Category: Photography

Final version of the HDR photo of the Corn Exchange in Schiedam, with a historic ship in the canal, after editing in Photomatix and Photoshop

15. February 2016

HDR: Photomatix Pro or Photoshop?

One and a half years ago, I started practicing HDR photography; I wrote this article about it at the time. HDR is an acronym for High Dynamic Range. In other words, it’s all about pictures in which details remain visible in both dark and bright areas. With “normal” photos that’s oftenhard to achieve because you’ll either get a good foreground against a completely bleached sky, or a beautiful sky with a dark silhouette in the foreground. That can be pretty as well, but for those who’d like to have everything lighted well, HDR was invented. Three times Schiedam The principle is simple: you take three photos,… Read More

Sunrise on an almost cloudless day in Rotterdam, with Willems Bridge, the White House and the Old Harbour

Photography

19. January 2016

Sunrise Hunters

In my Christmas Blog, Lights on the Shortest Day, I actually already announced a follow-up post. Also about photography in the blue and the golden hours, but about the early variants, around sunrise. They’re at impossible times for a normal human being during much of the year, but in the weeks around New Year they’re not completely off-limits. Not even for people who don’t like getting up too early. Therefore, I have used this narrow window of opportunity to go into town with my camera early in the morning, not less than eight times. However, sleeping in was not an… Read More

A white kitten with blue eyes is looking at the camera with a look that seems to balance between curiosity and uncertainty

Photography

10. January 2016

Cat Photography: Capturing Cuteness

Cat photography is not an official activity of 3Develop (to avoid the word core business for a change). But always when I see such a cocky creature I tend to quickly grab my camera. In that sense I step in the footsteps of my father (Willem Blok, 1921-2006) for whom cats, and animals in general, were also a favorite photo subject. And as we all know cats rule the Internet, so I decided to write a blog post about photographing cats. With useful tips which, by the way, also apply to photographing small children. Camera settings Nikon has already given thought to the correct settings. On my… Read More

Photo of the Marstunnel in Zutphen looking from Noorderhaven and De Mars towards the city center

Photography

3. January 2016

Marstunnel Zutphen: a Colorful Underpass

Since I was in the neighborhood, I took the opportunity to visit the Marstunnel in Zutphen. Another recently completed project in the east of the country in which I’ve put an lot of hours. Among other things, I made the artist impressions for the project when I was working at Royal HaskoningDHV. Mars The name Marstunnel has nothing to do with the Red Planet and also not with candy bars. It refers to business park De Mars (The Swamp). The new tunnel connects that area, and the new district Noorderhaven, with Zutphen’s scenic old town center. It replaces the level… Read More

The skyline of Deventer with Saint Lebuinus church, the ferryboat and the new pontoon bridge seen from the Worp near the IJsselhotel

Photography

29. December 2015

Deventer: Return of the Pontoon Bridge

For about 350 years, the Deventer Pontoon Bridge was an important connection between the west and east of the Netherlands. With the opening of nearby Wilhelmina Bridge in 1948, this remarkable river crossing became obsolete. But now the Pontoon Bridge is back, or well, a nostalgic reference to it. As a by-catch of the Room for the River project. Animation A few days before Christmas, I was in Deventer once again. This time I was more lucky with the weather than a few months ago. Finally the sky looked more or less like in the images and animations that I made for Room… Read More

Evening photograph of Rotterdam: Westersingel during the blue hour, with Codarts Art School and Calypso building in the background and a very old plane tree in the foreground

Photography

19. December 2015

Christmas Blog: Lights on the Shortest Day

If in winter it wouldn’t become dark so early, it wouldn’t stay light on summer evenings that long. In that respect, things are distributed fairly across the globe: over an entire year there’s the same number of daylight hours everywhere. In a way, we are now saving light for later. But there is another reason for not being too sad about the short days. Some theory to start with This year 21 December is the shortest day. Of course, also in that day there are 24 hours but it’s the day with the least hours of daylight. A less known… Read More

Room for the rivier Deventer: the city and park De Worp are reflected in the new channel, seen from the railway bridge

Photography

18. October 2015

Room for the River Deventer: Almost Finished!

I had not picked the best day to go to Deventer. When I came out of the station the drizzle had just begun to turn into more serious rainfall. But I have nevertheless made a little tour across the railway bridge, past De Worp and across Wilhelminabridge, to see how the Room for the River project was progressing. The project for which I made this animation and that by now is almost finished. Mirror pond From the railway bridge, there’s a great view of one of the new channels that will provide a better flow during high water levels. And… Read More

Van Kregtentunnel in Wierden, with on the walls tiling based on paintings by Fedor van Kregten, seen from the north

Photography / Various

20. July 2015

Cow Tunnel in Wierden Still Free of Graffiti

Two and a half years after the opening of the Van Kregtentunnel I went back to take a look at the project. The underpass, close to the station in Wierden, was still in good shape. Tunnels like this usually get covered with tags, pieces and other graffiti fairly quickly after opening. But in this case there’s no trace of that. Respect It could be that the municipality of Wierden has a very strict cleaning policy regarding this underpass. But it’s more likely that the graffitists have respect for the work of another artist. Master of the Beasts That other artist… Read More

Conjunction of the planets Venus and Jupiter above lake Kralingse Plas in Rotterdam with the city's skyline in the background

Photography

3. July 2015

Rotterdam and the planets

I wouldn’t call myself an astrophotographer. I don’t have the equipment for it and after all, you can’t specialize in everything. Moreover, the Rotterdam city center, where I live, is not the best place to photograph celestial phenomena. Too put it mildly. Not only myself and my 600,000 fellow Rotterdammers produce a sea of light, industry and greenhouse horticulture also contribute to that light pollution. When you think you see stars in downtown Rotterdam, they are usually planets. Although those are much smaller than stars, they are also much closer and are therefore a lot brighter. A conjunction of two… Read More

Photo made in May 2015 of the Room for the River project in Nijmegen, showing the work on progress on the new channel and the Promenade Bridge

Photography / Various

12. May 2015

Work in Progress: Room for the River, Nijmegen

About five years ago, when employed at Royal HaskoningDHV, I worked on the Room for the River project near Nijmegen. Perhaps the most radical of all the projects in the national Room for the River program. Near the village/neighbourhood of Lent a new channel is created, cutting off the inside bend of the river Waal, resulting in a new island: Veur-Lent. Among other things, I made this animation. Suggested soundtrack: “This is your Lent” by Simple Minds on. Stills from the film were used to inform the public about the project like on these information cubes: Last Friday I was… Read More