Annual Review 2021

This blog is about my posts on instagram this past year. These photos are the photos you liked the most. It’s that time of the year to reflect. It was a great photo year. I have taken fewer photos than the year before but I did more shoots. The past year I have been posting 2 or 3 times a week. You have to take a lot of photos. More often I wasn’t satisfied with the quality so I decided to only post if I am happy with the quality. In this annual review I decided to put a little story behind every photo. I hope you like it.

For many years I have seen beautiful photos of the mills at Kinderdijk. I had never been there. Photos made during the lighting week were really appealing to me. The place isn’t really around the corner for me. But If you really want something you go for it. During the lighting week I kept a close eye on the weather forecast. I choose Wednesday evening because the next day, rain was expected. I arrived early that evening. But it was not early enough. The best spots were already taken. Eventually I found a nice spot and shot this photo.

I’m born in Zaandam but the Hotel near the train station is relatively new. However, I never had the chance to take a photo of this Hotel. On a late summer evening I drove with my daughter to Zaandam.

This is the famous mill in Haarlem. It was photographed on the first day that curfew was introduced in the Netherlands. Besides the curfew it became very cold in the Netherlands. This mill was actually my second option. My first option was the Amsterdamse Poort but unfortunately it was under construction.

This photo was taken in October. As a landscape photographer I kept a close eye on the weather forecast. That morning fog was predicted. The fog with a beautiful sunrise made this photo epic.

This was a beautiful morning in April. There was no wind so it was reflection time. I had the perfect conditions that morning. Tulips and the Rijksmuseum were reflecting in the water. We almost forgot that we still had a curfew at that time.

Again on a Saturday morning in July around 4:30 am, I shot this photo. During that period of time it is very quiet in the city. Most people are still in bed so you have almost the entire city to yourself. It is easy to find your place because it is so quiet. Find out which composition works and which doesn’t and you'll have a beautiful photo. If the city is that quiet, you'll have time for that and it gives me peace.

This year we had a frost period for about two weeks. Many photographers went to the Paard van Marken but I went for the Zaanse Schans. Making a picture on frozen ice was a special experience. At the river the Zaan, the ice was not thick enough but nevertheless it was a beautiful morning.

After summer I went back to Haarlem. Instagram showed me some beautiful pictures of the Teylers Museum during sunset. During my visit there the sky was not that beautiful. So I definitely have to come back.

The narrow streets near the Western Church are definitely one of my favourites. No people were at the Bloemgracht, although this photo was taken one street further.