Today is #GoJordan day so to celebrate I decided to upload a preview set of wallpapers which were made while on assignment for Duikmagazine two months ago. The magazine will not hit the shelves for another couple of weeks so this will have to do until then. Hope you enjoy!
Click here for the regular 16:10 size of this wallpaper.
I took this photo about a year ago while on a trip to Curacao (Dutch Caribbean). It’s a photo of my sister in law doing a refresher scuba course after not having dived for about ten years.
I really wanted to capture the “learning” atmosphere as well as the holiday setting with blue sky and something exotic. The swimming pool of our diving hotel (Habitat, I recommend it if you like to be in the nature part of the island) turned out to be perfect.
Took quite a few clicks to get a good half-shot with all elements in it. The parasol just gives it a nice touch.
Taken with my 5D and a 15mm fisheye, at f10 and 1/200 sec. There was more than enough light to work without flashes and set ISO at 100.
[click photo for article]
It’s…. the 11th of the 11th, time for Carnaval!
Now as an article on Duikeninbeeld.tv, Hollands most popular online diving community. Click here to check out the post on Fotograferen.net, earlier this year.
While en route from the mainland to Vlieland, one of the northern Dutch islands in the Wadden Sea the sun suddenly broke through on a very dull and grayish day. I quickly rushed onto the viewing deck from the ferry and just as we were approaching the island I saw this vessel (the PI 66 a Lemsteraak) in the distance and figured it would line up nicely with the sandy beaches in less than a minute.
I quickly changed lenses from my 16-35 to my 100-400 (EF), manually setting it at f9 and 1/250th of a second to get a nice amount of depth of field for the ship and the background. After that it was just a matter of waiting a bunch of seconds for the line-up to be perfect, the shot was pretty straight forward from there on, the result couldn’t be more Dutch!
Photo is part o a bike trip to two of the smaller Northern Dutch Islands: Schiermonnikoog & Vlieland. Report is for the 2011 Bike Special that comes with the largest travel magazine in the Netherlands: ANWB REIZEN Magazine.
Client: ANWB
© 2010 Fotograferen net
Bales of Hay mark the month of September in Scotland. This photo was taken in the Borders, near Melrose. The hills in the back are “The Eildons”, a landmark in this region.
While driving around in the area we came upon this beautiful landscape on the A7. I quickly managed to park my car on a small bit of dirtroad and walk back to the best angle that I could find.
Basically this was a pretty much straightforward shot but it really needed a panoramic touch as the scenery was simply too wide for a normal photo.
This one was composed of 8 portrait photos, shot at f13 in order to get enough depth of field for the hay and the Eildons. At 100 ISO I needed 1/125th of a second to get a normal exposure. Due to the many gray tones I deemed no over- or underexposure necessary. Taken with a Canon 5DmkII and a 70-200 f2.8 USM (set at 110mm).
The panorama was stitched with Autopano Giga 2 and resulted (after cropping) in a 54 megapixel image, reduced to an 8000 pixels wide one here.
Click here for this image as a dual screen wallpaper.
A weird combinatio took me all along the South African Coast and inland: sharks & hotels. A nice report on some of the nicest hotels in South Africa along the Route of the African Sun. Published in 2007 for Tulp Magazine.
360 Degree super Hi-res view over the Grand Canyon from Sab Bani Khamis.
It’s called Jabal Shamss, which translates to “Mountain of Sun” and what a fitting name it is. At an altitude of approximately 3.000 meters (10.000 feet) it’s majestically situated under an almost allways blue sky with the intense Arabian sun shining above it, casting it’s deep shadows into the depths below.
The hiking path of Jabal Shams.
Jabal Shams is not really a mountain as you’d expect, it’s a mindboggling crevasse of immense proportions, therefore the name “Grand Canyon of the Middle-East” is way more fitting. Not only is the viewpoint [Google Earth] at the road through the Al Hajar Mountains range one of the nicest stops in the region: an actual hike through the Canyon is even better as the path is situated halfway up the cliff face of about a thousand meters.
Tiny village 600 meters below us.
In order avoid the worst shadows we leave early for our hours-long trekking, the sun will be nice above us for most of the trip so we’ll be able to enjoy the best of the views. And boy, are those views amazing! From the early start till the final bits it’s hard to keep your eyes on the small but pretty manageable path. At points it gets close to the edge and one viewpoint is just simply breathtaking when we can see a tiny village more than 600 meters below us. Even with my biggest telelens it’s hard to get it fully visible. Apparently the few kids that live in the dozen or so houses are picked up daily for school but it’s just hard to imagine living there.
Mill stones in the deserted village of Sab Bani Khamis.
Even harder is imagining living in the deserted village Sab Bani Khamis [Google Earth] that we come across after an hour or so. It was abandoned after a dam closed off their water supply that made it possible to live there. Just simply imagine a rocky ledge of no more than thirty meters wide with a deadly drop to the depths of the canyon. A couple of terrasses where they managed to grow crops and a few mud houses underneath a hanging ledge that towers above for hundreds of meters. Now that’s remote living!
Fresh water in a hidden lake near the deserted village of Sab Bani Khamis.
After hiking through the tiny place and visiting a fantastic small mountain lake it’s time to hike out: not by going back but by taking the Via Ferrata [Google Earth]. Definitely not as simple as hiking to the village is this climb out while being secured to metal ropes which are placed so falling down is not an option anymore (while scrapes and bruises still are though!). The climb under the deep blue sky is exhilarating: not too easy but not too technical either. And what a great feel looking over your shoulder or between your legs: the massive stone canyon that goes on to the horizon. This is truly one of my favorite vies of the world.
Out of the Grand Canyon through the Via Ferrata.
The Amazing high-altitude sunsets at the Jabal Shams Resort (at 3.000 meters/10.000 feet).
Click here for the full photo-gallery on Flickr (27 images).
Links: Oman Tourism, Jabal Shams Resort (Great sunsets!)
More on Oman at Fotograferen.net here.
More Favorite views of the World on Fotograferen.net here.
Due to the setting up a completely new interface for Fotograferen.net I’ve been lacking in my “Views of the World” postings. Sorry about that, but I’ll try to keep it a monthly affair from now on.
This months view is a truly classic: the Victoria Falls [Google Earth] as seen from Zimbabwe and Zambia. For several magazines and newspapers I have covered “The Route of the African Sun” in the 2005: a route between three of Sun Internationals greatest hotels in the Southern part of Africa. The final one on our route was the Royal Livingstone, a stunning five star hotel at the edge of the Victoria Falls in Zambia. With Zebras and Monkeys playfully surrounding your private hotelroom this is truly one of the most spectacular places to relax. Sipping good wines at the veranda while the sun sets, the African wildlife surrounds you with its noises and the water of the great Zambezi river floats underneath to a certain drop just hundreds of meters away.
However, the only right view is from the Zimbabwe side ,not an easy undertaking with all the horrible problems created by its dictator Robert Mugabe. We managed to get a (quite expensive) taxi-driver who proved his worth right after reaching the border facilities. We were through in minutes in what would have taken us an hour or more if we hadn’t have had him. A lot of money later (the Visa was ridiculously expensive too) we were finally there: Zimbabwe and a stone’s throw away from the falls. Not before spending way too much money again at the entrance to the falls we were finally allowed in and boy was it worth it!
Despite the gruelling 45 plus degree weather (exactly 24 hours later I was on the tarmac on Heathrow at minus 5!) the site was too stunning not too walk around for a long time. And even though it was very much dry-season for the falls, it was still an amazing sight to have experienced!
Finally, three high-res panoramic images to enjoy:
The entrance of the falls.
Nice and big panorama.
One of the nicest hotels I’ve ever had the pleasure of overnighting can be found near the Johannesburg Airport, little over twenty minutes North of the hectic and largest South African city is Pretoria, the legislative Capital. Before hitting that town, famous for its abundant Jacaranda Trees, in a hidden and very nice neighborhood you will find a Villa turned into a hotel for Kings, their website says it all and nothing of it is overstated. What an incredible place!
Click on “full screen” for the high-res slideshow:
A magnificent villa with sweeping views across the treetops of the historical Jacaranda City. Set in tranquil gardens, teeming with birds, it is no wonder that Illyria is often referred to as a “little paradise”.
Upon entering through the wrought iron gates, a fairytale ambience, reflecting the epitome of gracious and romantic living unfolds, complete with white gloved butlers discreetly working their magic to please.
Unrivalled personalized service, exclusivity and luxury are a given at this intimate haven. Fine antiques, 17th century tapestries, soft classical music and exquisite cuisine have contributed to Illyria’s standing as a sought-after oasis of tranquility, refined beauty and charm.
It comes as no surprise that Illyria House has become a destination in its own right, a unique, nostalgic, colonial experience, highly appreciated by the discerning traveler, and the secret retreat of royalty, heads of state and celebrities alike.
Services rendered by your personal butler include organizing historical tours, sports activities, country picnics, individualized shopping outings and transfers to attractions in the city and surrounding areas. Guests may enjoy beauty treatments in the magical wellness spa in the secret garden or in the privacy of their rooms.
Secluded yet centrally located, a stay at Illyria House is ideal in combination with a luxury rail journey, wildlife safari or Indian Ocean island resort, and holds the promise to add an unforgettable authentic experience in colonial African hospitality.
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