Category: Photography

Photography and visualization are like brother and sister. The equipment is different. But color, depth, composition, exposure, sharpness are important in both cases. And it all comes together in Photoshop.

The ideal is, of course, an artist’s impression which is indistinguishable from a photo, or vice versa.

The themes of my photography are much the same as my visualizations: architecture, urbanism, landscape, public spaces, infrastructure, industry, interiors and water. Only my space images are, for now, mainly computer generated.

De zon gaat vlammend onder in de Rotterdamse haven achter de Euromast

Halfway Zalmhaven Tower

It’s becoming a good year for high altitude urban photography. Only two weeks after the already quite sensational photo session from the Montevideo penthouse, I was once again invited to take pictures with a number of fellow photographers from a special location in Rotterdam. This time the action took place at the Zalmhaven tower. The organizer of the event was once again Ramazan Aydogan from Rotta Historica, in collaboration with Margot de Ruiter from R365 Christie’s International Real Estate. Zalmhaven The Zalmhaven tower is the tallest building in the Benelux. The tower itself is 203 meters, and the mast reaches… Read More

De iconische M op de glazenwassersinstallatie van woontoren Montevideo in Rotterdam

The Montevideo Penthouse

It’s been a while since Rotta Historica‘s Ramazan Aydogan organized one of his renowned photoshoots. We once stood on the roof of the Delftse Poort building and Erasmus House, and on a minaret of the Mevlana Mosque. However, due to the pandemic, it hadn’t happened for a few years. On January 29th, it was time again: together with nine other photographers, I was invited to capture the view from the penthouse of Montevideo. Montevideo Montevideo is not only the capital of Uruguay but also a residential tower on Wilhelminapier in Rotterdam. Most buildings on the pier are named after former… Read More

Historic farm in the Noordwaard region in the Netherlands, protected by a little dike against the rising water

Countdown: The Best Photos of 2023

Just like every year, I am once again making a selection from my photos of the past twelve months. The choice was somewhat more limited than in other years. As I am now also working as a city guide, I have less time for photography, so less beauties to choose from. But I think I have managed to put together an interesting and varied overview of the year 2023. 10 – The bridge across the Watering I have hiked a lot in 2023, estimating around a thousand kilometers, based on the number of walks and the average distance covered. Most… Read More

Ship and ugly fence on Park Quay in Rotterdam

Misery on Park Quay: the Horrible Fence

Park Quay, or in Dutch: de Parkkade, is one of my favorite places in Rotterdam. It is a so-called waiting location, a place where seagoing vessels wait for a berth, undergo inspections, or change crew. But recently, this beautiful quay has been marred by a fence. How did it come to this? Nautical Park Quay is one of the few places in Rotterdam where the city and the port come close together. Of course, the historic ships in Leuvehaven near the Maritime Museum also create a nice nautical atmosphere. And with the boat tours by Spido or Futureland, you can… Read More

View from Sint Philipsland, Zeeland towards Philips Dam with wind turbines and grassy nature

A Tour of Saint Philips’ Land

Sint Philipsland is a relatively unknown part of the Netherlands, much less frequently visited than other regions in the province of Zeeland. Twelve years ago, during a stage of the Oosterscheldepad, I could already observe that this is not entirely fair. Unfortunately, the area is difficult to reach by public transport. But fortunately, I was able to convince travel companion C., who has a camper van, to take a trip to the south. It led to a wonderful hike under dramatic cloudscapes, as the English say. Island or peninsula? Apart from Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, Sint Philipsland is the only part of Zeeland… Read More

Two of the many sculptures of craftsmen on Saint John's cathedral in Den Bosch, The Netherlands

Climbing Saint John’s Cathedral in Den Bosch

Saint John’s Cathedral in Den Bosch, officially known as the Cathedral Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist, is one of the largest and most beautiful churches in the Netherlands. This summer, it is possible to climb Saint John’s Cathedral. Of course, travel companion A. and I didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Brabantine Gothic Saint John’s Cathedral is considered the pinnacle of Brabantine Gothic architecture. Construction of the church took place over a span of three centuries starting from 1220. In the five centuries that followed, the maintenance and restoration of the monument have been a continuous point of attention.… Read More

Meerrijk, the center of the suburb Meerhoven in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, seen from the adjacent Meerland Park

Meerrijk, Eindhoven, 17 years later

In 2006, while working at VHP, I was involved in the design competition for Meerrijk, the central area of the Meerhoven suburb in Eindhoven. In the following years, I provided regular support in the development of the public space, the parking garage, and one of the five building blocks. Now, nearly two decades later, Meerrijk is almost completed. It’s time to take a look at how it has become. Artist impressions Did my artist impressions back then contribute to winning the competition? It would stroke my vanity, but that seems unlikely; they might have played a minor role at best.… Read More

Het dal van de Rur in Monschau, Duitsland met aan een zijde een rij traditionele vakwerkhuizen

Return to Monschau: The Haus on Holzmarkt

Monschau is without a doubt one of the most beautiful towns within a radius of 200 kilometers from Rotterdam. I wrongly ignored it for decades. But recently I was there again, as a man on a mission. Day trips In the seventies, as a teenager, I visited Monschau, Germany a few times, on day trips from our holiday addresses in South Limburg or the slightly more easterly Heimbach. After that I ignored the town on the Rur for decades, busy as I was visiting India, Indonesia and Iceland, among others. But at the end of May I was in town… Read More

Walking path along the Noorder Canal in Rotterdam with the highway and the old Hofplein viaduct

The Rotterdam Ringroad Hiking Trail

Where other cities have a ringroad, Rotterdam has the Ruit, which literally means the Diamond. The A20, A16, A15 and A4 together form a diamond-shaped road network that has led car traffic around the city since the 1960s. But would it also be a nice route to walk? No, not over the hard shoulder of course, but over hiking trails in the immediate vicinity of the highways? Dream Believe it or not, the idea for the Rotterdam Ringroad Hike came to me in a dream. I dreamed that there was a long-distance hiking trail that followed the Ruit. It seemed… Read More

Reddish brown highlands with patches of snow and a hut for hikers near Hraftinusker in Iceland

Laugavegur, Iceland’s best hiking trail

In July 2023 it will be fifteen years ago that travel companion A. and I hiked the Laugavegur trail, according to many the most beautiful long-distance hiking route in Iceland. That’s a good reason to write a blogpost about that epic journey. Illustrated with photos taken with the simple IXUS850 camera that I had back then. It actually made quite nice pictures, but in the alien landscape between Landmannalaugar and Þórsmörk that is not too difficult. July 28, 2008: Landmannalaugar – Hraftinusker (10.3 kilometers) In the days before our hiking adventure there is a heat wave in Reykjavik. In Iceland… Read More