You looking at me? A chance encounter with a goat on a small hill in the city of Naarden. A stunning silhouette, which was picked as one of the illustrations in an online article on that subject.
Steel bamboo. One of my first shots with a "new" camera (actually a hand-me-down from my wife). I spotted this in a famous interior decoration shop in Naarden.
Textures and structures 3. Another find in the same shop, one of the first examples in my photographs of turning modern design lamps into abstract images.
Light in darkness. Same location, same idea, different lamp. Both shots were rather popular, and I like them as well.
Longing for the other side. During the first 1-2 years of my photography, I often took shots of herons, ducks, geese and swans. Most of these are eminently forgettable, but I always liked this one, where the low viewpoint makes the goose look big compared to the wall.
Idols. This is still one of my favourite shots of my wife - taken in the same interior decoration shop as a couple posted yesterday. Her interaction with the large poster of Greta Garbo shot by Edward Steichen is beautiful.
Through the roof. Apparently I shot this during a business trip to Houston, USA. Not one that stands out in my collection, but I include it because it is an early example of a theme that would recur a lot later: looking up and discovering abstract opportunities.
Almere architecture 1. For a similar reason, I include this one. I took better shots of this particular building in later years, but this is the first one where I deliberately went for an unusual angle, thus reducing the building to a geometrical figure.
Portrait of a princess. My wife is very critical of posting photographs of her on the internet, so every time she gives the OK, I'm happy. And this is still one of the best. Shot during a day trip to Enkhuizen.
All in the family. A candid taken at the park near our home of those years, when the freshly fallen snow had already melted away for the most part. Not a personal favourite, not a lot of response on Flickr, but still a very special shot for me: it was selected as one of twenty winning entries for the competition "Relaxed in Almere", and was exhibited in the city hall for one month - the first time a photograph of mine was shown in public.
Madrid airport structures. Stuck at the airport of Madrid during a business trip, some time to kill before we can board our delayed flight, what to do? Take the camera, and look up. I love the interplay of the curves and straight lines, and the strong blue colours make the usual conversion to black and white a bad idea.
You shall not pass! I spotted this traffic blocker somewhere in the Czech republic. It has been used a number of times on websites as a clear example of Pareidolia (seeing faces in everyday objects).
Lest we forget 5. Our visit to the Auschwitz extermination camp in Poland made a long-lasting impression on us. Aside from the regular photographs that I took, I love this one of an art installation in the camp. With the lighting conditions, the blurriness was unavoidable, but I find it actually contributes to the total feeling.
With the faceless crowd. Photographing sculptures is tricky - if you want to get a less usual shot. Here I think I succeeded, due to the angle, crop and black/white conversion. This sculpture is in Würzburg, Germany.
Let me out! A bit of fun with a mannequin shot in Baden, Austria. At the time, these dummies featured rather frequently in my photostream, and this is one of the better (and more popular) ones.
Curves. Back home in Almere after the Eastern Europe holiday. An abstract shot of a street decoration that became a crowd favourite.
The face of an angel. A detail of a sculpture on the market square in Delft. The tight crop enhances the expression. Not a big hit, but a personal favourite.
Abstraction in light and shadow 2. The counter example: not to keen on it myself but a very popular shot. Curtains at our home of the time.
Time for a nap. Love this one after all these years. I encountered this dog in a shop in Utrecht.
Shanghai restaurant decoration 2. The first time in this overview that we find ourselves in Shanghai, our second home. Shots of spiraling staircases are quite common, but the combination with the lanterns make this one stand out.
Dance away the heartache. Shanghai's Fuxing Park, near our home, is a photographer's dream. So many interactions with people... it was difficult to limit myself to just a number of shots. Dozens of Shanghainese couples, typically in the 40-60 years range, dance on the streets of the park to the sound of romantic music coming from a portable CD player. As so often in China there is a grim reality behind this. Many of them have been fired from their jobs, being uneducated thanks to the disastrous Cultural Revolution policy, and now being replaced by young bright university graduates. Still, they try to enjoy life the best way they can, getting a bit of exercise at the same time.
Q. Dancing, reading, playing chess, kite flying, making music, and... playing with ribbons as shown here. Just one of many Fuxing park activities. This one used to be a standard feature in my presentations at work when it came to the part where Questions could be asked.
Beijing Belle. During our 2008 visit to Shanghai we took a short trip to Beijing. Whilst there, we stumbled upon a model shoot, and I could not help myself clicking a few of my own. This has always been one of my more popular shots, which probably has to do more with the quality of the model than my photograph.... My second shot to reach Flickr explore, topping out at #309.
Minimalism in bamboo. Back in Shanghai, I created this minimalist image, with its lovely contrast between the wood and the concrete wall background.
Shanghai bookstore. A surprise third entry in Flickr Explore, did not see that coming at all. That said, in hindsight it's a good shot, with its high vertical symmetry, and good choice for black and white.
In the mood for love. Another souvenir from Beijing. One of many occasions throughout the years where we crossed the path of a wedding shoot. This is one of my all-time faves, especially for the way she looks into his eyes.
Lucky turtle. I spotted this critter in a pond at Xintiandi, Shanghai's latest hot spot for tourists and locals. It made no impression whatsoever on Flickr, but I include it, because the turtle is our lucky animal.
Autumn in Utrecht. A shot I took in 2007, but did not post until a year later. Quite popular at Flickr, not least because of the light.
Window in the Provence. Actually shot in 2007, but posted on Flickr late 2008. This shot was for some reason extremely popular at Pinterest, where it was shared in over 50 different boards.
Abstraction in grey tones. Taken at Schiphol Airport, this is a detail of a Jumbo jet engine that was on display there. Rather surprisingly, this was my 4th shot to make Flickr Explore, hitting #325 at its top.
Organic. A detail of a church organ in Dordrecht. The unusual angle made it rather popular in Flickr. And the title is not too bad either.
Luminous. A Christmas decoration at my brother's home. Posted around Christmas, it struck a chord with Flickr members, resulting in another Flickr Explore hit (#115 at its peak).
Aurora. The last selection from 2008, this Shanghai Pudong cityscape with its golden sunset colours and reflections in the main building was another Flickr Explore success, reaching #119. More importantly, it was used in an exhibition about Shanghai Architecture in the New York Skyscraper Museum.
