albert_debruijn's photostream  

Ever since Linda and I visited Italy last year, I have had this strong yearning to return. Not surprising I suppose, it is such a beautiful country. We loved everything about it, from the hustle and bustle in Rome, the rustic beauty of Tuscany, to the romantic atmosphere in Venice. We loved the food – first time I ever tasted truffles – and the fabulous coffee . . . . oh the coffee! We even bought an espresso machine when we got back . . . just love those Americanos . . .

This is one of my favorite shots in Venice. It is the first “view” of the Grand Canal I had after winding through the many narrow streets and then emerging from between building to this fabulous view! I had seen pictures, read all about it, but nothing really prepares you for that time when you first lay eyes on the Grand Canal.

We did take a ride in one of those gondolas, but not on the day this picture was taken.That first day was all about exploring and taking photos of that wonderful place.

From my blog over at www.albertdebruijn.com

This looks like two pictures put together, but it is not. It is a shot from inside the glass pyramid that stands in the courtyard of the Louvre Museum in Paris. It is also the main entrance and you can see the people standing in line to get tickets.

I really liked the “split personality” characteristic of this shot. The old architecture of the Louvre at the top, the modern architecture at the bottom. When I first saw pictures of the glass pyramid, I was somewhat aghast, offended almost at how the ultra modern construction contrasted with the gorgeous, classic architecture of the past. However, having been there and seen the two, I have to admit that “it works”, almost stunningly so. It did raise my appreciation of what the architects must have gone through in designing this. Hats off to them!

The Louvre is a fabulous place where you can lose yourself for hours, if not days. Linda and I stayed in a hotel nearby and first checked it out on a Sunday, only to be blown away by the number of people waiting in line to enter. Quite off-putting and we stayed clear of this place until several days later when, during the week, it was a pleasure to visit. You are allowed to bring your cameras which was a real treat and we spent many hours enjoying, not just the art on display, but the magnificent building itself.

If you ever go to Paris, make sure you include a trip to the Louvre, but try and avoid the weekend.

From my blog over at www.albertdebruijn.com

This view of Yosemite was made famous by Ansel Adams. It remains today one the most spectacular views of the valley and you will find countless photographers there every single day, regardless of the weather. As the day comes to an end, you will often find a dozen tripods lined up with photographers waiting for some sunset magic to happen.

As they say, the golden hour is that special time of day when the light is softer and wonderful shots can be made. No guarantees of course, but you usually have much better images thanks to the light.

So here I am, waiting for dusk to fall, yes standing alongside many people with cameras. Most have a point and shoot or cell phone, but there are about ten tripod-wielding photographers who are clearly more dedicated. I have this theory that the quality (and price) of their tripod is a good indication of how serious they are about their photography. My reasoning is simple, I know people who will spend thousands on a fancy camera, because they have the money, but have little clue about serious photography. A tripod on the other hand is the non-glamorous part of of photography, so when you see someone with a nice carbon fiber tripod equipped with a quality ball head, you know this is someone who is serious about their work.

So, with that said, a quick look around and I see 7 or 8 carbon fiber tripods, all holding the usual Nikon or Canon gear. The Canon users have lenses with the famous red line, the Nikon users have the gold-colored markings on their lenses. One guy has a Lee Neutral Density Graduated filter in front of his lens, looks like a 3-stop soft-edge kind. A true landscape photographer! I like him already!

So we wait and wait . . . and are all somewhat disappointed. No magic tonight. No color in the sky! This shot you see here was taken relatively early and those clouds you see were all gone by the time the sun actually set, a wonderfully uninteresting sunset! Bummer, now I will have to come back again!

From my blog over at www.albertdebruijn.com

Standing on Cathedral Beach in Yosemite, temperature is 23F (-5C) waiting for the sun to come up and hit the top of El Capitan. Being January, this didn’t happen until almost 9am. While that sounds civilized, I got there very early hoping for some pre-sunrise magic which never happened. As a result, I was frozen to the bone by the time the moment finally arrived. Linda had already gone back to the car, but I was stubborn enough to wait. My hands were sore and that was with gloves. You can see the ice on the water and the frost on those leaves in the foreground.

In the end, it is all worth it of course and now I can tell the story (which undoubtedly will get better overtime) how I braved the cold for this shot.

I used my favorite 17-40mm lens for that great wide-angle effect and which lets me get real up close to subjects like that log. In fact, Linda and I had given ourselves the assignment of only shooting with our wide angle lenses. For me that was the 17-40 mm on my 5D Mark2 and for Linda, with her 7D, it was the 10-22mm.

HDR, for shots and processed with Oloneo Photoengine.

From my blog over at www.albertdebruijn.com

Point Bonita Lighthouse, Marin Headlands, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco Bay Area, California.

The Marin Headlands make up the area just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. There is a road that turns off Hwy 101 and leads into the Marin Headlands from where you can get fantastic views of the Golden Gate Bridge. In fact, many of the shots you have ever seen of the bridge were most likely taken from there.

What a lot of people do not know is that there are many other photo opportunities to be found when you continue down that road (most people shoot the bridge, then turn around and go back). Below is one of those opportunities that present themselves. This is the Point Bonita Lighthouse, built on this rocky outcrop in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

The lighthouse is still in active use today and is maintained by the US Coast Guard and is open to visitors (although the bridge is being replaced at time of writing this making the lighthouse inaccessible until spring 2012).

From my blog over at www.albertdebruijn.com