What's (in) the Picture?

Chris Breebaart Photography – finding stories

Posts from the ‘sky’ category

Marshes Panorama Blakeney

Panoramic view of a sunset over a grassy field with a winding path on the left side.
England, Blakeney, December 2025

To end a long set of photos of the marshes near Blakeney, a panorama shot.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseedand Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Running On Empty

Two runners jogging on a dirt path surrounded by grassy fields under an overcast sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

The coast path between Blakeney and Cley next the sea is used often by joggers.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner

A person jogging on a dirt path leading towards a scenic landscape with grass and a distant view of wind turbines under a partly cloudy sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

I published this one in a black and white version earlier, but this is the original. The coast path between Blakeney and Cley next the sea is used often by joggers.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

First Light of a Winter Sunrise on the Marshes

Sunset view over a grassy marsh with silhouettes of trees in the background and a jet trail in the sky.

England, Blakeney – December 2025

Lens-Artist’s Photo Challenge #383 is ‘patterns and designs’. Sunrises are always amazing, but the marshes being touched by the first rays is amazing to see.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Cley Next The Sea

A scenic view of a landscape at sunset, featuring a windmill in the distance, rolling hills, and a field with tall grass under a colorful sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

Lens-Artist’s Photo Challenge #383 is ‘patterns and designs’. The sunrise over the famous Cley windmill and Cley next the sea.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Sunny Rain

A scenic view of a riverbank scene with buildings on one side, a sandy area in the foreground, and dramatic clouds in the sky, capturing the beauty of nature and architecture.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

Lens-Artist’s Photo Challenge #383 is ‘patterns and designs’. A Winter rain shower over the quaside of Blakeney.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Rainbows

A vibrant rainbow arcs over a cloudy sky at a coastal location, with a signboard and boats visible in the foreground.
A rainbow arcs across a cloudy sky over a serene landscape with a small white sailboat in the foreground.
A scenic landscape featuring two rainbows in a cloudy sky, with several parked cars and a person photographing the scene in the foreground.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

Lens-Artist’s Photo Challenge #383 is ‘patterns and designs’. Being caught in Winter shower in Blakeney, resultated in a gorgeous full and double rainbow. As we can see here, the story of the pot of gold is probably not true.

Shot with Nikon Zf (the two portrait photos),and iPhone 15 Pro Max (the landscape) edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Juno

A person sitting on a stone ledge near a calm body of water, looking at their phone, with a sailboat moored in the background and cars parked nearby.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

The quayside and harbour of Blakeney.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Seal Trips

A serene coastal scene featuring a calm river reflecting the sky, with a sailboat in the background and a sandy shoreline. Signposts are visible on the right.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

The quayside of Blakeney. Here you can go on a small boat to see Blakeney Point, visit the seals.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Walk

A wide landscape featuring a grassy hill with various people walking along the top, under a cloudy sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

The path along the seafront in Blakeney.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Blakeney

A tranquil scene of a river with a wooden boat and surrounding grassy banks, reflecting the evening sky, with a couple of people walking along a nearby wooden pier.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

The seafront in Blakeney.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Rejected Photos

Lens-artists Photo Challenge #382 is about rejected photos. What do you do with photos you do not like? You can throw them away, or you can keep them. And if you keep them what can you do with them? First a story of myself, how I work. And in the end an example.

I am a snap shooter for a long time. When looking at this question for myself, I have to distinguish between the analog age and the digital age. But in both ages it is about quality, how you can assess that and what instruments are available after shooting. And above all: how can you be creative, and how much room is there to experiment?

The analog age was expensive: film was expensive, darkroom materials were expensive too. And being a poor student I shot as efficient as possible. You had to be patient while shooting, and selective. You also needed to trust your skills. Experience was essential to figure out what worked and what not. To produce good prints you needed to develop darkroom skills. And some negatives were impossible to print. But you kept them all. I never threw away negatives. That decision was beneficial in the digital age. After scanning my negatives, I properly made them look like what I had in mind when shooting them. What the darkroom did not deliver, software did.

In the digital age the cost of a photo is nearly non existent. The original photo (the former negative) can be copied lots of times. From the start technology offers instruments to oversee the quality of the photos. What you shoot is instantly visible on the camera. You can try different changes in the photo. Adjustments like shutter time, focus, and shutter opening can be tested most of the time. The RAW format offers flexibility for editing the ‘negative’ after the shoot. Software offers lots of creative tools to change the photo, or create new images.

So, do you keep rejected (bad) photos or not? I do reject photos, overseeing the result on my camera. I keep photos that can come to a good result after editing. The rest I remove straight away (e.g. bracketing shots).What I keep is stored on my NAS, where I use Lightroom as my archiving tool. I use editing tools to tweak a photo slightly. My favorite is Snapseed for web and social media publication. And Lightroom and Photoshop for prints.

The digital age is a time for unlimited creativity. The photos of ‘dinner at Wiveton Bell’ are an example of testing out the iPhone in a very dark situation. I shot about 8 frames, I kept them all but had my doubts. At home I worked them in Lightroom and Snapseed. And was surprised by what came out. And the ones that did not work were indeed deleted.

On the left the photo published and on the right the original RAW file.

Four silhouetted figures walking in a dimly lit parking area at night, with a church tower in the background under a starry sky.
Four figures walking on a gravel path toward a church under a starry sky, with parked cars on either side.
Silhouettes of two people walking in a dimly lit street surrounded by parked cars and a faint glow from a nearby light source.
Two silhouetted figures walking on a dimly lit street at night, with a faint light illuminating their path, and a distant building silhouette against a darkened sky.
A moody, abstract landscape featuring silhouetted structures against a dark, colorful sky with hints of light.
A nighttime scene featuring dark clouds and a few visible stars, with silhouettes of buildings in the foreground.
A dimly lit pathway at night with a bright moon overhead, featuring shadowy figures walking along the path, illuminated by faint light.
A group of people walking along a dark path illuminated by flashlights, with a bright moon in the night sky.

Old Pub

A picturesque village square featuring traditional architecture with red-tiled roofs, surrounded by several buildings and a clear blue sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

The King’s Arms in in Blakeney. Founded in 1763. And still sells fresh beer.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Marshes With a bit of Cley Next The Sea (on the left)

Black and white landscape of a grassy marshland with distant trees and a cloudy sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

The last in the series of monochrome, more or less minimal photos for this week’s Lens artists photo challenge #381 (minimalism in black and white photography). 

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Marooned

Black and white photograph of a dilapidated shipwreck on a barren landscape under a cloudy sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

An old boat, slowly decaying on the marshes near Blakeney. Lens artists photo challenge #381 is ‘minimalism in black and white photography’.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Bus Stop Morning

A black and white photograph of a quiet road with street signs and a central traffic island in the distance, surrounded by trees and a cloudy sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

Lens artists photo challenge #381 is ‘minimalism in black and white photography’. A bus stop at sunrise.
If you wonder how it looks in color? Here is an iPhone shot of 2024 at the same spot. In the monochrome the sun is not over the horizon, in the color one it is.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Dinner at the Wiveton Bell in Norfolk

Abstract night scene featuring silhouettes of buildings and structures against a colorful, illuminated sky.
A dark night scene featuring a faint moon in the sky above a shadowy path, with silhouettes of people walking along the trail.
Two silhouetted figures walking on a dark street illuminated by a car's headlights, with a dark sky and a building in the background.
Four silhouetted figures walking towards a church under a starry night sky, with parked cars visible in the foreground.
England, Wiveton, Blakeney – December 2025

Having dinner at the Wiveton Bell. A beautiful moonlight night, an open invitation to play with the iPhone. The results did surprise me.

The bottom right photo is taken with the night modus. The rest with the manual mode of ‘real light’.

The one of the church reminds me of a medieval painting.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version. 

Iced Sky

Black and white image of a textured sky filled with clouds, showing varying shades and patterns.
Close-up view of ice crystals against a blue sky, showcasing intricate snowflakes and sparkling frost.
Close-up of sparkling ice and snow with a blue background, reflecting light.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – January 2026

The sky through ice on a window.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.

Traces

A black and white image of a cloud-filled sky with a faint contrail running diagonally across the frame.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

Traces in the sky, passing by and fleeting.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.

Big Old Jet Airliner

Dusk sky with soft pink and gray clouds, featuring a vapor trail from an airplane.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

The sky at dusk is a nice canvas to play with.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.

Sky

A serene winter sky at dusk with soft pastel colors blending into deep shades.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

At dusk, a beautiful Winter sky.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.

Meerkoeten aka Moorhens

A foggy view of a canal with reflections in the water, surrounded by muted trees and a building in the background. A small ripple marks the surface where a moorhen swims.
A misty canal scene featuring a solitary moorhen in black and white, surrounded by trees and a still water surface.
Four moorhens swimming in a calm canal, captured in black and white.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

Moorhens in the canal.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.

Heavy Horizon

A dramatic sky filled with dark rain clouds, featuring silhouettes of trees and a flock of birds flying across the scene.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

An iPhone long lens shot of a heavy rain sky. This was the first of the three photos I published the last three days.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.

Birds

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

An iPhone long lens shot of the horizon, catching geese by accident, against a heavy rain sky. I cropped the motorway A44 out on this one.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.

Blues

A long shot of a dark sky with heavy rain, featuring birds flying over motorway A44, with a blue car passing and bare trees in the foreground.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – November 2025

A long shot with an iPhone; a heavy rain sky with birds over motorway A44.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.

Out of the chimney

Silhouette of a chimney with smoke against a twilight sky.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

Who says chimneys are boring?

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.

A Grey Quiet Day

A silhouette of a chimney emitting smoke against a monochromatic background, capturing the essence of a quiet evening.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

Who says chimneys are boring?

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.

Just missed Saint Nicholas, or Waiting For Santa?

Silhouette of a rooftop with smoke rising from a chimney against a blue sky.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.

Under A Rainbow

A McDonald's sign is visible against a backdrop of a rainbow and cloudy skies.
The Netherlands, Delft – October 2025

At the end of a rainbow should be a pot of gold. Not sure if that is a Mcadee.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Lake Side

Landscape view of Klinkenberger Plas, showcasing a grassy shore with tall reeds beside a calm water body under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – November 2025

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Moon over Oegstgeest

A full moon illuminating a canal at night, reflecting on the water, with a silhouetted tree in the foreground and houses in the background.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – November 2025

The Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #375 is ‘where to find the mysterious’. The full moon over the canal. A sight not often seen. This is a different photo of the same scene I posted yesterday.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.

Mondschein

A vibrant full moon illuminating the night sky above a tranquil canal, reflecting light on the water's surface.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – November 2025

The Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #375 is ‘where to find the mysterious’. The full moon over the canal. A sight not often seen.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.

Incremental

A dramatic sunset sky filled with wispy clouds, showcasing shades of blue, pink, and soft yellow.
Artistic depiction of swirling autumn clouds during sunset, featuring shades of pink and gray.
Colorful swirling clouds against an autumn sunset sky.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – October 2025

Autumn skies at sunset.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Windowed Leafs

A close-up view of a single leaf resting on a rain-soaked window, with a blurred blue sky in the background.
Close-up of colorful leaves floating on a wet window pane with a cloudy sky in the background.
Fallen autumn leaves scattered on a wet window with a cloudy sky in the background.
Fallen leaves drifting against a cloudy sky, viewed through a window with raindrops.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – October 2025

The sky and fallen leaves on windows.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

On The Road At Sunrise

View of the A44 and A4 highways towards Schiphol Amsterdam at sunrise, with wind turbines along the roadside and a clear blue sky transitioning to orange hues.
A scenic view of the A44 and A4 highways leading to Schiphol Amsterdam at sunrise, featuring silhouetted wind turbines and vehicles on the road.
The Netherlands, Haarlemmermeer – September 2025

On the road at sunrise, the A44 and A4 to Schiphol Amsterdam.

I am not sure this is filling the brief of LAPC #373 ‘looking back at landscapes’. It’s more looking forward on the road.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Sky Views

A plane flying through a dynamic sky filled with clouds of various forms and shades of blue.
A dramatic sky filled with dynamic clouds showcasing a mix of colors and light.
A dynamic sky filled with clouds in various forms and colors, with sunlight peeking through and a small airplane flying in the distance.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – October 2025

The sky and clouds are a dynamic big display of forms, colors and light. Looking up at times can take your mind off the daily life at moments.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Oegstgeest, The Netherlands

A scenic view of a tree with autumn leaves, surrounded by cloudy skies and a park setting, featuring benches and bicycles in the background.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – October 2025

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

In The Dutch Mountains

A lush green field in the Netherlands with a herd of cows grazing under a blue sky with fluffy clouds.
The Netherlands, Voorhout – September 2025

The Netherlands, as its name indicates, is flat. ‘Flat as a pancake’. But sometimes it looks as if we have mountains.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta.  Click the picture for a larger version.

High Rise Head’s Up Berlin

A modern high-rise building with a curved facade and numerous windows, set against a cloudy sky.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

This high rising can be found near the  Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtnis Kirche.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Clean Berlin

View of a historic building at the former Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, with a blue sky and street scene, featuring a bicycle and an orange trash can.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

On the corner of the former Checkpoint Charlie (on the West Side).

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

From the Reichstag Roof

A couple sitting on the rooftop terrace of the Reichstag building, with a view of trees in the background.
View from the roof of the Reichstag building in Berlin, showcasing the German flag and surrounding architecture under a cloudy sky.
Panoramic view of Berlin skyline featuring the domes of Französischer Dom and Deutscher Dom, alongside modern buildings and cranes under a cloudy sky.
Panoramic view of Berlin's skyline, showcasing notable landmarks including the television tower, Berlin Cathedral, and the Red Town Hall against a cloudy sky.
View from the roof of the Reichstag building in Berlin, featuring the German flag, a glass railing, and a cloudy sky.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Views from the roof of the Reichstag. The panorama in the middle of the topline is from the iPhone15promax. On the bottom row on the left, you can see several notable ‘towers’. There is the television tower on Alexanderplatz, the International Trade Center, Berlin Cathedral, and the Red Town Hall. On the top right on the left the dome of the Französischer Dom, and on the right the Deutchser Dom (on Gendarmenmarkt).

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Panorama shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max.

From the roof of the Reichstag

A cloudy view from the Reichstag roof showcasing Tiergarten, featuring the Victory Column on the left and the Carillion on the right, with Teufelsberg in the background.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

A view from the roof of the Reichstag, overlooking Tiergarten. On the left The Victory Column. On the right side is the Carillion, a 42 meter hight bell tower. And in the background the Teufelsberg.

I am not sure this photo is dreamy enough to enter Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #369 ‘dreamy’.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz: From Wall to Skyscrapers

A woman walks along a wide pavement at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, surrounded by modern high-rise buildings under a cloudy sky.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Human measure on Potsdamer Platz. During the time of the Berlin Wall people were a spic in a vast open space. Now they are a spic being over towered by high rising.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Berlin Brandenburger Tor Photographers

Black and white photo of the Brandenburger Gate in Berlin, with various people exploring and taking pictures in the foreground.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Brandenburger Gate (Brandenburger Tor) is a much used backdrop for photos in Berlin.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Both Sides Of History – Berlin Brandenburger Tor

A black and white photo of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, framed by trees and streetlamps, with people walking beneath the iconic structure.
The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, surrounded by a section of the Berlin Wall covered in graffiti, with people and barriers in the foreground.
Black and white photograph of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, featuring a stop sign in the foreground and a foggy atmosphere.
A black and white photograph of a soldier standing on a stone wall near columns, with graffiti visible in the foreground, conveying a sense of historical significance.
Black and white image of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, with a crowd of people gathered in front and historical architecture surrounding it.
Black and white photograph of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, featuring a crowd of people walking through and around the iconic structure on a cloudy day.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Brandenburger Gate (Brandenburger Tor) in Berlin was an iconic point at the time of the Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer). The gate then stood in no mans land, and showed the alienating effects of division through the city. Now the Brandenburger Gate is a symbol of unity of Berlin. It was a pleasure to walk through the gates, and enjoy the people and streets around it. And the see the gate back at its splendor.

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.

The monochrome set of 1989 was shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX. The colorfilm was Fuji, and shot on Pentax Espio 115M. 2025 photos shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the pictures for a larger version.

Berlin Gendarmenmarkt

Reflection of the Französischer Dom visible in the glass doors of the Deutscher Dom at Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025
A view of the Deutscher Dom (German Cathedral) at Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin, featuring its ornate dome and statues, with visitors strolling in the square.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

One of the beautiful squares in Berlin: the Gendarmenmarkt. On one side you find the Deutscher Dom a.k.a. Neue Kirche (German Cathedral), and opposite the Französischer Dom (French Cathedral). The top photo reflects the latter in the doors of the Deutscher Dom.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.