Ed van der Elsken, 'enfant terrible' of Dutch photography expressed his meetings with people in photos, photo books and films. His work is highly subjective, portraying striking individuals he encountered on his travels, documenting his own life and that of his surrounding. His approach was confrontational, embracing the bright as well as the darker sides of human life. The unconventional technique and the gritty snapshot-like quality of his work have been of great importance in the development of contemporary photography.