf & Travel guidebook Northwest Europe.
2 ) Surf Tribe by Stephan van Fleteren, AMAZING surf portraits!
3) Swell by Captain Liz Clark, good sailing adventure read
3) SLOW IS FAST book + DVD Docu by Patagonia, bicycle and surf
4) The Voyage of the Cormorant by Christian Beamish, great sailing adventure!

Share your best photo on your phone ! Make us laugh