Photographer René Clement is wrapping up Promising Land, a 5 year photography project about Orange City, Iowa, and its Dutch heritage.

René is an award-winning professional photographer with several books to his name. Originally from the province of Limburg, in the Netherlands, he has lived and worked in New York City since 1998.

A Dutch city in Iowa

René found Orange City by accident. On assignment for a Dutch newspaper in 2004 to photograph tractor square dancing he traveled to Iowa. His American hosts told him about Orange City, 30 miles down the road. On a Sunday afternoon they drove through the city, and noticed the orange water tower, the tulips, and the Dutch building fronts. Orange City promotes a Dutch atmosphere with incentives for building owners. "Even the local Pizza Hut has the look of an Amsterdam building, and on their bathroom doors it says 'Dames' and 'Heren'".

Photo project Promising Land

Over the years, René has been back to Orange City a dozen times, and always found a warm welcome in the community. "We've done some crazy things. One Sunday morning I organized a zombie photo-shoot with the local funeral home; the fire brigade created smoke, and the whole town got involved."

"It is such a difference compared to working in New York City, with its press secretaries, PR agencies, etc. Everyone is so approachable! One day, I wanted to shoot a photograph of a girl in a Dutch costume, carrying an American flag. I didn't have an American flag and so I approached City Hall to see if I could borrow one. They said it was time for them to replace their flag anyway, so right there and then, they let me have the flag that was flying outside".

René speaks highly of the community in Orange City. “What I take away from my Orange City experience is that people went out of their way to help me making my pictures. During all these years there was a mutual enthusiasm and respect, this is what made this project special and I think it shows in the pictures”.

René shoots his photographs on medium format film using a Pentax camera. The project began with a a series of portraits in the tradition of the Dutch master painters, drawing upon their use of soft light and stark, black backgrounds. This was followed by a series of landscapes in which René took his subjects out of the studio environment and put them, still in costume, straight into modern life, smack in the middle of American culture. The result are beautiful and often funny photographs.

The multi-year project is now coming to an end, and René is raising funds for the book's publication through a Kickstarter, an online service. René is hoping to be able to publish the 96-page book in time to present at the 2011 Orange City Tulip Festival.

Promising Land
René Clement
Kickstarter website for Promising Land
Rene Clement.com