William Rutten

Even at a young age, William Rutten, photographer, judge on ‘Het Perfecte Plaatje’ (The Perfect Picture), and showbiz expert, knew that school was not for him. In his teenage bedroom, adorned with posters of his idols like KISS and Queen, he dreamed big. He would one day photograph his idols.

After the sudden, tragic death of his father, William (then 16 years old) knew for sure: he would never again do anything he didn't want to do. He became a pop photographer and vowed that anything is possible.

He had to succeed, because returning to school was absolutely not an option for him. Things went well for him, and he met the stars on ‘Countdown’ and other music programs. At the age of 20, the studio in his mother's attic became too small, and he went looking for a larger space of his own. Colleagues advised him to go to Amsterdam, because the stars didn't want to travel far, but he was headstrong and, at a significant financial risk, moved into the old post office in the village of ’s-Graveland. Before long, stars were dropping by his photo studio, which had since been renovated and blacked out, amidst the cows and green meadows. The stars soon felt right at home and found it so fantastic that they stayed to eat, party, and sometimes even sleep over.

The studio in the middle of nowhere became the place to be and, in the eyes of outsiders, was a kind of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory full of mysteries; people came and went through the large gate in blacked-out cars, loud music sometimes played, and there was partying. He even had the privilege of hosting the men of KISS in his studio and had Queen in front of his lens as well.

In 2026, William Rutten celebrates his fortieth anniversary as an entertainment photographer. No dream proved to be too big...

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