I learned about Jens and the workshops in a serendipitous way: browsing 500px.com and seeing one of his shots from Lofoten. clicked on it, just curious to see where was taken and the rest is now …history. I contacted Jens and expressed my interest but also my mixed feelings regarding such a guided trip, as I do believe that the thrill of taking a great shot is, at least in some respect, the discovery of the place, the time for the best light, etc. Anyway, in retrospect, I think a guided trip with somebody as experienced as Jens, with a deep understanding and appreciation of the place, is a great way of discovering new shores. I could write many pages on my experience but if I would to practice brevity I would sum up my experience in one word: AWESOME. Italians have a beautiful word for Jens style (well, the way I perceive it anyway): sprezzatura, meaning effortless excellence. I am sure there was a lot of work behind everything, from reservations, to finding places, routes, keeping an eye on weather, light, Auroras forecast, all of us, looking always fresh despite driving hundreds of kilometers, cooking and keeping everybody engaged and on time. However, it seemed (from the passenger’s seat anyway) effortless! Did I mentioned him teaching in any way possible: by example, by stories, by doing it, while driving, you name it! A fair warning though about a side effect of the trip: you might enjoy shooting from a tripod! The people in our group were vastly different in terms of experience but I think we each learned something from Jens. I felt that, in a gentle way, Jens pushed us beyond our comfort zones and helped us discover another way of doing things, another perspective, another way of appreciating light, landscape, motion. I don’t think there is a better way of wrapping up this brief description of my experience, discovering and photographing in the Lofoten islands, than by thanking Jens (and my fellow travelers and photographers) for a one of a kind experience. Can’t wait for the next one!