Hi, I’m Mitchel Lensink — though most people just call me Mitch. I’m a photographer and writer based in the Netherlands, and most of what I do starts with walking.
Photography gives me a reason to explore. Long walks, unfamiliar places, and ordinary streets tend to reveal things you would otherwise overlook. I document what I find along the way: everyday scenes, quiet landscapes, small details, and the occasional moment that feels worth keeping.
Much of this work ends up in my monthly newsletter Dialogue, where I share photographs, essays, and ideas that emerge from these explorations.
Alongside the writing and images. I’m also slowly building a few small frameworks and toolkits — like Advance and Packless — that help me understand how creative work actually unfolds and how to live and work with a bit more intention.
My background is in Social Psychology (MSc), which probably explains my fascination with how people move through places and how environments shape behavior. Though perhaps the wonder came before the studies, depending on how you look at it.
Right now I’m especially drawn to long walks through landscapes — including a loose plan to one day walk the entire Dutch coastline and see what reveals itself along the way.
I’m not very active on social media, but I do read my email.
You can also watch this video if you want to learn a little more about me.
Tech Stack
Running a solo business as a photographer and writer (creator, entrepreneur, whatever you want to call it) is as easy as it’s ever been but still benefits from quite a few tools. You can find the list of my essentials and the money I pay for them below.
De Lens Chamber of commerce: 64135276 Heliumweg 15, 1.01 3812 RD Amersfoort The Netherlands
Now
A lot has changed, and much has stayed the same. Despite threading carefully, I still developed a small knee-injury that requires physical therapy and a more controlled way of working out. Personal training in small groups is the affordable and sustainable solution, it seems.
I have not missed an entry for my monthly newsletter yet, though I did come close a couple of times the past few months. I have too many open loops and it's difficult to keep focus.
The traffic on my website has been tanking. I'm at 1.5K-ish monthly visitors right now. So I've been writing. About the things I care about and did a lot of thinking on. But the writing is difficult and strenuous. It wouldn't be if I kept focus. But I don't dare focus on one thing, for I fear it might be the wrong thing.
I'm working on video too, again. Once I finish this Now-post I'll probably dive back into the edit. I've been agonizing myself for a month on that edit already. As if this one video will be the 'big bang' I am looking for, exposure wise.
Perhaps that's what it is I'm looking for: exposure. But I believe exposure is earned, not given. And you earn it by doing cool shit that people care about. As long as the audience doesn't, at least not en masse, then the only thing left is to continue working. Hoping someday it pays off.