About


In 2001 Ilse left her Zeeland-Flemish homeland to study. The old building of the Doornroosje pop venue is within walking distance of her new Nijmegen house and quickly becomes a place where Ilse feels at home.

She enjoys the music and the people she meets there. She decides to strengthen the Doornroosje team as a publicity officer. She appears to have common interests with her colleague Grietje Stam, one of these is photography. Ilse and Grietje often visited (pop) concerts together and quickly the camera was brought along as well. After Ilse started a photo website “for fun” in 2004, they form a duo together.

After much thought about an appropriate name, Foxyroses saw the light of day. They photograph a lot and take pictures for different websites. They record everything: starting bands or top acts, they make no difference. In the meantime, Ilse graduates and starts working as a nursing teacher. Something very different from photography in the rock ‘n’ roll world. But there are also similarities and the great love for music and photography remains. Grietje also finds another job and also became a mother in 2011 and She decides to quit photography.
They are still good friends. In the meantime, Ilse continues with the project she started in 2008. For years she photographed bands in the cramped Doornroosje backstage shower almost every week. It produced special photos, hilarious situations, special encounters and an exhibition.

 In Doornroosje, Ilse is asked to coordinate the newly established Photocrew. She will continue to do this for many years until the move of Doornroosje to the new building on the Stationsplein. Ilse decides it is time to return to concert photography. The social aspect has always been very important to her.

Even though Pop Photography may still have the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll image of yesterday, for her it is mainly about meeting nice people. Or meetings with people who are not nice at all. Photographing is mainly about waiting and having a lot of patience. Something that Ilse is good at. In the meantime, beautiful and unexpected things keep happening. That is precisely why Ilse continues to photograph with great enthusiasm all these years. Even when Ilse becomes dependent on a wheelchair, she will continue. It is a new challenge for her to take pictures from the wheelchair. From that moment on she looks from a different perspective and that is also visible in her photos. From 2015 she decided to mainly take black and white photos. That makes it more difficult and brings the image she wants to make to the essence of photography. Because no matter what happens in the future: her extensive photo archive will last forever. Ilse wants to show part of her oeuvre on this website. Photos that hold a special place in Ilse’s heart. A crown on 20 years of photography by a Zeeland girl who accidentally ended up in the pop scene. Foxy Roosje since 1968. Luctor et Emergo.

Ilselambert@foxyroses.com

Photo by Edwin Smits