Some pictures of J Mascis from the concert at Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam

Noordersluisweg, nieuwe sluizen

Noordersluisweg, IJmuiden

On Looking

In ‘On Looking’ (‘Met andere ogen’ in het Nederlands) by Alexandra Horowitz, I read, paraphrasing: if you look closely, there is always something interesting to see.

As a photographer, I was already convinced of this. You should be able to stand anywhere and take good pictures. This principle is also one of the starting points of my Noord-Holland grid project: every block can bring interesting pictures.

Some photographers suffer from the opposite: looking for the most amazing image; Cartier-Bresson’s decisive moment. BS. Recognizing a good image is then based on the images in your head. And thus, touching on Horowitz, you look over the other interesting things around you.

A third way of photographing is fantasizing about an image and making it. That is more or less how Jeff Wall works. He drives around the city, recognizes an image, remembers it, and later reconstructs it to make a photograph of it. Or Viviane Sassen, Andreas Gursky, Gregory Crewdson. The freedom of the mind is your only limitation.

Jeff Wall - The Thinker

Red umbrella at Moeraki

At the Moeraki Boulders, a lady walks by with a red umbrella.

Dame met rode paraplu bij Moeraki Boulders

Internet image triptychs

Finally integrated my triptychs program into this site. Follow this link.

Or in an iframe, as below here:

The mass of the 20%

Yesterday, I talked about the 20% of photos that don’t immediately qualify as worthless (79%) or as “keepers” (brr word) (1%).

Hotel, Oamaru, New Zealand
Oamaru, New Zealand

Picture editing is a little horror

Editing photos is difficult for me. Bad is bad, and very good is also clear. Where it gets difficult is the unclear 20%. The feeling of missing just that one good image forces you to rethink the whole set.

I’m falling more and more for these kinds of images. Empty spaces, desolate people staring ahead at nothing.

Petrified Forest Curio Bay
Petrified Forest Curio Bay

Street photographer can’t help himself

Street photographer, you take a picture when you see such a scene. Can’t help yourself.

Street photography - boy hiding under his mothers jacket