The year is coming to an end so it’s time to reflect! This year had some great moments for me: I visited many locations but also managed to complete some shots I had been wanting to take in my home town Amsterdam. Many new memories, new friends and new pictures! To sum it all up in chronological order:
- 1 Day of snow in Amsterdam, January 2019. I was lucky to be in the city and capture some nice snowy moments that we don’t often see.
- My visit to Venice in winter that I just loved so much. It was foggy and rainy during some days but that made it so much more beautiful, and almost no people on the streets! I had a great time with my girlfriend Bermet for a few days.
- Not one, but 2 visits to Kyrgyzstan, one of my favourite countries in the world. One visit to explore new places to addend the most beautiful wedding I had ever seen from my girlfriend’s sister and her (now) husband. And another visit with CNN Travel where we explored completely unknown terrain and even gave names to unknown places! Can't wait to see my friends Timur Akbashev and Ibraim Almazbekov (and many others) again next year!
- Dutch Spring where I finally captured classic shots of a beautiful tulip field and a beautiful old windmill. A shot that was on my list for a few years already. And I got to spent some time with my good friend Elia Locardi, whom I hope to see again in spring 2020, this time hopefully with Naomi Locardi and their newly born daughter Liana!
- My Visit to Santorini with my girlfriend where we were welcomed by 2 of the greatest people: Sebastian and Martine of Vima Santorini , that hosted us in the beautiful little town Emporio where you won’t find the huge crowds of tourists. Of course we visited the hotspots too, but during sunrise when almost no one was there.
- PhotoPills Camp 2019, that’s always an amazing yearly event on Menorca organised by my good friends of the Photopills team that I’ve seen grow from working in their basement on the app to building the huge community they control today! Really incredible guys! <3
- My visit to Chile with Elia and a great group of people where we explored Torres Del Paine National park and had amazing conditions, and photographed one of the most amazing nature events I’ve ever seen: A solar eclipse. Sharing this experience with great people made this a great memory!
- Visiting Greenland with Iceland Photo Tours. A place with a magic atmosphere. Seeing the huge icebergs that are sometimes larger than mountains and sailing with our little red boats in between them. Seeing the moon rise in the evening without it getting completely dark because of the late midnight sun was one of the most magical things I have seen. Being able to experience this with great people was something extraordinary.
- Visiting Iceland for the countless time with a group, but still being able to get new portfolio shots because of the crazy Icelandic weather giving us Lenticular clouds and spectacular sunrises. And most importantly: Make new friends on the way.
- Being back in the Netherlands at the end of the new to capture the last beautiful day of this year’s autumn which was really beautiful with lots of foggy days and great conditions overall.
I have already planned so much things in 2020, new locations, new projects, a book, and I doubt I will survive next year! But I’m looking forward to all new adventures, meeting friends and new people along the way and of course: Capture new amazing landscapes, moments & memories.
Happy holidays! See you in 2020!