Woerden Castle Photographers’ Café Program, April 13, 2026
On April 13, 2026, the Photographers’ Café at Woerden Castle organized a varied program for photography enthusiasts.
13.30-17.30 Workshop
During this workshop, participants learned how to create a better book from their photo series with Roelant Meijer. They put several design concepts into practice with their own photographs.
Registration:
Participants could register by email with their name, address and 06 number before Friday, April 10, 2026. The workshop went ahead if at least eight participants registered.
Card payments were accepted on site.
Registration was via: fotografencafekasteelwoerden@gmail.com.
Workshop price including coffee/tea/water: € 49,50 including VAT.
Workshop price including the photographers’ dinner: € 83,50 including VAT.
For information, visitors could call Aart Sliedrecht on 06 22908538.
18.00-19.15 Photographers’ Dinner
A photographers’ dinner in Woerden’s most imposing monument, which throughout its long history has always offered guests a safe place to stay.
The menu had not yet been announced at the time of publication. The cost was € 35,00. Card payments were accepted on site.
Registration was via email fotografencafekasteelwoerden@gmail.com before April 10, 2026.
Evening Program
At 19.30 the evening Fotoplaza program began with Karel van Wijk.
Karel van Wijk is a photographer and AI image-maker. In 2024, he graduated from the Fotovakschool, specializing in portrait photography. His work revolves around people. Whether he creates it with a camera or AI, powerful images do not arise from technology alone, but from an understanding of light, composition and character, and the ability to draw people into a story.
20.00
Vincent Mentzel - From Analog to Digital to Smartphone Photography
In a question-and-answer session with Aart Sliedrecht, Vincent discussed his long and fruitful career as a photographer. He talked about his early years in the darkroom, his training at the Maria Austria Institute and his successful career as a photojournalist for NRC. During that period, he photographed numerous politicians and made fascinating journeys.
Since 2010, Vincent has organized exhibitions and judged photography competitions. Since 2011, the smartphone has been his camera. Around his 80th birthday, he published the booklet Handpalmfotografie. This was discussed during the evening in the Knights’ Hall.
Vincent Menzel (1945) is one of the most influential Dutch photographers of recent decades. His career is closely intertwined with the political and cultural history of the Netherlands. He is known for his keen powers of observation and his ability to capture personality and context in a single image.
After his work for NRC, he worked on numerous documentary projects and exhibitions in the Netherlands and abroad. Although he began in the analog era with his beloved Leica M4, Vincent has always embraced new technologies. In recent work, he explores the possibilities of digital and mobile photography. This reflects his enduring curiosity and vitality as an image-maker.
The evening was from 21.15 concluded with portfolio reviews by four professional photographers.
Visitors could bring photographs, preferably printed, and submit them to the reviewers for assessment. This gave them free expert feedback and practical advice on their photography. The reviewers had many years of experience in photography and as coaches or mentors.
21.30
The Long Table
At this table, visitors could talk about photography in a relaxed atmosphere. The motto of the Long Table was: “What can I do with my digital photograph?” Photographers with experience of printing processes, different types of paper and making “booklets” joined the table.
The focus was on various photobook publishers and on designing your own photobook, guided by the idea that “a digital image becomes a photograph once it has been printed.”
The IPI Box
During every FCKW evening, the reviewers selected the most striking photographs. The FCKW team then chose which photographs would go into the IPI Box.
The IPI Box was placed on the reading table during every Photographers’ Café evening.
More information: fotografencafekasteelwoerden.nl
ADMISSION TO THE EVENING PROGRAM WAS FREE | REGISTRATION WAS NOT REQUIRED
