Twin brothers Melvin and Lesley are just an example of how Dutch photographer Gerard de Haan enjoys pushing natural beauty into a realm of pure fantasy. Gerard comes across as a cool perfectionist, a rare combination if you ask us. Charmants.com sat down with him to talk about his work, and the double trouble.

Where do you live?
I live in Kampen, in the Netherlands.

What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
I love to take portraits of men and women. I’m also a make-up artist and always use make-up on my models. I also work with other people as both a photographer and a make-up artist.

Do you have any formal training in the art and science of photography?
Not really. I studied fashion at the school of art. Then I went to another school to study make-up artistry.

What first inspired your interest in photography? What continues to inspire you?
I think it was that I always took pictures of everything, ever since I was very young. Later, in my work as a make-up artist, I did come in contact with many photographers. Two years ago, I started working as a professional photographer — press and modeling work mostly. My inspiration comes from what I learn during every shoot that I can use in the next one. It keeps me in a state of constant renewal.

Name a photographer whose work you respect and admire.
David Lachapelle, Pierre et Gilles, Helmut Newton, the list goes on…

Where do you find your models?
They find me! (laughs). But I also find them on web profiles, gay and straight, and on the street.

How do you get your models to relax if they are camera shy?
I always get to hear that the models feel relaxed with me. I always use make-up, so there is a sort of physical contact that makes them feel more comfortable. I enjoy working with people with no previous modeling experience.

What’s coming up?
I have an exhibition right now in Amsterdam, with ten other gay artists, until August 31st ["Happy II Be" at the ABC Treehouse Gallery, Voetboogstraat 11]. And two photoshoots per week.

Can you tell us a bit more about twin brothers Melvin and Lesley?
They are from the Netherlands.They are 26-year-old and one-egged. One of them is a mechanic and the other one is a cook. One is gay and the other straight.

I found them on a Dutch site like MySpace. I saw Melvin first and found him very handsome. It’s only when I looked further in his album that I understood he had a twin brother. I always wanted to do a shoot with twins. It is so strange how much they look alike, and sometimes not. They moved the same way, and the bond between them was great to see.

The only hint we got on how to differentiate them is that Melvin works out more than Lesley. But is he the gay mechanic? Or the straight cook? And which one is best to marry? We will spend more time with Gerard next week, and talk about another of those killer hunks that seem to abound in the Netherlands.

Gerard de Haan photography