Lens-Artist’s Photo Challenge #365 is ‘longing’. This landscape is so appealing, I still feel the excitement I felt when I shot this sequence.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
This week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #361 is ‘Doors revisited’. That theme was also the brief for LAPC #20. A door is a pass way to another space behind it. That space can be something we know already. Or something we like to imagine to see there when we go through. And in books you can end up in another world. In this post a few doors I met in my life. One I used for a long time, most I just passed by or passed through on holidays.
The word ‘doors’ for me is also linked to the band The Doors. The name of the band came from a book by Aldous Huxley, The doors of perception. And Huxley took it from William Blake, who used it as a metaphor:
“If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern . Doors lead you to another side or space, break on through to the other side.”
‘Break on through to the other side’ became the title of a Doors’ song.
So a lot can be said about doors. Luckily, we still have the photos. Here are a few from my conscious memory.
This is the front door to the house I was born and lived in for 25 years. The photo is shot on Ilford XP with a Pentax K1000.
This door in Caylus is ready to be knocked. Shot on Nikon D70.
I looked through my archive. It struck me that lots of the doors I saw there are doors of small or bigger churches. This one is on Karpathos. Shot on Nikon D70.
Another church door on Karpathos, shot on Kodak TriX with Nikon F90.
A chapel door in Lesbos, also shot on Nikon D70.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #359 is ‘Tools of Photo Compositions: Lines, Colors and Patterns’.
Long leading lines, nice shapes etc are pretty obvious to use when building a nice frame. But what about chaos? Can that be appealing too? A field with spiderwebs, wet by the fog. A photo from almost 30 years ago, taken in Brittany at St. Samsom-sur-Rance, near Dinan. To see it at its best, click the photo please.
About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most do have scratches, dust and stains.Shot with Nikon F90 on Kodak TriX, scanned from film and edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #359 is ‘Tools of Photo Compositions: Lines, Colors and Patterns’.
The harbor of Le Conquet at low tide during sunset, as equestrians pass by. To say I was surprised when I spotted the horses, is an understatement.
About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most do have scratches, dust and stains.Shot with Nikon F90 on Kodak TriX, scanned from film and edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
France – Morbihan, Questembert – August 1996
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #359 is ‘Tools of Photo Compositions: Lines, Colors and Patterns’.
The dreamy field with freshly pressed straw rolls offers a nice challenge. It is an opportunity to create something that makes sense in images. The idea that they actually roll. Near Questembert in the Morbihan region of Brittany.
About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most do have scratches, dust and stains.Shot with Nikon F90 on Kodak TriX, scanned from film and edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #359 is ‘Tools of Photo Compositions: Lines, Colors and Patterns’.
A local railway track, disappearing in the fog. A photo from almost 30 years ago, taken in Brittany at St. Samsom-sur-Rance, near Dinan.
About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most do have scratches, dust and stains.Shot with Nikon F90 on Kodak TriX, scanned from film and edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
Each time I pass here on the way to or from Calais, I take a picture of the power lines in St. Georges-sur-l’Aa.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
This week’s Lens Artitsts Photo Challenge (#321) is Intentional Camera Movement (ICM). These photos are from a workshop in 1997 in France, where we had to create movement with a low shutter speed while following the subject. Basically a fun excercise but done on film. So the result literally came to light after developing the film. The excitement and anxiety about the possible results were out of scale! Patience.
These film archives are the source of my B4 retouch series.
About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most do have scratches, dust and stains.
Shot with Nikon F90 on Kodak TriX, scanned from film and edited using Snapseed andMarksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
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. I do however ‘collect’ French windows. So occasionally they pop up in a frame. This is one of those, in one of my favourite cities, Paris. From the analogue archive of December 1993.
About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most do have scratches, dust and stains.
Shot with Nikon F90 on Kodak TriX, scanned from film and edited using Snapseed and Marksta . Click the picture for a bigger version.
Leann Cole suggested ‘tourist attractions, near and far’ as LAPC’s 307. My motivation for going to places changed in my life time. From ‘active’ holidays (including climbing some big mountains by bycicle) to complete leisure (eg seeing the Greek Isles with lots of lazy moments). And in between the travels to dig into the culture and essence of a place on earth, to learn and experience it. But wherever I went as a ‘photographer’ I tried to capture where I was. To be stunned by what is just there in front of you, the unexpected. And yes, the times I did visit an ‘iconic attraction’ I tried to find my own way of framing it, trying to keep away form the cliches that are so widely known. For this challenge I dig into my blogs archive, all the photos are here published already.
Over the years I learned to value and appreciate my own way of looking, being surprised by my own views of what I saw and how I saw it. To appreciate simple things of beauty that stuck out or the composition of objects. If you travel far, you are only there for a moment, if you stay close to home you have access all of the time. But being close to home the challenge is bigger to stay open, to see what is there, to not take it for granted.
After the ‘near’ version yesterday, today is the ‘far’ version. My blog archive here goes back to 2018 so that is de scope of picking. I started picking them in a big gallery, and doing that it got quite big. But I leave it as it is. I hope you bear with me and browse through them.
You can see randomly photos from England, Greece, France, Germany (some are from Berlin in november 1989), Egypt, Turkey, Yemen, Tibet, Nepal, Belgium, Ireland, Malta, Italy (Rome), Spain. Occasionally you wil see an iconic object, but most of the time I was there for the landscape, the street encounters, nature etc. And I cheated a bit: there are some photos of Tourist Attractions from far that came to Amsterdam in the Ziggo Dome: Genesis and Peter Gabriel.
I hope you do enjoy the gallery, and if you want to plunge deep into more of it I invite you to search by category or countries if you are interested in more.
Today we remember that 80 years ago thousands were willing to pay the highest price to give us our freedom. John Steele landed on the pinnacle of this church in the early morning of June 6 1944 in Sainte-Mère-Église.
To the brave and courageous
Who were willing to pay the ultimate price
And gave me my freedom
As a precious treasure
Never to be taken as a right
But like they did then to be defended
Again and again
Lest not forget
shot with Nikon D7000, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Each time I pass here on the way to or from Calais, I take a picture of the power lines in St. Georges-sur-l’Aa.
Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
Each time I pass here on the way to or from Calais, I take a picture of the power lines in St. Georges-sur-l’Aa.
Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
Lens Artists Photo Challenge #270 is ‘on display’. These photos were part of an assignment of a photo class in France in 1998.
About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most do have scratches, dust and stains.
Shot with Nikon F90 on Kodak TriX, scanned from film and edited using Snapseed andMarksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
This week LAPC #260 is ‘overlooked’. Taking the word literally, one from the film archives. One of the ponds in Les Tuileries in Paris, looking at the small arch and the Louvre.
About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most do have scratches, dust and stains.
Shot with Nikon F90 on Kodak TriX, scanned from film and edited using Snapseed and Marksta . Click the picture for a bigger version.
Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
Detail of the Abbaye de Beaulieu.
Just before the rain.
Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
The rolls always give me the impression they are on their way, rolling.
Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
The views of the landscapes are taken from the car in the passenger seat. And sometimes that leads to seeing surprising objects in the front of the picture. LAPC #209 is surreal.
Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
LAPC #209 is surreal. In the north of France on the west coast, just over the border with Belgium, is a wood of pylons with powerlines. Like an army stepping into the world, over a field of ripples, in St. Georges-sur-l’Aa.
Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
LAPC #209 is surreal. The rolls always give me the impression there are on their way, rolling.
Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
LAPC #209 is surreal. In the north of France on the west coast, just over the border with Belgium, is a wood of pylons with powerlines. Like an army stepping into the world, in St. Georges-sur-l’Aa.
Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
LAPC #209 is surreal. In the north of France on the west coast, just over the border with Belgium, is a wood of pylons with powerlines. Like an army stepping into the world, in St. Georges-sur-l’Aa.
Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
One from the archive. A group at Chartres admires the details on the front of the cathedral. One for ‘the eyes have it’, the theme for lens artists photo challenge #205.
The B4 retouch series
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. All of them are not completely retouched yet. Scratches, dust and stains are not removed.
Lens Artists Photo Challenge #204 for this week is ‘doors and doorways’. Blue doors in Caylus, France.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Lens Artists Photo Challenge #204 for this week is ‘doors and doorways’. The partly open gate of the church in Montmorrilon, France.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Lens Artists Photo Challenge #204 for this week is ‘doors and doorways’. Old houses in Caylus, France.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Lens Artists Photo Challenge #204 for this week is ‘doors and doorways’. An old photo of a gate in Cordes-sur-Ciel in France.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Lens Artists Photo Challenge #204 for this week is ‘doors and doorways’. An old photo of doors in Montpellier France.
About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most do have scratches, dust and stains.
Shot with Nikon F90 on Kodak TriX, scanned from film and edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
This week lens artists photo challenge is ‘that special place’. In this photo it refers to the moment of the photo. I was lying on the floor figuring out if the reflections of the Musée Carré d’Art could build up to some composition. Then, a young girls came into the frame, and I just snapped.
About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most do have scratches, dust and stains.
Shot with Nikon F90 on Kodak TriX, scanned from film and edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most do have scratches, dust and stains.
Shot with Nikon F90 on Kodak TriX, scanned from film and edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
This weeks challenge #186 is ‘Low Light’. A little alley in a medieval village. The dark parts are as interesting as the light contrasts. St. Antonin-Noble-Val is a small village in France, with a scenic old town center.
About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most do have scratches, dust and stains.
Shot with Nikon F90 on Kodak TriX, scanned from film and edited using Snapseed and Marksta
Click the picture for a bigger version
The weekly LAPC (Lens Artists Photo Challenge) #183 is ‘memorable events’. One of the ‘themes’ I always look for is ‘windows’; all kinds of windows, showing different styles of houses, culture and local weather.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The weekly LAPC (Lens Artists Photo Challenge) #183 is ‘memorable events’. One of the ‘themes’ I always look for is ‘windows’; all kinds of windows, showing different styles of houses, culture and local weather. This is Cordes sur Ciel in the south of France. As all photos on travel, they keep memories alive.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger versio
The weekly LAPC (Lens Artists Photo Challenge) #183 is ‘memorable events’. One of the ‘themes’ I always look for is ‘windows’; all kinds of windows, showing different styles of houses, culture and local weather. This is Cordes sur Ciel in the south of France. As all photos on travel, they keep memories alive.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The weekly LAPC (Lens Artists Photo Challenge) #182 is ‘interesting objects’.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The weekly LAPC (Lens Artists Photo Challenge) #182 is ‘interesting objects’. This is the front of the city hall of Caylus. The clock and the shutters caught my attention, together with the deep blue sky.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Having a drink.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
La Défense seen from the Arc de Triomphe.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Yesterday I posted a photo of the Pont de Normandie. Today another one in monochrome showing the ‘hill’ effect and its beautiful shapes.
This week’s Lens Artists Photo Challenge #181 is double dipping: send in a photo that is related to another creative challenge on WordPress. This photo is a response to the monthly Thursday special of Lost in Translation. A beautiful blog with great creative photography. Each month one can enter photo’s portraying words: in December 2021 Introspective, Anticipating, Befriending, Choices, Wish.
This photo describes anticipation and choices. If you choose to cross a bridge like this, what will it be like?
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Pont de Normandie is a beautiful bridge over the river Seine between Le Havre and Honfleur. It towers over you as you approach it. The first time I passed it I was in admiration and also in awe.
This week’s Lens Artists Photo Challenge #181 is double dipping: send in a photo that is related to another creative challenge on WordPress. This photo is a response to the monthly Thursday special of Lost in Translation. A beautiful blog with great creative photography. Each month one can enter photo’s portraying words: in December 2021 Introspective, Anticipating, Befriending, Choices, Wish.
This photo describes anticipation and choices. If you choose to cross a bridge like this, what will it be like?
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Mona Lisa is one of the most famous and genius works of art in the world. I was lucky to view it for the first time when the Louvre was not modernized. On a Monday morning in February 1984 me and a friend were the only persons in the room to admire her mysterious smile. In 2008 I saw her again from a distance, in a sea of pressing people, holding up phones and camera’s to get a glimpse of her. I have not been there since, but I can imagine what it must look like on a normal day before the pandemic. A wave of smartphones will be raised towards her, in a never ending stream of people on visiting times of the Louvre. Apparently 80% of the visitors of the Louvre come to see her.
I read in an article that at present people seek personal attention in combination with important objects and/or moments. A selfie is the instrument to gain that attention on Instagram or Twitter or Facebook or Tiktok. Mona Lisa/Lisa Gherardini never wanted that attention, a brilliant artist painted her portrait. And the rest is history. She must feel lonely now, no one is coming to see her. Or is she finally getting her well deserved rest.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Bayeux is an old village in Normandy France. Home of the Bayeux Tapestry. Here the entrance to the cathedral.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Le Mont Saint Michel is an old village on a rock in a bay on the west of France in Brittany. It is positioned in between Normandy and Brittany, and is famous for its abbey.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Bayeux is an old village in Normandy France. Home of the Bayeux Tapestry.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for this week’s Lens-artists Photo Challenge #178 is You Choose.
The shore before Saint Malo, in Brittany.
shot with Nikon D7000, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The theme for this week’s Lens-artists Photo Challenge #178 is You Choose.
The harbor of Barfleur, a small village in the West of Normandy.
shot with Nikon D7000, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
An ordinary fence on the side of the motor way in the north of France for this week’s lens artists challenge #169: the ordinary.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
What's (in) the Picture? 