The Netherlands : An Insider's Perspective

Tulips and windmills are images that have become synonymous with Holland as well as the iconic Dutch images of wooden clogs, rambling canals and the worlds best cheese markets. Photograph all of these infamous sites in the Netherlands plus those unique, “hard to get” photos when you journey to Holland with Dave Black and Mirjam Evers, a Dutch native and pro photographer who will share her insider’s perspective as she leads you to those “off the beaten path” locations that only a true Dutch native can access and guide you in capturing “one of a kind” images of The Netherlands.

• Aerial flights over the flower fields.
• Photograph Kinderdijk, home to 18th Century Windmills and declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Private cruise on the narrow canals in Amsterdam.
• Photograph the reconstructed village of quaint wooden houses and historic windmills of Zaansche Schans.
• Photograph the World Famous Alkmaar Cheese Market
• Private PQA morning access to photograph at The Keukenhof Gardens with an optional bike and photography tour through the stunning flower fields.
• Private Shoot with Dutch models dressed in authentic Dutch Costumes.

Itinerary

Apr 14 – Travel Day

Leave the US on your flights to Amsterdam Schiphol.

Apr 15 – Arrive Amsterdam

Arrive at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Transportation to the hotel provided.

12:00-2:00 pm Welcome reception at the Hotel
2:00pm: Check into your rooms.

In the afternoon a casual walking tour in the capital of North Holland, Haarlem, one of our most fascinating cities, just a few miles away from Amsterdam, but so much more authentic. It is smaller, but its equally illustrious past is apparent in the magnificent “Grote Markt”, often considered the most beautiful square in the country.

Apr 16 – Keukenhof Gardens-Bike Tour-Flowerfields

Photograph Keukenhof Gardens before it opens to the public. Enjoy a full day in one of the most impressive public gardens in the world. Open only nine weeks out of the year, the Keukenhof is a visual feast for the eyes. There are more than seven million bulbs planted on over 70-acres. For the adventurous photographers we will rent bikes for a few hours and bike through the stunning flower fields. After lunch we depart for a local Dutch Flower Farm.

Apr 17 – Alkmaar -Zaansche Schans-Amsterdam

Photograph Cheese market in Alkmaar. In Alkmaar cheese is still made in the time-honored way. The Friday market is world famous, for photographing the actual transportation weighing and trading takes place, in a colorful setting. We will have a special private portrait session with the “cheese men”.

After lunch we will go to “Zaansche Schans”, a reconstructed village of wooden houses and windmills, transporting us 300 years into the past. There are only 975 windmills left in all of The Netherlands, but in this place of unspoiled beauty you can photograph many of them. Afterwards we will depart to Amsterdam for dinner and a private boat cruise through the famous canals.

Apr 18 – Marken & Volendam

Depart for the famous fishing villages of Volendam & Marken. Enjoy some leisure time in this quintessentially Dutch village. From there it is a short trip by bus to Marken near the coast of the former Zuiderzee. In both fishing villages we will photograph the colorful Dutch traditional dress and charming wooden houses.

Lodging

Based on double occupancy

Single Supplement $1450

7 nights – The Carlton Square Hotel

The Carlton Square hotel is an intimate 4-star Haarlem hotel in the heart of the charming city of Haarlem, combining international allure with luxurious ambiance and genuine hospitality. As you walk through the front door of our Haarlem hotel, you will immediately feel drawn in by the staff, design and interior. The warmth of the cozy lounge and crackling fire in the hearth instantly give our guests that ‘home away from home’ feeling.

Cost per person

$5295 Per person – based on double occupancy from Amsterdam

Single Supplement $1450

Limited to 12 Participants

Terms and Conditions

Included:

• Quest workshop fee
• 4 star hotel in Haarlem
• All entrance fees
• Breakfast daily
• Farewell dinner
• English speaking guides/drivers
• Arial flight over flower fields
• Private boat tour

Not included:

• International Airfare to/from The Netherlands
• Alcoholic Beverages
• Personal Expenses
• Gratuities

Dave Black

Dave’s work has appeared in a variety of magazines such as Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek, ESPN, Parade and The Wall Street Journal. And with such publishers such as Simon & Schuster, Bantam Double Day, Pindor Press, Hyperion, Scribner, and Broadway. Television includes ABC Sports, CBS Sports, E Entertainment, NBC Sports, and the award winning ESPN Classics.

Quest Leaders website: daveblackphotography.com

Mirjam Evers

Mirjam Evers is a Dutch freelance photographer specializing in environmental portraits, travel, documentary and adventure photography. During the course of her career she has traveled to over 50 countries capturing the diversity of people and cultures in some of the most exotic places in the world. Her photographs have been published in American Photo Magazine, Popular Photography Magazine, Hamptons Magazine, Photographer’s Forum “Best of Photography Annual” and International Expeditions. Corporate clients include Epson and Visa Card. Mirjam is based in New York City and is a member of ASMP and PPA.

Quest Leader’s website: www.mirjamevers.com

The Netherlands

The Netherlands is a flatter than flat country most commonly associated with tulips, windmills, clogs and cheese. While such clichéd images of the Netherlands still hold true, Holland offers much more than the stereotypical national quirks. It’s a small, vibrant nation that can be traversed in a few hours – but it begs a longer stay than that Amsterdam is the notorious capital, known for everything from its liberal approach to drugs and prostitution, to its network of canals, world-famous museums and historic architecture.

Visit the Holland tourism website for more information: us.holland.com

Climate

Although Dutch people complain a lot about the weather in their country, it is actually not that bad. There are no real extremes, like excessive heat or cold, hurricanes or alike. That said, summers are relatively cool with average daytime temperatures around 20 °C. The best months to travel around the Netherlands are probably May to July, when days are long and apart from occasional showers, rainfall is lowest.

Safety

In general the Netherlands is a very safe country, and with the usual precautions you won’t experience any problems.
Traffic wise, the Netherlands is one of the safest countries in the world. The country is known for its network of bicycle lanes, which greatly improves the safety for cyclists. Be careful crossing the streets making sure to look for cyclists that can be traveling fairly fast.

Food

Sample the national dish, Boerenkool met worst (“Borecole with sausage”), which consists of green cabbage, potatoes, bacon and smoked sausage. Dutch cheese, beer and dairy products are considered of the highest standard and will provide much joy to the connoisseur.
Make sure you don’t forget to try the special pancake restaurants, a real Dutch specialty. The delicious pancakes are large enough to be considered a whole dinner and you can choose from a great variety of toppings for your pancake. On the go-kroketten (Filled Croquets) bitterballen and frieten met pindasaus (French fries with peanut butter dip) are the most popular fast foods.

Gear to Bring

We recommend you bring the following gear with you on our Quests.

Camera Gear

• Digital SLR with back up camera that will fit your lenses
• Battery charger
• A few extra batteries
• Memory cards (bring plenty!!!)
• Sensor cleaning supplies
• Flash with plenty of batteries

Lenses

• 12-24mm (for the 1.5x sensor size cameras) or 17-35mm (for full frame shooters) lens for landscapes and cityscapes; also for environmental portraits
• 28-105mm lens or similar for street shooting and portraits; a nice lens to have shooting busy markets
• 70-200mm lens for portraits and nearby wildlife; VR or IS lenses are very helpful
• 70-300mm or 100-400mm lens for more distant wildlife
• 1.4X tele-converter for telephoto lenses
• Polarizing filter(s)v
• Lens hoods for all lenses
• Lint-free cloth to clean lenses and blower ball for dust
• Fish-eye lens (if you have one, very creative lens!)
• Lensbaby if you have one else you can try ours!

Computer / Digital Acessories

• Laptop with charger and Photoshop CS3 and Lightroom (not mandatory)
• Storage device, such as an EPSON P5000, or portable hard drives like Lacie hard drives
• Card Reader
• All cables for drives, computer, card readers, storage devices, etc.
• Power converters/adapters for all International Quests

Other

• Cover for camera (for shooting in the rain); Fotosharp makes simple, inexpensive covers
• lightweight tripod (carbon fiber)
• cable release (for night shots)
• small headlamp (flashlight)
• Tripod Reflector/Diffuser Beanbag (for long lenses while on safari); Backpack Lowepro makes excellent bags
• Your camera’s manual
• Photo Vest
• Leatherman Tool