Happy new year!

 

Prime Time: On the Waterfront

A cold and sunny morning with a clear blue sky: what more do you need to grab a few lenses and head out for some you-get-what-you-see shots?

Not far from where I live, the Rupel river passes by the town of Boom. There’s a beautifully redeveloped quay area, lined with trendy apartments and lofts, and featuring an excellent brasserie. The perfect place to meet with Rob, a friend and seasoned photographer, who traveled all the way from the Netherlands to bring me a mint copy of the famous Nikkor 180/2.8ED lens.

A cup of coffee (and a modest monetary exchange) later, we left for a short walk-around in the area. A few quick shots to become friends with my newly acquired piece of glass: what a true delight to handle this compact, sharp lens! Then we took the (free) ferry across the river to get us to the small marina of Willebroek.

The chilly temperature and our plans for the rest of the day had us cut our little tour shorter than we wanted, so a repeat visit some time in the spring is likely to follow. Back to the ferry then…

And a good opportunity this time to shoot a couple of pseudo-panoramas with a 24mm prime, another recent addition to my lens collection (thanks Filip!).

Gear notes: D700, 50/1.8, 180/2.8D, 24/2.8

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Surprise!

We don’t get a lot of snow here in Belgium - and most of what we get would not even qualify in the eyes of those that are used to the ‘real stuff’. The 10-15 cm we received a good week before Christmas therefore called for immediate action!

No need to step outside: the morning sun showed off its best as I peeked through the windows looking out on our (tiny) garden.
 As soon as the outside temperatures start dropping towards the freezing point, we put out some goodies in the trees for the many birds that live in our neighborhood. Our reward: frequent visits by all kinds of colorful little friends.

And even an otherwise dull-to-see street takes on a different and special charm in the waning evening light…

Gear notes: D700, 70-200/2.8VR, 24/2.8

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