I was raised on a farm living close to nature and enjoying early morning trips in the fields to explore the local wildlife. After high school I have completed my university biology study and specialized in neuroscience. Completed my PhD and work for a couple of years in the marketing department of a pharmaceutical company but returned to the university to do scientific research in 1987. Ever since I have worked at the University of Groningen in the Medical Faculty, first doing neuroscience research and later becoming director and full professor in the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) the Netherlands. Micro-photography I have used a lot, developing my own films and making prints for my scientific publications. Today nature photography is my hobby, maybe more than a hobby already, and I hope to extend my photographic work after my retirement medio 2021.