Ghost town. The winter of 2008/2009 was very cold, but it did make for nice photo opportunities in the park near our home at the time. This is the Almere skyline as seen across the Weerwater on a foggy day.
Skating at sunset. Almost exactly the same point of view, but on a sunny day. Just catching the last rays reflected in the building, with skaters enjoying themselves on the frozen lake.
Up, up and away. The same group of buildings as seen from a different point. I flipped this one upside down to make it more special - and with success, as it was my seeventh shot to reach Flickr Explore, topping out at #422.
Hungarian rhapsody. A 2008 shot that I uploaded almost a year later. This water reflection abstract is a fountain in Debrecen, Hungary. These type of abstracts have featured many times in my stream, right from the start, but this is the first one that I'm still satisfied with.
Windmill in ice. One of my most popular shots ever, and a personal favourite as well. This is the windmill in Rijssen (the same spot where our wedding shoot was done in 2000), reflected in ice and flipped upside down. Not only did it reach Flickr Explore, but peaking at #22 it performed far better than any of my other shots until then.
Up close and personal. Another shot from our 2008 Hungary trip that I uploaded a year later. I had dozens of swan shots in my Flickr stream, but this remains a favourite, due to the proximity of the bird. It even bit my shoe right after the click.
Klimtesque abstract. A shot of 2008 which I gave a much more extreme treatment in Picasa to enhance the natural colours into an abstract that jumps off the screen. This is part of a weathered wall in Prague. The name refers to the colour scheme.
Abstraction in Stael style. Similarly, an older shot of a door ready for painting in Amsterdam, with the blue colours further enhanced. A personal favourite.
Lemon on ice. The title is a play on words, as the Dutch meaning of the brand name (Citroen) is lemon. This old-timer was parker near our home at the time and featured a few times in my photography. The frozen surface got boosted by a Lomo treatment in Picasa. A surprise hit in Flickr Explore, just in at #493.
Impression. A clear example how I'd evolved as a photographer in a few years, seeing possibilities I had not seen before, Thus is a shot from 2006, trees reflected in puddles, which I had never used. By flipping it upside down, pushing the colours, and applying a Lomo-treatment, I created a shot I still count as one of my best. And Flickr agreed with me, it hit Explore big time, topping at #83.
Colour explosion. One of many colourful abstracts I took through the years of my wife's palette. I included this one because it collected more faves than most of its kind.
Moving on. A shot that I don't particularly care for, but that was quite popular at Flickr. Two grebes heading for the unknown. The interfering wave patterns are a nice touch.
Trapped in a triangle. Another shot that I think is not that special, but where reactions were very positive. It even made Explore, highest point being #483.
The wave. This building was in walking distance of our Almere home at the time, and featured a number of times in my photostream. This is one of the best renditions, helped by the light abd the black and white conversion.
Impression deux. The counterpart to the shot five images up. Similar story, similar result: it also made Explore, topping out at #263.
Shooting in Shanghai. During my 2009 visit to our other home town, I stumbled upon a professional model shoot - and could not let the opportunity go to waste. I like how her dress contrasts to the stones in the wall.
Contemplation. Same trip, different girl - my wife actually. A moody image that remains one of my favourites of her.
Say cheese. Just a bit of fun, capturing the girls capturing the moment. Fuxing park, Shanghai - always good for some special street shots.
Come into the light. A Shanghai restaurant corridor, half-lit, makes for a stunning shot, which looks like a SF movie still. Another one to make Explore, reaching #304.
Transport. One of a number of shots I took of people transporting large amounts of cargo on their bicycles through the streets of Shanghai. Explored, topping out at #148.
That's check, mate! A sweet candid of two locals playing Chinese chess in the Fuxing park.
Don't yank my chain. In recent years, I've photographed chains to use the shots in my art blog for the Links subject, but this Shanghai street shot predates all that. I love the combination of the well-lit chain and its shadow. A very popular shot to boot.
Sweet dreams. Many people in Shanghai can sleep any time of day, anywhere. This is one of many shots I took on this subject, with the triangular composition addin to the effect. Another Explore entry, reaching #451.
Eeeeeeeeek! A sculpture exhibition on the rooftop of a house in Shanghai's Suzhou river are. The contrast with the high-rise buildings in the background is very fitting. Explored once more, topping at #426.
Exercise. Not a shot that created a lot of stir at Flickr, but I like it a lot myself. Two grandmothers exercising and talking in the Shanghai park near Huaihai road.
Abstracted architecture. One of my own favourites, and a lot of positive reactions as well. A detail of the roof of the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center on People's Square.
Back to the Netherlands, the park near our home at the time in Almere. A nesting grebe. Not a shot I really care for, but it did reach #335 at Explore.
Losing my religion. Most of Shanghai is as flat as the west of Holland, but once you go south, you encounter some hills. On these hills is a remarkable building, the She Shan Basilica, completed in 1935. After visiting the church, we had the best view on our way down, The best view in this case being behind barbed wire, which made for an interesting contrast.
Swan family in June. This family snapshot is one of a series I took from the shores of the park near our Almere home. My favourite of the bunch.
Abstracted architecture. One of many shots of Shanghai high rise buildings in my portfolio. This is one of the best because of the interaction of straight lines and curves.
Morningmood. Back in the Almere park. The morning fog makes for a nice image, helped by the framing with the tree and leaves.
Heading for the shore. The same swan family as the one in the earlier image - but this one made Flickr explore at #463.
Fantastic. A pretty big hit on Explore, topping out at #86. I shot this fans collection in a souvenir shop in the old town ("China town") of Shanghai.
Blowing bubbles. Maybe nothing special, but I include this one because it is typical how many of my shots are completely unplanned. In this case, one of our coffee cups in the sink waiting to be washed.
Electric. A shot of the artificial lake near our home at the time in Almere. It has some things going for it (notably the converging clouds), but I don't think much of it. However, it did make Flickr Explore (#358), so that's why it appears here.
Oh you pretty things. A street candid shot in Amsterdam that I've always liked. The red of the bench really pops.
Suntory. Another street candid, this time from our Shanghai trip. Bicycles were still a major mode of transport (in many ways) at the time. Explored (#296).
Word bridge. This post sees a lot of see-sawing between the Netherlands and Shanghai. This is an intriguing art installation in Amersfoort - and once again the red makes the shot.
Shanghai silhouettes. An image I can hardly take credit for, except spotting it on a wall in Shanghai, doing the postprocessing on the shot and deciding on the crop..... I actually made it into two images, the other one a bit lower in this post. A shot that collected lots of faves and made Explore (#236).
Disco ducks. A children's game displayed in the streets of Harderwijk. Not a personal favourite, not explored, but it gathered so many faves that I wanted to include it here.
Shanghai silhouettes 2. The counterpart to the shot listed before - and one can easily see the overlap. These two images would make nice CD covers in my opinion - I used this one for that purpose in my art blog (under Imaginary albums). Like its counterpart, it made Explore (#375).
And in other news... One of my favourite shots of my wife. I took this in a restaurant in Putten, where the wall decoration consisted of prints of old newspapers.
Shadowplay. A simple scene at the entrance of an art studio in Shanghai - but one that caught my eye and was well received at Flickr. Explored (#404).
Colours running wild. A real explosion of colours in this display of fabrics for sale at a Shanghai market.
The Multatuli statue in Amsterdam. I would not have picked it to include in the Flickr Archives subject, had it not made Flickr Explore - albeit just (#500).
Seeing red. A shop window dummy in Antwerp, Belgium. Shades of Magritte in this one. I'm using this as my atavar at some web sites.
Photographer in action. Back to Shanghai, back to the Fuxing park where I took so many shots. Photographing the photographer is another recurring theme in my photostream, and this is one of my favourites on the subject.
Black is beautiful. More Antwerp dummies, albeit in the back of the shop rather than in the shop window. I applied a vignette to get rid of a white patch in one of the corners.
Chairs in technicolor. Another shot from the same day trip to Antwerp. Not a favourite of mine, but it was rather popular at Flickr.
So... what are you reading? Yet another Shanghai Fuxing Park candid. I love the interaction, and the total lack of sense of privacy.
A smile on her face. One of the rare occasions that my wife was OK with me posting a picture of her on Flickr. I still love it, with her winning smile and a nice background of an Amsterdam park.
Silhouette du soir. In the autumn of the year we took a short break to France (Paris, Loire valley) also because my wife was invited to take part in an important exhibition in Tours. This shot was taken in Blois, one of the cities in the Loire valley. I pushed the post-processing to come to a real silhouette shot. Not explored, but one of my most faved shots of that year.
Still life with hat. From the same trip, during a lunch break in Tours. This one was in Explore (#416).
Scene at the Seine. This candid is still one of my favourite Paris shots, and although not faved much and not explored, it got very positive reactions from some of my favourite Flickr friends.
Abstraction in tulle. Another Paris shot, this wedding dress was displayed in a shop window near our hotel (Sorbonne area), and made for a nice abstract shot. Explored (#479).
Say fromage. A candid I took in the Tours park, a nice relaxed selfie moment of two local girls.
Faces. Taken at an exhibition of famous Chinese artist Yan Pei Ming (born 1960) in the royal castle of Blois at the Loire. exhibition brought together 108 of his impressive large portraits in black, white and grey tones, displayed in a close array of 3 high by 36 wide - a clear example where the sum becomes more than the parts. The spectator upfront is my wife - you may recognize the hat from a shot earlier in this year's overview.
Autumn on the street. Back in the Netherlands (Muiden) for this autumn impression. Not arranged, I encountered this perfect combination. Explored (#435).
Water reflections gone wild. One of my favourite and most faved abstracts of the water reflection type. This was shot in Almere, where paintings were exhibited above a small body of water. Explored (#320).
Abstraction in metal tones. A detail of a sculpture at the exhibition in Tours where my wife also had a number of her paintings exhibited. The curves really make the shot. Explored (#382).
I love autumn. Found this scene one morning on the garden table of our home at the time in Almere. Strong diagonal in the composition.
Oohlala. A shop window decoration in Paris. A fun shot, and one that collected quite a number of faves.
Modern Art Museum. In Paris, that is. A peek-through that is quite effective, and that has been the top banner for my art blog ever since. Explored (#371).
Morningmood in Paris. A snapshot on the way to breakfast in our hotel - a nice play of light and plant shadows in a window. Not one of my favourites, but it did make Explore (#194).
Cutting edge. This Almere building has featured a number of times in my photostream, but this is the one I like best, by far. It creates a sense of reflection that is not actually there.
La Rouennaise. A cute candid that I shot on a terrace in Rouen, the French city where we lived from 2002 until 2004.
Autumnobile. A variation on the usual fallen leaves autumn shot: I found this car near our home completely covered with leaves. Explored (#183).
Luxembourg legs. One of my favourites of the Paris shots of that year. This was taken as a professional photoshoot was going on, and I managed to take advantage of that for this mysterious shot.
Abstraction in Rouen. Another example of a found abstract that occurs often in my stream: a wall waiting to be painted.
La feuille morte. Another typical autumn shot in an atypical set-up: in this case a leaf that had become stuck to a garage door.
Don't fence me in. A garden fence of one of our neighbors at the time. The combination of the coloured leaves and the weathered wood is quite nice. Explored (#442).
Autumnobile 2. Shot in the same road as the earlier posted image, different car though. Explored (#414).
Down down deeper and down. The title is of course taken from a Status Quo song. A classic stairs shot, in this case in the Tours castle in France. Explored (#135).
Abstraction in tulle 2. The counterpart to the image posted before - a wedding dress shot through the shop window.
Electric sunset. This scene at Almere's Weerwater, near our home at the time, has featured a number of times in my stream. Personally, this is not a favourite, but it did make Explore (#295).
Take it or.... Another autumn study of a fallen leaf on our garden table, another shot that ended up in Explore (#201).
The wave revisited. This building near our home in Almere has always been a nice subject, and this angle makes it extra special. Another one to make Explore (#149) - I was really at a role at that time.
Rothkoesque. One of those found abstracts, in this case a building's wall in Shanghai. Posted belatedly, but with success: explored (#251).
Smoke on the water. A candid shot at the city park of Tours, France. For some reason, this one became rather popular years after I posted it.
Metropolis. The Paris underground makes for interesting shots due to the curvature of the line. This is my favourite, and had good responses as well: explored (#126).
Art net. A shot of an art installation in the Paris Modern Art Museum. Nothing special, but this one made Explore as well (#253).
Rouen cathedral. The one that was made famous by Monet's series of paintings, but here seen on the inside. I was rather surprised to see how many people loved this rather straightforward shot, and it also ended up in Explore (#469).
Here comes the flood. A bit of an experiment. I like the surrealism of the Amsterdam scene, but I shot it on a very grey day and the colours were lacklustre. Black and white really did not go well here, so I decided to increase the colours in postprocesssing to an exaggerated level, aiming for a slightly expressionist effect.
Silhouette du soir 2. Posted months after its counterpart, this scene shot in Blois at the Loire did even better, making Explore (#180).
Water colour ducks. A shot of ducks in Almere that is far too common to my taste, but it had good responses and made Explore (#237).
Sleepy and Snory's winter holiday. Once in a while I have a bit of fun with free figurines like these - in this case in freshly fallen snow in our garden. I never expected it to do well, but it did, and it's fitting that like many shots of 2009 it made Explore (#263).
