# Speaking At Creative Connect In Mechelen This November

URL: https://jvn.photo/speaking-at-creative-connect-mechelen-november-2026/
Last updated: 2026-10-08

> On Tuesday 10 November 2026 I'm talking about five years of volcanic eruptions in Iceland at Creative Connect in Mechelen (13:20), and judging the Belgian Photo Awards live from 9:00.

On Tuesday 10 November I’m back in Belgium, this time for [Creative Connect](https://www.creativeconnect.be/), the one-day festival for professional photographers and videographers at LAMOT in Mechelen. I’ll be giving a talk about **five years of photographing volcanic eruptions in Iceland** at 13:20, and that same morning I’m one of the judges at the **live print judging of the Belgian Photo Awards**. It’s going to be a full day, and if you’re a photographer anywhere in Belgium, I’d love to see you there.

This year has been a busy one on stage, from the [Photography & Video Show](https://jvn.photo/speaking-at-the-photography-video-show-in-birmingham-this-march/) in Birmingham in March to [Fotodag](https://jvn.photo/foto-robyns-fotodag-2026-genk/) in Genk in the spring, and in September [Fotoclub ISO9450](https://jvn.photo/lecture-fotoclub-iso9450-denderhoutem/) in Denderhoutem and [HIK Foto Connect](https://jvn.photo/canon-lecture-hik-foto-connect-geel/) in Geel on back-to-back days. You can always see where I’ll be next on my [lectures & talks page](https://jvn.photo/about/lectures-talks/).

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*Telling the volcano story on the Behind The Lens stage at The Photography Show 2026.*

## My Talk: Volcanic Eruptions In Iceland

Since the first eruption at Fagradalsfjall in 2021, I’ve photographed **12 volcanic eruptions** on the Reykjanes Peninsula, from Fagradalsfjall and [Litli-Hrútur](https://jvn.photo/litli-hrutur-eruption-timeline/) to the long series at Sundhnúksgígar. My 40-minute slot starts at **13:20 in the auditorium**, and in it I’ll walk you through five moments from those five years. Somewhere in there my focus moved from the lava fountains to what they were building: **new land that nobody had ever seen before**.

Expect the stories behind the images and a few of the things I wrote about in [what three years of photographing eruptions taught me](https://jvn.photo/3-years-photographing-eruptions-iceland-what-ive-learned/), with two more years of eruptions on top.

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*Lava on the big screen at FEP Photo Day 2025.*

## Live Judging At The Belgian Photo Awards

This September I judged the landscape & wildlife categories of the [2026 Belgian Photo Awards](https://belgianphotoawards.com/we-judge-2026) online. On 10 November, **the top 10 photographers**, based on the average score of their three highest-scoring images, go through to live print judging at Creative Connect, and I’m one of the judges in the room. That’s where the category winners and the **Belgian Excellence** title, Eerste Fotograaf van België, are decided, with the awards ceremony following later that day. **The judging starts at 9:00**, so it’s an early start before my talk in the afternoon.

I won Bronze in the Landscape Nature category of the very first Belgian Photo Awards in 2024, and this is now my second year on the jury. You can find the rest of my competition history on my [awards & certifications page](https://jvn.photo/about/awards-certifications/).

## Tickets & Practical Info

Tickets are available on the [Creative Connect website](https://www.creativeconnect.be/tickets): **€40 early bird until 20 October**, €50 after that, €20 for students, and €20 if you’re only coming for the awards show. Seats at the talks are first come, first served, so come a little early if you want a good spot. The full speaker line-up is on the [talks page](https://www.creativeconnect.be/talks).

**Date:** Tuesday, 10 November 2026 · **Live judging:** from 9:00 · **My talk:** 13:20, auditorium · **Venue:** LAMOT, Van Beethovenstraat 8-10 B, 2800 Mechelen · **Tickets:** from €20

*Voor de Nederlandstaligen: op dinsdag 10 november 2026 geef ik op Creative Connect in LAMOT in Mechelen om 13u20 in het auditorium een lezing over vijf jaar vulkaanuitbarstingen fotograferen in IJsland. ’s Ochtends zit ik vanaf 9u00 ook in de jury van de live printjurering van de Belgian Photo Awards, waar de categoriewinnaars en de Eerste Fotograaf van België gekozen worden. Tickets vind je op de website van Creative Connect (early bird €40 tot 20 oktober). Kom zeker langs!*