Image via Complex Original
The beauty of Instagram is a that it's a platform where anyone with a camera can share his or her work with the world, but obviously some people are better at it than others. Recently we've noticed that the stars of the 'gram have gotten younger and younger, from kids in New York who rule the rooftops, to the 4-year-old son of a National Geographic photographer who is mastering everything analog. Instagram recently featured a trio of talented Dutch photographers, who are not only young, but they're also brothers, which makes their story and their work even cooler.
The Sizoo Brothers hail from the Netherlands and have only been on Instagram for a year, but they are already killing it. Bastian is the oldest at 17, and his twin brothers, Willem and Bob, are 15. In addition to sharing their landscape photos and portraits with tens of thousands of followers, the brothers organize Instameets during their travels around the world, connecting with other Instagrammers to talk photography and explore new places.
We caught up with Willem, Bob, and Bastian and asked them to share the stories behind a few of their favorite shots for our Portfolio Review: Meet the Sizoo Brothers, Teen Photographers From the Netherlands Who Are Killing It on Instagram.
Willem: "I took this photo a few weeks ago. We always shoot when it is foggy, but we thought it wouldn't be worth it this time, so we did not go out. Eventually, I decided to just go on my own and see if I could snap some photos. The fog was slowly disappearing, making space for the sun to come through. I found this tree alley on my way back home. I saw those soft rays and long shadows and decided to place my bike in the middle of the road, and I clicked. Now I always go out shooting even when there is not much fog because you never know what nature can do."
Willem: "I took this photo during our visit to Berlin. We arranged an Instameet with Jeisson Martin, and he showed us around. We had planned to take some photos of this bridge, and I think this one turned out pretty well."
Willem: "This photo was taken in one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to, Cape Town. I visited South Africa last summer with the rest of the family, and we traveled around the region for three weeks, ultimately ending up in Cape Town. We drove up Signal Hill, one of Cape Town’s best locations to witness a sunset, and this happened: a beautiful sunset with amazing clouds and a good view. This is my favorite photo from that trip."
Willem: "With its 10 lines, the U-Bahn subway system in Berlin runs along a network of approximately 146 kilometers, includes 143 stations, and is known for its yellow trains. I shot this picture underground with the Fujifilm x20."
Willem: "This photo was taken in the Veluwe National Park in the Netherlands. It was around 7 in the morning when I walked into a huge forest. Everywhere I looked there were sunrays and trees. Birds were whispering, and no one else was around. It gave me the feeling of a tropical jungle. This is my favorite photo from that morning."
Bob: "This photo was taken in my hometown. I like the path leading to the windmills, and the sunset was pretty epic, too!"
Bob: "This is the one and only photo I have ever taken with a self-timer. I had 10 seconds to run to a spot near the water, and it took me three tries and a pair of wet shoes."
Bob: "This was also taken in South Africa. After our morning hike, we drove to the National Park and stopped by this spot. The photo reminds me of how epic the journey was."
Bob: "In Cape Town we met up with some really great Instagrammers on an Instameet. It was raining and cloudy, so it was difficult to get good shots until the sun broke through."
Bob: "That's Willem standing in front of a puddle at around 6 a.m. The adrenaline rush you get when you're in such a cool environment with an epic sunrise is indescribable."
Bastian: "We saw the World Cup Stadium in Cape Town on our amazing trip to South Africa. We met a lot of people there, and I have always felt the urge to go back."
Bastian: "This is the Berlin Cathedral by night, a majestic building on the Museumsinsel (Museum Island). We had a truly epic time in Berlin meeting a lot of cool Instagrammers, such as @xgoldjungex, @muenchmax and @jeissonmartin."
Bastian: "This spiral staircase was shown to us by Instagrammer @muenchmax in Berlin. I liked how the buildings where you'd find these elegant staircases were the ones you least expected."
Bastian: "This photo shows the sunrays in Gelderland, the Netherlands, where we live. It's a very rural area, which can get boring at times, but mornings like this make up for the lack of urban scenes. In the picture is Bob cycling. We were actually on our way to school."
Bastian: "This is the Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa at dawn. This morning was like heaven! Everything looked just perfect and made us never want to leave that beautiful country."
