A slow photographer — one who takes time getting to know his subjects before snapping the shutter — Marco van Duyvendijk studied psychology before picking up a camera to discover distant worlds. Traveling from his native Holland to Romania and other countries in Eastern Europe, as well as the newly independent nations that were formerly part of the Soviet Union and various regions of Asia, he has built a graceful body of work that includes more than a dozen series of subjects from a range of social classes. Exhibiting a passion for thoughtful documentary, travel, and portrait photography, Van Duyvendijk has developed an adventurous eye for bright colors, youthful faces, and formal compositions.

A retrospective of his insightful images from the past eleven years currently fills the expansive galleries of the Hague Museum of Photography. From the forlorn Oana, a Romanian girl that he has continually photographed from the age 13 through marriage and motherhood, to the confident young Chinese dancer, Tiaomin, documented enjoying everyday activities over the period of a year, Van Duyvendijk captures the cultural details that construct national identities, while revealing human qualities, which remind us that we are essentially all alike.

Marco van Duyvendijk: Eastward Bound remains on view at the Hague Museum of Photography in the Netherlands through August 22 and a catalogue from the exhibition is available on the artist’s website.

Click through below for a gallery of images.

Marco van Duyvendijk, Betel Nut Beauties, Cyonglin, Taiwan, 2006. Courtesy Cokkie Snoei, Rotterdam/Amsterdam