Richteresque diptych.A re-work of an image posted to Flickr end 2011. I combined it with its flipped counterpart in one frame, resulting in a creation that reminds me of the works of Gerhard Richter.
Splash. A water reflection shot from 2011 which I had not used yet. I cropped it and applied an Orton-like effect with the on-line Picnik programme.
Will it go round in circles? A detail of a larger art work that we saw at the Tate Modern gallery in London. I forgot to make a note of the artist or the work's title.
Have a seat. Another shot from 2011 that I had not used yet. These are chairs in a church in Naarden, in preparation for a concert. Seeing this once more in preparing these Flickr archive posts, I think it is one of my better images of the period.
Preparing for the Elfstedentocht. The winter of 2011/2012 was very cold, and Elfstedentocht fever hit the Netherlands. This ice skating race over 200 km can only be held in rare circumstances, and it looked like this year it might happen (that would have been the 5th time in my life). In the end it did not, but several on-line news sites used my image (shot in Almere) as illustration.
Curtains. Yet another unused shot from 2011. It started out as a regular water reflection shot (probably in Almere). By turning it 90 degrees (rather than just flipping it) it becomes what I consider a beautiful abstract work.
Deventer patterns. This must have been a shop window display in Deventer, possibly of a dress, in which case it is rotated 90 degrees. Unfortunately I could not find more information.
Eye contact. In April 2012 we were getting close to our move to Kampen, where we were about to open our own gallery. The yearly Art Route through Kampen ("Kunstroute") was a good opportunity to see more of the local art. This is a close-up of a paper sculpture by Elsa Visser. A bold composition with lots of negative space.
The eye of the storm. Same place, same artist, close-up of a different work though. It has a definite organic feeling to it.
Shaken not stirred. Could I find water reflections in Kampen? Of course, either in the river IJssel or in the canal (the Burgel) that runs through the city centre, as in this one.
Crossing. Another image from Kampen. These are the metal chains that fence off the streetside next to the museum. Meant for my art blog, but a surprise minor hit on Flickr.
Kampen water abstract. Here's another one from our home town to be - in this case cars reflected in the canal (the Burgel).
Mouthpiece. After we moved to Kampen we started exploring the city and the environment. This shot was taken on a half-day boat tour on the IJssel with live jazz music. It is the mouthpiece of a saxophone. I've always liked this one, even though it tanked on Flickr.
Into the heart. Flower macros were not my thing for many years, but this one made me happy. And others too.
Abstract in rope and shadow. The many ships moored at the banks of the IJssel, in walking distance from our home, opened up new opportunities for abstract shots. This is one of the first I took.
Harbor wall. One of my favourites of the first few months in Kampen. This is a detail of the wall of the yachts' harbour. Surprisingly, there is no shadow in the picture, it is all decoration.
Kampen patterns. I think even those born in Kampen might have trouble identifying this - even though it is on the most photographed building. It is the chimney pipe of the old city hall, turned 90 degrees.
Another reflected abstract. The Burgel proved to be a sheer endless source of these, and this one resonated with a lot of people on Flickr.
Happy couple. Selfies are not my thing, but I'll make an exception for this one of the two of us on the top of the New Tower in Kampen (completed 1664). For a selfie, the composition is pretty good.
Oudestraat. The view from the top of the New Tower, showing the main street of Kampen (Oudestraat, where we live) and the IJssel river.
Mellow yellow. Another water reflection abstract shot in Kampen (Burgel). This received a lot of faves.
Abstracted letterbox. Wear and tear often leads to interesting abstracts. This is actually a letterbox in Kampen.
Herring. The herring is the famous Dutch fish that is usually eaten raw (in the salted version), sometimes in vinegar. In Hasselt (near Kampen) they were selling them smoked, and my wife had one. Tasted good. These are sticks of raw herring waiting to be put in the smoking oven. Explored (#439).
Set the controls for the heart of the sun. I hardly take flower pictures, and when I do, I aim for something different. As in this one, shot in Hattem (near Kampen). A surprise success in Explore (#80).
Buttons galore. A day trip across the IJsselmeer to Enkhuizen yielded this picture, shot in a buttons shop. Colours and shapes made this a popular shot on Flickr.
Folding. Yes, another flower macro (this one shot in Hasselt). Subtle and delicate, this one proved to be popular as well.
Let there be light. On Monument day, many of Kampen's scores of national monuments were open to the public, including the church (Broederkerk) where I took this shot.
Aries. A chance encounter in one of the small streets of Kampen. The title? Ask my wife. Hint: I was born in April. Lots of positive reactions for a simple fun shot.
Paris sunset. In September 2012 we took a short business trip to Paris and Tours. Here is the city of light in beautiful silhouette.
IJsselmuiden. Part of the municipality of Kampen, IJsselmuiden lies just across the river (a 5 minutes walk). The clouds really make this shot.
From 3D to 2D. In photographing art, there is always the challenge to add something rather than just register. Here I tried to convert a 3 D sculpture in the Paris Pompidou into a 2D art piece, including its shadow and adding the frame to increase the illusion that this is a painting rather than a sculpture.
October water reflections. One of many water reflection abstracts shot at the Kampen canal the Burgel. This is the best one (to my taste) and the most successful one with scores of faves - the striking reflections on the diagonal are caused by balcones by the way. Explored (#89).
October water reflections 2. Lacking the punch of the first one in the series, I like this for its impressionist character.
Let's flip again. A water reflection that is definitely not abstract. By flipping the image, one gets a painting like impression of the houses at the Burgel.
Autumnal. A tree reflected in the Burgel, with its leaves floating on the surface. Again flipped upside down for more impact.
October water reflections 3. More of the same series. Interesting flow patterns with rich colours. Not my best, but one I wanted to keep.
Oudestraat princess. My wife in front of our Kampen home (and gallery). A few years later we opened a large gallery about 50 meters away.
October water reflections 4. I decided to keep this whole series, because they are all so different even if they come from almost the same location.
Autumn in the park. Like in Almere, we have a great park in walking distance of our home in Kampen. This autumn impression was included in the first edition of a local glossy magazine.
November reflections. Although this series of four at the same spot along the Burgel is less special than the October one, they all got favourable responses, and they are so different that I wanted to include them all.
November reflections 2. Flipped (of course). Like a surreal impression of the building with its orange sunscreens (the building was destroyed a year later by the way).
November reflections 3. Still the Burgel, even though one might think it is actually a window with
frosted glass.
November reflections 4. The most successful of the four in terms of faves. Turned the camera to get a diagonal composition.
The end of the line. And the end of my 2012 overview. This is the small station of Kampen near our home. As usual, a bit of decay adds to the charm of a photograph.
