Dalheim, and I am now a Kase Filters Ambassador!

Arjan Wilmsen June 19, 2020

Dalheim

Today I went out for a little trip in Germany. Packed with my camera, some filters and my drone and I headed out to Dalheim. This place is located directly on the German/Dutch border and is beautiful. It has some beautiful forests, marshland, a little lake and a small stream running through the forest. There is also a watermill. The Dalheimer Mühle.

Some more information and background about the watermill. The Dalheim mill was mentioned for the first time in a document from 1231 and could therefore be the oldest water mill between the Meuse and the Rhine.

During secularisation in 1802, Napoleon destroyed the monastery. The farm buildings of the monastery were not destroyed. When the monastery was sold around 1806, the mill went to the Schippers and Zardingen families from Dülken. In 1899 it was resold to the Count of Schaesberg-Tannheim.

1999 to the present day: The Willemsen family bought the Dalheimer Mühle after it burned to the ground.After almost ten years of renovation work, the Dalheim Mill was reopened in September 2008. Today the mill offers more than 150 seats on the outside terrace and another 110 seats inside.

Dalheimer Mühle. A beautifull watermill.

There’s some beautiful forest in the area, perfect for a wander and a stroll

Dalheim is just so pretty. The perfect place to wind down, escape your everyday life for a bit. And enjoy nature. The watermill is now a restaurant, so you can enjoy a nice meal at the end of your day. Looking out over this pretty lake. Please watch this video I shot in Dalheim below. It has some nice drone shots, and shows off the area really well.

Kase Filters Benelux - brand Ambassador

It is with great pride and a lot of excitement to announce that I am now a Kase Filter Benelux brand ambassador. I’ve been using Kase filters myself for the past 1,5 year and ever since day one I’ve loved the quality and ease of use of these professional filters. I am very much looking forward to represent this great brand, and work together with all other talented ambassadors.

Kase is a fast growing worldwide filter brand with professional filters that guarantee excellent quality. Especially landscape photographers who are on the road a lot will have a pleasant experience with Kase. The filters are made of High Defenition glass that ensures an unprecedented clear image. Because with the Kase Wolverine filters the glass is also toughened, it can take a beating and you will never suffer from scratches or other damage.

My workshop participants will be able to get a nice discount on any Kase products with a special code that I as Ambassador will hand out.

Click the logo to go to the webstore (in Dutch)

Colours that deviate because you use a filter? Not with Kase. The ND filters give you optimal colour control, so that all colours come into their own in your photos. The Nanotech coating on the Kase filters prevents unwanted reflections and repels water and oil. This way, the filter is easy to keep clean. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

K and F Concept Tripod review

Arjan Wilmsen October 5, 2019

Every photographer that is using a tripod is looking for a no-nonsense tripod that does what they want. It is annoying to work with one that is too light, too clumsy with the ball head and so on. So the hunt for the right tripod is always there.

With this K&F Tripod this hunt ended for me. The TM2515T DSLR Camera Tripod is ticking all the boxes that I want a travel tripod to tick. It is light, easy to use, sleek looking, and just very allround.
The legs are sturdy and strong, and can be used in several different positions. The tripod feels good in hand, is easy to carry around. The ball head on it is easy to use, and hold my DSLR + 17-55mm lens with ease.

Setting it up is a walk in the park, check out how fast you are ready to go in the video in this post below. My friend Tom is demonstrating how easy to use it is. I have used this tripod on my recent trip to Iceland. And I’ve used it during a video shoot, and also for some long exposure photography down at the fjord beaches as you can see.

I was very pleased to use this tripod, and it will come with me on a lot of future photography trips for sure.
Interested in buying this tripod yourself?

buy here!

Features

Central column moves from 0 to 180 degrees, can be rotated 360°horizontally, to realize panorama shooting.
25mm large diameter aluminum alloy tube, The load capacity can reach 22.04lbs (10kg), Provide security and stability support for your dslr camera.
5 sections leg can adjust the height from 15.35'' to 60.62''; the N. weight with ball head is only 3.63lbs; can be 180°reflexed, which is super portable with tripod carrying bag.
Can be rotated 360 degrees, helping to expand camera activity range when panoramic shooting.(the bubble level help to judge the level and the accurate composition)
It can be turned into a monopod or walking stick alone to make your photography more diverse. (Note: For camera with telephoto zoom lens, you need to buy a tripod mount ring additionally or telephoto lens bracket for better balance)

Using this tripod is just so easy, And its just so light, and folds up to be very portable. No more lugging around too heavy and clumsy tripods for me. This one will be my go to tripod!

Faroe Islands - Workshop July 2019

Arjan Wilmsen August 7, 2019

Last week I was doing a photography workshop in the Faroe Islands together with my friend Páll Jökull from Iceland. We had a really nice group of photographers that we showed around the country, shooting tons and tons of locations. And we actually had really decent weather. All in all the trip was a succes, and Páll and I can’t wait to do our Faroe Islands tour next year in May. Interested in that: click here

I will upload some more shots from this workshop in the next couple of weeks, keep your eyes peeled…

Here is a little movie I have put together, filmed during the trip. All shots were taken with my Iphone, so its just a quick capture of how our workshop was. Let me know what you think of the video.

Iceland: The Golden Circle

Arjan Wilmsen July 8, 2019

The Golden Circle is an extremely popular route in the South of Iceland. Featuring the magnificent sights of Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir Geothermal Field, and Thingvellir National Park, a trip around the Golden Circle is the perfect day tour from Reykjavik, and it is a must-visit when you go to Iceland!

What is the Golden Circle

The Golden Circle is certainly one of Iceland’s most beloved tourist routes. It is sometimes referred to as “The Golden Triangle,” as it features three stunningly beautiful locations: an extremely powerful waterfall, a geyser which erupts frequently, and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The beauty of the whole region is hallmarked by incredible landscapes and unique sites. The Golden Circle is undoubtedly a precious gem of rare geological features that can barely be found anywhere else in the world, but which are so close to each other that you can visit them in just one day.

When these beauties are combined with local hospitality and traditional cuisine, it is not surprising that the Golden Circle tops almost every visitor’s bucket list. The Golden Circle is the perfect day trip from Reykjavik and is a must-visit for everyone traveling to Iceland.

Kerið Volcanic Crater
Kerið is one of most recognizable volcanic craters in Iceland. It was once a typical cone-shaped volcano, but after an eruption some 3000 year ago, the top has collapsed into its empty magma chamber.

Keriðd has a very recognizable caldera. Its steep walls are approximately 55 meters (180 feet) deep. The caldera is 170 meters (560 feet) wide and 270 meters (890 feet) across. There is a small lake inside the caldera with a strikingly vivid aquamarine color which is due to minerals in the soil. You should not miss out on this natural wonder during your Golden Circle trip.

The crater is found just by the Route 35, only 15 km from the town of Selfoss. There is a small parking lot right next to it. There is also a small entrance fee, approximately 500 ISK per person.

Faxi Waterfall
Faxi Waterfall is located around 12 km from Gullfoss Waterfall and the Geysir Geothermal Area. Faxi is a small waterfall, but absolutely worth a visit.

The waterfall is on Tungufljót, a fabulous salmon-filled river, surrounded by beautiful Icelandic nature, which makes it a great spot for fishing. On a sunny day, this is the perfect place to stop, sit down, and have a picnic.

Geysir – the original geyser
A favorite stop along the Golden Circle is the highly active Geysir Hot Spring Area with boiling mud pits, exploding geysers and the lively Strokkur which spouts water 30 meters (100 ft) into the air every few minutes. The newly opened Geysir Center offers exhibits and informative presentations year round.

The geothermal field is believed to have a surface area of approximately 3 km². Most of the springs are aligned along a 100m wide strip of land running in the same direction as the tectonic lines in the area, from south to southwest. The strip is 500m long and culminates near what once was the seat of the lords of Haukadalur.

The area became active more than 1000 years ago and comprises more than a dozen hot water blow holes. Although Geysir is less active these days, it did lend its name to hot springs all over the world. It was the first geyser described in a printed source and the first known to modern Europeans.

Gullfoss
A ride along the Golden Circle in the south reveals the breathtaking Gullfoss (Golden Waterfalls) where traversing a narrow path provides close-up views of the massive, two-tiered waterfall below. In winter the view is spectacular when the waterfall freezes over into undulating waves of glistening ice. On sunny days visitors are treated to thousands of rainbows, a natural reaction with the clouds of spray from the tumbling falls.

Gullfoss is one of the most popular tourist attraction in Iceland and part of the Golden Circle, and the waterfall is by many considered one of the most beautiful waterfall in Iceland. It is situated in the upper part of the Hvita river. The water cascades down in two stages, one 11 m (36 ft) high, and the other 21 m (69 ft), into the 2,5 km (1.6 mi) long crevasse below. This crevasse was created at the end of the Ice Age by catastrophic flood waves and is lengthened by 25 cm (9.8 in) a year by the constant erosion from the water.

Thingvellir national park
Thingvellir is a favourite stop among travellers along the Golden Circle route. It has been a National Park in Iceland since 1928 and was named a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2004. When Viking settlers arrived in the 10th century it was the site they chose as the meeting place of Althing, the world’s first parliament.

The location may seem a bit out of the way, but the unique geology created a natural amphitheatre perfect for public speaking including the high rock wall of Logberg (Law Rock), where the laws of the land would be recited from memory.

Don’t forget to take a look at the landscape as you are on the tour, the entire area is absolutely well worth taking in.

In Thingvellir you will also find this waterfall you can see here (frozen in winter time) called Öxarárfoss.

Another waterfall in Iceland "Foss"

Arjan Wilmsen July 3, 2019

Iceland has a lot of waterfalls, really. A whole lot. One of them is this one just simply called “Foss” which means literally waterfall. This specific waterfall is located in the north western part of the country. In the Westfjords to be exact. And to be even more precise, on road 63 about 15 minutes by car south to the town of Bíldudalur. Another fun fact about this waterfall is that the entire ford the waterfall is running into is probably named after the waterfall. You guessed it: Fossfjörður

Check out these images I shot of the waterfall and its direct surroundings.