Changing Days

Do you know that sensation when you have the feeling that everything around you is changing but you stay the same? Before my photography days and before my blogging days, I had that feeling all the time. I was a student, you all know that. Nothing in my live was different then when I was 19. I got older and I travelled more. Nothing else seemed to change in my live. When I started with photography I noticed a positive effect on my live. I only didn't know what to do with that effect. I did what I thought I had too, I stayed in school and I followed the crowed. I wasn't happy.

My changing days was during a short cruise trip I did in October. I lot went wrong during that trip but I felt strong and happy. I felt I could handle it. Not everything, one last difficult thing made me crack but still I felt free. I didn't thought about school, studying and troubles at home. I realized that I was sinking back in to a depression and I finally recognized the path that I was on. I was there before. I knew what it would do to me and what would happen if I would stay on it. I needed to change something. And I did, you all know what follows...

It's so important to recognize what you are doing. You have to know what you want en see the path before you. Don't stay on a path that is not yours because you think you have too. You never have to do that! I know it's hard to be yourself, in the beginning the hardest thing is finding yourself. But if you do, something magical happens. It all gets clear. And then even in hard and most difficult times when you don't feel 100% happy, you know you are not unhappy. Because you are who you need to be.

Here are some photo's from my Changing Days.

 

 

 

 

Enjoy Photography

Caroline

 

Food lovers Walhalla

Everybody that knows me, knows that I'm a food lover. I have a lot of allergies and intolerances but that doesn't stop me. I know what's gooood and I know what I like. Unfortunately I can't eat everything I know is good and that I like. So food wise I intent to live through my friends. Is there something that makes me salivate and sick at the same time? I make my friends eat it for me. Don't care if they are on a diet. One of my best friends, Linda, lived it this Thursday. We went to Rotterdam for a day. A friend of hers told us about the market hall in Rotterdam. And everything to do with a market and food, I'm in for.

The market hall is build in 2014 and is open for business since October 2014. It's a horseshoe shaped building. And the best thing of all: you can actually live there. In the building itself there are apartments and penthouses. In the horseshoe is the actual market. So it is a Mercat de la Boqueria where you can live. WHAT is not to LIKE about THAT!? The market has a beautiful painted ceiling.
There are hundreds of food stalls where you can do you're grocery shopping and you can eat in the multiple restaurants and bars. So Linda and I stopped at this chocolate stall. And I pushed her (Sorry, Linda!) to taste one of there signature hot chocolates. You can choose your favorite tastes, there are 40 flavors. She chose milk chocolate with caramel. Mmmmm. I had a coffee. It was a good coffee but it wasn't a hot chocolate.

Like me, Linda is passionate about photography. So we enjoyed ourselves with making photo's. We shared good compositions and I told her some tips and tricks. Here are a couple of mine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy Photography

Caroline 

Along the highway

Normally driving an a highway you are not looking at the surroundings but you are watching the road and the other cars. As a passenger you have the opportunity to look around you and see the world passing by. During my road trips in the USA it was my favorite thing to do in the van. While the others were sleeping or reading (my second favorite thing) I was looking around and taking pictures of the scenery. Not that the others were sleeping all the time so there were moments that we all took photos from the breathtaking landscapes and city lines. But it seems that we only notice where we are when we are not in our homeland. At home everything is seen before en everything becomes blasé or jaded.

As a photographer you need to be able to step out of the norm and look past the jaded thoughts about our home and make photos that impress the locals. So ourselves included. I know we have beautiful cities and jaw dropping landscapes. But I never saw the area around our highways as beautiful. I never would have guessed I could take a gorgeous photo of that landscape. But you can. Driving to the coast I was looking at my surroundings with new eyes. There are a lot of farms and forests next to the highway. I didn't have my camera in the car, bummer. So when it was time to go home  I took my camera with me. On the highway I started taking photos until we were almost home.

Because of the speed of the car I had to put my shutter time very high to frees the image. My diaphragm was closed enough to get a good dept of field. So my ISO went up, certainly when it became dark. The photos were made with my 18-55mm lens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy Photography


Caroline 

Back to the Belgian coast

I wrote a couple of blogs ago (Let's go to the beach) that I really miss the Belgian coast. I think that when you miss something, you need to do everything in your power to do something about it. And that is exactly what I did. Last Thursday me and my mom went to Oostende. It was such a beautiful day. The sun was out all day, it was windy and the real feel temperature was minus 5°C. We went for a walk on the dike and on the new pier. The water was running out of our eyes. Our body's were tingling. And we could hardly stand strait. The wind was blowing so hard my camera almost flew out of my hands. That day was the perfect recipe for a day at the beach in February. It had all the reasons why people go to the beach in February.

A lot of people shared our thoughts that day. Kids were playing in the sand, people trying to have a stroll on the dike and the pier. Some kids were eating to al time favorite cone of ice cream. A little to soon for my liking but the healthy air stimulates the appetite. Riding home I felt tired but satisfied. The salty air that was blown into my nose and lungs cleaned up my body. Every time I go to the coast I feel that effect. I feel so much healthier, I can breath better and although I'm tired I feel energized.

At the beach I felt it was the perfect opportunity to test my new lens. I bought a second hand 75-300mm zoom lens. It's tricky and I still need to practice because it's hard to get the entire photo sharp. With the lens I could take some photo's I normally could make so I'm happy. It was a sunny day so I putted my ISO on 100, my diaphragm closed so a high number and my shutter time high too.

It was that windy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy Photography


Caroline