Every Life Is Precious: A Dutch Photographer's View of the Multitude
In Pie Aerts's words, "To me, photography is one of the purest and most truthful art forms to observe life." The series, *Every Life Is Precious*, opens with a group of young monks laughing as they ascend temple steps after finishing their daily duties. Later, as night falls, a lone individual stands chest-deep in a river, illuminated by the faint glow of a candle drifting on the water's surface. Elsewhere, on a busy city street, a flower vendor lingers in quiet reflection, her bicycle piled high with fresh greenery and blooms—an instant suspended in stillness and calm.
Pie Aerts, an Amsterdam-based photographer, created these works for his
Pie’s aesthetic sense was deeply embedded in him from childhood. Drawing first taught him to set his imagination free and build narratives on a quadrilateral canvas. Thirty years later, he continues that same spirit, but the tool has shifted to photography. It was only twenty years ago—the most frightening decision—that Pie discovered his passion for photography. From then on, he carried a camera and crafted stories across the wildest places on Earth.
In 2018, at thirty, he made the bold choice to turn photography into his life's work. Earlier, in his spare time, he would often travel with his camera, photographing the landscapes he encountered. "My actual studies were in economics and business," he said, "but in 2018, my wife and I both left our jobs, said goodbye to our familiar lives and those we loved, and took a one-way trip to India.
For many years, I had actually turned this matter over in my mind. It arose from a deep-seated intuition inside me. Before old age set in, I intended to follow that intuition and passion to fulfill that appointment." "It was the most fearsome choice I had ever faced, yet my yearning for that 'world of imagination' granted me the boldness to make the initial move.
Recurring in his reflections is the phrase, "For me, it was the right choice made at the right time." Pie and his wife initially departed without a concrete plan, driven simply by a strong wish to leave conventional norms behind and discover unfamiliar places. From that journey onward, Pie's career as a photographer officially began, and his distinctive visual style slowly developed. "After a few months of traveling, I was fortunate to receive an olive branch from teNeues, Europe's largest photography book publisher—they wanted to publish my first photography monograph.
Gradually, I discovered a recurring motif in my artistic work: the relationship between humans and nature. Consequently, for the following two years, we journeyed to the planet's most remote locations to document, craft narratives, and get ready for my first book. The Last Gaucho "I set a small mission for myself: to photograph as many ancient lands and the lives there as possible. What follows is one of those series.
Southern Patagonia is a profoundly desolate and isolated region. The valley itself, however, has always been fertile and geographically unspoiled, home to plants that yield the most natural indigo dye found anywhere. Over the last five years, my search for the last Gauchos has centered on understanding their views about their vanishing traditions and way of life. That quest will also become the subject of my next book—not a mere photograph, but a full narrative, a poetic account.
The photo below was taken in the Himalayas, a region where I resided for three years and which holds great historical and cultural importance. The woman shown is from a nearby village. This area is now being affected by climate change, globalization, and various other influences. During the deep winter of 2020, I had the opportunity to stay with reindeer herders. The tent in the image, referred to as a "chum," is roughly 10 meters in diameter.
Despite the interior staying remarkably warm thanks to a central stove, even as outdoor temperatures hit -30ºC, the Nenets culture is fundamentally shaped by survival—any custom or tradition not tied to this principle simply does not exist. Their language, for example, contains no terms for emotional communication, because such words lack any essential link to survival. Still, this does not prevent them from practicing a tradition of wholehearted hospitality. Even amid such a severe environment, the people exhibit the most sincere and warm-hearted dispositions.
Nenets Flawed Authentic Beauty Pie's earliest photographic work centered on nature. Traveling across continents, from Patagonia's abandoned farms to Rwanda's dense forests, from Siberia's snow-covered plateaus to the Himalayas' mystical purity, he captured breathtaking scenes that left the world in awe. Beyond nature, Pie also vitally focuses on people. Despite food being scarce, these people are always willing to share, and to me, they are the most endearing group of people.
The stories of the people he encountered along the way fascinated Pie, and he photographed them as they truly were—imperfect, multifaceted, and frequently mysterious. At a time when growing numbers of individuals feel cautious, uneasy, and fixated on achieving perfection, Pie remains dedicated to revealing people’s unpolished traits through his camera.
The Unseen Poetry Pie resists stereotypes, steers clear of clichés and surface-level descriptions, and instead offers more complex, delicate, and sincere expressions that move beyond traditional narratives. "Through time spent with people, they steadily become more open, prepared to share their inner selves, tell me their life experiences, and reveal the basic, mysterious, yet frequently imperfect essence of humanity.
Although the full depth of details often remains unseen, his focus is on people, emphasizing the relationship between individuals and their environment. Rooted in dignity, respect, and ethical principles, his approach ensures clear intentions and prioritizes the comfort of his subjects, fostering the trust needed to reveal their true essence. His work is candid yet poetic, narrating a story while leaving space for the viewer's imagination.
Later, he founded Prints for Wildlife, a fundraising platform that brings together about 275 photographers worldwide, who sell their artwork to support nature conservation. Since its 2020 inception, the platform has contributed over $2 million to the African Parks Network, aiding the protection of local communities and wildlife. Each piece is infused with a poetic, dreamlike essence, creating a precisely ethereal quality that ignites the audience's imagination. The Healing Power of Art.
Nature, Poetry, and Nostalgia. Apart from drawing inspiration from other photographers, Pie locates his authentic creative source outside the realm of photography—in nature and poetry. He regards human subjects as profoundly connected to their surrounding environment. Between hope and despair, he sides with hope; between coexistence and conflict, he sides with coexistence. As he stated, "If you want to protect nature, you should first focus on people. Only when people are in a state of security, appreciated and respected, can we consider the protection of nature.
The current turbulence of the world, in both environmental and social terms, has left a profound mark on my creative work. I deliberately hold onto a sense of nostalgia, yearning for times that have slipped away, since the road ahead appears, in contrast, unpredictable and beyond our charge. He also values the intangible, abstract emotions these moments stir, as they fuel his imagination—the most vital component of his craft—and he regards wistfulness as yet another essential wellspring of inspiration.
The Extension of Artistic Creation Pie has been traversing remote parts of the world for many years. Of late, he has commenced organizing compact expedition programs to involve additional kindred spirits in profound engagement with the interplay of humans and nature. He asserts that such trips transcend mere photography, aiming instead to cultivate a meaningful rapport with the locals and the terrain. As he puts it, "This perspective keeps me focused on our past while also holding expectations for the future.
In 2022, Pie first visited the remote northwestern Tibetan Plateau and was immediately drawn to it—its distinctive natural environment and culture left a strong impression, yet what fascinated him most were the local people and their spiritual presence, as expressed in "Love in the Himalayas." For me as an artist and storyteller, these expedition projects grow out of my own creative practice, prolonging the wonder of that first tent stay in 2022 and intertwining with the appeal of nomadic living.
In this remote, windswept desert plateau, monasteries, shimmering lakes, nomadic herders, and remnants of the Silk Road scatter across a mysterious, desolate terrain. Ancient customs and traditions endure among the people here—yet for how long? As a new generation comes of age in this place, how will they navigate the currents of modernity? The Lehvalley people, Himalayan herders, remain masters of cashmere craftsmanship.
With local cashmere, yak wool, sheep's wool, and other raw materials, they produce all their everyday clothing by hand, keeping ancient techniques and unique skills alive. This approach both supports self-sufficiency and furthers sustainable development. Himalayan Cashmere Craftsmanship A Wave of Hope Pie aims to craft narratives that emphasize hope and coexistence, rather than highlighting tragedy and conflict.
The need to portray difficult realities is clear, yet Pie holds that room must also exist for hopeful narratives. Severe harm is being inflicted on this planet today, with the climate emergency standing out as a key challenge. Humanity has become estranged from the natural world and is simultaneously drifting apart from other people. Still, the process of mending has to start within ourselves. Reflect on this: What gives your life purpose? What principles do you hold? What kind of world do you hope to pass on to those who come after us?
Though individual efforts might appear trivial, that is far from the truth. Many small actions can bring about significant change—a wave of hope that will certainly build a better world for coming generations. To find purpose in life, reconnect with your intuition. Led by your inner voice, you will uncover an entirely new universe, full of hope, positivity, and possibilities. Share that energy with the people around you.
Wherever you are, after you read this, step outside and use all your senses to engage with the changing environment. Feel the breeze, the touch of sunlight on your skin, or a raindrop sliding; breathe in the fresh air, and take in the beauty of the moment. Though this might sound fanciful, each present moment holds the power to connect you with life in its purest form. Our current need is to assist more people in reconnecting with both their inner selves and the natural world.
Based in Amsterdam and born in the Netherlands, Pie Aerts is a documentary and wildlife photographer. Through his photography, he explores stories of coexistence between humans and nature, reconnecting with the natural world.