What's (in) the Picture?

Chris Breebaart Photography – finding stories

Posts tagged ‘Iphone’

Autumn Announced

Autumn is approaching, the rain and grey skies are more and more the new normal. Luckily there is the occasional sun to enjoy.

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

Smoking at Work: Reichstag Berlin

A staff member in formal attire standing on a terrace at the Reichstag, using a smartphone. Reflections of the building's modern architecture and venetian blinds are visible in the glass.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

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.

High Rise Head’s Up Berlin

A modern high-rise building with a curved facade and numerous windows, set against a cloudy sky.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

This high rising can be found near the  Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtnis Kirche.

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

Clean Berlin

View of a historic building at the former Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, with a blue sky and street scene, featuring a bicycle and an orange trash can.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

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 view in Charlottenburg featuring a black car parked in front of two shop windows displaying sale signs and colorful balloons.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

A street in Charlottenburg.

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

U-Bahn 2

Interior view of the Hausvogteiplatz U-Bahn station in Berlin, featuring tiled walls, a curved platform, and train schedule display.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

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.

From the Reichstag Roof

Views from the roof of the Reichstag. The panorama in the middle of the topline is from the iPhone15promax. On the bottom row on the left, you can see several notable ‘towers’. There is the television tower on Alexanderplatz, the International Trade Center, Berlin Cathedral, and the Red Town Hall. On the top right on the left the dome of the Französischer Dom, and on the right the Deutchser Dom (on Gendarmenmarkt).

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

Reichstag Berlin: Dem Deutsche Volke

The front view of the Reichstag building in Berlin, showcasing its grand architecture and flags, with cloudy skies in the background.

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.

Black and white photograph of the Reichstag building in Berlin, taken in November 1989, featuring two men in the foreground, one holding a sign that reads 'Berlin ist Freiheit'.
Germany, Berlin – November 1989

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.

Berlin Brandenburger Tor Photographers

Black and white photo of the Brandenburger Gate in Berlin, with various people exploring and taking pictures in the foreground.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

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 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

Berlin Gendarmenmarkt

Reflection of the Französischer Dom visible in the glass doors of the Deutscher Dom at Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025
A view of the Deutscher Dom (German Cathedral) at Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin, featuring its ornate dome and statues, with visitors strolling in the square.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

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.

Bundesrat Berlin

View of the Bundesrat building in Berlin, featuring flags and pedestrians in the foreground, with cloudy skies in the background.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Walking through Berlin was sometimes causing some disorientation. Lots of places that were ‘void and empty’ in November 1989 are now (re)build. In 1989 I just saw a small part of former East Berlin. It was a challenge to figure out what I was looking at. An old building, a refurbished one or a new build? I have a slight preference for old buildings. Lots of them are beautifully restored. This is one of them: the Bundesrat in the former Prussian House of Lords. As seen from the Mall of Berlin.

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

Berlin’s Blue and Pink Pipelines

Black and white photo of the Berlin TV tower, known as Fernsehturm, surrounded by buildings and cloudy skies.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

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?

A modern building featuring the sign 'Allesandersplatz' against a cloudy sky in Berlin.
Germany, Berlin – September 2025

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.

Petals

Close-up view of light and shadow on flower petals in black and white.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – September 2025

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

Connected

A group of people waiting at a train platform, some using their mobile phones, in black and white.
The Netherlands, Leiden – September 2025

On the platform waiting for a connection being connected by mobile phone.

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

Writing In The Sky

A dramatic sky featuring abstract cloud formations with a mix of dark and light shades.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

Sometimes the clouds turn into a abstract symbol.

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

Over the bridges

Black and white view of Leiden's canals and historic architecture, featuring a dome and trees lining the waterfront.
The Netherlands, Leiden – August 2026

A more detailed view of the photo I published yesterday of Leiden. Leiden used to be famous for fabrics, and canals provided the infrastructure for the logistics. Some of the canals were filled up in the second half of the 20th century. However, there are debates about opening a few of them again. These discussions focus on sustainability and environmental quality.

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

City of Rembrandt

A black and white view of a canal in Leiden, featuring trees lining the banks, historic buildings, and reflections in the water under a cloudy sky.
The Netherlands, Leiden – August 2026

A view on the city where Rembrandt van Rijn was born, Leiden. It was the home where he grew up. There he started his now famous career as a painter. Later, he moved to Amsterdam.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #366 is ‘City Mouse/Country Mouse’. I am not familiar with the story. But as the brief puts it ‘there is no place like home’. Home is where the heart is.

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

After Rain

A black and white photo of a beachside area in Scheveningen after rain. People are gathered near a kiosk, with wet surfaces reflecting the sky above, showcasing a mix of clouds and bright patches.

The Netherlands, Scheveningen – September 2025

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.

Rainy Beach

Black and white photograph of raindrops cascading down a window, with faint outlines of objects behind the glass. The scene captures the mood of heavy rain at Scheveningen beach, blending indoor plants and blurred furniture.
The Netherlands, Scheveningen – September 2025

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.

Old Front

Detail of decorative architectural relief featuring figures and inscriptions at the top of a historic building in Breestraat, Leiden, with emphasis on the former restaurant 'In den vergulden Turk.'
The Netherlands, Leiden – September 2025

Detail from a front in the Breestraat in Leiden. In den vergulden Turk used to be a restaurant. It moved decades ago to a different spot in town. It then changed its name to Wienerwald. The top of the original front is still there, and recently brought back to its old splendor.

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

On The Corner

Detail of buildings along Breestraat in Leiden, showcasing architectural features beneath a clear blue sky with the town hall tower in the background.
The Netherlands, Leiden – September 2025

A detail of a front in the Breestraat in Leiden with the tower of the townhall.

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

Red Yellow

Fronts of houses in Breestraat, Leiden, featuring red and yellow facades under a blue sky.
The Netherlands, Leiden – September 2025

Red and yellow fronts of houses in the Breestraat in Leiden.

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

Sunny Street: Breestraat Leiden

A black and white photograph of Breestraat in Leiden, featuring the town hall in the background, with people walking and bicycles parked along the street.
The Netherlands, Leiden – September 2025

The Breestraat in Leiden with the townhall.

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

Agapanthus

Close-up of a green flower stem with budding purple petals, against a blurred dark background.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

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

Outside

A serene landscape featuring a plowed field under a blue sky with scattered clouds, trees in the foreground, and a distant farmhouse.
The Netherlands, Voorhout – August 2025

Lens- Artist Challenge #364 is ‘Quiet Moment’. A bicycle ride to clear the head. Seeing the bulbs for Spring being planted.

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

In Hindsight

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

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

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

Polder

A wide blue sky filled with white clouds, with sunlight shining down over a lush green field.
The Netherlands, Sassenheim – August 2025

Meet the edge of the polder, the dyke.

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

Catch if you can

Close-up of green leaves with water droplets, showcasing the impact of a dry summer on the garden.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

A long dry Summer with a garden begging for rain.

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

On Water

A scenic view of a canal on a warm summer day, featuring traffic jams with vehicles on a nearby bridge and boats navigating the water.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

On a warm Summer’s day, there are traffic jams on the canal.

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

Hovering

Close-up view of pink flowers surrounded by green leaves in a garden, illuminated by morning sunlight, with a blurred background creating a 'hovering' effect.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

A plant in the front garden offers months of beauty in the sunlight of the morning sun. Using the portrait mode of the iPhone results in ‘hovering’ effects of parts of the plant that seem now unattached.

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

Front Garden Beauty

A close-up of colorful pink flowers amidst vibrant green leaves, illuminated by morning sunlight.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

A plant in the front garden offers months of beauty in the sunlight of the morning sun.

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

Hosta

Close-up of delicate pink flowers emerging from lush green foliage in the garden of Castle Keukenhof.

The Netherlands, Lisse – August 2025

The garden of castle De Keukenhof

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max 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.

Castle Gardens

Colorful flower beds in the garden of Keukenhof castle, featuring decorative stone urns and lush greenery.
The Netherlands, Lisse – August 2025

The garden of castle De Keukenhof

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

Keukenhof Castle’s Garden

The Netherlands, Lisse – August 2025

In Summer the garden of castle De Keukenhof is filled with beautiful Dahlia’s.

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.

Night Fall

A dramatic sky filled with dark clouds and a hint of blue peeking through, captured at dusk.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

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

Leaves

Close-up of green leaves with water droplets, showcasing their texture in a blurred natural background.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

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

Choices And Preferences 3 (Flowers)

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 third and last one is about flowers, waiting for the recycle bin. 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 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.

Triple

Close-up of green magnolia leaves showcasing varying shades and intricate vein patterns.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

And another update from the garden: the Magnolia is doing superb this year. Let’s hope the abundance of green in leaves will lead to an abundance of flowers next Spring.

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

Growing Tomatoes and Cucumbers in Oegstgeest

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – July 2025

This year we try to grow tomatoes and cucumbers in the garden.

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

Stunning Sunset Over Oegstgeester Kanaal

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – July 2025

And yes, another sunset. Well, they come around every day. This one is a golden gem.

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