Photographers can also have a lot of fun at the fun fare. The evening fun fare is probably one of the most difficult things to photograph. Very fast moving objects in dark conditions requires to push the settings of your camera to maximum. Going beyond the general long exposure night photography settings.

It is not easy to create examples of ISO grain for our basic photography course, when the quality of today’s cameras are so incredibly high. After an evening of trying to replicate an identical photo with various ISO values. It becomes clear that the Canon 5D mark IV is no amateur toy.

A valuable motto learned from the book: ‘The Four Hour Work Week’: It is better to beg for forgiveness, than ask for permission. That way you walk away with the photo few photographers have in their portfolio. It was an impressive scene to photograph. A moodboard and shoot list are essential tools when walking in to photograph a scene that do not cater well to photographers.

Some times photographers also just need to have a little fun. Painting with long exposure photography is rarely used in any form of serious forms of photography, but often used in ways for creating creative expressions. Photo by: Job de Hoop.

Light Painting in Amsterdam.

We had a wonderful afternoon photowalk in Amsterdam’s Spaarndammerbuurt. We walked through a somewhat unknown part of the city with beautiful architecture of the world famous Amsterdamse School style. We had loads of fun taking great architecture and street photography shots. Meeting, walking, chating,.. and taking great photos. Our photowalks are organised once every two months. Check out Meetup page for upcoming new walks.

For many of todays photographers, staying one step ahead means incorporating the latest photography trends with their own style of photography. Shutterstock’s Creative Trends report is released at the beginning of each year. Their determine the styles and trends that will dominate the following year. This year’s trends reflect a contrast between: the real world and our digital lives, between nature and tech, and between the past and the future. As technology creates a new world around us, we seek comfort in familiar symbols and natural styles. But the thrill and uncertainty of the digital age remains a driving force behind the trends shaping 2017.

Keywords: White Texture | Nostalgia | Reflection | Mindfulness | Cybersecurity | Virtual Reality | Ephemeral Internet | Muted Palette | Nature

Ever since i saw the BBC documentary ‘In the Land of the Northern Lights‘ with Absolutely Fabulous’ very own Joanna Lumley, I have for years wanted to make the same trip. This weekend I made the trip to Tromsø in the north of Norway to get a first glimpse. The weather conditions were not idle, and the auroras were not strong. But after making our way across the border to Finland, we found an open patch between the skies. It was an honour being guided by the same aurora hunter, Kjetil Skogli,  that had years ago guided Joanna. Being a native Norwegian myself, it was e special occasion, since I had never seen the northern lights. And I am now looking forward to going back, putting my new skills at work.

After 10 years of working with 600w Falcon Eyes strobe lights, it was finally time to upgrade to a professional brand. Very excited to try out the Profoto D1 500 Air TTL strobes. It makes studio quality lighting as easy to use as your camera’s TTL flash. The D1 offers double wireless freedom – a built in AirTTL receiver for remote triggering as well as a powerful on-board Lithium-ion battery that untethers you from the wall outlet.

Very excited about developing a new project for the Amsterdam Photo Club. Photography can be an expensive art form. Not everyone can afford modern camera equipment and the expensive accessories that are often needed to produce certain types of photography. This is especially true for young inspiring photographers just starting out. The new young talent program offers an opportunity for photographers under the age of 26, and that already show a talent in the field of photography. Over 100 local photographers participate in our courses and workshops every year. Those participants selected for this program receives:

* A reserved spot in our basic- and advanced photography courses
* Private mentoring sessions by our course instructors
* Training material
* Use of specialised photography equipment

After having started the Amsterdam Photo Club six years ago, I’m very proud that our photo club has reached over 3.000 MEMBERS !!! A big ‘thank you’ to our wonderful team of event organisers over the years, having organised 165 events: Kjell Leknes, Megan Alter, Gaston Tagni, Cassandra Luckhardt, Iwona Montel, Andy Stripp, Cori Bonnell, Emiel Dekker and Bernardo Contopoulos.

Very happy to announce that the book I have been working on all year, Fast Track to Stock Photography, is now finally published and available in paperback and hardcover on Amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/Track-Stock-Photography-Kjell-Leknes/dp/136665823X

This weekend the Amsterdam Photo Club has a magical photowalk through the main route of the Amsterdam Light Festival. It really is a piece of magic that has transformed the dark Amsterdam canals in winter into a fairytale. With the help of contemporary light artists, the city is treated to a spectacle of light.

Finally complete. After months of waiting, my new lens was just released: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM. Together with the Canon 5D mark IV, the stars should be aligned to make some pretty nice stock photography.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM

Since I became a photographer, my biggest source of inspiration has been Annie Leibovitz. I have always wanted to go to one of her exhibitions. They are rare and exclusive. But finally her latest exhibition ‘WOMEN’ toured close by. It’s better to beg for forgiveness, then ask for permission. Managed to get some amazing shots of the exhibition in Frankfurt before they told me to put my camera away 🙂

It is not easy to organise a workshop to photograph the stars in the night sky, when living in one of the most densely light-polutet countries in the world. Luckily with a tip from a couple of astronomers and the help of a few apps, the Amsterdam Photo Club managed to find a spot outside Amsterdam in the fields of Kardijk that was perfect.

Turn on your TV and be the first to know about the Amsterdam Photo Club’s  brand new workshops coming in 2017.  During the interview tonight at 21:40, Kjell Leknes and Megan Alter will talk about recent activities in the Amsterdam Photo Club and the new events scheduled for next year. The Amsterdam Photo Club has a weekly spot on the Salto2 live TV show ‘So Dam Local’. Every week we feature a photographer in our community that gets their photo featured with their name on the screen and a shout-out by the TV presenters. The photo is used as the background for the TV show.

Back to Dubrovnik this weekend for a corporate photography assignment, photographing a Game of Thrones event set at several of the show’s filming locations. Besides being a beautiful and exciting setting for the HBO series, Dubrovnik has become one of my most favourite places to visit. Though it is a tourist location, it is not overcrowded and easy to plan logistics.

Very proud to be working together with the Make-A-Wish Foundation during the Dam tot Damloop this weekend. Their organisation does great work all over the world, granting wishes of children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions.

In association with Beem Flights, we provided an fun workshop with 15 participants at De School in Amsterdam. We covered best practices of awesome drone photography and practical legal restrictions in The Netherlands.

Finally my new camera has arrived after six years of using the old model. Expecting a noticeable improvement in image quality, as I’m upgrading two camera models to the brand new Canon 5D Mark IV with a 24-105mm IS II lens. It has a 30 megapixel full frame sensor and the ability to make 4K real Hollywood quality video.

The new Canon 5d mark IV in box