The Photographer Behind Meneer Kodak
REAL LIFE, HONESTLY CINEMATIC
I bring a calm presence and a documentary eye to your love story.
Photography wasn’t part of a plan. I came up through fashion retail, managing stores for well-known denim brands, working in spaces that were visually rich but creatively empty. The work belonged to someone else. That disconnect grew over time until it became impossible to ignore.
I picked up a camera, and something that had always been there started to take shape. An instinct for people, for observation, for the way a moment feels as much as how it looks.
An early wedding in Curaçao made things clear. Being inside a real story, with real emotion and real stakes, felt like the only place I wanted to be. Within a few years, I left retail entirely. Not long after, I moved from Europe to New York City and built everything from the ground up.
That became Meneer Kodak.
I’m now based in Dumbo, Brooklyn, with my wife Joyce and our two kids, Billie and Otis. New York is home, and it’s inseparable from the way I see and photograph the world.
Photography wasn’t part of a plan. I came up through fashion retail, managing stores for well-known denim brands, working in spaces that were visually rich but creatively empty. The work belonged to someone else. That disconnect grew over time until it became impossible to ignore.
I picked up a camera, and something that had always been there started to take shape. An instinct for people, for observation, for the way a moment feels as much as how it looks.
An early wedding in Curaçao made things clear. Being inside a real story, with real emotion and real stakes, felt like the only place I wanted to be. Within a few years, I left retail entirely. Not long after, I moved from Europe to New York City and built everything from the ground up.
That became Meneer Kodak.
I’m now based in Dumbo, Brooklyn, with my wife Joyce and our two kids, Billie and Otis. New York is home, and it’s inseparable from the way I see and photograph the world.
I’m Alexander Goethals, though most people know me as Meneer Kodak, Dutch for Mister Kodak.
“He made us feel completely comfortable, and the photos feel exactly like us.”
- Michaela
My Approach
I’m not waiting passively for moments to happen. I’m reading the room constantly. When to offer a small prompt that unlocks something real, when to step back entirely and let the moment move on its own.
The goal isn’t a checklist of images. It’s the full arc of a day. How moments build, how energy shifts, how people move once they stop thinking about the camera.
That’s where the real images live.
I work with a mix of digital and 35mm film. Film is a deliberate choice. It brings a sense of texture and imperfection that digital alone can’t replicate, adding depth without overcomplicating the moment.
Clients often tell me they felt more comfortable than they expected, and that the photos feel like them. Not a version of them, but something recognizable.
That’s the work.
I’m drawn to photography that feels like you. Less posing, more connection.
The work is rooted in observation, focusing on the moments that happen naturally when you’re not being directed. At the same time, I know when a small adjustment can bring everything into place, whether that’s stepping into better light or creating a bit of space to let a moment unfold.
It’s a balance between letting things happen and knowing when to guide.
A mix of digital and 35mm film allows the day to be documented with both precision and texture, resulting in images that feel grounded, atmospheric, and true to the moment.
Unfiltered
Your Story,
