Amsterdam 1995: Hooks In Row
A street in the Jordaan, a neighbourhood of Amsterdam. The stairs and doorways of these houses are too small to move big items, so they have a hook to hoist big items through the windows.
A street in the Jordaan, a neighbourhood of Amsterdam. The stairs and doorways of these houses are too small to move big items, so they have a hook to hoist big items through the windows.
As in more cities around the world, Amsterdam had to decide what architecture should replace demolished old houses. The French have a ‘laissez faire’ approach and are quite bold in it. The Grand Projects of presidents (Centre Pompidou, The Pyramid at the Louvre, Grande Arche) are very modern constructions in an old context. And more cities insert modern architecture in old contexts. Is it a success? Basically it is the eye of the beholder who judges success or failure. Here a photo of old meeting new in the Jordaan, a neighbourhood of Amsterdam. LAPC #419 is ‘landmarks and monuments’.
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.


The Jordaan is a neighbourhood of Amsterdam. The most iconic landmark is the Westerkerk. The church is right next door to the Achterhuis where the Frank family hid from Nazi prosecution during World War 2. LAPC #419 is ‘landmarks and monuments’.
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.
The Trevi Fountain – in Rome. Nowadays one has to pay an entrance fee to see it, trying to mitigate the amount of visitors. The myth is that you throw a coin over your right shoulder in the fountain, and you wish to come back. That worked for me three times already. Albeit long ago. LAPC #416 is ‘where does this lead?’. Mass tourism in big cities is a problem for the locals.
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.
What is Rome without scooters? LAPC #416 is ‘where does this lead?’.
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.
Lens Artist’s Photo Challenge 414 looks back at challenge 44: Harmony. One from the archives, 32 years ago. The Trevi Fountain – without water – 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.
Lens Artist’s Photo Challenge 414 looks back at challenge 44: Harmony. One from the archives, 32 years ago. The fountain at the Piazza d’Aracoeli, at the bottom of the stairs to the Piazza di Campidoglio, Capitol Hill 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.
Lens Artist’s Photo Challenge 414 looks back at challenge 44: Harmony. A silent image of a peaceful sunset.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
A slightly different shot than yesterday. With a bit more of the atmosphere of the canal itself.
The Netherlands has its fair share of water (canals, lakes, ponds) and a fair share of bridges and even aquaducts. LAPC #413 is ‘bridges’. The two overlapping bridges (behind the front one is a motorway bridge) are not my favourites as the brief of LAPC asks for. They are the most practical in daily life to cross the canal. In the Archive bridges you find more photos of bridges. Most of them are from ordinary daily life close to home. But two of my favourites are the Millennium Bridge in London and the Pont de Normandie in Normandy.




Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The Netherlands has its fair share of water (canals, lakes, ponds) and a fair share of bridges and even aquaducts. LAPC #413 is ‘bridges’. The two overlapping bridges (behind the front one is a motorway bridge) are not my favourites as the brief of LAPC asks for. They are the most practical in daily life to cross the canal. In the Archive bridges you find more photos of bridges. Most of them are from ordinary daily life close to home. But two of my favourites are the Millennium Bridge in London and the Pont de Normandie in Normandy.




Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The Netherlands has its fair share of water (canals, lakes, ponds) and a fair share of bridges and even aquaducts. LAPC #413 is ‘bridges’. This two bridges (overlapping) are not my favorites, but with the bridge this one is taken from, the most common I see every day.
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
A polder landscape. Living below sea level water management is needed to keep us dry. Here you see a typical polder landscape.
LAPC #412 is ‘places shaped by water’.
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. And taste is specific. When I see a subject nowadays I try to use the monochrome settings and the standard colour settings; knowing that I can nowadays see the results straight away. That is a blessing.
Two different photos of the road over the Volkerakdam. This dam and the locks in it, are part of the Delta Works, safeguarding The Netherlands against floods.
LAPC #412 is ‘places shaped by water’. I think that applies exactly to the existence of The Netherlands.
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 sky at dusk, showing scenery that takes your imagination far. LAPC #408 is ‘over the top’.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version



LAPC #408 is ‘over the top’. The sky at dusk, showing what we call ‘schapenwolken’ in Dutch. Literally over the top. In case you can not sleep, counting them would help. But where do they go after you counted them?
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
A playful water fountain in a square in Valletta, Malta.
Shot with Nikon D7000, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #407 is ‘celebrations around the world‘. A procession in Valetta, Malta.
Shot with Nikon D7000, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger 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
LAPC #406 is ‘summer daze’. Summer traffic from and to the Kagerplassen.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
LAPC #406 is ‘summer daze’. On a warm Summer’s evening at the local out in the garden.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
LAPC #406 is ‘summer daze’. On a warm Summer’s evening having a meal and drink at the local out in the garden.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
LAPC #406 is ‘summer daze’. The heat presented itself with some abstract sunsets.
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. 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
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
LAPC #403 focuses on photography tools: perspective, depth and scale. Sometimes framing helps to tell a story.
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. A ‘iPhone long shot’ of an Allium.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version


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






The sky is an amazing object. It is always there, but we only pay attention to it a few times a day. When there are rain clouds, if it is blue, if the sun comes up, or goes down. And yet, living in a country with a low horizon, it is part of our life. At times a little message comes in making me pay attention. And do something simple, playful with the sky, the clouds and the sun. I admit, mostly near sunset time. Here six photos of the sky taken through a sun screen of a roof window. I do hope you enjoy them.
Lens Artists Photo Challenge #402 is a return to the first ever LAPC: wonder. I added a ‘sky’ archive. It is just an indicator of the role the sky has in my photos, 700 plus photos, so that is a long browse :-). You are warned.
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. In this world there is plenty to wonder about. Sometimes it only takes a step outside of a pattern. Think of the way we are used to look at the world. In a photo you can use the light and darkness to frame a story of a very familiar subject.
The pond in the park of 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
Lens Artists Photo Challenge #402 is a return to the first ever LAPC: wonder. In this world there is plenty to wonder about. Sometimes it only takes a step outside of a pattern. Think of the way we are used to look at the world. Just because we stand straight up most of the time (and the advantage is that you can take the photo the ‘right’ way up and just turn it while you edit it).
The pond in the park of palace Het Loo.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

The front of palace Het Loo.This week’s LAPC #401 is ‘Focus on the subject (#121 revisited).
If you are interested what posts I entered for LAPC #121, you can find them following this link.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
LAPC #400 (congratulations) is ‘ rule of three’. Three geese in the park of palace Het Loo.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
LAPC #399 ís ‘stuck in a place’. Egidio offers a way to create motivation or inspiration to go out and about. This method is in my words ‘open up to what is right under your nose’. For me the garden is always a source of inspiration.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
LAPC #399 ís ‘stuck in a place’. Egidio offers a way to create motivation or inspiration to go out and about. This method is in my words ‘open up to what is right under your nose’. For me the garden is always a source of inspiration.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version


LAPC #399 ís ‘stuck in a place’. Egidio offers a way to create motivation or inspiration to go out and about. This method is in my words ‘open up to what is right under your nose’. For me the garden is always a source of inspiration, especially when it has rained and the sunlight creats little diamonds on leaves. In this case Hosta and water drops.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version


LAPC #399 ís ‘stuck in a place’. Egidio offers a way to create motivation or inspiration to go out and about. This method is in my words ‘open up to what is right under your nose’. For me the garden is always a source of inspiration, especially when it has rained and the sunlight creats little diamonds on leaves. In this case, the same Hosta and water drops in color.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version


LAPC #399 ís ‘stuck in a place’. Egidio offers a way to create motivation or inspiration to go out and about. This method is in my words ‘open up to what is right under your nose’. For me the garden is always a source of inspiration, especially when it has rained and the sunlight creats little diamonds on leaves. In this case, Hosta and water drops.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The theme of LAPC #398 is ‘choose your color’. The brief is to present a photo with a dominant color. Despite being a big fan of monochrome, I do love colors. The fun of colors is their subjectivity; any color has fans and haters. The sense making of colors is as diverse as people are unique. And that’s good. We need colors and images in our life to tell our stories.
An abstract of the texture of garden furniture with a little pool of water.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The theme of LAPC #398 is ‘choose your color’. The brief is to present a photo with a dominant color. Despite being a big fan of monochrome, I do love colors. The fun of colors is their subjectivity; any color has fans and haters. The sense making of colors is as diverse as people are unique. And that’s good. We need colors and images in our life to tell our stories.
So here you can choose between silver and grey. Or both :-).
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The theme of LAPC #398 is ‘choose your color’. The brief is to present a photo with a dominant color. Despite being a big fan of monochrome, I do love colors. The fun of colors is their subjectivity; any color has fans and haters. And sometimes the use or non use of colors stems from group think.
The sense making of colors is as diverse as people are unique. And that’s good. We need colors and images in our life to tell our stories. Today I stick with blue. Colors are context dependent, hence subjective. Blue is a lot of times associated with sorrow, pain, loss, or life experience. And it creates the most beautiful music.
I’m Mister Blue
I’m here to stay with you
and no matter what you do
when you’re lonely, I’ll be lonely too
René Klijn
While a deep blue sky might express power, focus and the absence of worries. Be any color you want.
Shot with iPhone 17 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
This week’s LAPC (#397) is ‘Texture‘. The Keukenhof is a world famous botanical garden, yearly displaying the impressive beauty of bulb flowers. It is only open for eight weeks to the general public; this year from March 19 till May 10. About one and a half million visitors enjoy it in that short period.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version






This week’s LAPC (#397) is ‘Texture‘. The Keukenhof is a world famous botanical garden, yearly displaying the impressive beauty of bulb flowers. It is only open for eight weeks to the general public; this year from March 19 till May 10. About one and a half million visitors enjoy it in that short period. Last week was its last week.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version