A field in the morning fog, cobwebs covered in dew lighting up. Photos from 30 years ago, taken in Brittany at St. Samsom-sur-Rance, near Dinan.
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
A field in the morning fog. A photo from 30 years ago, taken in Brittany at St. Samsom-sur-Rance, near Dinan.
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
usée Carrée Nîmes
Inside the Carré d’Art in Nîmes.
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.
A terrace inArles. Everyone has a memory of a terrace I bet.
LAPC #417 is ‘Memories’. Sometimes the LAPC themes coincide with my ‘planning’ for my blog. The last weeks I am looking back into my archive of photographic memories. And this is one of them.
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.
LAPC #417 is ‘Memories’. In a way freezing images of moments in time is creating and storing a memory. In the analogue time of film the notion of shooting a great set of photos was the first step in a process. The next step was printing it in the darkroom. That was manual labor. And some photos are just not easy to bring out. A big step towards the digital time of now. Software now is amazing, and allows me to create what I could not achieve with my not adequate dark room skills.
So this is a memory of a moment I did not feel too well being harshly told off by a French garage owner to piss off and not bother him trying to shoot photos at his workshop. As part of a course assignment in a workshop.
I walked to the bridge and this swan came down, landing in the river. Majestic. A gift.
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.
Rome is build on seven hills, but some hills are not counted in that list. One of the non listed hills is the Pincian Hill, that – like all of them – offers beautiful views over the eternal city.
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.
Originally shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX, scanned from negative and tweaked using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Rome is build on seven hills, but some hills are not counted in that list. One of the non listed hills is the Pincian Hill, that – like all of them – offers beautiful views over the eternal city.
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.
Originally shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX, scanned from negative and tweaked using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Rome is build on seven hills, but some hills are not counted in that list. One of the non listed hills is the Pincian Hill, that – like all of them – offers beautiful views over the eternal city.
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.
Originally shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX, scanned from negative and tweaked using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
When the Centre Pompidou opened, the Parisians nicknamed it ‘the refinery’. It is a unique construction. But quite hard to maintain given all the angles and open spaces. The art collection inside is nice to walk around when in Paris. Always a place to visit again, when there.
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.
Originally shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX, scanned from negative and tweaked using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The Musée d’Orsay. One of my favourite museums. Not only for its architecture, but also for their collection of impressionist paintings. Here school kids, drawing in front of them.
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.
Originally shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX, scanned from negative and tweaked using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The Notre Dame in Paris before the fire. A view from the quay toward the Île de la Cité. From a walk along the river, the third I took at almoste the same point. The previous ones I published yesterday and the day before yesterday, showing bridge arches.
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.
Originally shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX, scanned from negative and tweaked using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The Notre Dame in Paris before the fire. The bridge arch offers a template on a sunny Winter morning. The first shot in a set of shots of three. The second I published yesterday.
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.
Originally shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX, scanned from negative and tweaked using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The Notre Dame in Paris before the fire. The bridge arch offers a template on a sunny Winter morning. Earlier published but a bit adjusted. This is the second shot in a set of three. The first one will be on tomorrow, the third the day after.
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.
Originally shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX, scanned from negative and tweaked using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The Spanish Steps in Rome. Nowadays people are not allowed to sit on the steps, but back then you could. Another one from the archives for Lens Artist’s Photo Challenge 414 looking back at challenge 44: Harmony.
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.
Originally shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX, scanned from negative and tweaked using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
One from the archives, 32 years ago. A street photo of a smoking sunglass wearing young woman in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome.
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.
Originally shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX, scanned from negative and tweaked using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The beach at Zandvoort. The west coast of The Netherlands is one big sand beach. Choosing for mono or colour is a choice for atmosphere. But also a way to get more attention to certain parts of the frame. Silhouettes in black in mono work stronger than in colour for me. But in the end, it is a matter of taste of course.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Waiting for boarding can be boring, but sometimes there is an opportunity for a nice photo. And again, a tough choice, pick your favourite. LAPC #412 is ‘places shaped by water’. The airport Schiphol is located in what used to be a lake till the mid 1800 century.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
One of the first questions I had buying my first digital DSLR was ‘how do I shoot monochrome photos from now?’. In the past it was just choosing what film I put in a camera. Going digital implied using editing to revert from color to monochrome. More recently black and white modes came back on devices. Not only on iPhone. My choice for Nikon Zf was influenced by it. But it all is a question of taste.
Two photos of the power lines at St. George-sur-L’Aa in France. Pick one or both. Both were shot on iPhone without the mono setting.
Every time we travel to or from the UK via the Channel Tunnel, I try to take photos of these steel giants. They carry power lines in the area of St. George-sur-l’Aa. No worries, I’m in the passenger seat.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
One of the first questions I had buying my first digital DSLR was ‘how do I shoot monochrome photos from now?’. In the past it was just choosing what film I put in a camera. Going digital implied using editing to revert from color to monochrome. More recently black and white modes came back on devices. Not only on iPhone. My choice for Nikon Zf was influenced by it. But it all is a question of taste.
The same photo of the station of Haarlem in color and (edited) monochrome. Pick one or both.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
This Sumer a lot of nights were really warm, so a sheet is just what you need for cover LAPC #408 is ‘over the top’.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #407 is ‘celebrations around the world’.
A view from Mellieha on Malta. A band marching the Main Street. I’m still not sure about the occasion.
Shot with Nikon D7000, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
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
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
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’. 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.
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 is ‘Time to relax’. On a bicycle ride through fields where soon bulb flowers will pop up, together with other cyclists. This is a piece of a polder showing the low horizon in the sun.
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 is ‘Time to relax’. On a bicycle ride through fields where soon bulb flowers will pop up, together with other cyclists. Thought I am not really sure about this piece of land, it is just been plowed it seems.
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 is ‘Time to relax’. On a bicycle ride through fields where soon bulb flowers will pop up, together with other cyclists. On the color version you can see the deep purple of early hyacinths. With Some yellow late Daffodils.
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 is ‘Time to relax’. On a bicycle ride through fields where soon bulb flowers will pop up, together with other cyclists. On the color version you can see the deep purple of early hyacinths. With Some yellow late Daffodils.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
This week’s theme is ‘Time to relax’. On a bicycle ride through fields where soon bulb flowers will pop up, together with other cyclists and the occasional runner.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Spring is here and last weekend I made a little bicycle ride to check out the bulb flower fields. Daffodils where coming up, and at odd places hyacinths started to show. A nice way to relax and enjoy the lovely day outside. As did others by walking, running or cycling. Fitting this week’s theme ‘Time to relax’.
Shot with iPhone 17 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 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.
Every time we travel to the UK via the Channel Tunnel, I try to take photos of these steel giants. The same goes for when we return from there. They carry power lines in the area of St. Georges-sur-l’Aa. No worries, I’m in the passenger seat.
They remind me of mythical knights, marching in line over the fields. In the archive you find a set of photos over the years.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
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.
Lens artists photo challenge #381 is ‘minimalism in black and white photography’. The marshes at Blakeney are a place for running and hiking.
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.
The year 2025 ends and we cross over to 2026. I hope the new year will be a good one. I wish it brings some of the desires I cherish in my heart. I am sure others cherish these desires as well.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.
The canal in the fog.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.
A small milestone maid: yesterday I passed the 300.000 views on this blog. Thank you.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.
Moorhens in the canal.
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.
The Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #374 is ‘on the move’. Most of what is on these photos has not moved in a long time. However, the machines they got moving again are brilliant. It is a place where they try to keep history alive and accessible, touchable and usable.
The Steamtrain Museum Katwijk Leiden is run by volunteers. It offers the history of steam trains and their use on narrow gauge tracks. And the volunteers fix up and restore old locomotives, carriages and other cars. They have a big storage full of old parts and rusty machines.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Having fresh flowers in the house is a blessing.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
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.
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.
After rain comes sun at Scheveningen beach.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
A spell of heavy rain, on the border of Summer and Autumn at Scheveningen beach.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
