Inside the Photo #38
Talking with Miguel Siahaya
Happy Tuesday my dear friend! Glad to be here again and thank you for spending some time reading my articles.
As it always happens on the first Tuesday of each month, it’s time to share a story from a fellow photographer through the series Inside the Photo.
This month I’m particularly biased because my guest is an incredible portrait photographer from the Netherlands, Miguel.
My name is Miguel, and I’m a photographer from the Netherlands, mainly focused on portrait and boudoir photography. For me, photography has always been about capturing people in a real and honest way. Not just how someone looks, but who they are in a moment. I’m drawn to emotion, atmosphere, confidence, vulnerability, and the small details that make an image feel alive.
My journey started with analog photography at a young age. When I was sixteen, I photographed my very first wedding entirely on film. That experience completely changed my life. The process of shooting analog taught me patience and intention, every frame mattered. From the moment I saw those images develop, I knew photography was something I would dedicate myself to.
Over the years, I naturally developed a cinematic and intimate style. Even though I shoot a lot of portraits, people mostly know me for my boudoir work. What I love most about boudoir photography is creating a space where people can feel comfortable, confident, and fully themselves. I never want my work to feel forced or overly polished. The best images happen when someone forgets the camera is even there.
A lot of my inspiration comes from classic film photography, fashion, music, and everyday human connection. Light and mood play a huge role in my work, and I’m always searching for images that feel timeless rather than trendy. I want my photos to make people feel something. whether that’s strength, softness, sensuality, or nostalgia.
That’s also the beauty of photography to me: it’s a journey where you keep learning every single day. Not only technically, but also creatively and personally. Your vision evolves, your style changes, and every person you photograph teaches you something new. I think that constant growth is what keeps photography exciting and meaningful for me.
For me, photography is much more than creating beautiful pictures. It’s about trust, storytelling, and capturing a feeling that can never be repeated in exactly the same way again.
I've been loving Miguel's images for a very long time. His gallery is full of amazing portraits, and in all of them you can perceive e sense of intimacy and softness that keep you hooked into the shot. Lighting, colors, models' attitude, everything works together to make for an incredible experience.
This photograph was created on Ilford XP2 Super 400 film using a Minolta X-700, and I think that combination shaped the emotional character of the image as much as the subject itself. There’s something about shooting film that slows the process down. Every frame feels intentional, every moment carries more weight. That slower rhythm was important for this image because I wanted it to feel quiet, intimate, and deeply human.
What drew me in was the stillness in her expression. With her eyes closed and her posture turned inward, the portrait feels detached from performance or self-awareness. It becomes less about being seen and more about existing within a private moment. I wanted the image to feel delicate and cinematic, like a fragment of memory rather than a perfectly documented portrait.
The softness, grain, and tonal depth of the XP2 Super 400 played a huge role in creating that atmosphere. Film has a way of holding light differently. Shadows feel richer, highlights feel gentler, and imperfections become part of the emotional texture rather than something to correct. Instead of chasing technical perfection, I wanted to preserve the organic feeling that film naturally gives.
The Minolta X-700 also influenced the way I approached the frame. Shooting with older analog cameras changes your relationship with photography. You become more patient, more observant, more connected to timing and emotion. There’s no instant feedback, which makes intuition a much bigger part of the process. That uncertainty is something I’ve come to appreciate because it often creates images that feel more honest and alive.
I’ve always been interested in photographs that sit somewhere between fashion, memory, and emotion. In this frame, the fabric, grain, and soft focus all work together to create a mood rather than simply describe a person. The image isn’t trying to explain itself completely. It leaves space for interpretation, for feeling, for silence.
That’s what continues to draw me toward film photography. It doesn’t just capture how something looked in a moment, it captures how the moment felt.
Shooting film has always had something magical. I also try myself to use my analog camera as much as I can, even if it has become more and more rare. However, what Miguel says about this shot, completely resonates with me. Slowing down and being more reflective and intentional, in a world that claims speed and immediateness is a refreshing pleasure.
I recommend you follow Miguel’s work on his social, linked here below.
Thanks a lot for sharing this image and for reminding us how beautiful it is to slow down!
Take care and talk soon!
Matteo, she has a look of peace that so many of us yearn for. I look forward to your first Tuesday of the month articles!