Week 6 was down to the wire. A busy week, led to having me concept, shoot and process this in just a few hours today. Need to make sure I at least give myself more time for the concept this week.

If you are lucky enough to have one of these contraptions in your home, then you will recognize the expression that I am making here.

I used 2 flashes here. One inside of the oven at 1/4 power @24mm, with a full cut of CTO gel, and another behind me with 1/2 cut of CTB at 1/4 power @50mm pointed towards the back of the head, but about 7 feet high, and sightly angled towards camera right. Processed slightly in Lightroom (really, very little) and a little bit of post in Photoshop to darken a few areas and add a bit of toning. In all, not too far away from what came out of the camera, which is kinda cool.

We had a nice little snow storm yesterday here in Amsterdam, where the snow flakes were anything but little. The city quickly turned into something that looked like out of a movie set. The snow quickly covered everyone and everything, yet it was just beautiful to look at and experience. There is something special about Amsterdam in the snow that has to be seen. Hope you enjoy the photos.

A couple of weeks ago found Sandy and I in California visiting dear friends, and exploring Los Angeles and San Francisco. These are a series of first images I wanted to share with you. Taken on our second day in L.A. we took to the streets of old downtown L.A.

Very late posting this week, but posted none the less. AND taken in the right period, which is what counts isn’t it?

A little late posting, but officially taken during week 3 of this project.

Week 3 was interesting, as I felt it would test my resolve to continue this project. Yes that early… I was traveling, and wasn’t sure when and if I would be able to pull something out that I would feel happy about.

But, when an idea strikes, I tend to run with it. And so, this is the result. Taken in San Francisco in the Palace of Fine Arts, this past Friday so technically still in week 3, it’s a 10 second exposure with some running in between lights.

I am now back from a wonderful trip to California, and hope to share a couple of photographs from the trip. For now, it’s back to winter here in snowy Amsterdam.

Shot using a single 480ex with an umbrella, camera right at 1/4 power.

I saw Rome covered in snow! In Florence I learned what Italian food is really about. In Venice (oh Venice…) I got lost in its beauty and mystery and learned more than I thought possible. In Istanbul I straddled Europe and Asia, and learned that my fascination with churches expands into other spiritual places. In Berlin I saw Charlie. In Copenhagen I took a ride. In Portugal, I finally showed my sons where their old man comes from. In Paris I saw skulls and finally made a couple of good photos of the Eifel Tower. In Barcelona I wondered the old city streets and nursed a busted toe. In Toronto I saw my son, who made me proud. In Cologne I saw a whole lot of locks. And finally London. In London I was surprised. 2013 might be hard to top when it comes to travel… I’m very lucky to have been able to do all of this. I’m also very happy that i was able to do it all with my love. Without her support, caring and own sense of adventure, not much of this would have been possible. I wouldn’t have done it any other way either. Thank you darling.

From a photography perspective, the highlight of the year was having one of my images published in TIME Magazine. Having that happend, tells me a a couple of things: 1) I might be getting better 2) Getting this website up and running earlier in 2012 was a really good idea! It was also a year with a lot of frustration as I feel that I am at a bit of a crossroads when it comes to photography. It has been great to see that many of you enjoy the photographs I have shared in 2012. Thank you for visting, leaving comments and sharing my work with others. I will continue to do so in 2013 hopefully more frequently.

So what’s in-store for 2013? We’ll just have to see won’t we?

I wish you a 2013 filled with Awesome.

P.S.: This image was taken inside of a “secret” smoking lounge/room in a Parisien restaurant. You gain access to it, by walking right into a large armoir. It was one of the strangest rooms I saw all year, as well one of the best meals ever, and one of my favourite personal photos taken in 2012. Oh you want the name of it? It’s not too hard to find