Tree Line
The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #116 is ‘symmetry’.
Again on the road, a view over the fields obscured by rain.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #116 is ‘symmetry’.
Again on the road, a view over the fields obscured by rain.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #115 is ‘Inspiration’.
Coming from a land that is flat as a pancake, mountains and hills are a source of inspiration, reflection and sport. Climbing a mountain by bicycle is a wonderful experience, offering lots of insights about who and what you are. This one was shot with Pentax Mju on Fuji Film.
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 theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #115 is ‘Inspiration’.
An old travel photo from 1993 in France. The Cantal is a beautiful area with no longer active volcanoes. Landscapes inspire me. This one was amazing.
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 theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #114 is ‘Negative Space’.
I am not sure if this photo is about ‘negative space’. But it shows a way of looking at ‘space’ for sure.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #114 is ‘Negative Space’.
The bridge from the other side, see photo yesterday.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #114 is ‘Negative Space’.
The term ‘negative space’ to me is confusion: technically it is the space around the main subject of a photo. It means ‘negative’ as opposed to ‘positive’ attention for the main subject. The word ‘negative’ as a noun brings back good old memories. Being older I actually worked and work with negatives (for the millennials: it has to do with film, the light sensitive stuff we used to put in a camera to get a photo on (in negative) that later could be printed (in positive).
So ‘negative space’ is about the focus a viewer of a photo is offered in a photo. If there is a lot to see around the subject, than that distracts from that subject. In other words: it is a creative tool a photographer can use.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The flowering heather at Gortel, too bad the rain came in, but the view is still breathtaking
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #113 is ‘A labor of love’.
The theme is meant to honor Labor Day in the United States of America. But I decided to give my own twist to the theme, and add parenthood to the label ‘labor’.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #109 is ‘Under the sun’. Even when it rains we are under the sun.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #108 is ‘Sanctuary’.
The backyard is the sanctuary, being not too big but full with Agapanthus, who particular enjoy this Summer season. The flowers are a sanctuary for bees, buzzing over from the neighbor’s hives.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #108 is ‘Sanctuary’.
Sometimes you have to go elsewhere to find a sanctuary. New horizons.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #104 is ‘Summer’.
Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version

Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #103 is ‘Surprise’.
Framing a cloudy sunset I got a surpise of a gull flying by.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #102 is ‘A Quiet Moment’.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

The theme for Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge #102 is ‘A Quiet Moment’.
A baby toad sitting in the sun, in our backyard.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #99 is ‘old and new’.
Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #99 is ‘old and new’.
Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #99 is ‘old and new’.
During the Corona crisis, most air traffic came to a stop. The skies are blue, and occasionally a plan (mostly cargo) comes over.
Normally every minute a plan approaches Schiphol Amsterdam Airport 25 kilometres to the North. The old is no longer, this new is for the time being.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #99 is ‘old and new’.
Bees are under thread of extinction worldwide. If we loose them our ecosystems will stop. The simple thing of a flower and a bee makes our world work.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #98 is ‘delicate colours’.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #98 is ‘delicate colours’.
Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #98 is ‘delicate colours’.
Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #98 is ‘delicate colours’.
Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #98 is ‘delicate colours’.
Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #98 is ‘delicate colours’.
An abstract sunset.
Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #98 is ‘delicate colours’.
Wild flowers against a dark backdrop.
Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #97 is ‘pastimes’.
A last afterglow on the bulb fields. If you want to see flowers in bloom just check out the archives of flowers and Voorhout.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
Each Spring we look forward to when young swans are born.
This one is for Dutch goes the Photo ‘return’ theme.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #97 is ‘pastimes’.
Meadows and scenery in a typical Dutch polder landscape.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #97 is ‘pastimes’.
Normally the bulb fields attract tourists in the Spring. The colours are always fantastic to see. Let alone the smell. In The Netherlands we are in an intelligent lockdown since March 12th. To prevent people from flocking into the bulb fields the growers decided to chop the heads sooner than normal. After all the bulbs that are on the field are meant to be sold, you can order them online from August. The flowers are taking too much strength out of the bulbs, that is why they are chopped off after flowering. Last weekend we spotted two fields still in bloom, and decided to have a closer look on a bicycle ride. This is what we found.
If you want to see flowers in bloom just check out the archives of flowers and Voorhout.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #97 is ‘pastimes’.
During the intelligent lockdown we can make short bicycle trips to have some excercise and see the beauty of nature bursting out in Spring. Yesterday I posted two motor powered parachutes against the sky. This is taken from the same viewpoint.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #97 is ‘pastimes’.
During the intelligent lockdown we can make short bicycle trips to have some excercise and see the beauty of nature bursting out in Spring. These two pilots take it to a higher level in their favourite pastime. Zooming in with the iPhone 11 Max gave this almost paint like rendering of the sky.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
We have a family of great tits as guests in our backyard. The parents fly in and out to feed the unseen – but quite vocally present – brethren. The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #96 is ‘cropping the shot’. Show how and why you crop shots, that is the basic question.
Basically I am not an avid cropper. Certainly in the days of film, cropping let always to the loss of quality. In digital times that is somehow different, especially using RAW format and a much better image capture technology. But in general: when taking the photo I try to frame it the way I want the final result to look like. Sometimes (digital is cheap) I take different frames of the same subject. But sometimes that is not possible.
In this photo – to close the series – a lucky shot of the two proud and very busy parents. I was focussing on one of them in the Wisteria, when the other came into the shot as well. The quality is not that great but it closes this series nicely.
Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
We have a family of great tits as guests in our backyard. The parents fly in and out to feed the unseen – but quite vocally present – brethren. The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #96 is ‘cropping the shot’. Show how and why you crop shots, that is the basic question.
Basically I am not an avid cropper. Certainly in the days of film, cropping let always to the loss of quality. In digital times that is somehow different, especially using RAW format and a much better image capture technology. But in general: when taking the photo I try to frame it the way I want the final result to look like. Sometimes (digital is cheap) I take different frames of the same subject. But sometimes that is not possible.
In this photo the nest is on the back of our shed, and I can sit about 10 meters away, more or less hidden. Even using a long lens (300 mm on a not full frame sensor so approximately 450 mm) I can not get ‘close enough’. Because they are quite tiny, a distant shot is not that interesting to look at. Then cropping is a logical step to come up with a presentable result.
Yesterday I published ‘In Coming‘ that shows how one of the parents approaches the nest. Today a take off from the nest. It is relatively easy to record the departure from the nest: when you see the head, start using the burst and all chances are that you have one nice shot in flight. To show you the amount of crop I added the original frame below.

Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
We have a family of great tits as guests in our backyard. The parents fly in and out to feed the unseen – but quite vocally present – brethren. The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #96 is ‘cropping the shot’. Show how and why you crop shots, that is the basic question.
Basically I am not an avid cropper. Certainly in the days of film, cropping let always to the loss of quality. In digital times that is somehow different, especially using RAW format and a much better image capture technology. But in general: when taking the photo I try to frame it the way I want the final result to look like. Sometimes (digital is cheap) I take different frames of the same subject. But sometimes that is not possible.
In this photo the nest is on the back of our shed, and I can sit about 10 meters away, more or less hidden. Even using a long lens (300 mm on a not full frame sensor so approximately 450 mm) I can not get ‘close enough’. Because they are quite tiny, a distant shot is not that interesting to look at. Then cropping is a logical step to come up with a presentable result.
It is relatively easy to record the departure from the nest: when you see the head, start using the burst and all chances are that you have one nice shot in flight (see for an example here). In a shot like that you can zoom in quite close. Taking photos of the arrival to the nest is a bit more tricky. I found out that they come back using a certain pattern. They pause and sit 2 meters out on the wisteria, checking if returning is safe. But to catch them in flight I had to open up the frame a bit more. They are extremely quick and I can not see them take off for the final jump, so when I hear them I start using the burst, hoping it works out well. To show you the amount of crop I added the original frame below. A great tit in full brake.
Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
As Shakespeare once said: ‘a rose is a rose, is a rose, is a rose, is a rose, is a rose………………’
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
We have a family of blue tits as guests in our backyard.
Shot with Nikon D500, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a bigger version
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #95 is ‘All Wet’.
You might think seeing this photo ‘this is not all wet, is it?’ And indeed it is not. Some say God created the world and The Dutch created The Netherlands.The first is a question of belief and the latter is a question of opinion. The fact is that a big part of the low lands (Netherlands) are under sea level. This small canal is part of the waterworks that manages to keep Dutch feet dry. If we could not manage water this way you would be looking at the sea. So it is not all wet, it is managed wet and we prefer it that way.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version
The theme for the weekly Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #95 is ‘All Wet’.
You might think seeing this photo ‘this is not all wet, is it?’ And indeed it is not. Some say God created the world and The Dutch created The Netherlands.The first is a question of belief and the latter is a question of opinion. The fact is that a big part of the low lands (Netherlands) are under sea level. This pond collects water, if there is too much rain the excess water is taking down to the sea. This pond is one of the waterworks that manages to keep Dutch feet dry. If we could not manage water this way you would be looking at the sea. So it is not all wet, it is managed wet and we prefer it that way.
Shot with iPhone 11 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version