The Netherlands, Lisse – May 2026
LAPC #403 focuses on photography tools: perspective, depth and scale. Here two photos of the same group of Aliums in a field, slightly different use of depth and framing. The main difference is the use of focus and framing. I am not sure which one is better, so you be the judge of it.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
LAPC #403 focuses on photography tools: perspective, depth and scale. Here a little detail on a sunny morning. The sunny backlight in the undergrowth.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Lens Artists Photo Challenge #402 is a return to the first ever LAPC: wonder. In this world there is plenty to wonder about. Like how they build something as beautiful as this, brought back to its original state in the nineties of last century, was created. It is part of a big palace, palace Het Loo.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Lens Artists Photo Challenge #402 is a return to the first ever LAPC: wonder. Embrace the world and what it brings to you.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The park of palace Het Loo.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
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
The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville sur Mer.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Sunset and golden hour.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
A major part of The Netherlands lies beneath sea level. Water, and the management of it in infrastructure as polders, dams and canals, is normal. We even not think of living under sea level. We feel safe.
The flat landscape makes it interesting to look for lines that guide the eyes through the space. In a polder there are always canals that do the trick.
The question here is: which appeals most to your taste buds?
LAPC #395 looks back to LAPC #155 ‘On the water’. Water is not on our minds, but it is mindful to keep defending dry land against rising sea, rivers and soon (thanks to climate change with a bigger financial effort) rain. Meanwhile water is seen in most of the landscapes of The Netherlands.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
A major part of The Netherlands lies beneath sea level. Water, and the management of it in infrastructure as polders, dams and canals, is normal. We even not think of living under sea level. We feel safe.
Here a polder with an old windmill (painted by Monet long ago) – originally used to pump water out of a polder- and a small canal in a polder with tulips. Only the clogs are missing!
LAPC #395 looks back to LAPC #155 ‘On the water’. Water is not on our minds, but it is mindful to keep defending dry land against rising sea, rivers and soon (thanks to climate change with a bigger financial effort) rain.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
One of the events during Spring is the annual flower parade in the ‘bulbflowerbelt’ the Duin- en Bollenstreek. The parade has a history, it started in 1947, and is one of the biggest in The Netherlands. It is a main event for tourists. And a big presentation of bulbflower producing in this area. The Netherlands is well known for its flower production, all over the world. It is closely knit to the history and culture in this area of The Netherlands.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
One of the events during Spring is the annual flower parade in the ‘bulbflowerbelt’ the Duin- en Bollenstreek. The parade has a history, it started in 1947, and is one of the biggest in The Netherlands. It is a main event for tourists. And a big presentation of bulbflower producing in this area. The Netherlands is well known for its flower production, all over the world. It is closely knit to the history and culture in this area of The Netherlands.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
One of the events during Spring is the annual flower parade in the ‘bulbflowerbelt’ the Duin- en Bollenstreek. The parade has a history, it started in 1947, and is one of the biggest in The Netherlands. It is a main event for tourists. And a big presentation of bulbflower producing in this area. The Netherlands is well known for its flower production, all over the world. It is closely knit to the history and culture in this area of The Netherlands.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
One of the events during Spring is the annual flower parade in the ‘bulbflowerbelt’ the Duin- en Bollenstreek. The parade has a history, it started in 1947, and is one of the biggest in The Netherlands. It is a main event for tourists. And a big presentation of bulbflower producing in this area. The Netherlands is well known for its flower production, all over the world. It is closely knit to the history and culture in this area of The Netherlands.
The LAPC #394 of this week is ‘history through the lens’.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
One of the events during Spring is the annual flower parade in the ‘bulbflowerbelt’ the Duin- en Bollenstreek. The parade has a history, it started in 1947, and is one of the biggest in The Netherlands. It is a main event for tourists. And a big presentation of bulbflower producing in this area. The Netherlands is well known for its flower production, all over the world. It is closely knit to the history and culture in this area of The Netherlands.
The LAPC #394 of this week is ‘history through the lens’.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Normally I try to spot the man in the moon, but this time it was Artemis 2 flying around.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The sun beaming through as it rises.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The theme of this week’s LAPC (#392) is about framing, using the foreground, middle and background. Government office Rijnstraat 8 in The Hague.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger
A shower of Spring rain with sun lighting up the drops. Setting the scene in the middle ground as the foreground and background form the stage setting. The theme of this week’s LAPC (#392) is ‘foreground, middle and background’.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Fortunately, this is really just around the corner. This time of year it is fun to take the bicycle and check out the flowers in the area. Especially when the sun shines. As most of my photos on here are taken on iPhone I do fit the brief of this week’s LAPC theme week (#391) ‘Phone photography’ easy.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
A quiet morning.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
This week’s theme #390 is ‘color in black and white’. The theme focuses on the cognitive fact that our brains still know a color, even if it is in a grey tone. So the sky is blue, the grass green etc. Here you can see what colors do in greys, and if that is appealing or not to your taste pallet. For me this challenge is a bit of fun: most of the time I am looking at the world translating colors straight into grey tones, seeing if a photo is working in monochrome or not. Thanks Egidio for this challenge.
If you visit my blog – like I hope you do or from now start to do – you must have recognized my ‘old’ love for monochrome. When I started this hobby, mono was fashionable and a standard for news photography. And it was cheaper. In this series I offer you two versions of a photo. And you can prefer one over the other, or not.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
A view created by the panorama setting of the iPhone. It is what you can see, but not as you see it in real.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
If you visit my blog – like I hope you do or from now start to do – you must have recognized my ‘old’ love for monochrome. When I started this hobby, mono was fashionable and a standard for news photography. And it was cheaper. In this series I offer you two versions of a photo. And you can prefer one over the other, or not.
This week’s theme #390 is ‘color in black and white’. What an appropiate theme, to show the last of the series. A view out of the window. Egidio’s theme focused on the cognitive fact that our brains still know a soccer pitch is green, even in grey tones. Here you can see what colors do in greys, and if that is appealing or not to your taste pallet.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Well, it is not a box, but the association with the name is quite powerful. This ‘box’ holds only sparkly things, instead of the mythological one. I published the color version a week ago. Westfield in Leidschendam, Mall of The Netherlands.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseedand Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Spring knocks on the door. Sunrises through young leaves, creating golden slumbers in the early sunlight. Vanishing as the sun climbs higher in the sky.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The view towards the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (Royal Library). This weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #387 is Shadowed. How do you use shadows in photography.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
A Winter sunrise. This weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #387 is Shadowed. How do you use shadows in photography.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
This weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #387 is Shadowed. How do you use shadows in photography. I am not sure if this fits the brief, the silhouettes of a tree through a rain covered window.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Den Haag Haagse Poort on a day with fog. Just a mono.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseedand Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
It is quite a simple question to ask. Do you prefer the monochrome version or the colored version of a photo?
I grew up with monochrome. Because it was cheaper. That applied to films as well as darkroom costs.
The mono version emphasizes the background and atmosphere. The colored version is high lighting the front of the frame.
But in the end, as the famous nr. 14 Johan Cruyff said: every advantage has its disadvantages. And the choice is as always subjective.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseedand Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The last of snow – so far – this Winter. Just a little cover at the start of the evening.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
LAPC #386 invites to use the power of juxtaposition. I give the brief a bit more room for experiment, and put two pictures next to another. They both have a narrative of their own. It is basically the same subject (trees) but framed in a different way.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
LAPC #386 invites to use the power of juxtaposition. Basically put two objects in a frame to create a narrative or reaction about their relation. A street lamp and two poles.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The LAPC theme #385 is ‘unusual crop’. Station Den Haag – Laan van Nieuw Oost-Indië (that is a throat breaker for most of you non-Dutch speakers). Tracking the tracks.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The LAPC theme #385 is ‘unusual crop’. This one was cropped/framed by zoom on the iPhone while shooting.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The LAPC theme #385 is ‘unusual crop’. It is about cropping (re-framing an existing image) for effect. I used an old photo from March 2018 to play with for this theme. I cropped it to get rid of some elements that I kept in the original shot. This theme makes me think about how I shoot and the principles I learned in the past.
I am not sure I fully understand the essence of the brief. I only understand it if I take it literally: how it is unusual for me to use cropping while editing. Let me try to explain. Cropping afterwards is to re-frame a shot. My aim is to frame a desired photo at the shoot on the camera. That is a principal I learned long ago. Modern technology helps. You can see the result of a shot right away on the camera. And zoom lenses give you the flexibility to decide about the framing. Long ago, all I shot was on a 50 mm lens on film. Then sometimes I deliberately shot to ‘crop’ the result. E.g. when I was unable to get close enough. In the darkroom, you enlarged the picture (blow up), and then decided the result of the frame. Nevertheless, this often resulted in a loss of quality (grain, sharpness). So I learned to frame from the start, long ago.
But even in those analogue days, blowing up negatives was creative, it added to the texture of a photo. Nowadays it is easier to be playful using better technology. Camera’s, phones, software, monitors, computers all contribute to more agility in the editing process.
I am curious about the perspective of other ‘old school’ photographers. The ones who used film and a darkroom in the past before the digital age. How do they view this challenge?
Shot with iPhone 6s plus edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.
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
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.
Westgate Street in Blakeney, the access to the Quay at the seafront.
Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
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.
An alley in Blakeney.
Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
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.
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.
Theme for Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #380 is ‘what’s around the corner’. Last week we had snow in the village.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.
The last leaves of the Magnolia
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.
Autumn colors color the village.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.
Autumn colors color the village.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.
There is not a wall or hill, or other side. It is just green.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
What's (in) the Picture? 