Author: jansenphoto

A Fresh Perspective Photography is more than just a vehicle for capturing the world around me; it provides me with a palette and a set of brushes, with which I paint not only what I see, but also look to express the emotions that are evoked by the scene in front of me in that moment. Growing up in the Netherlands exposed me to a wide cross-section of visual arts that laid the foundation of my photographic view of all that surrounds me. Early influences were the Dutch Masters of the 17th century, to whom I was introduced by my grandfather during museum explorations; favorites among them are the scenes of quotidian life depicted by Jan Steen and Frans Hals and the vivid landscapes of Jacob van Ruisdael. My classical high school education was supplemented by the Boijmans Van Beuningen museum, where I spent many a lunch hour exploring its great collection. Here I was introduced to surrealism with a particular love for the approach taken by Salvador Dali; Dali also rekindled my appreciation for the work of Hieronymus Bosch, who often showed the folly of us mortals. Universal Connections My approach to any photographic subject is to look for understanding first; in this I look to establish either a connection between the viewer and the subject or capture the connection of the subject with its surroundings. The captured image then aims to portray this connection from a perspective that is part of my personal interpretation. This interpretation is often a form of externalized introspection, which may alternately display the connection of isolated beings and items with their environment or highlight the whimsy of the profound world, in which we find ourselves. The universe is full of connections, many of which are waiting to be discovered; part of my journey as a photographer is to document these connections. Any assignment, be it an event, a product shoot or a portrait session is always approached through communication with the client; this is where the first connection is established. Ideas are exchanged and a collaborative plan of action forms, ultimately resulting in a set of images that aim to exceed the expectations of each client. And, lest we forget, it is important to have fun while practicing the serious business of photography!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Reflection

Is it live, or mirrored?

Welcome to Week 130 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

The inspiration for this week’s theme comes from a photo that I took yesterday during a break in training at my work’s company headquarters in Raleigh, NC.  So I took a look to find out, if I used this theme before, and, much to my surprise, Reflection is a fresh theme!!  I don’t have to tell you that this is a theme that creates many an interpretation, ranging from the actual physical Reflection to the metaphysical and deep thoughts!

Therefore, take your creative license, polish it up and let your thoughts and lenses wander wherever they may take you; have fun!  I look forward to seeing your creations!

Here’s the view toward the sky from the 8th floor patio…

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Reaching for the Sky

It was a wonderful, balmy day in Raleigh, NC, as you can see from the cloud pattern above; the reflection is in the windows of the Red Hat Tower.

The full rules of this challenge are in TPC Guidelines, but here’s the tl;dr:

  • Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
  • Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
  • Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
  • Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

I’m definitely looking forward to see your reflections upon this week!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 129

Stuff…yes, he’s 1!!!

Welcome to the 129th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge! Stuff really appreciates all the well-wishes and has had a fantastic birthday week filled with play and shenanigans!

Clearly, Birthdays are great for reminiscing, which produced some truly stunning posts; they range from the hilarious and silly to deeply touching!  There were some really delicious looking cakes, one of which took my breath away and makes me want to have a birthday in China!  I truly enjoyed reading each of your posts and am glad to have you among my blogosphere friends!

Thank you for the effort that you put into your great posts, and please let each other know what you think of your friends’ posts!

By your overwhelming request…

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Stuff’s serious pose…

Usually, Stuff prefers to sit on top of the armrest, which would have been easier, as he decided to sit closer to me on the couch. Of course, the moment he noticed that my iPhone was facing in his direction he had to start fidgeting!  He also threw a head tilt, which I got here.  He’s pretty handsome and a rock-solid, muscle-bound 39 pounds of fun!

The following were this week’s participants in the challenge with links to their posts:

  1. This week’s entries started with Heart to Heart‘s wonderful post, which went down memory lane with a wonderful cake that her daughter gave to her dad.
  2. From Jordy’s Streamings we get just the cutest photo and story of little Luna, whose photo at the age of just a few days is heart-melting!
  3. We get a truly lovely post in pensivity101‘s blog, as she reminisces about her mum’s 80th birthday!  It is a joyous read!
  4. Eleven years back goes theOnlyD800intheHameau‘s post, as he shares a photo of one of his twin grandsons on the day of his birth; small then, but no longer so at 11!
  5. Jackie threw 2 parties for her husband on his 60th birthday, as is seen in her post in Junkboat Travels; he also got twice the cake!!
  6. In Don’t Hold Your Breath, we visit the tomb of Hoshang Shah on a foggy day that makes this great site look even more mysterious!
  7. Xenia’s post in whippetwisdom celebrates the birth of her book, which is filled with lovely images and great poetry.  Go check it out; I ordered a copy on Amazon and have it in my possession already, and am very happy with its inspiration!  In a second post in Tranature, we celebrate the swans and cygnets!
  8. Stella shares some great cake and cookies in her post in Giggles & Tales, as Pastor Frank celebrated his birthday and there were lots of other celebrations!
  9. In For an Insight!!, we get a wonderful blog post about her 35th birthday!  It sounds like the first 35 years have been a great start for lots more years!
  10. In a walk down memory lane, Go Outside Today takes us back to 1978, the era of K-Tel and nostalgic video games…do you remember/know Coleco?
  11. If you believe in coincidences, go to Proscenium, as there is a huge set of them going around…and wish Jason a HAPPY BIRTHDAY (belated at this point), as the date of this week’s challenge is that of his 50th birthday!!  Thank you for sharing it with us!!
  12. Brian lights the candles in Bushboy’s World on a cake that looks absolutely delicious!!
  13. Yinglan’s post in This is Another Story is about a birthday cake that she asked her aunt to order for her when she visited China.  It was not Yinglan’s birthday, but seeing this cake helps me understand why!
  14. In a post filled with that nostalgic sense of birthday magic, Sandy complements the photo with a great poem in Out of my Write Mind; go check it out!
  15. In a great post in My Namasté 365 Online, we find out about the significance of the author’s birth date…57 minutes after her brother was born!
  16. This week’s post in One letter UP – diary 2.0 compares 4th birthday parties, and I think I know which one I like better!  Which is your choice?
  17. Minions are a world-wide phenomenon, and we see the evidence in a great photo in Chateaux des Fleurs; of course, it’s odd for a minion to have a minion…
  18. The Roaming Urban Gypsy put together a wonderful post, and I have to give my congratulations to her aunt, who is over 100 years old and looking great!
  19. The Minion in Na’ama Yehuda‘s post is really mighty, or is it the cake baker’s talent that is mighty? As long as the kids are happy!!
  20. The awesome post in Touring with Kids celebrates a birthday of a government service that I think all of us love: the National Parks Service!
  21. Shelley claims that her father-in-law is the smartest man in the world in Quaint Revival; if a quirky and fun sense of humor is the requirement…I think he has a chance!
  22. Maria takes an interesting view on this week’s theme in KameraPromenader, as she shares the celebration of the birth of a new marriage!  Well done!
  23. A wonderful post in Photography Journal Blog celebrates a big birthday for Saint Louis, Missouri: its 250th!
  24. This week’s post for the theme in A Day in the Life provides a really fun look at birthdays in the family!  Great poses!!
  25. With another fantastic photo in Land of Images challenges us to accept that they were not there yesterday…what do you think?
  26. With a photo that really captures the mood of the moment and has us feel the warmth of the candles, Geriatri’X’ Fotogallery shares a 100th birthday image!
  27. I can relate to the sentiment in Woolly Muses‘s post, as there has been many a time that I asked the same question; great to see Taji made it past 1!!
  28. Debbie has my vote for sharing a favorite bear in Travel with Intent, as Paddington is definitely my favorite among fictional bears!
  29. Susan shares her birthday with her granddaughter Sydney, which is definitely a joyous occasion, as we can see in Musin’ with Susan; awesome photo!
  30. In a touching post in A Thousand Miles, Ilka shares a great photo from her middle son’s seventh birthday; a true ascent!

I hope that you enjoy these posts and let the authors know!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Birthday

Stuff turns one!

Welcome to Week 129 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

The idea for this week’s theme came from the fact that Monday saw a Birthday in our household: Stuff, our youngest Cardigan Welsh Corgi, is now one year old!  We are amazed that he made it this far, as he is a mischievous, crazy little boy with no sense of self-preservation; he does things just to test our patience, and jumps of the armrest of the couch, as if he can fly!

Take any creative license that you wish with this week’s theme, as Birthday can refer to any creation, be they Nature or Human made.  So, unleash your creative minds, lenses and pens, and share what you come up with for the theme, and, most imortant, have some fun!

I’m filled with anticipation of what you might produce!!

Here’s that little boy, when he was 9-1/2 weeks old…

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Stuff, the Cardigan

As it was getting pretty cold outside, and he was just a little body, we got him this cute little jacket, so he’d stay warm long enough to do his business outside.  It looked pretty fashionable!

The full rules of this challenge are in TPC Guidelines, but here’s the tl;dr:

  • Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
  • Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
  • Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
  • Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

I’m definitely looking forward to finding out what supersized items appear this week!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 128

Superduper, awesome big!

Welcome to the 128th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!  For the geeks among you: Round Up 0x80 or 0b10000000.

You really did Go Big in all your posts this week with lots of supersized items, many of which were captured with a sense of humor!  Your creativity showed through with the variety of your interpretations, as some were small, but dreamt big, while others were just insanely large!!

Thank you for producing all this pleasure to read and peruse!  It was a lot of fun!

Here’s something else that is really big…

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Bay of Fundy at Low Tide

The Bay of Fundy is known for its gargantuan tidal variations, as you can see in this image taken at low tide.  The tides vary as much as 15m (50′) and create some truly amazing effects, such as reversing rapids and rivers changing flow direction.

The following were this week’s participants in the challenge with links to their posts:

  1. In Don’t Hold Your Breath, we not only go big, but we also go fish!  Of course, we all know the story of that really big fish…
  2. With a fantastic photo in Land of Images takes us to one of my favorite locations in Scotland: Skye! An amazing big vista!
  3. Shelley goes really big in Quaint Revival, as she reaches for the sky in her post with wonderful images and text!
  4. Nicole found a wonderful example of a supersized world in her photo in Une Photo, Un Poéme, as she caught a crown princess!
  5. We get a super view of the moon in pensivity101‘s blog post, as she captured a super moon and its effect on the tides.
  6. Petra goes super tall in her post in Photoworld vol. 3, which is achieved with an incredibly impressive wind turbine of 170m!
  7. Xenia’s post in whippetwisdom treats us to the big skies and golden hills with winding paths, along which Eivor and Pearl love to walk.  In a second post in Tranature, we see how big those cygnets have grown with a wonderful haiku!
  8. Ramya’s post in her lovely blog And Miles to go before I sleep… takes us to Bhuleshwar Temple and examines its beauty and size!
  9. Stella shares some really big human creations in Giggles & Tales, which range from the Martin Luther King memorial in Washington, D.C., to the Sacre Coeur in Paris.
  10. In a lovely post in mytravelcsp we get treated to some of the biggest, which include the Burj Khalifa and the Grand Canyon!
  11. A truly interesting photo in Chateaux des Fleurs provides us with a rather oversized mask that makes me wonder how big the wearer would be.
  12. In another great post in her blog Heaven’s Sunshine, Irene takes us into the desert for a look at the big background!
  13. In VegasGreatAttractions we get introduced to a Guinness Book of World Records certified biggest: the Bellagio Chocolate Fountain!
  14. Kammie’s post in The Nut House has some interesting big items, each of which may just put a smile on your face!
  15. The Buddha in Na’ama Yehuda‘s post is truly as big as the sky, and her poem lets you know more about this wonder!
  16. In Q’s Place, we end up in London and find a rather big clock, and an even bigger ferris wheel!
  17. Jason is spot on in his post in Proscenium, as that is all bark and no bite! I’m trying to figure out how they got it inside the house!
  18. Marie takes us to a place I want to visit in her post in the New 3Rs: Retire, Recharge, Reconnect: Karnak is truly magnificent!!
  19. The entrance is sure grand and big in theOnlyD800intheHameau‘s post! I’d love to see what the interior looks like!
  20. With hands like that, boccia becomes interesting, as you see in Geriatri’X’ Fotogallery, which is a bit of an odd ball!
  21. Deb’s photo in Twenty Four captures an epic wave, which I’m sure requires an epic surfer!
  22. In a beautifully photographed post in Out of my Write Mind, Sandy brings us a set of natural yardstick to measure big!
  23. Cee finds some interesting big items in her post in Cee’s Photography; which one do you like best?
  24. This week’s post in One letter UP – diary 2.0 focuses on something that you’d prefer not to see big…
  25. Maria finds a spot in her post in KameraPromenader that looks like a great diving off point…too high for me!
  26. Susan takes us to Strassbourg in her post in Musin’ with Susan, and she’s right that it dwarfs the city around it!
  27. In a lovely post in Heart to Heart, we find a fantastic Buddha at Thimpu, which is truly big!
  28. Debbie’s humor comes through loud and clear in Travel with Intent, as she’s capture an enlarging recipe that can save you from kidnap!
  29. Brian’s photos not only capture the big, but also present humor, as we can see in Bushboy’s World; now to get on that motorcycle!!
  30. In Life Amazing there are not not only some fatanstically big landmarks, but also has something that is just too large for one’s wrist!
  31. Hammad’s post in the Blog of Hammad Rais might not feature the biggest item, but it can dream!
  32. The post in Junkboat Travels finds something junky that is unbelievably big! Who drank that soda?
  33. Olga can’t be outdone on Earth in her choice of big in her post in Stuff and what if…; the Pacific Ocean!
  34. Sonia’s post in Sonia’s Musings takes us to Athirapally falls, which are not only stunning, but also bring back memories!
  35. A wonderful post in Photography Journal Blog features one of the the places that I’d like to visit: the Alhambra!
  36. Maria takes us to stunning location in CitySonnet, where birds rule and use up every inch of space and then some!
  37. Stunning architecture is supersized in Hadd Hai Yaar‘s post, which also has this rather interesting robot…
  38. In a fantastic post in A Pause for Nature, we meet up with a big lady who welcomes your tired, your poor, your huddled masses to breathe free!
  39. In Pragun’s Panchtattwa, we find that a bangle that might just be a little large to put on one’s wrist….
  40. In Pictures without Film, we find a post that introduces us to the Drumtroddan Stones, which are definitely too big to lift!
  41. In a great post in This is Another Story, Yinglan takes us to Nature for some rather big features!
  42. Tatiana captures some supersized boats in her post in TravelArtPix, as the are in port in Cozumel!  In a second post in TravelArtPix by Eduardo José Accorinti, we get treated to Patagonian raspberries!
  43. In sgeoil‘s post, we are treated to a beautifully shot photograph that features the big sky that looms!
  44. In a really cool post in A Day in the Life, we are introduced to a cousin, who is a bit taller…
  45. Khürt finds the big M in his photo in Island in the Net, as the teams have left the field and only Khürt (and the janitors) remain!
  46. Ju-Lyn’s post in All Things Bright and Beautiful shows some lily pads that look big enough for me to take a nap on!
  47. Miriam takes us Out an’ About to the Portland Dunes and the coastal area, as we learn about driving in the dunes (tall pole with flag required). A great travel post that makes me want to visit!
  48. In a wonderful post in A Thousand Miles, Ilka comes across a bug of significant size (huge, she says) in the forest…what do you think about it?
  49. In Woolly Muses‘s post, we get to see a rather large pumpkin in Hobbiton…it makes me wonder, if big is smaller there! That soda will quench a lot of thirsts, though!
  50. And, in Trash Panda Steph‘s post, we go to the hills, really big hills that look truly stunning!!

I hope that you enjoy these posts and let the authors know!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Go Big!

Supersize your ideas!

Welcome to Week 128 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

Last week’s theme of Our World unleashed a great number of creative posts, as you shared views of your world and what the world might be with great photography, poetry and prose!  As I’m writing this post during a business trip, I thought I’d let a little bit of my current locale seep into the theme for this week; I’m in Austin, Texas, for 3 days, and, as you might know, everything is bigger in Texas!  Therefore, this week’s theme is Go Big!

Unleash your creative minds, lenses and pens, and share what Go Big! might mean to you.  As always, you have license to take the theme into any direction of your choosing, so have fun with this theme!

I’m filled with anticipation of what you might produce!!

Here’s something from antiquity, when the Romans went big…

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Ageless Arches

Of course, the Colosseum is colossal, as you can tell from the size of the people in one of the leftmost arches on the second row…  The sheer size of the structure is imposing and its state of preservation across the ages is mind-boggling, particularly, when taking into account that it stands in an earthquake prone land.

The full rules of this challenge are in TPC Guidelines, but here’s the tl;dr:

  • Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
  • Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
  • Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
  • Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

I’m definitely looking forward to finding out what supersized items appear this week!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 127

A world filled with joy!

Welcome to the 127th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

Your views of various parts of the world are truly inspiring!  Your posts vary from shedding light on your place in Our World to the world around you and all its magnificent aspects!  Each and every one of them was a joy to read!

Thank you for letting your creativity shine through in each of your contributions for this week; I hope that you enjoy each other’s posts!

Here’s another view of our world…

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Pure Joy!

My reason for choosing this image is that it is all about what is most important in our world: connections between people with pure love and joy!  There is enough love to make it all the way around the world and unite all of humanity!  Let’s bring everyone together!

The following were this week’s participants in the challenge with links to their posts:

  1. We get a great view of pensivity101‘s world, both past and present; living on a boat must have been a constant adventure!
  2. Kammie’s post in The Nut House brings some interesting views of her world, as she clearly likes to explore its more unusual spots!
  3. Shelley’s post in Quaint Revival combines a great set of images from her part of the world to illustrate what it’s like being a blogger; awesome post!
  4. In Don’t Hold Your Breath, we are introduced the India’s oldest sea bridge; this train bridge is certainly an interesting bit of engineering!
  5. A wonderful post in Chateaux des Fleurs takes us to an exotic land, which is a truly interesting part of our world!
  6. Xenia’s post in whippetwisdom takes us into their world with great photos and haiku!  In a second post in Tranature, we find inspiration in the breeze!
  7. In another wonderful post in her blog Heaven’s Sunshine, Irene invites us to take in the view! It is magnificent!
  8. Stella shares a magnificent view of her world in Giggles & Tales, in which she shares some of Denmark’s finest attributes…but no Lego?
  9. In Banactee‘s post, we are taken into an unusual world with its own beauty, as we are taken into Grafitti World!
  10. Jason worships the Sun in Proscenium, whether it is grasshopper yoga or the pot of gold…
  11. Sarah’s entry in By Sarah goes back in time to when our world was ruled by terrible lizards… or is it still the case?  [FYI – this blog may be set private, making access require authorization]
  12. In another wonderful post in her blog Out of my Write Mind, Sandy plays with shadows again…to great effect!
  13. Anita’s post in Anita’s Images shares the colors of her world, which are beautiful indeed, as we look at the port of Valetta!
  14. Deb’s photo in Twenty Four provides for a curious world view; whose view of the world do we get here?
  15. Petra had plenty of inspiration for her post in Photoworld vol. 3, as those skies are simply spectacular!
  16. Cactus Catz‘s post gives us an interesting view of Tucson, as the mural on Hippie Gypsy is nothing short of amazing!
  17. The poem in Na’ama Yehuda‘s post touches on a rather timely view of our world, as Lady Liberty will attest!
  18. Fatma Mahmoud shares a beautiful view of the world around her with a great photograph!
  19. This week’s post in One letter UP – diary 2.0 provides us with a view of Exeter that shows one of the improvements to downtown; Water street flourishes!
  20. A lovely post in Touring with Kids takes us to the Jersey Shore, which can be both enticing in its beauty and ferocious in its weather!
  21. Sonya takes this week’s theme rather literally in Middleton Road: the art installation in the forecourt of Te Papa is stunning!
  22. There appears to be a traffic jam in theOnlyD800intheHameau‘s world: it’s a rather sheepish traffic incident, at that!
  23. Jordan takes us to Rosarito Beach in Jordy’s Streamings; the architecture looks stunning, and those toys…who can resist playing with them?
  24. Maria goes in close in her post in KameraPromenader, as she examines the structure of the world around us.
  25. Brian’s views of the world are stunning, as we can see in Bushboy’s World; it’s great to see how travel can get one to interesting locales!
  26. Sonia’s post in Sonia’s Musings shares an image of a location that helped her through times of grief, as the sea helped absorb some of the pain; perfect world!
  27. In a great post in A Day in the Life, we are treated to a set of lovely photos of the world, where birds play a significant role!
  28. Another fantastic photo in Land of Images proves that the geese like to come back on a regular schedule!
  29. A truly interesting post in Photography Journal Blog takes us to the Queen’s Hamlet; Marie Antoinette must have enjoyed this little hamlet!
  30. In another fantastic post in A Pause for Nature, we explore a key part of our world: light!  In a second post in A Pause for Nature, we take a close-up view of some of our co-inhabitants…not for the squeamish!
  31. Olga shows one of the interesting aspects of her world in her post in Stuff and what if…; the city of lakes!
  32. In sgeoil‘s post, we visit the Conglomerates in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park; a stunning view!
  33. Robert’s photos in Photo Roberts Blog tell us an intriguing set of stories; which story do you see in each of the photos?
  34. In Pragun’s Panchtattwa, we learn something about Pragun’s passions: go check them out!
  35. Debbie’s photos in Travel with Intent burst with color, as she goes around the world and captures the colors that exist with flags!
  36. In another wonderful post in A Thousand Miles, Ilka shares a gorgeous sky and talks about herself in Bavaria; a great read!
  37. Ju-Lyn’s post in All Things Bright and Beautiful shares some of the changing seasons in her world, as well as her running through them!

I hope that you enjoy these posts and let the authors know!

Three Line Tales -Accept yourself!

Asp and thou shalt receive!

Many thanks to Sonya for Week One Hundred and Thirty-Nine of Three Line Tales, part of her awesome blog Only 100 Words!

three line tales, week 139: a yellow snake in a basket
photo by Jordan Gellie via Unsplash

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Body perfection,
Newspaper adverts despoil.
Serpentine logic.

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Thank you to Sonya of Only 100 Words for coming up with Three Line Tales.

You’ll find full guidelines on her TLT page, but here’s the tl;dr:

  • Write three lines inspired by the photo prompt (& give them a title if possible).
  • Link back to this post.
  • Tag your post with 3LineTales (so everyone can find you in the Reader).
  • Read and comment on other TLT participants’ lines.
  • NEW: If you want your post to be included in the round-up, you have until Sunday evening to publish it.
  • Have fun.

Happy three-lining!