Can you first introduce yourself, who you are, where you come from and what you do? A little bit about your personal background.
I'm Simone Wittgen and I live in the south of the Netherlands, in a small village surrounded by forests near the famous design city Eindhoven and the German and Belgian border. I'm married and the happy mother of two teenage sons and a Vizsla dog. ( @diaryofavizsla ).
What do you do for a living? How did you get into this particular field and if so, how does it influence your photography?
Until ten years ago, I worked as a marketing and communications manager for large companies in the telecommunications and insurance sectors. After that, I started working as a freelance communications consultant to get more freedom and space in my daily life. I have always loved being creative and telling stories, both with images and words. So it is not very strange that my work went from consulting for corporate communications to communicating with photos and text - the more practical creative side of communication. Now I work part-time as a consultant (with a focus on social media) and part-time as a (travel) photographer and blogger. Last February I won the Columbus Award as Travel Influencer of the Year. A great honor and appreciation of my work.
My mission is to show how beautiful our world is and that beauty and tranquility can be found everywhere, even in our immediate surroundings. You don't have to cross borders or fly to another continent to find this beauty, to get that special feeling of discovery and travel (although a change of scenery can of course be very inspiring, I can't deny that).
How did you start your career as a photographer? How has your personal style developed over the years?
After I left my career as an entrepreneur, I took photography and Photoshop courses to give space to my creative side and learn more about the technical part of photography and editing. In 2014, I joined Instagram and started posting my photos just for fun and to get feedback on my efforts. Somehow my account got noticed by Instagram and I became a "suggested user". This encouraged me to strive to become even better. In the beginning, I mainly photographed what most IGers were photographing, the 'Gram trends so to speak. But now I only photograph and post what makes my heart beat faster: quiet places on the coast, in the countryside and in the city. In nature and in rural areas. My personal style can best be described as "serene", "feminine" and with the main attention to light.
What inspires you and why?
Many things inspire me: photos in magazines and on Instagram, song lyrics, paintings, a color, weather conditions, an empty room, reflections in the water, the sea, the moon… All things that evoke a certain kind of emotion, most often the feeling of being grateful, living and enjoying the present moment.
How do you feel about the IG fan base/community you have built? Do you often connect with other IGers? Do you get suggestions or ideas from them? Are there any collaborations?
I am very grateful for the platform and my 'following', although the numbers are not that important to me. The connection is! I love connecting and communicating with people and I have met many IG friends inside and outside the Netherlands. All kinds of people from different ages, backgrounds, nationalities, talents… that I would not have met without the medium. These connections have expanded my world and changed my view of the world. Sometimes we exchange tips or locations of beautiful places, but most of the time we connect on a non-professional, personal basis.
In recent years I have worked with various tourism organisations and brands. And I have written and photographed for a few magazines.
Do you have a favorite photo that you took and what is the story behind it?
That's a tough question! Let me think. These must be two of the only pictures in my feed that I took with my phone, how ironic. I was standing on the pier in Scheveningen, using my camera to capture all sorts of drone-like scenes of the little figures (people) on the beach, walking, playing in the sand and staring at the waves. I just put my gear in my camera bag - ready to go, when suddenly a mother and her child walking hand in hand through the surf caught my attention. They were quite far away from me, but I was able to zoom in a little with my phone and pressed the button several times. There were two moments where mother and child seem to be lovingly embraced by the rolling waves. As if the waves don't want to harm them and on the contrary want to protect them. Can you imagine how lucky I was that I grabbed my phone just in time and pressed the button at that exact moment? Lucky shots, but two of my most popular pictures. Note: My most popular images aren't always my personal favorites, but I completely understand the number of likes on these two. Here is one of the two photos.
Do you still send postcards yourself?
Now more than ever during this Corona crisis. For example, I send postcards to my parents and my mother-in-law every week. A nurse from the nursing home where my mother-in-law lives told me that delivering the mail to the residents is the happiest moment of the day.
Did you know about PICKMOTION before we started working together? If so, how did you find out about us?
I can't remember exactly, but I may have followed your account before. I'm not sure. I love the bright, cheerful and original cards you make using IGers' pictures of beautiful moments..
Could you tell us some of your favorite Instagram accounts?
This is not easy. There are so many accounts I love. Some for the photos or the brilliant, witty captions, others for the person behind the account… But let's try and focus on the photography. My absolute favourite account is @helloemilie . She is an Instagram phenomenon. The mood of her photos is so dreamy and her landscape shots are mesmerising and make you feel so small. I also love her focus on making us aware of how beautiful, precious and vulnerable planet Earth is. Other really beautiful accounts are @vhgreet , @shineonyoucraydiamond , @hannahargyle , @pie_aerts , @humphreyandgrace and @anu_vee .
Do you have anything else you want to get rid of? Get it out there!
Thank you for choosing my pictures for your cards and for this interview! Let's spread the happy atmosphere of beautiful moments together!
