In 2007 Hans Neleman founded the boutique agency WIN-Initiative in partnership with Getty. WIN was active for fourteen years and closed its doors in 2021. WIN (Worldwide Image Navigation) focussed on contemporary concepts and global lifestyles. It represented the exceptional photography from over eight hundred photographers worldwide.
Interview Resource magazine
Hans Neleman has been a rather fortunate man. The Dutch-born photographer earned his first award, the Kodak Photographer of the Year, at twenty two, while he was still in college. Since then, some dozen more awards have come via England, while a staggering 80-plus awards, titles and honors come from the USA alone—including being named a Hasselblad Master photographer (he now shoots primarily with a digital Hasselblad). He’s shot major advertising campaigns such as American Express and Nike, has done fashion editorials, created sculptures, directed music videos, published books and established himself as both a commercial photographer and a fine artist.
It’s enough to give him a rather well deserved, giant-sized ego. Yet, like much of the work he has created in the past, Neleman prefers defying convention. So what does the photographer who’s done it all decide to do for his next move? Why, help all the other photographers in the world who may’ve not been as fortunate as he was, of course. Call him the Patron Saint of Photography if you will, but Neleman has initiated a rather unorthodox and magnanimous practice. For the stock agency WIN-Initiative, Neleman essentially finds creative individuals around the globe (fifteen countries so far) who have something to say via photography but may not have the fancy gear—or art school cred—to do so. WIN then provides the tools (and often the know-how, through its free workshops and lectures) that help turn these fledgling shooters into the talent pool of tomorrow. The result? A library of beautiful, international stock imagery taken from the individual’s unique point of view. Neleman then distributes these images through Getty, Corbis and the WIN website. The profit is shared with the photographers (some come from as far away as Russia and China; some are as close as our neighboring states). It is—pun intended, however cliché—a win-win situation for all.
Resource Magazine
