Some people think I’m crazy (yeah mom & dad, I’m looking in your direction) because I’m having no trouble at all driving 600km in one day just to go visit something/someone. I look at it as “enjoying life”, “doing what you feel like”.
Yesterday morning I was behind the wheel of my loyal steed, driving towards are Northern neighbours. Not just across the border, but almost all the way to the top of the Netherlands, to the village of Twisk. Ellen & Marco (Sassen & Verstraaten), 2 amazing people & photographer duo, officially openend their pride & joy : Studio Twisk.

I met Ellen & Marco earlier this year in Tampa, Florida, at the DWF convention and we stayed in contact ever since. I’m a huge fan of their work and them being such fun, nice, friendly people is a great added bonus.

Where there was once an old barn they errected, in a couple of months time, a brand new studio. Guys, I’m officially jealous ! Huge amounts of space, a BIG limbo wall, make-up space, office space, they have it all and it looks incredible !!! Ellen & Marco, you have every right to be insanely proud of what you accomplished here !

After the “official” opening I was invited to enjoy a very yummie BBQ together with them, their family & neighbours. You Dutch sure now what a good time is ! (just watch out with the partytent - gas combination )

Below you’ll find a short photo impression and some more comments in between the photos.

Ellen, Marco & my are going to be doing some “projects” together in the near future so this won’t be the last of them appearing on my blog .

A first impression of their studio- & reception space

Their very stylish office space where part of the magic is done

Ofcourse there was champagne Lot’s of it !

The official Sassen & Verstraaten mascot

The male part of Studio Twisk & the Sassen & Verstraaten photography team, the only Dutch guy able to speak with an Antwerp-accent : Mister Marco

Marco and his beautifull partner, who’s also the second half of the duo : the Amazing Ellen

For those who are wondering : yup, it was de-licious !!!

Luckily for us Belgian people, Dutch beer is almost the same als Belgian Table beer, otherwise I would have never made it back home in one piece

Ellen & Marco, I had a blast & enjoyed every single minute of it ! It was SO great to see you guys again ! Thanks for the warm hug, the great afternoon & the very enjoyable BBQ afterwards ! Now, go show ‘em how it’s done & see you soon !

ps. No more traffic jams on the way home, so instead of 4hours it only took me 3 to get back home, so at 1am I was reunited with my comfortable bed

While the last weekend of August is about to start I want to present you a small appetiser from the wedding of Anneleen & Tim who got married in far away Essen.

Slideshow comming soon, enjoy ! (both the photos & the warm, sunny weekend )

I can’t tell you why, but I love it !

Last week Serge had a little contest on his blog where you had to reply to a couple of questions after watching a photo. Since the contest is over & the winner is known, I can now show you some more photos of what went on that afternoon :

I met with fellow photographers Bert Stephani, Tom Musseeuw, Ake Van der Velden, Serge Van Cauwenbergh & Yvan Van Hoorickx on the beach in De Haan at the local surfclub for an afternoon of shooting, sharing knowledge and, ofcourse, have loads of fun ! Our models that afternoon where the fantastic Fauve, Annelien & Lien .

I specialise in wedding photography & couples, so this was a great opportunity for me to do something completely different, step out of my comfort zone.

Let me tell you the story using some of the photos I took that afternoon :

Besides a truck load of strobist gear we also brought some of the more heavy-duty gear

Tom, the circus monkey

We transformed the beach in front of the surf club into our own private storage area

Lien I

Lien II

Lien III

Und jetzt, Bert Stephani seems to be making a sport out of making me look like a fool and showing it to as many people as possible. Remember the photo where I was sporting the trendy green hair ? (green gelled flashes can do that to you …) And now he posted another one … Bert, hunting season is OPEN !

Mr X-pose working it like a pro !

Ake, getting down & Dirty

Annelien couldn’t take it any more and decided to kick Tom’s *ss :p

Never disturb photographers or models having lunch !

And to finish : a shot I took of Fauve long after the sun disappeared below the horizon.

It was a great afternoon together with beautifull people (inside & out) and I’m sure we’ll do something like this again in the near future !

Wedding photographer, a job with it’s highs & lows, but this wedding was one of the few unknown highs !
The love that these two wonderfull people feel for each other is so visibly present … It was so amazing to be able to witness this up close and personal.

Our wedding shoot almost got cancelled because of the weather but we decided last-minute to quickly drive to Aalst to shoot in the town. Once we arrived the rain cleared and we had a blast

Finally, to top things off on an already amazing day … Their family & friends provided them with the ultimate surprise ; a live performance of Jean Bosco Safari !!!!!!!!!!!
He gave a breathtaking performance ! Every was watching & listening with open mouths & some even shed a little tear (yours truely included).

Saartje, Joris, family & friends : it was an amazing honour for me, as your wedding photographer, to be a part of your warm family for one day.

And finally, I’d love to invite you all to watch their amazing slideshow below, using the wise words of mr Safari : Oooooh YEAH !