Ellen van der Zwan

Outdoor sport and travel photographer Ellen van der Zwan came into the world in Rotterdam in 1975. Already at an early age the world had an irresistible attraction for her, that did not abate even after long journeys abroad. Indeed, the urge to travel only grew stronger! She has now visited more than 50 countries, and the number is growing steadily!

The trips begin by collecting pictures of distant destinations, which together form a list of must-visit locations. The actual seeing, smelling and feeling of colourful mountain vistas, vast landscapes and inspiring encounters provide a constantly stimulating experience. An experience that Ellen loves to share, and therefore captures on film.

Her first cycling holiday through Scotland gave her experience of 'travelling' more depth, and since then every destination has become an adventurous cycling experience that is very often interspersed with the backpack or canoe. Her 'Santos' bike with belt drive remains her first love.

Her bike and travel images do not remain unnoticed by the general public. In 2008, Ellen started out as a freelance photographer and now she is one of the contracted travel journalists for Bike&Trekking Magazine, and she also works regularly for Outdoor Magazine, Op Pad and Op Pad Biking.

Ellen is a busy bee and always looking for improvements and challenges. In 2010, she began to also give lectures about her bike tours; at the RAI in Amsterdam she has inspired dozens of people with a scintillating lecture on India. She is currently formulating a lecture about her three-month cycling trip through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and China. She is also constantly involved in creating even more beautiful and penetrating photographs, and in September 2010 she will therefore begin professional training in photography, where specialization as a travel photographer will be her focus.

If you want to know more about Ellen's work, the website www.ellenvanderzwan.nl shows a small part of her work and keeps you informed of new activities and lectures. Let yourself be surprised by images that give you the feeling of wanting to travel yourself, allow yourself to be uplifted by colourful and stunning scenery, and above all be inspired!