Hi there, welcome to my world.
A world shaped by curiosity, a love of travel and an endless fascination with people, places and moments that make life interesting.
For the largest part of my life I have been travelling, photographing, listening, tasting and collecting stories. From the streets of India to the landscapes of Europe, from a darkened concert hall to a small restaurant somewhere far from home — there is always something worth discovering.
TRAVEL – A life of exploring.
Travel for me has never been simply about ticking countries off a list. It is about getting lost in unfamiliar streets. Meeting people. Sitting down for a meal. Finding places that weren’t in the guidebook. Watching the light change. And sometimes simply wondering what is around the next corner.
From my first journeys in the 1980s to the adventures of today, this section of my website has become a personal archive of places, encounters and memories. It is by far the richest part of my website; Thousands of photographs. Dozens of journeys. Countless encounters. More than four decades of memories.
What started as a personal collection of photographs and travel stories has gradually grown into something much bigger: a visual diary of a life spent exploring.
Some stories are old. Some are still being written. And there are plenty of places still waiting to be discovered.
MUSIC – The soundtrack of my life.
Some memories have a photograph. Others have a soundtrack.
Progressive rock and, above all, Marillion have been part of my life for many years. Concerts, festivals, journeys and the people I met along the way have created their own collection of memories. Sometimes a song can take you back to a place faster than any photograph can.
PHOTOGRAPHY – Looking at the world through a different lens.
Photography started for me with film, chemicals and a small darkroom. Decades later, the equipment has changed, but the fascination hasn’t.
I photograph people, places, details, moments and things that catch my eye. Sometimes spectacular. Sometimes completely ordinary. Because the photograph isn’t always about what you see. Sometimes it is about what you notice.
INDIA – Some countries I visit. Some countries stay with me.
India has become something different for me. A country of colour and chaos, silence and spirituality, extraordinary food, overwhelming contrasts and unforgettable encounters. After journey after journey, I still haven’t figured India out.
Perhaps that’s exactly why I keep going back.
AND THERE IS MORE…
Yoga. Cycling. Cooking. My unforgettable proposal to the most wonderful man in my life. Different interests and experiences perhaps, but they all have something in common:
Curiosity; The desire to keep discovering something new. To look at familiar things differently. To meet people. To learn. To experience. And above all…
CARPE DIEM
Because the journey is the story.
Welcome to willemsen.online