What's (in) the Picture?

Chris Breebaart Photography – finding stories

Posts from the ‘Oegstgeest’ category

At the back

Close-up of white tulip flowers in black and white, with soft petals and blurred background.
A close-up image of pink tulips with soft, blended petals and green leaves, set against a blurred background.
A close-up black and white photograph of blooming tulips, showcasing their soft petals and elegant shapes.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – April 2026

It is not only flowers on fields around the villages, but every garden has its own share of bulbflowers popping out in the Spring. 

Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.  

Tulips up Front

Close-up of a pink tulip with water droplets, surrounded by blurred pink tulips in the background.
A colorful cluster of pink and red tulips surrounded by green leaves, captured in bright natural light.
A cluster of pink and red tulips in full bloom, surrounded by green leaves, with a soft blurred background.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – April 2026

It is not only flowers on fields around the villages, but every garden has its own share of bulbflowers popping out in the Spring.

Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Spotting Artemis 2

A bright full moon illuminated against a dark sky, partially obscured by tree branches and power lines, with a silhouette of a house in the foreground.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – April 2026

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

Rose

Close-up black and white image of a rose, showcasing the intricate layers of petals in a spiraling pattern.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – April 2026

A rose is a rose, and each time different.

Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Entangled Sun

Silhouette of bare trees against a sunset sky with warm hues.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – March 2026

The sun in a web of branches.

Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Spring Sunrise

A serene landscape depicting a sunrise through bare trees, with soft golden light illuminating the garden and distant houses.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – March 2026

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

Sunrise in black and grey

Silhouette of bare trees against a misty sky with the sun partially visible in black and white.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest –

A monochrome sunrise in black and greys.

Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Magnolia in Mono

A close-up of a bare tree branch with small buds, captured in black and white, set against a misty background.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – March 2026

The Magnoliaa few weeks ago, ready to burst out into Spring.

The foreground is here the show stealer, the background adds just context to the frame. For this week’s LAPC (#392) ‘foreground, middle and background’.

Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Capturing Spring Rain: Foreground, Middle, and Background

A close-up view of a flowering branch with purple buds and newly sprouting leaves, set against a backdrop of blurred rain and greenery.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – March 2026

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.

Sunrise Sparkles

Close-up of bare branches with small, budding leaves against a blurred green background.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – March 2026

The Magnolia against the upcoming sunlight for this week’s LAPC theme week (#391) ‘Phone photography’.

Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

So Close, So Far Away

A scenic view of a blue sky filled with various clouds, showcasing different shades and textures.
A serene sky featuring wispy clouds and a gradient of blue tones.
A bright blue sky filled with fluffy white clouds and wispy vapor trails.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – March 2026

Clouds for this week’s LAPC theme week (#391) ‘Phone photography’.

Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

When The Night Falls

A twilight sky filled with streaks of contrails, with silhouettes of houses in the foreground.
A colorful sky at dusk featuring wispy clouds and airplane contrails, creating a serene atmosphere.
A clear sky with multiple contrails forming intersecting lines against a gradient blue backdrop.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – March 2026

Dusk for this week’s LAPC theme week (#391) ‘Phone photography’.

Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

A Quiet Morning

A foggy street scene with bare trees lining the sidewalk, featuring a cyclist in an orange jacket riding past residential houses, with a calm waterway visible in the foreground.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – March 2026

A quiet morning.

Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

A matter of taste and choice – Episode 7

A small flowering tree stands prominently in the foreground, surrounded by a blurred background of grass and trees, captured in black and white.
A small cherry blossom tree in full bloom with pink flowers, set against a green grassy background and a blurred building in the distance.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – March 2026

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

You see it as you not see it

Foggy landscape view featuring a canal lined with trees and houses, with a cyclist on a pathway.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – March 2026

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

A matter of choice and taste – Episode 5

A foggy street scene featuring two cyclists riding alongside a canal, with bare trees and buildings in the background, captured in black and white.
A foggy street scene with bare trees and two cyclists passing by on a path beside a canal.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – March 2026

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

Lines of Thought

A textured sky with varying shades of blue and soft cloud formations.
A moody sky filled with gray and white clouds, creating a dramatic atmosphere.
The Netherlandse, Oegstgeest – February 2026

The sky is always inspirational and a place of imagination. Just clouds in shapes, and light settings.

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

All Seasons Lavender

A close-up view of blooming lavender plants with vibrant purple flowers and green foliage.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – March 2026

Long ago each season had its own indicators: vegetables, flowers, products. But nowadays in a world economy you can eat vegetables all year round. And now you can have lavender all year round as well. Not the whole year but starting from Spring.

Lavender for me is a ride through the Provence, with the scent in the air as you oversee fields of purple. In Summer.

Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

When you see Daffodils, Spring calls

Plant arrangement featuring vibrant yellow daffodils and green foliage in a rustic wooden pot.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – March 2026

Daffodils are among the first bulbflowers to pop up in Spring.

Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

When Spring Calls

Close-up of a tree with bright yellow flowers or buds against a dark background.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

Spring knocks on the door. Sunrises through young leaves, creating a fabric of soft gold in the tree against the sunlight.

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

Golden Slumbers Vanishing

A serene view of a neighborhood during sunrise, showcasing trees with golden leaves and houses in the background, illuminated by soft morning light.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

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.

Garden Center

A close-up view of potted plants with colorful identification tags, arranged in rows at a garden center.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

Spring is coming. even when we are still in Winter.

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

Dark and Light

Silhouette of bare trees against a colorful sunset sky, with rooftops in the foreground.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

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.

Tree

Silhouetted trees against a twilight sky with a gradient of blue and orange hues at sunset.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

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.

Forsythia

Close-up of yellow witch hazel flowers on a blurred background.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

Spring is around the corner. The garden wakes up slowly, with the Forsythia claiming the first flowering spot.The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

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.

Rain Trees

A close-up of bare tree branches with a blurred, abstract background, creating a textured appearance through condensation or rain.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

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.

Evening Snow

A winter scene showing a snowy residential street with houses in the background and leafless trees. Street lamps illuminate the path, casting a warm glow on the snow-covered ground.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

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.

Village at Night

A dimly lit pathway along a canal at night, with street lamps illuminating the concrete sidewalk and surrounding foliage. A pedestrian sign is visible, and the scene is shrouded in a foggy atmosphere, creating a moody ambiance.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

Streetlights.

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

Two Trees

Black and white photo of a public space featuring planters, bare trees, and people walking. Two women are seen in the background with a dog, and a building is partially visible.
A black and white photograph depicting a park scene with a tree, trash bins, and distant cars under a cloudy sky.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

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.

Street Lamp

Nighttime view of a street with a pedestrian sign illuminated by a streetlight, surrounded by houses and trees in the background.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

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.

Sunflower

A close-up image of a vibrant sunflower illuminated from the side, showcasing its bright yellow petals and dark center, set against a dark background.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

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. Here the story of two sunflowers.

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

On Wings

A flock of birds flying in a V formation against a clear blue sky.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

The LAPC theme #385 is ‘unusual crop’. Geese in a pretty big V.

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

Winter Sunset Ripples

Vibrant sunset with orange and blue hues illuminating a cloudy sky.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – January 2026

The LAPC theme #385 is ‘unusual crop’. Sky shots of clouds are mostly abstract. Framing them in a way that makes sense is a challenge at times.

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

See See The Sun

Sunset viewed through the branches of two trees, with a warm orange and yellow sky in the background.
Silhouetted tree branches against a vibrant orange sunset sky.
A sunset view framed by tree branches, casting a warm orange glow in the sky with a silhouetted chimney in the foreground.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

The LAPC theme #385 is ‘unusual crop’. Here the cropping process in-camera using a zoom.

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.

Snowwhite

Snow-covered landscape featuring bare trees, a canal, and distant houses during a snowstorm.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – January 2026

Theme for Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #380 is ‘what’s around the corner’.

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

Heron in Snow

A heron standing on the snowy bank of a river during a snowfall.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – January 2026

Theme for Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #380 is ‘what’s around the corner’. A grey Heron in falling snow.

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

Frederik van Eedenpad

Winter scene featuring a snow-covered pathway lined with bare trees, a canal reflecting the surroundings, and residential houses in a quiet neighborhood.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – January 2026

Theme for Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #380 is ‘what’s around the corner’. Snow, no ice.

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

Snow Shopping

A snowy pathway lined with trees and street lights, with a person walking down the path carrying a bag.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – January 2026

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.

A Fake Sietse Goverts

An abstract image featuring swirling colors of orange, yellow, and blue, resembling a creative blur or light effect, framed in black.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – January 2026

Sometimes a photo goes wrong. Instead of a short shutter speed, the iPhone comes up with night mode. And occasionally an ‘accident’ creates an image that is quite appealing. Creativity by accident. I happen to like this one.

The image reminds me of the work of Sietse Goverts, a dutch painter.

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

Winter Spring

A bare tree with delicate white blossoms against a blurred, wintery background.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

Even in Winter there is blossom. Like Spring is already here.

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

Winter Blossom

A monochrome image of a small tree with delicate blossoms, creating a contrast against a blurred background.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

Even in Winter there is blossom. And in monochrome it looks like snow :-).

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.

Winter Blossom

A small tree with delicate pink blossoms in winter, set against a blurred green background.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

Even in Winter there is blossom.

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.