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 – Radiant

Radiant stands the tree…

Welcome to week 166 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

Last week’s theme of Trail generated some stunning results! They were most enjoyable. As the Summer solstice passed last week, I was looking to use an image that captures some of the bright brilliance of the season. The image in this post inspired the idea of using Radiant for this week’s theme, both in the light emanating from the tree and the Sun’s power that is unleashed during the season.

Of course, Radiant can go in a number of directions, all of which I’ll enjoy seeing over the next week! I hope you have a lot of fun with this theme!!

Here’s the tree that inspired the theme…

Verdant radiance!

This is a shot from my backyard that I took while experimenting with an Infrared lens filter. It took a bit to figure out, but it created a great effect with the right processing…

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)!!

Don’t trail! Be first and don’t lose the trail! Have fun!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 165

Trails from one dimension to another…

Welcome to the 165th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge! A bit later with this post than usual, as I was catching up…

Your interpretations of this week’s theme of Trail have been simply amazing! Your creative minds must have been in top gear, as your posts ranged from the overhead views and gorgeous trails to those putting a smile on my face with warm appreciation. Thank you all for doing such an awesome job on these!

I very much enjoyed reading your posts, and I hope that you do as well!

Here are some very different trails…

Transitions

This is an image that I captured a number of years ago during a group night shoot. The lighting in a pair of white columns inspired me to get them captured in a different manner than the usual; additionally, the taillights of the cars going away from me created an opportunity to play with zoom blur and generate a sense of transition, which was in touch with what was happening more than 3000 miles away.

Please enjoy the following blog posts:

  1. Sarah starts things this week in her post in By Sarah with a pair of lovely trails that she captured splendidly!
  2. Kammie takes us down some cool trails in Nut House Central, although some of them might need a bit of maintenance…
  3. Xenia’s post for this week in Tranature is a lovely walk along the trails at Leitir Easaidh. In a second post in WhippetWisdom, we are on the trail with some of my favorite whippets and a great haiku!
  4. In another wonderful post from theonlyD800inthehameau we get to see the trail in Beecraigs Country Park in Central Scotland, which is stunning!
  5. We go on an island trail in an awesome post in Geriatri’x’ Fotogallery with some great photos!
  6. This week’s entry in Une Photo, Un Poéme has Nicole taking us to Derbyshire with a view that makes me want to go down the trail and find out where it leads…
  7. Ken takes us on the trail to find some mystical stones in Pictures without Film; the Druid’s Circle in Penmaenmawr must be inspiring!
  8. Na’ama has us traversing an ethereal trail in her post in Na’ama Yehuda; in her poem you can feel yourself moving along the trail.
  9. In this week’s fantastic entry in pensivity101, we follow some beautiful trails and find some shade along the way!
  10. Jackie has a great cross-section of famous trails in her post in Junk Boat Travels: which one would you like to follow?
  11. In a fantastic contribution in The Liggett Adventures we follow a trail on the South English coast that leads to place that I would love to see!
  12. Cee clearly has been hitting the good trails, as we can see in her post in Cee’s Photography; those all look worth exploring!
  13. In another awesome post in Field Notes from over the Hill, Gwen takes us on the trail in Lone Elk Park, where we encounter quite a few elk!
  14. Ann-Christine takes us for a hike in Switzerland in her post in To See a World in a Grain of Sand…; the trail and scenery are magnificent!
  15. Eliza presents us with a very interesting walk in her post in Albatz Adventures; she takes us right to the precipice…
  16. Leave it to Brian to come up with some different trails in his post in Bushboy’s World; clearly, he has spent some time looking up!
  17. In photo #6957 in OneMillionPhotographs, the trail is absolutely gorgeous and beautifully photographed!
  18. David shares a series of trails in his post in David M’s Photoblog that are simply amazing!
  19. Jase is on the trail of some wild mountain honey as we can see in Proscenium; those bees are pretty busy!
  20. Debbie finds an interesting twosome playing in her post in Travel with Intent; in a second post in Travel with Intent, she leads us to the Plaça de Espanya, where once the trail ended for many bulls.
  21. Maria found some interesting trails in her post in Kamerapromenader, but I’m doubtful that those rails are fit for duty!
  22. A fun post in Still Thinking shows one of the incentives of trail running: you can keep up with your children!
  23. This week we get to enjoy some gorgeous trails in Life Amazing, all of which are in Northern Ireland.
  24. Danny’s post in Danny James Photography brings us to Japan for a stunning trail in Koyoto, which leads ever higher among the trees.
  25. Aletta brings us amazing trails in her post in Nowathome, which beckons exploration!
  26. Sandy challenges us to blaze a trail in her post in Out of My Write Mind; let’s accept the challenge!
  27. Woolly takes us into a playa lake in his post in WoollyMuses; this looks like an amazing place to explore trails!
  28. Robert’s photo in Photo Robert Blog is another stunning example of his fine work, as it draws us into the trail…
  29. There’s nothing like having to follow the trail of a grandchild in One Letter Up – Diary 2.0… this photo put a smile on my face!
  30. In another lovely post in A Day In The Life, we find a tremendous variety of trails!
  31. Deb is on the trail of something interesting in her post in Twenty-Four; makes me wonder what we will find at the end of the trail…
  32. In Land of Images the trail takes us further into Nature in the beautiful Lancashire countryside.
  33. Amy created another wonderful post in Photography Journal Blog, where she shares what lies a few feet off the trail…
  34. Anjum’s wonderful post in the blog The Unsaid Words of Untold Stories takes us up the trail to Murree Hills close to Islamabad in Pakistan.
  35. Teressa shares some of the trails in Central Iowa in her post in Another LQQK; it looks like they would be fun to traverse!
  36. Donna goes on a trail ride in her post in Wind Kisses, which looks like a great way to explore Cave Creek!
  37. Len has a truly wonderful post in Len Journeys that provides us with not only a stunning set of trail images, but also a classic quote!
  38. In another excellent post in sgeoil, there is a very interesting trail and I wonder what created it…
  39. We go off the trail in a great post in Heart to Heart, as it looks like that is where the fun will be!
  40. Susan brings out another stunning photo in her post in Musin’ with Susan; it’s inviting to follow the trail!
  41. Thanks for another great post in Thief Images Photography Blog, which highlights the trails never followed…
  42. Irene takes us onto a comfortable trail in her post in Heaven’s Sunshine, where we can find some shade.
  43. Khürt presents us with a magnificent photo reportage in his blog Island in the Net of the Stonebridge Trails; the weather must have been to Khürt’s liking, as the images radiate!

Please let all of these great bloggers know your thoughts about their posts!

Three Line Tales – Timeless

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

three line tales, week 177: a woman on a Paris street
photo by Les Anderson via Unsplash

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Paris, the Sixties,
Salons, fashion, avenues.
Timeless, magical!

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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!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Trail

Welcome to week 165 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

You certainly hit the Road with a passion! Not only were your posts creative, but there were a lot of them! This week, as I’m on the road for work, I went through some of images from Ireland and found a nice next step along our journey: Trail! What I like about Trail is that it has a significant number of directions to explore. Clearly, you can follow the trail of a wild animal, or hike along the Appalachian Trail, where, if you’re lagging, you could be trailing… And there could be star-trails, or light-trails (yes, Khürt provided part of the inspiration here)…

I cannot even imagine all the cool directions that you will take this theme into! Can’t wait to see what fun things you do!

Here’s a trail that might lead somewhere mysterious…

The Bamboo Trail

On the way from Killarney to Dublin, we took a southerly route, as I wanted to stop by Dungarvan. Before we got there, we found Lismore Castle, which has a magnificent set of gardens. One part of the garden was this bamboo section, which created this interesting trail.

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)!!

Don’t trail! Be first and don’t lose the trail! Have fun!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 164

Does it lead to your door?

Welcome to the 164th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

All of you hit the Road with a passion!! Your posts were delightful and filled with both creative approaches and wonderful photography and poetry and prose. It definitely was a lot of fun to read all of your posts and see some of the wonderful places around the world, where some of you live and others have visited during their travels; your posts underscored how amazing our planet is and all that it has to offer. Thank you for making this a ton of fun!

I hope that you enjoy all these posts just as much as I did!

Here’s a road that I traveled a couple of weeks ago…

Head of the Gap of Dunloe

The view here is from the very top of the road through the Gap of Dunloe. As you can tell from this view, the road winds quite a bit and it is a rather narrow, single-track adventure. Both true, except that you’re seeing the easy part of the road. Most of the road winds between rocks on either side of the road, is slightly narrower and also has horse-drawn carriages that you get to meet at the most inconvenient moments. Traversing this challenge scared my wife more than a bit (she made me promise to go back via a different route) and there were various interesting moments, such as trying back into a small spot to let a carriage through and having about an inch of clearance…

  1. Sarah starts things this week in her post in By Sarah with a great set of roads on the South Island in New Zealand; great shots!
  2. With another great photo in her blog Une Photo, Un Poéme, Nicole takes us on the road to the countryside in Normandy.
  3. Kammie finds us some interesting roads in Nut House Central, including one that is being traveled on four wheels…
  4. A truly unusual feature lies at the end of the road featured in the blog MVobsession: a gingerbread house…
  5. With another really interesting post in Quaint Revival, Shelley takes us down a road of organization, self-improvement and generally interesting reads that make up part of her library.
  6. Jackie takes us on a rather fanciful trip across the road in her post in Junk Boat Travels: those are some nice steps being executed!
  7. The road that is featured in this week’s entry in Chateaux des Fleurs makes me want to follow it into the far distance!
  8. This week’s post on the theme in the Liggett Adventures takes us to Cornwall on the way to St. Michael’s Castle; fantastic location!
  9. In another interesting entry in pensivity101, we’re not on the usual water road, although the road is more than a bit wet!
  10. Ann-Christine presents us with a beautiful landscape in her post in To See a World in a Grain of Sand… and a road that leads to orchid marshes… Those would be great to see!
  11. As always the photo in the post from theonlyD800inthehameau is stunning! That road does invite exploration to see where it might lead…
  12. Ken always provides us with interesting scenes in his posts in Pictures without Film; the night in Amiens provides us with a real sense of ambience!
  13. In her post in Take a Walk and Discover, Michelle is getting ready to hit the road for a wonderful trip!
  14. Na’ama takes us on a whimsical wagon trail in her post in Na’ama Yehuda; the trail is amusing and her poem is great!
  15. Benn’s contribution in the blog Ghost Dog is literally in the middle of the road in Cumberland!
  16. Klara has a great post in her blog Sliku soju ljubim II, where she features the wide open street in Escalante, Utah; it’s a bit wider than the narrow streets in Brussels, Belgium.
  17. In her post in Field Notes from over the Hill, Gwen takes us on the road to Taos, NM; those mountains look amazing!
  18. In this week’s post in Don’t Hold Your Breath we go down an ancient street of the Curetes in Ephesus. The post is filled with great photos and a great description of their visit!
  19. Maria’s post on this week’s theme in Kamerapromenader gives us an amazing view of the road up the Pico de Arieiro on Madeira. To be above the clouds with this view has to feel special!
  20. Brian’s post in Bushboy’s World makes me wonder how often he might get lost; the road is more interesting when that happens!
  21. Jase’s road is very well guarded, as we can see in Proscenium; it’s good of the blues to be hidden…
  22. A fun and enjoyable post in My Camera and I… takes us on a number of great roads, which are made even better with friends!
  23. Eliza has some fantastic roads in her post in Albatz Travel Adventures, some of which need a bit of work 🙂
  24. We get to experience a different set of pedestrians in Heart to Heart, as our feathered friends are crossing!
  25. In Land of Images the road seems to be disappearing… I can only imagine what the other side of the hill is like with the indicated grade…
  26. With another great photo in MyTravelCSP, we get to appreciate the mountains and the way to Valparai!
  27. Debbie has traveled to some truly interesting locales and her post in Travel with Intent for this week’s theme is no exception. The sense of the scenery in Oman is just stunning!
  28. Xenia’s post for this week in Tranature is just wonderful! The feel of the Highlands and the gorse that is everywhere and armed with vicious thorns! It just makes me want to visit Scotland once again!
  29. Sandy takes us on the high road into the mountains in her post in Out of My Write Mind; the view is just stunning!
  30. Cee brings us some spectacular roads in her post in Cee’s Photography; as ever, her photography is amazing!
  31. In another great post in A Day In The Life, we go across some magnificent bridges and follow a very dark road…
  32. In a great post in IdahoBluebird50, we get a great view of Boise during different times; awesome post!
  33. The photo in this week’s post in PhotographyOCD is stunning! We really get to experience the middle of the road!
  34. Woolly has traveled some interesting roads, as we can see in his post in WoollyMuses; some of these roads are very dry, others rather wet and other ones very rigid!
  35. David takes us to some wonderful roads in different seasons in his post in David M’s Photoblog; Winter can be pretty challenging!
  36. A delightful post in HorseAddict takes us on the Royal Road, as we travel in a style that is fit for Kings and Queens!
  37. Hammad gives us an interesting choice in his post in the Blog of Hammad Rais. Which one would you take?
  38. Anita brings us some rather challenging roads in her post in Anita’s Images; those are surely Malta’s most adventurous roads!
  39. In a fantastic post in her blog Stuff and what if…, Olga reminds us that the road ahead is not always what it seems and that a detour may just lead to happiness!
  40. In photo #6914 in OneMillionPhotographs, we follow the mountain road that might just take us home!
  41. With a lovely post in Sharing Thoughts, Indira takes us on some very cool roads in India!
  42. Anjum’s post in the blog The Unsaid Words of Untold Stories takes a great approach to this week’s theme and provides interesting views of roads and their utilization in Pakistan.
  43. Deb has a photo of a road in her post in Twenty-Four that just makes me want to go out there and drive with the top down!
  44. In a great post in iball round the world, we get to see a city that I will visit next month: Prague and the very famous Charles Bridge! It was the road between Eastern and Western Europe for centuries.
  45. A great view of a road in One Letter Up – Diary 2.0 is the road that leads us to the Capital Building…
  46. Ramya brings us a gorgeous photo in her blog And Miles to Go Before I Sleep…, which definitely presents the road less traveled!
  47. Teressa does a wonderful examination of the different possibilities with the theme of Road in Another LQQK; this is one post that really covers all angles and filled with fun!
  48. Khürt put together another amazing set of photos in his blog Island in the Net! It was not his original plan, which I look forward seeing at some point, but it was nevertheless stunning!!
  49. In a cool post in sgeoil we’re looking down the road and get to see nature crossing the road!
  50. Donna brings us into a wonderful place in her post in Wind Kisses, as we take the roads of Yellowstone National Park; awesome post!

Please let all of these great bloggers know your thoughts about their posts!

Three Line Tales – True Aim

The kill shot…

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

three line tales, week 176: archers
photo by Alex Guillaume via Unsplash

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Sighting the target,
Strings taut, arrows nocked, breathless.
What is their true aim?

****

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!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Road

All who dare to enter…

Welcome to week 164 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

Your posts on last week’s theme of Ancient were amazing and a lot of fun! As there were some of you who didn’t have anything of sufficient age around, I thought it would be a good idea to come up with a theme that would be close to everyone. At the same time, I wanted something that allows for creativity, so I decided to use Road as a theme. There are many directions, into which you can take the Road, whether they are well-traveled or less taken!

So, tap into your creative juices and ease on down the Road filled with wonder and adventure! Have fun!

Here’s a road to consider…

Less Taken…

This under-utilized road was a side street on one of my previous commutes. After a significant storm it look significantly less passable and made me wonder, if the ‘Do Not Enter’ sign was still needed…

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)!!

Looking forward to seeing all of your roads to the future!