What's (in) the Picture?

Chris Breebaart Photography – finding stories

Posts tagged ‘sky’

A matter of choice and taste – Episode 1

A monochrome image depicting five cyclists riding along a tree-lined path in a rural landscape, with fog obscuring the background.
A misty landscape featuring a row of tall trees along a grassy field, with several cyclists riding in a line in the distance.
The Netherlands, Voorhout – March 2026

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

On The Run

A black and white image of a winding road through a rural landscape, with two people walking along the path and a small stream running alongside. The horizon is lined with trees and fields.
The Netherlands, Voorhout – March 2026

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

A Sunday Walk

A scenic black and white image of a pathway bordered by trees, with two people walking in the distance. The atmosphere is serene and foggy, suggesting a quiet early morning or late afternoon.
The Netherlands, Voorhout – March 2026

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

Lines of Thought

A textured sky with varying shades of blue and soft cloud formations.
A moody sky filled with gray and white clouds, creating a dramatic atmosphere.
The Netherlandse, Oegstgeest – February 2026

The sky is always inspirational and a place of imagination. Just clouds in shapes, and light settings.

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

When Spring Calls

Close-up of a tree with bright yellow flowers or buds against a dark background.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

Spring knocks on the door. Sunrises through young leaves, creating a fabric of soft gold in the tree against the sunlight.

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

Golden Slumbers Vanishing

A serene view of a neighborhood during sunrise, showcasing trees with golden leaves and houses in the background, illuminated by soft morning light.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

Spring knocks on the door. Sunrises through young leaves, creating golden slumbers in the early sunlight. Vanishing as the sun climbs higher in the sky.

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

Royal Library

View of modern urban buildings through large glass windows, featuring a blend of different architectural styles and heights, with a clear blue sky in the background.
The Netherlands, Den Haag – February 2026

The view towards the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (Royal Library). This weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #387 is Shadowed. How do you use shadows in photography.

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

Dark and Light

Silhouette of bare trees against a colorful sunset sky, with rooftops in the foreground.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

A Winter sunrise. This weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #387 is Shadowed. How do you use shadows in photography.

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

Tree

Silhouetted trees against a twilight sky with a gradient of blue and orange hues at sunset.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

A Winter sunrise. This weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #387 is Shadowed. How do you use shadows in photography.

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

On Wings

A flock of birds flying in a V formation against a clear blue sky.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – February 2026

The LAPC theme #385 is ‘unusual crop’. Geese in a pretty big V.

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

Reaching for the Sky

Construction cranes are visible against a cloudy sky, with historical building rooftops in the foreground.
The Netherlands, Den Haag – February 2026

The LAPC theme #385 is ‘unusual crop’. The skyline over Den Haag, building activities and old spires.

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

Winter Sunset Ripples

Vibrant sunset with orange and blue hues illuminating a cloudy sky.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – January 2026

The LAPC theme #385 is ‘unusual crop’. Sky shots of clouds are mostly abstract. Framing them in a way that makes sense is a challenge at times.

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

Steel Giants

A black and white photograph of tall power lines and transmission towers stretching across a snowy landscape under a bright sun.
Black and white photograph of power lines stretching across a field, with the sun shining brightly in the background.

France, Saint-Georges-sur- l’Aa – January 2026

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.

Marshes Panorama Blakeney

Panoramic view of a sunset over a grassy field with a winding path on the left side.
England, Blakeney, December 2025

To end a long set of photos of the marshes near Blakeney, a panorama shot.

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

Running On Empty

Two runners jogging on a dirt path surrounded by grassy fields under an overcast sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

The coast path between Blakeney and Cley next the sea is used often by joggers.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner

A person jogging on a dirt path leading towards a scenic landscape with grass and a distant view of wind turbines under a partly cloudy sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

I published this one in a black and white version earlier, but this is the original. The coast path between Blakeney and Cley next the sea is used often by joggers.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Juno 2

A sailboat moored in a calm tidal estuary during sunset, with a distant lighthouse and boats in the background.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

The quayside and harbour of Blakeney just before sunrise.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

First Light of a Winter Sunrise on the Marshes

Sunset view over a grassy marsh with silhouettes of trees in the background and a jet trail in the sky.

England, Blakeney – December 2025

Lens-Artist’s Photo Challenge #383 is ‘patterns and designs’. Sunrises are always amazing, but the marshes being touched by the first rays is amazing to see.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

On The Marshes

A vibrant sunset shining over a grassy field, with sunlight rays and lens flares creating colorful orbs.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

Lens-Artist’s Photo Challenge #383 is ‘patterns and designs’. The sunrise distorted in the lens.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

When The Morning Comes

A serene sunset over marshland, with golden and blue hues in the sky, and silhouettes of trees and buildings in the background.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

Lens-Artist’s Photo Challenge #383 is ‘patterns and designs’. The sunrise over marshes near Blakeney.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Cley Next The Sea

A scenic view of a landscape at sunset, featuring a windmill in the distance, rolling hills, and a field with tall grass under a colorful sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

Lens-Artist’s Photo Challenge #383 is ‘patterns and designs’. The sunrise over the famous Cley windmill and Cley next the sea.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Sunny Rain

A scenic view of a riverbank scene with buildings on one side, a sandy area in the foreground, and dramatic clouds in the sky, capturing the beauty of nature and architecture.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

Lens-Artist’s Photo Challenge #383 is ‘patterns and designs’. A Winter rain shower over the quaside of Blakeney.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Rainbows

A vibrant rainbow arcs over a cloudy sky at a coastal location, with a signboard and boats visible in the foreground.
A rainbow arcs across a cloudy sky over a serene landscape with a small white sailboat in the foreground.
A scenic landscape featuring two rainbows in a cloudy sky, with several parked cars and a person photographing the scene in the foreground.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

Lens-Artist’s Photo Challenge #383 is ‘patterns and designs’. Being caught in Winter shower in Blakeney, resultated in a gorgeous full and double rainbow. As we can see here, the story of the pot of gold is probably not true.

Shot with Nikon Zf (the two portrait photos),and iPhone 15 Pro Max (the landscape) edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Juno

A person sitting on a stone ledge near a calm body of water, looking at their phone, with a sailboat moored in the background and cars parked nearby.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

The quayside and harbour of Blakeney.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Seal Trips

A serene coastal scene featuring a calm river reflecting the sky, with a sailboat in the background and a sandy shoreline. Signposts are visible on the right.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

The quayside of Blakeney. Here you can go on a small boat to see Blakeney Point, visit the seals.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Walk

A wide landscape featuring a grassy hill with various people walking along the top, under a cloudy sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

The path along the seafront in Blakeney.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Blakeney

A tranquil scene of a river with a wooden boat and surrounding grassy banks, reflecting the evening sky, with a couple of people walking along a nearby wooden pier.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

The seafront in Blakeney.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Rejected Photos

Lens-artists Photo Challenge #382 is about rejected photos. What do you do with photos you do not like? You can throw them away, or you can keep them. And if you keep them what can you do with them? First a story of myself, how I work. And in the end an example.

I am a snap shooter for a long time. When looking at this question for myself, I have to distinguish between the analog age and the digital age. But in both ages it is about quality, how you can assess that and what instruments are available after shooting. And above all: how can you be creative, and how much room is there to experiment?

The analog age was expensive: film was expensive, darkroom materials were expensive too. And being a poor student I shot as efficient as possible. You had to be patient while shooting, and selective. You also needed to trust your skills. Experience was essential to figure out what worked and what not. To produce good prints you needed to develop darkroom skills. And some negatives were impossible to print. But you kept them all. I never threw away negatives. That decision was beneficial in the digital age. After scanning my negatives, I properly made them look like what I had in mind when shooting them. What the darkroom did not deliver, software did.

In the digital age the cost of a photo is nearly non existent. The original photo (the former negative) can be copied lots of times. From the start technology offers instruments to oversee the quality of the photos. What you shoot is instantly visible on the camera. You can try different changes in the photo. Adjustments like shutter time, focus, and shutter opening can be tested most of the time. The RAW format offers flexibility for editing the ‘negative’ after the shoot. Software offers lots of creative tools to change the photo, or create new images.

So, do you keep rejected (bad) photos or not? I do reject photos, overseeing the result on my camera. I keep photos that can come to a good result after editing. The rest I remove straight away (e.g. bracketing shots).What I keep is stored on my NAS, where I use Lightroom as my archiving tool. I use editing tools to tweak a photo slightly. My favorite is Snapseed for web and social media publication. And Lightroom and Photoshop for prints.

The digital age is a time for unlimited creativity. The photos of ‘dinner at Wiveton Bell’ are an example of testing out the iPhone in a very dark situation. I shot about 8 frames, I kept them all but had my doubts. At home I worked them in Lightroom and Snapseed. And was surprised by what came out. And the ones that did not work were indeed deleted.

On the left the photo published and on the right the original RAW file.

Four silhouetted figures walking in a dimly lit parking area at night, with a church tower in the background under a starry sky.
Four figures walking on a gravel path toward a church under a starry sky, with parked cars on either side.
Silhouettes of two people walking in a dimly lit street surrounded by parked cars and a faint glow from a nearby light source.
Two silhouetted figures walking on a dimly lit street at night, with a faint light illuminating their path, and a distant building silhouette against a darkened sky.
A moody, abstract landscape featuring silhouetted structures against a dark, colorful sky with hints of light.
A nighttime scene featuring dark clouds and a few visible stars, with silhouettes of buildings in the foreground.
A dimly lit pathway at night with a bright moon overhead, featuring shadowy figures walking along the path, illuminated by faint light.
A group of people walking along a dark path illuminated by flashlights, with a bright moon in the night sky.

Down To The Harbour

England, Blakeney – December 2025

Westgate Street in Blakeney, the access to the Quay at the seafront.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Old Pub

A picturesque village square featuring traditional architecture with red-tiled roofs, surrounded by several buildings and a clear blue sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

The King’s Arms in in Blakeney. Founded in 1763. And still sells fresh beer.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Marshes With a bit of Cley Next The Sea (on the left)

Black and white landscape of a grassy marshland with distant trees and a cloudy sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

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.

View on Cley Next The Sea

Black and white landscape featuring a vast field of tall grass and a lone tree, with a distant view of a windmill and hills under a muted sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

Lens artists photo challenge #381 is ‘minimalism in black and white photography’. Overlooking the marshes at first sunlight in the direction of Cley next the sea.

Shot with Nikon Zf,edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Marooned

Black and white photograph of a dilapidated shipwreck on a barren landscape under a cloudy sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

An old boat, slowly decaying on the marshes near Blakeney. Lens artists photo challenge #381 is ‘minimalism in black and white photography’.

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

The Runner

A person walking down a path towards the horizon, surrounded by a grassy landscape and a cloudy sky, in black and white.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

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.

Bus Stop Morning

A black and white photograph of a quiet road with street signs and a central traffic island in the distance, surrounded by trees and a cloudy sky.
England, Blakeney – December 2025

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.

Dinner at the Wiveton Bell in Norfolk

Abstract night scene featuring silhouettes of buildings and structures against a colorful, illuminated sky.
A dark night scene featuring a faint moon in the sky above a shadowy path, with silhouettes of people walking along the trail.
Two silhouetted figures walking on a dark street illuminated by a car's headlights, with a dark sky and a building in the background.
Four silhouetted figures walking towards a church under a starry night sky, with parked cars visible in the foreground.
England, Wiveton, Blakeney – December 2025

Having dinner at the Wiveton Bell. A beautiful moonlight night, an open invitation to play with the iPhone. The results did surprise me.

The bottom right photo is taken with the night modus. The rest with the manual mode of ‘real light’.

The one of the church reminds me of a medieval painting.

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

Iced Sky

Black and white image of a textured sky filled with clouds, showing varying shades and patterns.
Close-up view of ice crystals against a blue sky, showcasing intricate snowflakes and sparkling frost.
Close-up of sparkling ice and snow with a blue background, reflecting light.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – January 2026

The sky through ice on a window.

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

Traces

A black and white image of a cloud-filled sky with a faint contrail running diagonally across the frame.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

Traces in the sky, passing by and fleeting.

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

Big Old Jet Airliner

Dusk sky with soft pink and gray clouds, featuring a vapor trail from an airplane.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

The sky at dusk is a nice canvas to play with.

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

Sky

A serene winter sky at dusk with soft pastel colors blending into deep shades.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

At dusk, a beautiful Winter sky.

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

Heavy Horizon

A dramatic sky filled with dark rain clouds, featuring silhouettes of trees and a flock of birds flying across the scene.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

An iPhone long lens shot of a heavy rain sky. This was the first of the three photos I published the last three days.

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

Birds

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

An iPhone long lens shot of the horizon, catching geese by accident, against a heavy rain sky. I cropped the motorway A44 out on this one.

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

Blues

A long shot of a dark sky with heavy rain, featuring birds flying over motorway A44, with a blue car passing and bare trees in the foreground.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – November 2025

A long shot with an iPhone; a heavy rain sky with birds over motorway A44.

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

Out of the chimney

Silhouette of a chimney with smoke against a twilight sky.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

Who says chimneys are boring?

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

A Grey Quiet Day

A silhouette of a chimney emitting smoke against a monochromatic background, capturing the essence of a quiet evening.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

Who says chimneys are boring?

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

Just missed Saint Nicholas, or Waiting For Santa?

Silhouette of a rooftop with smoke rising from a chimney against a blue sky.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – December 2025

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

Lake Side

Landscape view of Klinkenberger Plas, showcasing a grassy shore with tall reeds beside a calm water body under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – November 2025

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

Incremental

A dramatic sunset sky filled with wispy clouds, showcasing shades of blue, pink, and soft yellow.
Artistic depiction of swirling autumn clouds during sunset, featuring shades of pink and gray.
Colorful swirling clouds against an autumn sunset sky.
The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – October 2025

Autumn skies at sunset.

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