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Daniel Villadsen
@dvphoto.dk
Photographer based in Denmark
The local youth club of my hometown in Denmark played a pivotal role in my teen years – I was the happiest boy, going on adventures like kayaking, sailing, mountain biking, scuba diving, and camping. This inevitably fed my enthusiasm for the outdoors and steered me in the direction that would lead me to where I am today.
I decided to study at a Danish folk high school, Oure Højskole, with a focus on “outdoor adventure”. Here I became a certified instructor in sea kayaking, mountain biking, and climbing. They organized a big summer camp every year where I started working together with various other motivated and qualified instructors. We all had the same objective: Introducing people to different outdoor activities, helping them to evolve, learn new skills, overcome personal fears, and/or discover new passions.
"This summer job has played a huge role in the professional outdoor- and sports-related network I have become a part of."
Later, in 2013, I went to New Zealand for 9 months to study Outdoor Education as part of my Master in Sports Science at the University of Southern Denmark. Here I got my first “professional camera” and became passionate about capturing the beauty of the unique nature and the people I met on my way. I discovered that it was possible to go traveling and do my education at the same time. I remember my outdoor education teacher talking about the poem from Robert Frost, “The road not taken”, and the value of creating your own journey of life by “taking the path less traveled.” I even wrote it on the front of my notebook – so the idea has kind of stuck with me since then…
"My increased passion for the outdoors motivated me to actually take the path less traveled and quit my Master’s to move to Norway to go for another Bachelor’s Degree in Outdoor Education at the University of South-East Norway."
I kept being amazed about the experiences, the people, and the skills I learned on the way. I felt like I kept evolving within the field and that the path was made as I went, building on the former skills and experiences. Photography became a more integral part of my life here as I was capturing everything, first to show it to my friends and family, and slowly, also because I really began to be intrigued by this new form of art.
"The only thing I was missing once I moved there was dancing. I have been dancing Hip-hop and Breakdance since I was 10 years old."
I just loved the creative part of movement and found it fun to perform. When I was 13 I got my first “dance-gig” with my dance teacher. I remember receiving 100 DKK (ca. 13 €) for dancing at a local fashion show – and that where I first realized you could get paid for practicing your hobby as “a job.” I began teaching when I was 16 and have since then enjoyed bringing dance to youngsters, helping them overcome fears, express themselves through dance, and simply to having fun. So, when I arrived in the small city of Bø i Telemark in Norway, there were no dance studios and no dance community. A total anti-climax for someone whose life has revolved around dancing.
With my passion on fire and my organization skills I developed with the summer camps, I decided to start my own free dance classes for the University students – and through that network, we became a small community and organized a Street-festival in the town with dance, rap and DJ workshops, battles, and other activities. This led me to the next big project: Organizing multi-day dance camps with world-known dance choreographers at a Danish boarding school. I did that for several years and the cool (and hard) thing here was that I had multiple roles: I was an organizer, the camp-photographer, and a dancer.
While doing all that, I hadn’t let go of photography and only developed my skills further. Right after I had won a photography competition, in spring 2018, I became an Olympus Visionary Ambassador. This served as a kickstart for my career as a professional photographer. Along with the new “title”, I also felt a big responsibility, and I made a website, business cards, etc. In other words, I took my photography more seriously and decided to dedicate more time to it.
Now I am working with all my passions and I have found a balance where they are complementing each other. I am teaching dance 2 days per week, and the rest of the time goes to my photography. That includes organizing new/ongoing photo projects, contacting brands and companies, photo editing, maintaining my website, and updating my portfolios on social media. Besides, I both organize or participate in dance battles, dance workshops, and outdoor trips around Denmark.
"Being a self-employed photographer is both a full-time job and a full-time lifestyle, so luckily it is one that I really love and I found my ways to manage everything."
For example, in the beginning, I spent a lot of time on my IG-posts. Now I use an app (Later.com) to organize, plan and schedule most of my IG-posts. This makes me able to plan a month of daily posts concentrated in a few hours, instead of preparing it day by day. Using a physical calendar is also a really important tool for me; planning my time for both dance jobs, photography jobs/projects and making sure to save space for leisure and sports is essential to maintain a balance.
"Dedicating time to these different passions helps me thrive as I obtain skills I can use in either of them and particularly in my photography."
My background in dance gives me an insight on “how to perform” in front of the camera, which makes me able to guide my models when being on a photo job. Besides that, I also use my general skills from teaching and guiding to create a good connection with my models and/or clients, and help them relax in my company, so they can be themselves. Then, my experience in outdoor guidance and organization helps me plan and execute photo projects, especially in the outdoors. If you take time to think about how obtained skills in one field can be applied to another, you can really thrive, be yourself, and make your contribution unique and creative.
"For me, there lies a lot of value in the contrasts I encounter in the activities I do."
It can be the difference between being “out” and “home”, between everyday life and traveling, or between dance (culture) and outdoor life (nature). I find that the contrasts between these elements of my life – and their interaction with each other – creates more value. In other words: I experience that the things that make me happy, have a greater value to me because of the presence of the other.
One of the things I really enjoy about being outdoors is that it awakens the senses as well since it helps remind me about the importance of appreciating the small things in life. It can be the ease and calmness of watching a beautiful sunrise from a beach or enjoying a hot meal around a warm bonfire after a long day of backcountry skiing. The awareness of remembering to be grateful is for me an important thing to not forget in a normally hectic everyday life. Being outdoors helps me to practice that.
"I have always had a natural curiosity that has been instrumental in driving me to where I am today."
I enjoy exploring new places, meeting new people, and letting myself be amazed and fascinated by nature. And at the same time, these experiences help to put my own everyday life into perspective and remind myself to enjoy the small things that I could otherwise take for granted. It is this that also feeds my desire to share my experiences and inspire others to get out in nature on their own adventures also plays a big role. I seek to do this as best as I can through my photography.
I am still on a journey where I try to get better at my craft every day and develop myself. Although I am an autodidact, all my aforementioned experiences have served as stepstones to build upon, and there are several people that marked very special pinpoints on my path that I will remember and cherish forever such as teachers told me to “remember to look up and appreciate the small things”, and colleagues that became friends and fellow photographers. I also want to dedicate a special thanks to my family for encouraging me to go for this dream, and to my girlfriend for supporting me in my process. Especially during the last year in which my career as a photographer has increased a lot, it has been really enjoyable having them nearby for brainstorming and discussing new projects as well as taking care of me when I tend to work too much.
"Another person that deserves a special mention is Fabian, a good friend from Germany who has had a huge influence on me becoming an outdoor photographer."
He was a young aspiring photographer from my age with a big heart for the outdoors. We met at the University in Norway and attended the same photography course. After the study in Norway, he moved to Innsbruck in Austria and became a great outdoor photographer. We never lost connection: a trip to the Dolomites, exploring Austria, extraordinary experiences on the Faroe Islands… Unfortunately, this tradition came to a sudden end. In late November 2020, Fabian went on a casual solo-hike-trip and died in an accident, as he fell down a mountain. Only 32 years old. It is still quite recently, and I can feel as I am writing this, that I am still working my way through the sorrow.
"He was a close friend and a big inspiration source."
I have learned a lot from (and with) him through our many trips together. He was a smiling, positive, humble, and yet hard-working guy, and I remember that his biggest wish for his 30-year birthday was to be able to call himself a self-employed photographer, traveling the world and going on outdoor adventures. He reached that goal. And he lived his dream full out.
Some of the projects he has made (for example writing a photo-guide-book to the Alps with one of our common friends, and creating concepts to meet new people through Instagram with the mantra “Make Social Media Social Again”) are very inspiring. I feel a sort of responsibility to continue my journey with photography with the same passion and ambition that we’ve always shared with so much joy, and do it in the best way possible. Not only for him but also for myself and for the sake of inspiring others, just like he inspired me.
I have not reached my final destination in my career yet – and I do not necessarily know where that is. I have a vision about which direction to go, but I am also certain (and relaxed) that the road is being constructed on the go. So I am taking the path less traveled, with the dream and hope that I can leave a trail for others while reminding them to look up and enjoy the small things…
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