Cities at night, fast prime lenses, black and white conversions… there’s a mix of ingredients I love to play around with!
The following images started as quick shots on my way back to the parking garage, after a few hours of shooting pleasure (and a great sushi dinner with a friend) in Antwerp’s historic center. And a couple of beers to top off the evening, of course.
Gear notes: D700, 50/1.8
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We had a great Antwerp edition of Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk, last Saturday! More than 20 Belgians, a few Dutch people and even one US and one Czech photographer took part in a leisurely discovery tour through inspiring ‘cozy corners’ of ‘t Stad.
James, our walk leader, took us under the Schelde river into the area south of the historic city center. Along the way, plenty of colorful subject matter to satisfy everyone’s taste: some quite old, others very modern, and many full of surprises.
As co-leader of the walk, I came back with ‘only’ a modest 200 shots on the card. You may find my favorites from this walk in a gallery here. I am sure some of them will end up being featured in future posts here. There’s a pool with images from several walk participants on flickr as well. Enjoy!
But most importantly: I’ve met another group of enthusiast photo lovers/freaks, and we had a lot of fun during and after the walk sharing ideas, tips and all kind of stories. Thanks, leader, and thanks to all that participated!
Gear notes: D700, 24-70/2.8
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Yet another afternoon stroll through a damp city of Antwerp with just one prime lens glued to the camera. Theme for this random collection: just looking…
Gear notes: D700, 85/1.8
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Start with a mild and rainy late afternoon. Look out for gorgeous cloud formations. Go find a spot where you can shoot against the (mostly hidden) sun. Some splash of water would be nice too.
I ran into this camper parked right along the edge of the quay. Plenty of room on the rest of the parking lot, though. Don’t know why, but it was standing just next to a life buoy. Better be safe?
One body, one prime lens, each time a bracketed series of five merged HDR-style. Who needs color?
Gear notes: D700, 24/2.8
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For most of us in the West, a visit to such an icon of mankind’s heritage is – at best - a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I consider myself very privileged for having had the opportunity to add my humble footsteps to the millions that walked the site before me.
We all have seen the typical pictures of the Taj Mahal over and over again. Yet nothing in print or video can prepare you for the richness and majesty of the intricate decorations. It’s just way beyond what you can image, much more overwhelming, simply so totally beautiful.
I tried to leave out any of the to-be-expected shots here –because yes, of course, I too have captured these sights…
Although my Taj Mahal visit filled most of a warm and muggy day, I did not shoot all that many pictures: for once, I mostly used my eyes and my imagination.
Gear notes: D300, 18-200VR
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Some images take on a totally different, stronger personality when converted to black&white. I keep telling myself that I should remember this and experiment more often.
Light and lines are two elements that usually contribute well to B&W images. An urban environment offers plenty of opportunities to discover and exploit.
Scenes containing strong graphic elements are also good candidates. You may have seen the image below before on my blog, but this B&W version seems like telling a different story…
And then there’s structure and texture. B&W brings out more of the heart and soul of materials. No further comments needed…
Gear notes: D700, 35/2.0D, 24/2.8
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Don’t miss out on this year’s Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk! As the counters stand today, no less than 19727 photographers will participate to 934 photo walks all over the world on July 24.
My buddy James will be leading this year’s walk in Antwerp. Join us by 1:00 pm at the tram/metro stop on ‘Linkeroever’, for a 2-3 hour discovery of lesser known but equally colorful parts of town.
We have already gone out to scout possible routes. Below some snapshots of places that we may/will pass by. If you’re a bit familiar with Antwerp, see if you can recognize these spots!
Gear notes: D700, 35/2.0D, 24/2.8
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I am very fond of short shooting strolls, taking just one or two prime lenses with me. This time I headed back to ‘t Stad (as the locals call Antwerp) with a 35mm on my FX body. Just some fun images to enjoy…
Gear notes: D700, 35/2.0D
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