Welcome to the second part of the interview series called “Customer Stories”, where we will listen together to the wonderful stories and experiences our customers have to tell. Enjoy… speaking: Joost Smeets

First of all, I would like to ask you a few questions regarding the workshops you have attended. You started with us with a basic workshop. What drove you to continue from that basic photography with other workshops?

First of all, the results you see. During the workshops you will receive tips that you can apply right away. Thanks to these results, you will have more fun in photography again. The social aspect also makes it a lot of fun. You can exchange ideas and I just really enjoy it.

You have been involved in photography before, but you no longer enjoyed it as before. How do you think this happened.

This was because at a certain moment I no longer got any inspiration. That took the fun out of shooting for me. During the workshops you will be with several people and you will also receive inspiration from the group.

Which workshop did you experience as the most instructive?

I find this a very difficult one, but then I go for the evening photography workshop in Venlo. This was a very instructive workshop especially for camera settings. I found this workshop very diverse and challenging.

Which workshop did you enjoy the most?

The workshop I liked the most was the evening photography workshop in Scheveningen. This was also the workshop with which I achieved the best results.

Did you experience sufficient personal attention during the workshops?

Yes, that's how I've always felt. Only once did I notice that the group was too large, but even then the attention was well distributed.

Is there a workshop that you are missing in our package?

A nature photography workshop in Belgium, Mark and I went here last weekend. What I would like even more is an evening photography workshop in Amersfoort or Deventer. These kind of cities are really beautiful to photograph. With castles, bridges and water where you can take beautiful reflection photos. What I would also really like is a workshop where the focus is on architecture. For this I would go to Germany or Belgium.

Then I would now like to ask you some questions about the scout trip you took with Mark to Iceland. You went on a scout trip to Iceland, which turned out to be a very special trip. How did you experience Iceland yourself?

I hadn't been there before but I really loved it. I really liked everything about Iceland. If you drive around there and you turn a bend you have a completely different view. You suddenly go from the green old lava fields to a black beach. The variety in landscape was really huge. Wherever you look, everything is beautiful.

Are there elements that you would leave out of the trip yourself?

In the south there were some spots in between. It was sometimes too touristy in these places. You can certainly go to these places, but then you have to make sure you get there early. This is especially important for photography.

Are there elements that you would add to the trip yourself?

Perhaps the west fjords, to make it even more unique. Furthermore, I would personally like to camp a bit more. The challenge here, however, is that the weather can be changeable. It's all part of beautiful Iceland.

How did you experience the accommodations?

You should actually try to avoid hotels as much as possible. It is best to use a guesthouse or a hostel, which are affordable and doable in Iceland.

Did you experience non sustainable activities during the trip?

You drive a Jeep during the trip, that could be more sustainable, but the market in Iceland is not that far yet. For the rest, we cleaned up our own waste throughout the trip. Because there were few trash cans available, people are quicker to store their waste to throw it away at another time. As a result, there was almost no waste in Iceland.

Do you want to join, just like Joost our workshops or are you curious to the photography trip Iceland, feel free to check it out on the website and ask any question that comes to mind. We are happy to help you!

Team Travelmarks… let's click!