2003
On Monday the 26th of May 2003, little Justin was born in the small town of Edam, The Netherlands. This is the town where I’d later grow up and spend my entire youth, in the house you see in this photo. Just being born, I didn’t know much about cars or photography or even have any interest in either. I mean, I was just born so I didn’t have much knowledge in general. That would quickly change, though.
More interested in a short introduction to Djuztin? Please click here.
2008
In the upcoming years, I would quickly develop an interest for cars. Playing with and collecting each Hotwheel model car I could find and playing with them on one of those street carpets (I think we have over 500 Hotwheels cars laying around the house). And besides that, always driving my brother’s go-kart thingy through the neighborhood (preferably through the smallest gaps possible, with a trailer or in the snow to make it harder). Unfortunately I couldn’t find the photos, but in this one you’ll see 5-year-old me in a classic car at the city fair.
2012
Not only cars became interesting to me, also photography. A family member got me one of these small vacation cameras which I’d later use all day. Taking photos of flowers, pets and just anything I’d find. All in low quality, though, as it was still just around 2012 and those cameras weren’t that good. But that didn’t matter to me, it was fun! And so was (and is) being outside. I’ve always loved going outside and on adventures, exploring new places.
2015
I was walking through Amsterdam with my dad. I saw a German plated, bright green widebody Ford Mustang making it’s way through a street. It looked amazing (at least in my memory)! This is where my actual love for cars would start. I’d seen some cool cars over the years but this was the point that would start it all.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take a picture then as it wasn’t the time of phones yet and I didn’t have a camera with me. But as you can see, I was photographing already!
2017
The first carspot I posted to my Instagram. Well, actually the second, but the first one was a picture my dad took of a Ferrari 458 being taken away on a tow truck. This was my actual first post. The Jon Olsson Huracán passing by my house, together with some other cars. At this point I was not yet really interested in any other type of photography. I did already create the username ‘Djuztin’ at this time (basically my name Justin spelled out in English and with a ‘z’ to be more visually appealing to me).
2018
Summer of 2018, my first supercar experience! While I was on my way to London with school, there was a train delay at Calais. A couple people in supercars showed up. I was taking photos and videos and they invited me to sit inside a McLaren 675LT! It was so amazing and the people were really sweet. I had the time of my life. (unfortunately, though, the driver wasn’t the greatest photographer but they were trying their best haha)
2019
A year later in March, I had one of the coolest experiences of my life. After contacting the owner of a McLaren 720s getting some work done in a shop nearby, he invited me to take some pictures of the car. Not only that, he let me drive along in the passenger seat! It was so amazing. We raced in an industrial area reaching speeds of over 130km/h. It’s still one of the coolest experiences to date.
2019
This summer I was photographing cars all the time. One day my dad and I followed a bright blue Mustang we saw. After waiting for the owners to come out of the store they walked into, I talked to them and took some photos and videos. This would later inspire the owner to create an Instagram account for his car, which has since evolved into a business that organizes tours and rides with the coolest and most exclusive cars in The Netherlands! I’ve talked about this with the owner when joining one of the tours.
2020
A year later I finally got to photograph my grandfather’s classic car he purchased in 2018. He picked me up on my birthday to have a ride in the car. It was so beautiful. A 1931 Plymouth Paethon PA (1 of about 135). Throughout the years my passion for classic cars had already expanded so much during car events, but driving along in this one was what caused my passion for classic cars to explode! Little did I know…
2020
…that in the same year I would buy a classic car myself! A 1983 Volkswagen Beetle 1200. Beautiful thing. I had been interested in these vehicles for months, but I didn’t expect to purchase one before my 18th birthday! I was so excited. Having a first car that’s this beautiful is such a dream come true!
2021
After starting the study Photographic Designer at Mediacollege Amsterdam in 2020, this would be the first full year I would be doing different types of photography. Products, portraits and lots of other stuff. I really liked it and my photography and editing improved so much. Also the school was really fun.
2022
This was the year where I got interested in other types of photography. Besides automotive photography, my interest for street / documentary / portrait photography expanded. I wanted to tell stories, document feelings and explore more. This is also the time I would make photos for a magazine we were designing at school and did my first documentary photoseries at Ruigoord.
2022
During 2022 I would also change up the style of my Instagram page and create this website! Everything was starting to look more like I had envisioned. I was taking lots of photos, using people’s feedback and improving so much. I could really notice the quality of my work take many steps forward.
2023
This current year I’m again improving my photography a lot. I’ve done an internship at Mediamatic as part of my study. I’ve learned a lot and I’ve done lots of different kinds of photography and videography. I’ve learned a lot about social media aswell. It’s a really nice place where I worked until the 7th of July 2023.
2023
Summer of 2023, I did something special. Something I had wanted to do for a while, but now I’d saved up enough money to do so. Right before turning twenty, I got a second car to accompany Mr. Blue Sky! Pictured is my Beetle along with my 1996 Volkswagen Golf 3 Cabrio Rolling Stones Edition. Very lovely car. I’ve since taken it on a 2500km roadtrip through England and Scotland and I’ve been enjoying it a lot!
2023
This year would also mark the start of my next internship – concert photography at GRAP Amsterdam. Between September 2023 and February 2024, I’d expand my knowledge on photographing events, people and darker rooms with difficult lighting. This was amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever gained more experience in photography in such a short time. Besides, I gained a lot of experience in social media and marketing. Make sure to check my photoseries from this internship!