Chess on the square

Amsterdam, on a rainy Saturday afternoon. I had some time to kill before an appointment, near the famous Leidseplein. I wandered around, camera at hand, but found the atmosphere spoiled by the steady traffic of weekend shoppers.

I went through a short passage and arrived at a quiet square, lined with shops and pubs. And so I arrived at a ‘scene’…

 

It’s not that unusual – at least in some countries – to discover a large chess set outdoors on the pavement, surrounded by a flock of players and spectators. But you don’t expect it just around the corner from one of Amsterdam’s busiest meeting areas.

The square is named after Max Euwe, the famous Dutch chess grandmaster, mathematician, and author, whose (small) statue overlooks the chessboard. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion, from 1935 to 1937.

My wait took me just long enough to enjoy the game, witness the finale (white won), and grab these couple of shots. In black and white, of course. What else would fit the noble game?

Gear notes: D300, 18-70DX

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Meet the cats

You can’t return from a trip to a zoo or animal park without some shots of the Big Cats… Hence this portrait collection from my recent visit to the Balen-Olmen zoo.

On that cold and somber day, only a few of them ventured outdoors, and let’s just say there wasn’t all that activity to see. Waiting to see them positioned against a background clear of wire fences was not always an available option…

Gear notes: D300, 70-300VR

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Generations III

The family saga continues, time to start telling you about the second generation: my father. In May of 1945, at the age of 17, he left his hometown to start as an apprentice with my mother’s father (see earlier posts). For the next five busy years, he learned the tricks of the trade, passed the necessary exams, and along the way fell madly in love with the boss’ daughter…

July 1952: my father, with his precious Exakta camera

As early as 1949, he started a portrait photography activity  during the weekends he spent back home. Gradually, he built up what it took to run a ‘real’ business: a studio and a darkroom.

The darkroom, July 1951. On the very left: an enlarger and a heat press to apply gloss to photos. Against the wall just left of center: a contact printing frame for glass plates and sheet films

Hard to believe from today’s perspective, but there was no tap water available in that neighborhood until 1952. You just had to be ingenious to set up a makeshift negative rinsing installation!

By the early 1950’s, graduated and fully licensed, my father started to work full-time as independent ‘master photographer’. The family house became a photo store, and a new business was born! (And soon thereafter, so would I…)

Studio Ray’s storefront, April 1953

 Queuing for a passport shot, September 1954

During 1952-53, all Belgian citizens were obliged to renew their identity cards. As my hometown lies exactly on the virtual border between the Flemish and French speaking halves of the country, politics took its time, and it wasn’t until late 1954 that the action finally spread to that area. Meaning: all 30,000+ inhabitants were to be processed in just a couple of weeks! The sudden demand for passport pictures (shot on 6x9cm sheet film, each one hand retouched!) turned out to be a big boost for the young business.

To be continued…

Gear notes: long forgotten

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