Born in 1959 in Sittard, Netherlands, Rineke Dijkstra became a well known art photographer after her series of beach portraits of teenagers and children taken on beaches all over the world between 1992 and 1996 became popular. Before this, she worked as a freelance commercial and fashion photographer. Her work tends to be documentary in nature, but through her work she seeks to find the deepest level of emotion that can be photographed. Other series she has done include a series of nude mothers holding their babies right after birth. She labels all such photo series with the exact date and location of the subject.
Critics often question the amount of dignity and respect Dijkstra showed her subjects. They were always asked before she photographed them, but since she shows them in such a vulnerable manner, and has had the images published in magazines, her motives have been questioned.
Her books include "Photoworks in Process: Constructing Identity," and "Rineke Dijkstra."