Before Take Off
Before take off. Just before the adventure starts (LPAC #405 is ‘adventure’).
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Posts from the ‘Summer’ category
Up
In the sky over Kent at sunrise.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Somewhere only we know
The skies over Kent.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
London Gatwick
Early morning, before take off.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Le Plat Pays – The Netherlands
The coast of The Netherlands, showing the Dutch version of Le Plat Pays (my flat country) from an incoming Easyjet flight from London Gatwick to Schiphol Amsterdam. Lots of windmills still.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Unquiet Slumbers for The Restless Sleepers …….
The evening sunset sky, offers a wider range of colours.
Inspired by a Genesis’ song from the Wind and Wuthering album: Unquiet slumbers for the restless sleepers ……. in that quiet earth.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Horses
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Choose your pick 3
People who follow my photoblog (thank you!) know my love for monochrome. And sometimes it is a matter of taste what to choose: the original colour shot, or the monochrome version? That is if the original shot is not done in monochrome, I do that quite a lot on iPhone and Nikon Zf.
The question to you is: which one do you prefer, and why? Any comments are as always welcome.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Choose your pick 2
People who follow my photoblog (thank you!) know my love for monochrome. And sometimes it is a matter of taste what to choose: the original colour shot, or the monochrome version? That is if the original shot is not done in monochrome, I do that quite a lot on iPhone and Nikon Zf.
The question to you is: which one do you prefer, and why? Any comments are as always welcome.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Choose your pick
People who follow my photoblog (thank you!) know my love for monochrome. And sometimes it is a matter of taste what to choose: the original colour shot, or the monochrome version? That is if the original shot is not done in monochrome, I do that quite a lot on iPhone and Nikon Zf.
The question to you is: which one do you prefer, and why? Any comments are as always welcome.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Country Road
Almost heaven, West-Sussex………….
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Four
Four mares, hopefully four new foals.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Skywalker
Last year in May Skywalker was born with a hip problem. He recovered from that. Here he is a year and some months later.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Red Red Rose
Sometimes a little detail catches the eye. And keeps catching the eye. And then you take some photo’s. The red roses in the mix at early sunlight.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Gold
The last stages of the Allium flower.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
In The Mix
The early sunrise light is almost magical.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Morning
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Heatwave
Climate change seems to kick in, with a heatwave stronger than before the last week. Sit in the garden, having a drink, have a read. Chill.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Alien Allium
Even after blooming the Allium flower stays remarkable.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Summer Rose
LAPC #403 focuses on photography tools: perspective, depth and scale. Roses in the warm after sunrise light.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The End of Allium
LAPC #403 focuses on photography tools: perspective, depth and scale. Normally it is better to cut the flower off after it has died, to keep the food in the bulb for next year. But an Allium turns into something quite spectacular.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
June 6 1944 – June 6 2026
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.
On The Road At Sunrise
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.
Smoking at Work: Reichstag Berlin
From the roof of the Reichstag. A member of staff has a smoke break. A slightly less common street detail nowadays for LAPC #371.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Looking East (and for the West)-Berlin
The last time, before this visit in September, I saw this part of Berlin was in November 1989. This side was West Berlin, the Spree and across was East Berlin. The Berlin Wall cut straight to the right. It was just 20 meters from the East wall of the Reichstag.
Now the Bundestag offices connect both sides of the river. The tension of the Berlin Wall is literally out of sight. But not forgotten. Seven crosses are just outside this frame on the right side. They remind us of the people who tried to flee East Germany and were killed.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version. The monochrome photo of 1989 was shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX.
Clean Berlin
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.
Hotel Adlon Berlin
A beautiful, hospitable hotel in the center of Berlin, Adlon. A wonderful place for tea and scones after a walk.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Marketing
A street in Charlottenburg.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Cube Hauptbahnhof Berlin
During the days of the Berlin Wall, the central transport hub of West-Berlin was Zoo station (Tiergarten). In 2006 the new Hauptbahnhof opened. In front of it is this 3XN Cube.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
U-Bahn 2
Berlin has a wonderful (and cheap) public transportation infrastructure. One of the building blocks is the U-Bahn. Station Hausvogteiplatz.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Berlin Mall
Every big city has its own mall, a big shopping center. Most of the times the shops and brands are the same as in the mall next to where you live. And the food court can be slightly different. The Mall of Berlin is no exception to that rule. The location (Leipziger Platz) makes it interesting, as does the architecture.
As always I can not choose: color, or mono?
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Eating Out in Berlin
Food in Berlin is cheap (and in the right places) good!
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Fernseh Turm Alexanderplatz
A landmark you can not overlook. The TV Tower (Fernsehturm) at Alexanderplatz. Here seen from the Paul Löbe Allee, next to the offices of the prime minister of Germany.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Reichstag Dome
The dome on the Reichstag offers a wonderful panoramic view on Berlin. And you can walk the rest of the roof as well to look over the city. Here an impression in monochrome.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Reichstag Berlin: Dem Deutsche Volke
The front of the Reichstag. A visit was on the top of my list. In 1989 the Berlin Wall was right next to the building; and since 1989 this area was completely developed. So we booked a visit to the dome. On this photo I left the dome out consciously. I wanted to have an image like the building looked in November 1989 below.
The history of the Reichstag is connected to my hometown and Leiden. In 1933 Marinus van der Lubbe was accused, tried and sentenced by the Nazi-regime for setting fire to the building. He was born in Leiden en lived in Oegstgeest, as did his family.
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 iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version. The monochrome photo of 1989 was shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX.
From the roof of the Reichstag
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
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
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.
Berlin: Charlie left in November 1989
Checkpoint Charlie, symbol of the cold war.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Berlin U-Bahn
Berlin has a wonderful (and cheap) public transportation infrastructure. One of the building blocks is the U-Bahn.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Berlin Holocaust Memorial (2)
Another impression of the the Memorial to the murdered Jews in Europe.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max and Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Holocaust Memorial Berlin
Last September I revisited Berlin after 46 years. One of the reasons to come back was to visit the Memorial to the murdered Jews in Europe. I had read stories and seen photos, and I wondered how I would take photo’s of it. And what it would be like to wonder through it. This visit I had my first experience with the monument. Here is the first impression (and the coming days I will publish some more).
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Bahn Tower Potsdamer Platz Berlin
The Bahntower on the Potsdamer Platz, headoffice of the Deutsche Bahn.
Potsdamer Platz was the vivid heart of Berlin. During World War II, it was almost completely destroyed. Since 1961 Potsdamer Platz was a no man’s land, a death strip as part of the Berlin Wall. After the fall of Berlin Wall this was the biggest property developing area in a major city in Europe.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Berlin Brandenburger Gate (2)
Brandenburger Gate (Brandenburger Tor) is a symbol of unity for Berlin and Germany. Nowadays the Pariser Platz (Paris Square) is a pedestrian and bicycle area.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Both Sides Of History – Berlin Brandenburger Tor
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
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.
Gedächtnis Kirche Berlin
One of the memorial landmarks of Berlin is the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtnis Kirche. In its simplicity it is a powerful landmark and memorial.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Berlin’s Blue and Pink Pipelines
September 2025 I visited Berlin for the second time. My first visit was in November 1989. That coincided with the fall of the Berlin Wall. After 46 years I wanted to see how Berlin had changed since ‘die Wende’.
In 1989 we just spent one day in East Berlin. This visit the first day we looked around in the former East Berlin area. The television tower still towers over the city at Alexanderplatz. There is still a lot of construction activity, and along the roads you see pipes in blue and pink. First I thought that it was a smart concrete transport system. In reality it is a way to pump out groundwater from construction sites into the Spree river.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Berlin’s Transformation: German Humor?
September 2025 I visited Berlin for the second time. My first visit was in November 1989. That coincided with the fall of the Berlin Wall. After 46 years I wanted to see how Berlin had changed since ‘die Wende’. The coming days I will publish some photos of this trip.
Friends had ‘warned’ me about the changes I would see. What in 1989 was a vast open space (e.g. the Potzdamer Platz) is now completely filled with modern architecture. But what struck me the most was the vibrant vitality the city breathes now. It is cosmopolitan and a magnet.
One of the landmark squares of Berlin is Alexanderplatz. On a building just a few hunder meters away I saw this text ‘Allesandersplatz’. Everything is different square? German humor? Or the basic conclusion after the first day. A lot changed. At face value.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Bird Under A Wire
A small bird in a big Amsterdam Central Station. The things you see while waiting for a train.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
What's (in) the Picture? 