[3] She has won the Dutch Prix de Rome (2007) [4] and the Infinity Award from International Center of Photography.
[1] Conscious of the stereotypical images of famine and poverty, she includes contemporary elements abundant in Africa like cell phones and automobiles.
[10] Sassen was shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2015 for her exhibition Umbra at Nederlands Fotomuseum.
[12] Commissioned by Italian luxury goods manufacturer Bottega Veneta, she photographed Mica Argañaraz and Sven de Vries at the Kröller-Müller Museum for the brand's spring/summer 2016 advertisements.
[13] Working on other campaigns, she later photographed Langley Fox at Villa Noailles for Lancel (2016)[14] as well as Natalie Portman and Yara Shahidi for Dior (2022), among others.