Jiu Jitsu has been part of Ramon van Loon’s life since 2020, when he started training at Nakama Gym in Harderwijk. It is a sport he has developed a complicated relationship with over the years: demanding, technical and often frustrating, but at the same time deeply rewarding. No matter how difficult a training session can be, he keeps coming back.

That constant process of learning is part of what makes Jiu Jitsu so fascinating to Ramon. Progress is rarely straightforward. Small details can make a huge difference, and even after years of training there is always something new to understand. The sport requires patience, problem-solving and the willingness to keep showing up, even on the days when nothing seems to work.

Photography offers Ramon a different way of looking at that same world. From behind the camera, the movement, tension and physicality of Jiu Jitsu become visual elements in their own right. Grips, expressions, pressure and movement that can easily disappear in the speed of a roll suddenly become moments that can be isolated and studied.

His Jiu Jitsu photography is direct and close to the action. Hard flash, tight compositions and close-up perspectives are recurring elements in his work, emphasising the intensity and physical nature of the sport while still leaving room for the quieter moments between exchanges.

For Ramon, bringing photography and Jiu Jitsu together feels like a natural overlap between two passions. Training the sport himself gives him an understanding of the rhythm, positions and small details of a match, while photography allows him to see Jiu Jitsu from a completely different perspective. What happens on the mat becomes not only something to experience, but also something to observe, frame and document through the lens.