Astrophotography

Recently I have been gaining quite some interest for Astrophotography. I have always loved these great images of night skies and star trails and such, but never saw myself take any photographs like that. Because I always thought that the techniques and materials you would need for this were out of reach for me.

I have been talking to my friend Asgeir from Iceland about shooting the stars for quite a bit for the past few weeks, and have to admit that his work and our conversations inspired me to give it a decent go. He basically nails this type of photography. His work are master pieces. He has provided me with plenty of very useful tips and the motivation to step out of my comfort zone and try something new, thanks buddy! (Check out Asgeir's great photographs right here) 

So below you can see what I managed to push out of my camera. I don't have a full frame camera, and my widest lenses are both at F3.5 only. For this type of photography you would really want a "fast" lens (with apertures ranging from F1.4 to F2.8) so F3.5 isn't that bad at all, but it comes with a little challenge. There is slightly less "light" hitting the sensor compared to a F1.8 for example. I had the ISO up to 3200 for both shots, which is still pretty good on my "old" D7000 but also showing that from there grain and noise become much more visible and a disturbing factor. I did edit both pictures in Lightroom and Photoshop to try and get the best quality out of these images. And I am pretty happy with how they came out, what do you think?

Anyways, I am back off to saving some more money to reach the point of possibly upgrading my body and lenses to something more powerful and capable, for experimenting a bit more with this type of photography. 

 
 

My wife, the interior designer

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!!

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.

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.