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.
Checkpoint Charlie, symbol of the cold war.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lens-Artist’s Photo Challenge #365 is ‘longing’. This landscape is so appealing, I still feel the excitement I felt when I shot this sequence.
shot with Nikon D70, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
In the front garden, next to the Japanese Anemone, there is a Knautia Arvensis. It is more easily known as Field Scabiosa.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
In the front garden, next to the Japanese Anemone, there is a Knautia Arvensis. It is more easily known as Field Scabiosa. It is literally a star.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
To close the series of the Japanese Anemone, a last one in color.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
I like monochrome photography for many reasons. One of them is the ability to play with the mood in the photo. Just by adjusting the aperture time or the opening of the lens, the same light delivers a different mood. This one and the photo I published yesterday, were shot on the same day.
Lens- Artist Challenge #364 is ‘Quiet Moment’. Close ups of natural beauty are a wonderful instrument to just be quiet, enjoying the view. And to realize all is connected.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Lens- Artist Challenge #364 is ‘Quiet Moment’. Close ups of natural beauty are a wonderful instrument to just be quiet, enjoying the view. And to realize all is connected.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The aim is to get up into the light and find your place among the rest of the garden.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The Japanese Anemone in the front garden at close look.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The morning sun reflecting the drops of rain that the night left behind.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
This week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #361 is ‘Doors revisited’. That theme was also the brief for LAPC #20. A door is a pass way to another space behind it. That space can be something we know already. Or something we like to imagine to see there when we go through. And in books you can end up in another world. In this post a few doors I met in my life. One I used for a long time, most I just passed by or passed through on holidays.
The word ‘doors’ for me is also linked to the band The Doors. The name of the band came from a book by Aldous Huxley, The doors of perception. And Huxley took it from William Blake, who used it as a metaphor:
“If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern . Doors lead you to another side or space, break on through to the other side.”
‘Break on through to the other side’ became the title of a Doors’ song.
So a lot can be said about doors. Luckily, we still have the photos. Here are a few from my conscious memory.
This is the front door to the house I was born and lived in for 25 years. The photo is shot on Ilford XP with a Pentax K1000.
This door in Caylus is ready to be knocked. Shot on Nikon D70.
I looked through my archive. It struck me that lots of the doors I saw there are doors of small or bigger churches. This one is on Karpathos. Shot on Nikon D70.
Another church door on Karpathos, shot on Kodak TriX with Nikon F90.
A chapel door in Lesbos, also shot on Nikon D70.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #359 is ‘Tools of Photo Compositions: Lines, Colors and Patterns’.
Long leading lines, nice shapes etc are pretty obvious to use when building a nice frame. But what about chaos? Can that be appealing too? A field with spiderwebs, wet by the fog. A photo from almost 30 years ago, taken in Brittany at St. Samsom-sur-Rance, near Dinan. To see it at its best, click the photo please.
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
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #359 is ‘Tools of Photo Compositions: Lines, Colors and Patterns’.
The harbor of Le Conquet at low tide during sunset, as equestrians pass by. To say I was surprised when I spotted the horses, is an understatement.
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
France – Morbihan, Questembert – August 1996
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #359 is ‘Tools of Photo Compositions: Lines, Colors and Patterns’.
The dreamy field with freshly pressed straw rolls offers a nice challenge. It is an opportunity to create something that makes sense in images. The idea that they actually roll. Near Questembert in the Morbihan region of Brittany.
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
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #359 is ‘Tools of Photo Compositions: Lines, Colors and Patterns’.
A local railway track, disappearing in the fog. A photo from almost 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
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Guildford High Street.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Some shops had better days in Guildford High Street.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Uphill Guildford High Street.
Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The old Posting House in Guildford now the Angel Hotel.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
England, Guildford – April 2025
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #350 (congratulations!) is ‘zooming’. A zoomlens gets you nearer to the subject, and can be used for lots of creative effects. The brief for this LAPC is to be creative, but in this photo I used the zoom just to get closer to a section of the ‘full picture’ of the Surrey Scholar on High Street in Guildford. The zoom puts the statue in a different light, taking the context away.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Lately I have not participated in the weekly Lens-Artists Challenge, but here is one that fits the brief of #349 ‘the first thing I thought of (when I saw this)’. For me this is about association, and the thought that pops up seeing a scene can be the reason for taking the photo. Sometimes a thought that brings a smile, sometimes a thought of a type of despair or frustration: why? As it was the latter in this case.
In The Netherlands, all trees are bi-annualy inspected for risks, like falling over during a storm, to prevent calamities and discomfort. Its aim is to prevent and control future situations. In a way this makes sense, if you can prevent accidents, what is not to be liked about that? On the other hand you are never sure when they come down, but you do know that it will happen! At times with severe storms, trees tend to come down on roads and motorways or train tracks. C’est la vie, say the French. Luckily, in England one can enjoy the odd dead, broken, fallen over or not too healthy tree like this one. Let nature be nature, enjoy the ride.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Lately I have not participated in the weekly Lens-Artists Challenge, but here is one that fits the brief of #349 ‘the first thing I thought of (when I saw this)’. For me this is about association, and the thought that pops up seeing a scene can be the reason for taking the photo. As it was in this case. A peaceful arcadic scene of a green, lush valley with grazing sheep in the distance, made me think of a sketch.
One of my first introductions to Monty Python’s Flying Circus was the sketch ‘Flying Sheep’. In which dim sheep are trying to be like birds, led by the most dangerous of all animals, a clever sheep (Harald). After that introduction I was a fan forever, of Python, and sometimes lamb.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The temple of Horus at Edfu in Egypt. A quick backflash.
The B4 retouch series
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. All of them are not completely retouched yet. Scratches, dust and stains are not removed.
Shot with Nikon F90 on KodakTriX, scanned from film and edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – April 2025
This year I followed the flowering of the magnolia tree in our front garden. The mono photos are taken with Nikon Zf, the colors come from the iPhone.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The Netherlands, Voorhout April 2025
April 12 2025 was the yearly Bollenstreek flower parade; an impressive treat of creativity and beauty. The colors on display, the fragrance, the beautiful arrangements and the wonderful weather made it a true treat.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The Netherlands, Voorhout April 2025
April 12 2025 was the yearly Bollenstreek flower parade; an impressive treat of creativity and beauty. The colors on display, the fragrance, the beautiful arrangements and the wonderful weather made it a true treat.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The Netherlands, Voorhout – April 2025
April 12 2025 was the yearly Bollenstreek flower parade; an impressive treat of creativity and beauty. The colors on display, the fragrance, the beautiful arrangements and the wonderful weather made it a true treat.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
The Netherlands, Voorhout – April 2025
April 12 2025 was the yearly Bollenstreek flower parade; an impressive treat of creativity and beauty. The colors on display, the fragrance, the beautiful arrangements and the wonderful weather made it a true treat.
This float is themed Sail Amsterdam 2025.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
This little guy is going to be a daddy soon, as Spring is coming in.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Since January I try to take regular photos of the Magnolia tree in the garden. The coming days I will publish a daily photo of a close up. For some it will be boring and repetitive, for most (I hope) it will be fun.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Since January I try to take regular photos of the Magnolia tree in the garden. The coming days I will publish a daily photo of a close up. For some it will be boring and repetitive, for most (I hope) it will be fun.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Since January I try to take regular photos of the Magnolia tree in the garden. The coming days I will publish a daily photo of a close up. For some it will be boring and repetitive, for most (I hope) it will be fun.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
Since January I try to take regular photos of the Magnolia tree in the garden. The coming days I will publish a daily photo of a close up. For some it will be boring and repetitive, for most (I hope) it will be fun.
Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.
What's (in) the Picture? 