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Weekly Random Shot: Nizwa Fortress

Feb 082011

As I’m planning a new trip to my favorite Middle-eastern country, Oman, hopefully in April I thought it would be nice to pick one shot from my previous trip in 2008. It belongs to my “Faces of Oman” series for which I photographed ordinary Omani people during a 6 day mad dash around the country for the largest commercial Newspaper (Telegraaf) and Magazine (Veronica Magazine) in the Netherlands.

The photo featured here was taken at the famous Nizwa Fortress, in the Northern part of the country. After having had a tour of the fortress I sat down while some of us went to get some sodas and icecream from the local vendor. As I sat and enjoyed the view over the tower I noticed these two guys taking a peek though one of the tower windows. I realized I just had seconds to capture this image while having to lens-change as well from my 16-35mm to 70-200mm. I figured I just had to try and switched lenses faster than I ever had. I knew the camera was still on semi-automatic (Av 5.6 with -1/3 stop of underexposure) so I just had to point and shoot. Seconds after taking four photos, the guys were off leaving me behind very happy!

The photo is about a 70-80% crop of the original, leaving out a window that was to be seen on the left side of the picture. In photoshop I compensated the color, saturation and levels to adjust for the slightly too warm (red) original.

Faces of Oman

Travel 1 Response »

Dec 282008

In december I had the privilege to travel Oman for a week and see so many places and people my head started to spin after a little while. Not only is the countryside spectacular but what really struck me where the people: their joy, friendliness and their faces. This is a tribute to them. Oman must be one of the friendliest places in the Middle-East.

Click here for the full album (21 faces).

Photoseries for Visionclinics treatment clinics.

Interior No Responses »

Aug 072008

Some time ago I was asked by Visionclincs (the largest eye-laser clinic in the Netherlands) to help them with a new set of photoprints for all their offices in the (that’s five of them). As I was in need of some laservision myself we quickly came to a mutual understanding: I got the improved eyes 2.0, they got a series of photo’s on… well, you guess it: eyes.

Bow and Arrow

Wide-eyed

Foggy Glasses

Wet Eyes

Dry Eyes

White Eyes

Sharp Focus

The photos were taken over the period of one year, while two of them came out of stock as they fitted the theme perfectly. Seven images made the final cut and are now hanging on the walls all over the Netherlands. I am greatly thankful to all the models (Dirja, Martine, Joost, Laurens and my own Floor), without their support it would not have been possible to make this set. Another thanks goes out to Milan for helping me with the B/W transformations. You all rule!

Cornelis le Mair

Portrait 6 Responses »

May 162008

Artist Cornelis le Mair is one of the most incredible people I have ever met and he lives in the craziest and nicest house in the Netherlands. A house that would easily fit into the Efteling as a top-attraction.

Some time ago I was asked to do a portrait series on this artist for Tulp magazine, a glossy that I do quite a bit of work for, mostly travel though.
Place to go was an almost unlocatable farm on the outskirts of Eindhoven. My TomTom was giving me a headache (perhaps the other way around as well), maybe since the most beautiful places are hard to find.
While being stuck near a sprakling white new villa with two vicous dogs eying me it dawned me that this probably wasn’t a place where I would find a classical painter. Time to send out a call for help and guess what? I had just passed the farm about three times already. it was 200 meters down the road, paradise isn’t easily found.

In my rearview mirror was a tall slim man with an incredible white beard waving me to come over. Moments later my car was parked between chickens, goats and plenty of other small feathered animals. A beautiful old farmhouse with wooden walkthroughs that went into the trees just had to be the house of a genious. This was the home of the man who painted fullsized Rembrandts on his bedroom walls when he was a little kid.

Cornelis just breathes Art, capital A. Even in the sixties, when classical painting was frowned upon, he managed to get himself into the best art school available in Holland. He was simply too good, even in an age where modern art was considered to be everything.

Going against the stream of modern art has never failed him, never did he have to put in an efoort to sell a painting, everything he makes is sold before the paint’s even dry. Just doing what he feels like takes him into creating fantasy model houses that are so big and detailed you just can’t stop wondering how much time went into them (about three years it turned out to be).

No matter if you like classical paintings or not, you just got to love the man and his home. In no photo any object was replaced for the shot, it’s just how it is and that was just a dream to photograph. The house is the house as it is.