What's (in) the Picture?

Chris Breebaart Photography – finding stories

Posts from the ‘sky’ category

Final Approach

Aerial view of a black airplane flying against a light blue gradient background.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

Incoming flights can be annoying, on the other hand they offer a dynamic photo subject!

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

Levels Day

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

During the Summer we see much more incoming traffic to Schiphol Amsterdam. Quite annoying actually, every minute a plane coming in. During day time they approach just over 600 meters, but in the evening they fly in from 1000 meters. When the wind turns West again in Autumn it will be over. However, who enjoys sitting in his garden in Autumn rain?

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

Cley Windmill

A black and white landscape image featuring Cley windmill in the distance, surrounded by grassy fields and a cloudy sky.
England, Cley next the sea – January 2025

This is the famous Cley windmill at Cley next the sea. It’s by far the best name for a coastal village. Interestingly, it actually does not have a sea front. The mill was owned by the family of James Blunt.

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

Field of Dahlia 2

A vibrant field of green plants with blooming orange dahlias under a bright blue sky, showcasing the beauty of summer flowers.

The Netherlands, Voorhout – August 2025

In Spring this field produces either hyacinths, daffodils or tulips. In Summer this year it produces Dahlia.

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

Field of Dahlia

A vibrant field filled with blooming dahlias under a clear blue sky, showcasing various colors and growth stages.
The Netherlands, Voorhout – August 2025

In Spring this field produces either hyacinths, daffodils or tulips. In Summer this year it produces Dahlia.

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

Choices And Preferences 2 (Sky)

I have a fondness for black and white aka monochrome. That grew on me. Mono was cheaper 50 years ago and more ‘easy’ to handle in a dark room. Monochrome gives something extra at times. The sphere, the grain. And over all these years I learned to see objects in monochrome, visualizing what something looks like in grays.

When I bought my first Nikon digital camera (the D70), I naively asked ‘where is the monochrome setting?’. It was not there. Shooting was color only. If I wanted mono I had to create it myself afterwards in Lightroom, Photoshop or an app like Snapseed. But lucky for me, on the iPhone and on the recent Nikon Zf, there are monochrome settings. To be honest, that was one of the reasons to buy a Zf. So now I have a choice: choose a mono or color setting, or turn color afterward turn it into mono.

I know the taste of my ‘audience’ is different than mine. In three days I like to find out more about your taste. What do you fancy more: a photo in mono or in color? 

This second one is about sky. Always there, lots of it. In color it can be blue, white, gray, dark. In mono it delivers whites, grays and dark zones. In mono the image changes it seems. An abstract sky can turn into something mysterious. The photo was shot in color.

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

Choices And Preferences 1 (Cley next the sea)

I have a fondness for black and white aka monochrome. That grew on me. Mono was cheaper 50 years ago and more ‘easy’ to handle in a dark room. Monochrome gives something extra at times. The sphere, the grain. And over all these years I learned to see objects in monochrome, visualizing what something looks like in grays.

When I bought my first Nikon digital camera (the D70), I naively asked ‘where is the monochrome setting?’. It was not there. Shooting was color only. If I wanted mono I had to create it myself afterwards in Lightroom, Photoshop or an app like Snapseed. But lucky for me, on the iPhone and on the recent Nikon Zf, there are monochrome settings. To be honest, that was one of the reasons to buy a Zf. So now I have a choice: mono or color.

I know the taste of my ‘audience’ is different than mine. In three days I like to find out more about your taste. What do you fancy more: a photo in mono or in color?

This is the famous Cley windmill at Cley next the sea. It’s by far the best name for a coastal village. Interestingly, it actually does not have a sea front. The mill was owned by the family of James Blunt. The photo was shot in color.

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

And Another Sunset Nudge

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – July 2025

One can not take enough photos of sunsets.

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

Let It Roll

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

Swift

A swallow, high in the sky. A warm day.

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – July 2025

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

Genesis Inspiration: Photographing the Moon with iPhone

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – July 2025

One of my favorite bands is Genesis. In 1976 A Trick of the Tail came out with a beautiful song ‘Mad Man Moon’. Last month I tried to take a shot of the moon using my iPhone. And this is the result.

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

Golden Summer Morning

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – July 2025

And the sun also rises in gold on a Summer morning. And when you shoot it in color, it is literally photographer’s gold.

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

Capturing Summer Mornings in Oegstgeest

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – July 2025

Summer mornings can sometimes welcome you into a warm, joyful and laid back day. This is one of those days filled with ease. The sun also rises, each day, at more or less the same place. And when you catch it early, it is photographer’s gold.

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

Unexpected iPhone Long Exposure Sunset Shot

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – July 2025

While trying to take an after sunset photo, my iPhone decided it needed a long exposure. The result an unexpected shot. This is the photo I aimed for. It was published two days ago. It shows the sun reflecting in the clouds after sunset.

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

Stunning Sunset Reflections in Oegstgeest

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – July 2025

The sun reflects its light in the clouds after sunset.

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

Capturing Katwijk: Church and Rooftops

The Netherlands, Katwijk aan Zee – June 2025

This part of Katwijk is not much photographed, I guess. The roofs and the tower of the church made a nice composition.

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

Modern Times: Don Quixote needs swimming lessons

A serene view of offshore wind turbines on a blue sea under a clear sky.
The Netherlands, Katwijk aan Zee – June 2025

In our times Don Quixote would be busy fighting a plenty of windmills. Most of them you find at sea, would he take swimming lessons?

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

Goede Hoop

The Netherlands, Voorhout – May 2025

Windmill ‘Hoop doet leven’ in Voorhout.

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

Back at the beach in Spring 2009

The Netherlands, Katwijk – March 2009

The beach of Katwijk in Spring 2009.

shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

On Policy

The Netherlands, Den Haag – May 2025

The LAPC challenge for this week (#354) is ‘reflections’. Reflecting can be visual but also in a way of contemplating. On the photo three Dutch government policy departments.

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

Leiden Marathon seen from Joop Zoetemelk Path

The Leiden Marathon as seen from the bicycle path, dedicated to one of the most successful Dutch professional cyclists, Joop Zoetemelk near Rijpwetering.

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

Dutch Horizons

The Dutch landscape has low horizons and is flat (but not as a pancake). Canals cut through it. Bicycle paths offer easy access for exploring. These photos are just behind the dunes at Noordwijk. They are at the edge of the Maandagse Wetering. On the horizon is Voorhout.

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

On The Waterfront: Maandagse Wetering

The Netherlands, Noordwijk – May 2025

The Maandagse Wetering, a good spot to enjoy the sun while fishing.

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

From A Train Spotting

The Netherlands, Voorschoten – May 2025

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

Arrival

The Netherlands, Den Haag – May 2025

Den Haag Central Station.

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

Den Haag Central Station

The Netherlands, Den Haag – May 2025

Den Haag Central Station.

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

Den Haag Tower

The Netherlands, Den Haag – May 2025

Den Haag Central Station.

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

Through The Wire

France, St. George sur L’Aa – May 2025

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 SnapseedGrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Wisteria

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – May 2025

This is the Wisteria on its best! It is absolutely gorgeous, for us and the wild bees!

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

Last Field

The Netherlands, Voorhout – April 2025

All the bulb flowers of Spring are now gone. We have to wait for next year to see tulips, daffodils and hyacinths ruling the fields of our flat lands. Until then we enjoy nature exploding in its full force, and after that its decline into Winter. But for now it’s amazing how fast everything springs out.

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

Clouds and Rays

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – April 2025

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

Haagse Poort (Gateway to Den Haag)

The Netherlands, Den Haag – March 2025

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

Flower Parade 2025: The Last Ones

The Netherlands, Voorhout April 2025

April 12 2025 was the yearly Bollenstreek flower parade; an impressive treat of creativity and beauty. The colors on display, the fragrance, the beautiful arrangements and the wonderful weather made it a true treat. 

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

Flower Parade 2025: Pump it Up

The Netherlands, Voorhout April 2025

April 12 2025 was the yearly Bollenstreek flower parade; an impressive treat of creativity and beauty. The colors on display, the fragrance, the beautiful arrangements and the wonderful weather made it a true treat. 

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

Flower Parade 2025: Advertising by Flowers

The Netherlands, Voorhout – April 2025

April 12 2025 was the yearly Bollenstreek flower parade; an impressive treat of creativity and beauty. The colors on display, the fragrance, the beautiful arrangements and the wonderful weather made it a true treat. 

Some of the floats were sponsored by countries, to promote tourism or expressing a bond. Here some photos of the floats of China, Thailand and Brazil.

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

Flower Parade 2025: Tulips in Nature

The Netherlands, Voorhout – April 2025

April 12 2025 was the yearly Bollenstreek flower parade; an impressive treat of creativity and beauty. The colors on display, the fragrance, the beautiful arrangements and the wonderful weather made it a true treat. 

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

Flower Parade 2025: Monkey Business

The Netherlands, Voorhout – April 2025

April 12 2025 was the yearly Bollenstreek flower parade; an impressive treat of creativity and beauty. The colors on display, the fragrance, the beautiful arrangements and the wonderful weather made it a true treat. 

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