Time to move

Blogger has bee a great host but it’s time to consolidate. The blog is alive, more alive than ever, but from now on it is maintained on my official portfolio page.

Ready, steady? Go!

Sail Amsterdam

 

2.3 million people visited this year’s event and it is hard to describe the enthusiasm of visitors at the biggest public event of the Netherlands, at the same time the biggest international public nautical event around the globe. This is the crew of the Russian tall ship MIR, enjoying the performance of a Dutch senior music group at the traditional parade of the participating ship crews. Due to some technical difficulties at the front, we all had the chance to see the full show of all the participants, that otherwise we’d only see while they walk. The event had a once in five years great weather, I hope we’ll have the same 5 years from now, and that I’m here to see it.

Camera	Nikon D90
Aperture	f/4.8
Exposure Bias	-0.67 eV
Focal Length	38mm (57mm)
Lens	Nikkor AF-S DX 16-85 f/3.5-5.6
ISO	200
Shutter Speed	1/1250
Post Processing	ACDSee Pro

Gay for a day

 

Once again Amsterdam is the center of the #gay world with its amazing boat parade, this year the 20th time on the #Amsterdam canals. I was originally invited to a boat, not a cruising one but one that was docked nearly at the end of the #parade. After roaming around for hours, looking at beautiful people in fancy boats, I’ve finally got to the spot and realised that it was impossible to get onto any boat, docked or not, didn’t matter. I’ve stayed on land and was trying to get an acceptable spot to view the finish. You can see that even after 5 hours of cruising, these party people are still full of stamina, not unlike the crowd, including me.

Camera	Nikon D90
Aperture	f/5.3
Exposure Bias	-0.33 eV
Focal Length	120mm (180mm)
Lens	Nikkor AF-S DX 18-200 f/3.5-5.6
ISO	400
Shutter Speed	1/640
Post Processing	ACDSee Pro

Art Zuid

 

If you are in #Amsterdam this summer, don’t forget to visit #ArtZuid, the famous open air art exhibition south of the equally famous #Vondelpark. You can see some nice art there, like this Hercules by #MarkusLüpertz.

Camera	Nikon D90
Aperture	f/22
Exposure Bias	-0.33 eV
Focal Length	35mm (52mm)
Lens	Nikkor AF-S DX 35 f/1.8
ISO	100
Shutter Speed	1/60
Post Processing	ACDSee Pro

#Hamburg

 

I only took my 35 mm portrait lens to the 4 day long weekend to make life easier, I was expecting long walks, certainly not as much rain as I finally got, but something similar to Amsterdam. The charm of the north combined with the life of the south. Well, I could’ve seen more of the life but the charm is there.

Camera	Nikon D90
Aperture	f/3.2
Exposure Bias	-0.33 eV
Focal Length	35mm (52mm)
Lens	Nikkor AF-S DX 35 f/1.8
ISO	400
Shutter Speed	1/160
Post Processing	ACDSee Pro

King’s Day 2015

An open air #hairdresser on Amsterdam’s #Prinsengracht canal, at the time of the usual celebration at #KingsDay (formerly Queen’s day, the gender change happened last year).

Camera	Nikon D90
Aperture	f/3.2
Exposure Bias	-0.33 eV
Focal Length	35mm (52mm)
Lens	Nikkor AF-S DX 35 f/1.8
ISO	400
Shutter Speed	1/640
Post Processing	ACDSee Pro

It’s pillow fight day again

The traditional bonanza of the Amsterdam pillow fight day was here again on the 4th of April, if you missed it, make sure you prepare your pillows for next year. When it comes to photography, it’s quite a perfect setting. Lots of people, action, no need to ask for permissions. Just make sure you are as close as you can! #amsterdam #pillowfight #citylife

Camera	Nikon D90
Aperture	f/2.5
Exposure Bias	-0.33 eV
Focal Length	35mm (52mm)
Lens	Nikkor AF-S DX 35 f/1.8
ISO	200
Shutter Speed	1/1250
Post Processing	ACDSee Pro

Vroem-vroem

Holland in general but Amsterdam especially is full of people with unusual hobbies. Just by walking around in the city, you bump into demonstrations, street performances or - as in this case - retro-scooter (Velosolex) lovers. The only thing you need is your camera standing by.

Camera	Nikon D90
Aperture	f/2.2
Exposure Bias	-0.67 eV
Focal Length	170mm (255mm)
Lens	Nikkor 18-200 mm f/3.5-5.6
ISO	400
Shutter Speed	1/40 s
Post Processing	ACDSee Pro 6.3

Indian Summer

And the last summer shots in Amsterdam, this time from the Open Days at the Spiegel quarter. While checking antiques shops at a lazy Sunday afternoon, you easily bump into street musicians, entertaining the crowd under the mild rays of the autumn sun. Let's get closer!

 

Camera	Nikon D90
Aperture	f/2.5
Exposure Bias	-0.33 eV
Focal Length	35mm (52mm)
Lens	Nikkor AF-S DX 35 f/1.8
ISO	800
Shutter Speed	1/4000 s
Post Processing	ACDSee Pro 6.3

Pillow Fight

2009 was the first year for Amsterdam to participate in the annual pillow fight day. This year was the 5th time for the royal palace to witness the event on the Dam Square, and despite of the unusually cold winter dragging on through Easter and even to April, the Sunday of the happening was relatively warm and sunny, making the photographers job easy and relaxing. When you shoot a kinetic event like this, you have to watch your gear to keep it clean from dust and aggression, keep an eye on the crowd and play with the focus all the time, to be able to capture the occasion. I've used several lenses, changing them repeatedly to be able to show the nature of the event but being honest, it took some 250 shots to produce a 20 shot serial to show. It's not only that people are running around and moving unexpectedly. Since you are close to the action, shadows and sunlight are changing rapidly, making it impossible to apply decent metering and focus. These times I usually use a higher ISO and lower aperture to have better focus, also negative exposition compensation to make sure the Sun does not fool me.

 

Camera	Nikon D90
Aperture	f/5.3
Exposure Bias	-0.67 eV
Focal Length	95mm (142mm)
Lens	Nikkor 18-200 mm f/3.5-5.6
ISO	800
Shutter Speed	1/2500
Post Processing	ACDSee Pro 6 (B/W)

Chilling

A girl smoking in her window in the Jordaan, Amsterdam, on the day of the Open Ateliers Jordaan. Surprisingly enough, she wasn't at all shy when I asked her to pose for the shot.

 

Camera	Nikon D90
Aperture	f/4.8
Exposure Bias	0.00 eV
Focal Length	14mm (21mm)
ISO	800
Shutter Speed	1/1000 s
Post Processing	ACDSee Pro 6