Rebecca Bijl is a floral photographer whose work blends creativity, mindfulness, and storytelling. What began with a simple photo of a vase of dahlias has grown into a deep passion for capturing the beauty and symbolism of flowers. Through her lens, blooms become more than subjects, serving as metaphors for life and reminders to pause, breathe, and notice the details around us.
In this interview, we dive into how photography helps Rebecca find calm and connection, the inspiration behind her floral imagery, and the joy she finds in creating work that resonates with people on both personal and emotional levels.
Rebecca, how did your journey into photography begin?
I first started with photography back in high school, spending hours in the darkroom creating prints. I held a lot of excitement when developing film, wondering what the images were going to show! Film photography is a beautiful process and one that requires patience. I’m thankful I began my journey here — what a gift to learn. In today’s world, everyone is after instant results, but it’s rewarding to learn that sometimes creating something amazing takes time, and is so worth it.
Art school was the only place I wanted to be after finishing high school, so I headed to Canterbury University to complete a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Here, I was pushed to create meaningful work about the world that connects with others. I feel so grateful to my tutors, as they really instilled the importance of creating a body of work that tells a story and showed me how photography can be a medium for expressing your inner world. I remember we talked about photography being a passport to connect with people and explore the world — and this is so true!
Shortly after my bachelor’s, I began a wedding and portrait photography business. What I adored about photographing weddings was getting to witness the emotions and the connections that happened throughout the day. Whether it was a bride wiping a tear from her mother’s face, the smile of a groom immediately after seeing his bride appear, or a gentle moment between bride and grandmother, it was an honour to be there capturing these moments for families to treasure.
I finished up weddings when my first son was born and photographed the odd session for friends and family. It wasn’t until I randomly photographed a vase of dahlias that a new spark was lit and took me in a new direction. Looking through the images marked the start of my connection to flowers and discovering how important they are to me in my life. Flowers make me smile whenever I’m in their presence. They help me slow down, breathe, and feel grounded.
Since those first dahlia images, I’ve been creating floral photography and have also been enjoying videography and content creation.
You explore calm and balance through photography. What led you to this, and how did you discover its effect?
The last few years I’ve been doing a lot of inner personal work, learning about regulation and how I’m wired. In the first year I started photographing flowers, I’d spend time in flower fields and became aware of how calm and joyful I felt while picking flowers. The combination of working with nature, together with creating photographs and film, was the perfect match. Being creative and present in the moment lets your body know you’re safe, which lowers stress and brings calm. In addition, tuning into your senses, focusing on what you can see, hear, feel, and so on, also creates ease. Looking at the details within a flower, whether in real life or through my photography, is a great way to do this, and I use my work as a reminder to be still and pay attention to the details. It has been incredibly beneficial for my nervous system.
My husband and I created an iPhone app, Jasmine, combining my floral photography and mindfulness. It’s an app where you can go to be still, mindful, and grounded. The app doesn’t demand anything: it’s free, with no subscriptions, no reminders, just a space to come and be present.
