This post goes out to my lovely wife. She is just the best person period to begin with. She has this talent. This really amazing talent. In my eyes she is a very good interior designer. She sees it as a hobby only. But when you look at the style and feel she creates inside the house it really blows me away. As if a professional interior designer came in and did its job. That's how it feels to me at least!
Personally I have not a very good idea of what interior design actually is. Sure I do know what I like, and how I like a house to be decorated and look like. But I don't have these specific skills I think my wife does have. I do know the style is kind of "Scandinavian" if I am correct. But what do I know. This blog post is therefore more of a appreciation then actually telling you something about interior design, because I simply can't, haha...
All I know is that I love the way she plays with light, material, and small details to make our house a home! hit the share and like button below if you agree!!
Nikkor 35-70mm F3.3-4.5 AF
Last week I picked up this old lens that was up for sale on the internet. I was after a little extra "fun" lens to add to my camera bag for quite a while. I just couldn't decide on what lens to get. Also, I was not planning on spending a large amount of money for just a "fun" lens. Sure, I have a wishlist of lenses that I one day would love to call mine (the AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED for example) but that would put me back between €1000/1600, and I just can't afford that right now.
So I was looking around, and found this super cheap Nikkor 35-70mm F3.3-4.5 (got it for €25)
And I just had my first little test shots with it on my Nikon D7000. Nothing spectacular, just quick snapshots to get a feel for the lens and see how it holds up despite being quite an old lens. Let's be honest here, its not going to be super fast, super sharp, and for that matter not super impressive. Not useful in quite some situations as well as you can imagine. Why? think about chromatic aberration, its a bit soft here and there... if you need the images you produce to be as sharp as they can be, don't use this lens.
But, all in all its a nice little lens to have. Its super light, its relatively strong in low light due to the f3.3. It does a decent job on bokeh and with my D7000 its auto focusing perfectly fine. And all of this for just €25, you feel me? Can't go wrong. It is probably coming along in my bag whenever I am outside, exploring and enjoying the outdoors. For some casual snaps here and there. Here's a really quick snapshot I took with the lens just after I picked it up.
The photographs of the lens itself were taken with my D7000 and my trusty Nikkor 50mm F1.8.
Thanks for reading, see you next time!
- Arjan Wilmsen
Normandy, France, 2015
Back in September 2015 I went to France with my wife, brother and sister and my brother in law. Reason? You guessed it, no reason needed to go to France, that's always a good idea. We just went on a nice little family roadtrip together. Going away for a bit, breathe some fresh air and have some quality time together in a beautiful area.
And obviously I took my camera with me to snap some landscapes. Here's a small collection of the photographs I came back home with.
Étretat
My brother in law is taking some long exposure shots here, go follow him on 500px
We went to Normandy, to the towns of Etretat and Fécamp. Both are incredibly beautiful towns located at the Atlantic shore. Situated between the cities of Dieppe and Le Havre.
The weather was as you expect for this area in September, sunny and warm, but not boiling. Just perfect to go out and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
ÉTRTAT
Étretat is best known for its chalk cliffs, including three natural arches and a pointed formation called L'Aiguille or the Needle, which rises 70 metres (230 ft) above the sea. The Etretat Chalk Complex, as it is known, consists of a complex stratigraphy of Turonian and Coniacian chalks. Some of the cliffs are as high as 90 metres (300 ft). Nature has carved fabulous shapes out of the white cliffs at Etretat. The extraordinary site drew Impressionist painters aplenty. Another startling attraction is the cliff-top golf course.
Fécamp, long exposure
FÉCAMP
Fécamp is situated in the valley of the Valmont river, at the heart of the Pays de Caux, on the Albaster Coast. It is around 35 km northeast of Le Havre, and around 60 km northwest of Rouen. Fécamp has a population of roughly 20.000 people.
The history of Fécamp has always revolved around the fishing industry and its harbour (first mentioned in the 11th century). The beach in Fécamp, like many in this area, is shingle rather than sand—that is, made up of small rocks. The falaises make for a dramatic setting. To the north of the town is the Cap Fagnet, with beautiful views of the town and the English channel.
Bite of Iceland
Amazing photo by "Bite of Iceland"
Adam and Marta from Poland run this great site and travel blog about Iceland, called "Bite Of Iceland"
Bite of Iceland serves stories spiced with tundra herbs, tales covered in thick fog, anecdotes overheard from the elves, all in all, Icelandic delights – all of them bite-sized. Apart from that, we will teach you, among other things, how to hunt for northern lights, how to go scot-free after a meeting with a shark, how to avoid going bankrupt when travelling in Iceland. Very interesting site if you're looking to find more information about traveling in Iceland.
They have recently posted this great article about traveling to Iceland for 4 days.
Is spending a few days in Iceland worth it at all? Is it possible to leave it without irritation,
because you haven't seen the whole island? Sure! click the link below to find out more!
Snæfellsnes Peninsula – Iceland in a nutshell
Ladies Event Kessel 2017
Past week I have been taking photographs at the second Ladies Event in Kessel (Limburg, The Netherlands) Just like last year it was a great success. The location for this event was amazing. It was inside the castle of the town, Kasteel de Keverberg. Read more about the castle right here
The event had several local business, such as fashion stores, hairdressers, bookstores and other health and beauty related stands on display. The visitors were welcomed with a packed goodie-bag, and entertained by several interactive speeches and demonstrations during the day. There was live music in between the demonstrations and to top it off there even were several mode shows and a price give away. The event took place during 2 sessions, one afternoon group of visitors and one evening group. Very well organized, smooth and relaxed.
For more information about the event, visit their facebook page.
Take a look at some of the photographs I took at this event.
