In Summer the fields that grow the Spring’s bulb flowers (tulips, daffodils and hyacinths) may grow other flowers. Some years the fields are flooded or covered up to be gassed, to clean, other years they produce crops like these.
The Netherlands is as flat as a pancake. That is the way foreigners describe my precious habitat. It is not completely accurate, we do have some hills and dunes. The advantage of a flat surface is that we have lots of sky above the horizon. Here a typical Summer scene: rain filled sky and cows in the meadows, the odd windmill and farm.
Cut flowers are a common good in The Netherlands. This is the field of a grower, just around the corner. He harvested the thistles and moved them to the flower auction for sale. This is the ones left over on the field. For Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #316 ‘Common Object’.
Last week we had dinner on the beach and were treated to a beautiful sunset. And, as always when a subject grips me, I took loads of pictures. The iPhone makes it really easy just to snap, zoom, frame and play with light. So the last days I published some of them for the theme of this week for LAPC 314: ‘shorelines‘. It is probably serendipity, but it matched nicely on this set of photos. So to close the week a final one of this sunset. I hope you enjoyed them. And the left over of this shoot will probably appear in the near future.
The Netherlands is famous for Delft’s Blauw (Delft Blue) pottery. At Drievliet they organized a selfie picture stand with two iconic statues to be virtually kissed. I framed it in a different way.
The theme for this week LAPC 314 is ‘shorelines‘. My main shoreline is the beach of the Noordzee. And the views it offers, particularly at special moments of the day like a sunset. The sky looks like it offers an extra layer of reflection for the sun, a second horizon.
When you are on a spot where you see such a wonderful sunset, it is normal to shoot multiple photos. This couple appeared in a few of the photos already, but each time they are in a shot, it is the framing of a different story as I see it. Maybe you do too. The theme for this week LAPC 314 is ‘shorelines‘.
The sun sets, everything is cleaned up and ready for tomorrow for new clients. It is the Summer rhythm of the beach on the shoreline of the Noordzee. The theme for this week LAPC 314 is ‘shorelines‘.
Drievliet is a small and very old amusement park. Over fifty years ago I first went there on a school trip. Then most of the attractions had to be moved by muscle power. Last week I had my second visit to Drievliet with our grand children. The park is dramatically changed but still has the same appeal to kids: lots of fun to be had on rides, slides, rollercoasters, ferris wheels, merrygorounds etc. And of course the fries and icecream in between. The weather was not that good, but the clouds added to the view from the ferris wheel looking at downtown Den Haag.
The sky is amazing. And everyone with a creative open mind can instantly play with it in lots of ways. Racing clouds home or seeing objects in it. And sometimes it shows an old map leading you into the unknown. The longer you look the more you find. Drawing you in more and more. Connecting with something new but familiair.
The sky is amazing. And everyone with a creative open mind can instantly play with it in lots of ways. Racing clouds home or seeing objects in it. And sometimes it shows an old map leading you into the unknown.
The weekly LAPC #312 is sense of scale’. When you look up to the sky and see a plane coming over, one is never that much aware of the enormous scale of the space over our heads.
Building tunnels is not common in The Netherlands, the soil is mostly consisting of clay on top of a sandpackage. However, recently a new connection between motorway A4 and A44 was opened: the Corbulo Tunnel (link to a video). This is a shot from the first time I travelled throught it. The weekly LAPC #312 is sense of scale’
Just around the corner is a field where cut flowers are grown for sale. It is a small beautiful plot with different stages of different flower types. And a good spot for inspiration.
LAPC 309 is about balconies. I have to admit that I do not pay special attention to balconies, unless they trigger me as I look around and they catch my eye. This in Antwerp. My previous entry was an original monochrome on film. With this one I could not decide between the original and the edited monochrome version. Hence you see them both. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
The Kurhaus is an old style hotel in Scheveningen. It is the only left over of the historical sea facade. The rest was demolished, and replaced with high rising concrete cubes.
The beach of Scheveningen, a few hours before sunset. The hour before sunset is always a kind of holy grail for photographers, but at about three hours before sunset the light over sea starts to change dramatically. The domain of gulls, flying around over the beach restaurants, scavaging for food, lit up against a backdrop of golden rays.
The Pier of Scheveningen, blocked out by a fence that is erected to work on the boulevard. A weird composition of lines, colours and objects, filled in with some gulls. And I do like the lamp post.
The Netherlands, Scheveningen – June 2024 (top) The Netherlands, Katwijk aan Zee – June 2024 (bottom)
LAPC 308 is about perfect pairs, by creating a diptych (two images placed in proximity to one another, forming a pair). Every self respecting town and village needs a ferris wheel.