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Theo Jacobs Photography

Details: Created on Friday, 09 December 2011 00:00

Welcome to my homepage in which I'd like to share with you my enthousiasm for photography. You can view a selection of my photos on the Galleries page. The photo gallery works best fullscreen, especially on a HD monitor or, better still, on a 4K monitor. To make a photo gallery fullscreen you have to press F11, doing this again will exit fullscreen mode. I strongly recommend to view the photos fullscreen as they will not be rescaled then and you see them 'pixel-perfect'. Navigation is possible by a strip of thumbnails that will appear if you move your mouse to the bottom of the screen. You can also navigate with the mouse or the left/right arrow keys on your keyboard or by clicking on the left or right part of the photo. I hope you enjoy your visit, feel free to leave a comment in the guestbook.

Switzerland, july/august 2024

Details: Created on Tuesday, 06 August 2024 14:22

Two relaxed weeks in the Swiss Alps, the first week in Saas Fee and the second week in Lötschental, again, as two years ago, staying in the lovely hotel Zur Wildi on the Lauchernalp.
The 'main event' in Saas Fee was the discovery of a rare bird (and new for me) on the second day: the Wallcreeper, a beautiful bird but unfortunately very shy and skittish. I have spent many hours trying to photograph it (near the cable car station of Spielboden) and although I saw it several times, albeit briefly, I haven't been able to do so, apart from some 'evidence photos'. Apart from that it was a nice first week, making full use of the cable cars included in the Saastal guestcard.
The second week the weather improved slightly, that is: from a photographic point of view. There were some cloudier days that added some character to the views. The location of the hotel Zur Wildi is so stunning that I could take several photos from the terrace of the hotel or even from my room. Travel period: july 22 - august 5 2024.
Travel period: july 22 - august 5 2024. Photo gallery

Bird photography

Details: Created on Saturday, 01 June 2024 14:22

This gallery contains a selection of bird photography. When you hover over the upper right of the screen there appears a search bar where you can search by (part of) a name in either English, Dutch or Latin. You can also filter by rating: typing in '4' shows all photos with a rating of 4 and higher. Lastly you can filter by month or year: typing in '2022' shows all photos of that year and typing in 'jan 2023' shows all photos of that month, which happen to be only Little Buntings (note you must fill in only the first three letters of the month, in English).
To get all birds again empty the search field and hit enter.
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160. Photo gallery

Spain, April/may 2024

Details: Created on Tuesday, 14 May 2024 23:24

This two week trip started in the lovely mountain village of Candelario in Salamanca province. luckily I decided at the last moment to bring along my winter coat: at times it was rather cold with a lot of wind adding to the windchill - and some fresh snow just a bit higher than the village. But at other moments it was agreeable spring weather.
Around Candelario I concentrated mostly on the Golden Oriole of which there were several in the surrounding dehesa.
That was not easy though as they are easily disturbed and mostly perch high in the trees. However I discovered one of the birds returned to a spot in a pine tree where it collected a cotton-like material (most likely some sort of cocoon material produced by caterpillars) to use as nest material. When it was busy collecting that material it wasn't distracted by my presence and I could take some nice and fairly close photos.
After that I moved to Avila to photograph the city walls. I ended in Segovia to photograph the classic view of the skyline of Segovia with the mountains in the background. I had some stunning sunsets there that gave good photographic opportunities to do so. And of course I could also photograph a variety of birds in the hills between Segovia and the village of Zamarramala, north of Segovia: Thecla's Lark, Bee-eater, Red Kite, European Serin and the Rock Sparrow. The real 'bonus bird' however -more so than the Golden Oriole- was the Blue Rock Thrush, which I suspected to fly in the area based on some very brief observations but which I could only photograph on the final afternoon while waiting for the Rock Sparrow. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160.
Travel period: april 25 - may 9, 2024. Photo gallery

Austria, February 2024

Details: Created on Monday, 04 March 2024 23:24

Ten days in Austria near the Dachstein area. Oddly enough my first holiday in this country. It was a very enjoyable week with my brother and his wife. We had a good deal of fine weather during most days, but unfortunately most days started and ended with either a band of low clouds or the sky getting overcast.
The original plan was to return on friday, but the weather forecast was for a pack of snow of some 20 cm and a splendid sunny weekend, so I decided to stay over the weekend. Indeed that turned out to be a good decision: especially the saturday morning it was a lovely winter wonderland just outside the hotel with the trees covered in thick snow and the occasional patches of fog adding to the atmosphere. During the afternoons that weekend I was at the majestic Dachstein mountain range where the colors got ever more warm and red as sunset approached. On saturday the sun disappeared ten minutes before sunset, but on sunday the sunlight was there right until sunset, what better way to end a fine holiday?
Travel period: february 16 - 26, 2024. Photo gallery

Spain, October 2023

Details: Created on Friday, 27 October 2023 23:24

We (my brother and I) had to change our original plan of visiting the Picos De Europa because of bad weather in that region. Instead we made a sort of three quarter circle around Madrid, starting with the picturesque town of Albarracín after stopping at Molina de Aragón for the castle in that town.
After Albarracín we revisited Belmonte for the castle I photographed for an assignment some twelve years ago. From there we visited some of the iconic windmills made famous by Don Quixote of La Mancha. After that we moved to the Sierra de Gredos, where we stayed in the lovely parador de Gredos. We ended -as we did last year- in Pedraza where we stayed in the beautiful and stylish Hospederia de Santo Domingo, but by then the weather had turned for the worse unfortunately with a lot of rain and wind and mostly dull grey skies.
For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160.
Travel period: october 13-20, 2023. Photo gallery

Switzerland, july 2023

Details: Created on Tuesday, 01 August 2023 14:22

Two weeks in Saas Fee and the Riederalp. After having explored the Lauterbrunnen area quite extensively in the trips the last few years I thought it was time for a change. I had visited Saas Fee before: the first time in my youth over forty years ago and the last time in 2000, back in the days of film photography.
A very nice feature of the guestcard in the Saas valley was that all of the cable cars were included, a great money-, time- and foremost 'kneesaver'. At the mountain stations of the cable cars the views of the mountains and the glaciers were stunning. Also it was fun to be able to photograph the Snowfinch at the Längfluh cable car mountain station. After one night in a hotel in Saas Grund, from where I took the cable car to Kreuzboden and Hohsaas, I moved to the Riederalp for the Aletsch glacier. I did this three days in a row, each day giving a closer and more impressive viewpoint: the first day I took the cable car directly from Riederalp to Moosfluh. The second day I took the cable car from Bettmeralp to Bettmergrat, walking back to Riederalp via Riederfurka.
The last vist however was the most spectacular: from Fiesch via Fiescheralp to Eggishorn. This was quite a trip, having to take the cable car down to the valley, the train and two cable cars up to Eggishorn, but it was definitely worth it: the view here from the bend of the glacier was really stunning!
The last day of my holiday I was finally able to photograph the Spotted Nutcracker, a bird I often heard but I could never get close to until I discovered it visited a tree on the other side of my appartment to collect pine cones.
Travel period: july 16 - 29 2023. Photo gallery

Switzerland, february/march 2023

Details: Created on Sunday, 12 March 2023 14:22

Ten winter days in Lauterbrunnen valley, Männlichen en Mürren. After two less succesful holidays in Great Britain, this was again a fine holiday and my first february trip to Switzerland, where I was surrounded, as was to be expected, by hordes of winter sport enthusiasts.
Luckily I had two stays in higher places: Berggasthaus Männlichen at 2200 meter and Mürren at some 1650 meter. This gave me the wintry conditions I was hoping for, because in Lauterbrunnen valley the weather was more like spring than winter with, at first, little or no snow. The day I was moving to Männlichen it seemed as if it was lying in the clouds. Looking at a webcam however I discovered Männlichen was actually above the clouds. This gave very fine photo opportunities right away on the first evening I was there. I was just above the clouds with the hotel in clouds one moment and above the clouds the next moment. Although Männlichen is mainly a sunset photography location I had a very fine morning the next day, with very nice cloud formations. The last few days I spent in Mürren where I had a hotel with a balcony with stunning views toward Jungfrau. Travel period: february 23 - march 5 2023. Photo gallery

Favourites

Details: Created on Friday, 10 March 2023 14:22

My photo galleries are usually a selection of some 20 - 40 photos I took during that holiday, depending on the conditions. Because of this my website is not really a 'regular' photography portfolio website. Most of my (mostly one week) holidays result in only a few 'portfolio quality' photos and sometimes not even that. Considering all this it seemed like a good idea to make a gallery of 'favourites' taken in the last fifteen years or so, both for my own enjoyment and, hopefully, for the viewer.
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160.
Photo gallery

Scotland, november 2022

Details: Created on Thursday, 17 November 2022 14:22

What started out fairly promising, with a beautiful bus ride from Glasgow to Glencoe followed by a very nice first day, gradually turned into a grey, wet and stormy week with very few photo opportunities, both for landscapes and for birds. Because of that this gallery is rather small and consists mostly of photos of Buachaille Etive Mor and the fells near Kingshouse hotel.
Apart from the first friday only the sunday was a mostly dry and fairly sunny day so I could walk part of the West Highland Way to the Black Mount and back. There was nice light on tuesday morning, but after that the sunny moments were very sparse. Photographing the very tame birds (and stag) near Kingshouse hotel was nice, but of course I didn't go to Scotland for a few Robins and Chaffinches. Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160. Travel period: november 3 - 12, 2022. Photo gallery

Switzerland, october 2022

Details: Created on Wednesday, 16 November 2022 14:22

Ten days in the Swiss Alps, staying in Lötschental and Kandersteg.
This trip I started in a location I visited last summer: Lötschental, but conditions couldn't be more different: autumn was at its peak and the fall colors were stunning. After a drizzly first day I had a beautiful saturday with gorgeous light all day. I could almost photograph continuously all day long. The days after that were not quite that spectacular, but nice, nonetheless. One day has to be mentioned: after hours of dull, grey and wet weather within 15 minutes the sky broke open which gave stunning views of the mountains, in particular the Bietschhorn, on the other side of the Lötschental.
After that I moved to Kandersteg. Unfortunately the autumn colors there seemed to be past their peak and a bit dull compared to The Lötschental. Nevertheless I enjoyed some pleasant days there. Especially nice was a long walk up and down the Gasterntal, all the way to Heimritz. Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160. Travel period: october 20 - 30, 2022. Photo gallery

Switzerland, july/august 2022

Details: Created on Monday, 08 August 2022 14:22

Two weeks in the Swiss Alps, staying in Lötschental, Berggasthaus Männlichen and Mürren. This trip I started in a new location: Lötschental, staying in two different hotels, one down in the valley in Kippel and one higher up on the Lauchernalp, the 'Alpenhotel zur Wildi'. From Kippel I visited the Fafleralp at the end of the valley. Apart from the lovely scenery this also turned out to be a good spot for birding. Although not a typically Alpine bird, I was happy to be able to shoot a few nice images of the Grey Wagtail, a bird I had not photographed yet. Up on Lauchernalp the views over the valley were beautiful. There I could photograph the Lesser Whitethroat, the Black Redstart and the Winchat.
After that I moved to Berggasthaus Männlichen, hoping to shoot a good sunset on the famous 'trinity' Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Unfortunately the weather those days was rather unsettled and the classic sunset photos just didn't happen; actually I got better results in the mornings. As for birding I was able to shoot the Snowfinch and the Meadow Pipit.
Lastly I stayed a couple of days in Mürren. From there I was able to shoot good sunset photos of the aforementioned trinity. On the Schilthorn I was able to take photos of the Alpine Accentor very up close. Luckily there was a very early (6 am) cable car down into the Lauterbrunnen valley so I could make two nice walks in the shade and coolness of the morning before the heat. Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160. Travel period: july 21 - august 5, 2022. Photo gallery

Spain, April/may 2022

Details: Created on Saturday, 07 May 2022 23:24

Two weeks in Spain, again primarily for bird photography.
I started with a few days in Segovia. Because the Guadarrama mountains were covered with fresh snow, this gave the opportunity, right away on the evening I arrived, for some majestic city photography with the Alcázar, the cathedral and a background of snow-covered mountains. The next day I could photograph my first Bee-eaters, which I didn't expect to see until later in the Extremadura. Because they seemed to be busy hunting for, indeed, bees, near some bee-hives, I could photograph them fairly close. Later on I could also photograph the Red Kite and the Western Subalpine Warbler. After that I moved to Pedraza, my favourite village. Apart from some familiar birds, such as the ever present Black Redstart, I could photograph the Cirl Bunting.
The last five days I spent in Trujillo in the Extremadura. Unfortunately there was some festival going on that seemed to attract virtually everyone from miles around, so only on the last day I could experience some quietude.
Another bit of bad luck was that I wasn't able to visit Monfrague, the bus that was supposed to take me there simply didn't show up.
So I was limited to exploring the surrounding countryside. There I could photograph the Woodchat Shrike, one of the birds I hoped to see, the Sardinian Warbler, the Short-toed Snake-eagle and the Iberian Grey Shrike.
For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160.
Travel period: april 21 - may 5, 2022. Photo gallery

Spain, February/march 2022

Details: Created on Friday, 11 March 2022 23:24

I've added a new gallery of a trip to Spain.
Although this trip was meant to be a mix of landscapes, villages and birds, we (my brother and I) mostly concentrated on birds. A lack of snow made the mountain scenery not really as wintry and dramatic as we had hoped for, only the last two days gave a glimpse of how it could have been, with fresh snow.
We started in The Sierra the Gredos, where we stayed for four days in Hoyos Del Espino. After that we moved to Sepúlveda for the Hoces del Duratón and we ended with two nights in Pedraza, a medieval village that never fails to enchant us.
But the higlights were not the landscapes and villages, however nice, but the birds. Although some of the birds we saw can be seen in the Netherlands as well, they were much more abundant and easier to spot. To name a few 'lifers': Parrot Crossbill, Iberian Magpie, Rock Bunting, Dartford Warbler, Corn Bunting, Griffon Vulture, Crested Lark and the Red Kite, although, to my disappointment, I still have to take a good photo of the last one, the one in this gallery being too small.
For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160.
Travel period: february 25 - march 5, 2022.

Switzerland, october 2021

Details: Created on Wednesday, 03 November 2021 14:22

Ten beautiful days in the Swiss Alps. What my previous trip to the Swiss Alps, this august, lacked a bit, this holiday had in abundance: good light!
This time I started my holiday in Berggasthaus First above Grindelwald, hoping to shoot the 'definitive' Bachalpsee photo. The first sunset didn't look promising: while at the lakes the sky was grey with no open patches to give me hope, so I returned a bit earlier. But then, halfway between the lake and my hotel, suddenly the sky broke open and beautiful red sunlight illuminated the peaks. It only lasted about ten minutes but it was really magical.
The next day the sunset was a sure thing with a clear blue sky all day. Certainly less dramatic than the previous day, but beautiful nonetheless with no haze at all. The rising moon added a nice touch. I don't know if I shot the definitive photo, but I'm very happy with a couple of the photos I shot near the Bachalpsee.
After that I moved to Mürren, by now one of my favourite villages to stay because of its relaxed character; the fact that it is car-free certainly adds to that. Again I bought the ferienpass for the Schilthorn cable car, but the best photo opportunities were in the area above Mürren, with stunning views of Jungfrau and adjacent peaks.
The last few days I stayed in Kandersteg from where I visited the Oeschinensee, the Gasterntal and the Spittelmatte valley. The first two are well-known and rightly so, but the real surprise for me was the Spittelmatte valley, a short walk from the upper station of the Sunnbüell cable car. Certainly an area to revisit.
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160. Travel period: october 15 - 24, 2021. Photo gallery

Switzerland, august 2021

Details: Created on Monday, 23 August 2021 14:22

Two weeks in the Swiss Alps, staying in the village of Wengen, berggasthaus Männlichen, Stechelberg, berggasthaus First near Grindelwald and finally in the town of Grindelwald.
After a day and a half in Wengen and the surrounding forest, I went to the Berggasthaus Männlichen at the top of the cable car from Wengen, hoping to be able to shoot some nice photos of the classic Eiger/Mönch/Jungfrau view. That first afternoon was very misty with no view of these mountains whatsoever. The day after however was very nice with a lovely sunset. Also in this area I shot the Citril Finch, a beautiful and typical alpine bird. The day after I visited Jungfraujoch, but I have to say it was way too crowded to make that a fine experience, also, but that was to be expected, the light was very harsh and cold.
The following days I stayed in Stechelberg for the cable car to Schilthorn. In that area I was able to photograph another alpine bird: the Alpine Accentor. After that I went to berggasthaus First where I hoped to photograph the definitive sunset near the Bachalpsee. But alas, that was not te be: it was mostly too hazy, and on most of the sunsets/sunrises mist was blocking the views. After that I finished my holiday in the town of Grindelwald. There I was able to shoot the White Throated Dipper, a stroke of good fortune at the end of this holiday as this was one of the birds I very much wanted to see and photograph.
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160. Travel period: august 6 - 21, 2021. Photo gallery

Scotland, february 2020

Details: Created on Thursday, 05 March 2020 14:22

After last year's mostly snow-free february trip to Scotland, we couldn't resist trying again and we got lucky this time: after a travel day with torrential rain the temperature dropped to around zero and the rest of the week most precipitation fell as snow. Near the coast however it was just a bit warmer causing it to rain there, so we changed our plan to visit the isle of Skye and instead spent a few days in the Trossachs near the town of Killin.
As we did last year we hiked the Devil's Staircase giving majestic views over the Glencoe valley and the Mamores, as well as a few arctic snow and hail storms!
We then moved to Killin in the Trossachs where we had two nice days around Loch Tay. Our plan of doing a bit of bird photography didn't really happen, we never even used our new bird hide! But quite by accident however the lodge was situated in a park with a lot of bird feeders, attracting a variety of birds. There were no specifically Scottish birds, but for a starting bird photographer being able to photograph a few 'new' birds is fun anyway.
After returning to the Glencoe area we had even more snow, down to the valley. We had an especially fine morning around Kingshouse hotel, where we stayed, with stunning views of a completely white landscape. After this it hardly mattered that our drive back to Glasgow was again on a grey and rainy day.
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160. Travel period: february 21 - 28, 2020. Photo gallery

Lake District, december 2019

Details: Created on Wednesday, 01 January 2020 14:22

While I had one fine wintry day (not with snow, but at least with frost) on my previous december trip to the Lake District, this time I did not even had that: it was a mostly grey holiday with only one sunny day.
Most of the landscape photos come from that one day in Great Langdale and on Lingmoor Fell. Because of the poor weather I gave up on trying to capture majestic landscapes and made my first attempts in bird photography, something that had always fascinated me.
Admittedly most of the bird photos you see are from Hope park, a park in Keswick near Derwent water and more in particular a bird hide in that park (fyi: this was a sort of 'reversed' bird hide, with the birds ín the bird hide coming for the bird feeders and the viewers outside looking in). The beautiful sunset on the last day was a typical case of too little too late...
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160. Travel period: December 20 - 30, 2019. Photo gallery

Switzerland, october 2019

Details: Created on Sunday, 03 November 2019 14:22

Nine days in the Swiss Alps. Same locations, even (except for one night) the same hotels, but totally different in atmosphere from my previous summer holiday. The autumn colors in the valleys were simply stunning.
On higher ground the first fresh snow had already fallen, which gave it a wintry character, especially on the 2nd day near Bachalpsee and the fells above it. A day later, after a very stormy night in Berggasthaus First, it was a bit of a disappointment that I had to leave for Grindelwald because the cable cars were closed that day and because of that the hotel also closed for the night.
After staying in Grindelwald for two nights I moved to a hotel in Stechelberg, at the end of Lauterbrunnen valley. The hike through that valley, with its lovely fall colors combined with some lingering low clouds, was one of the higlights. Finally I spent a few days in Mürren to visit Schilthorn a couple of times. Unfortunately the cable cars ended a long time before sunset, so I had to enjoy that from the town of Mürren, some 1400 meter lower. Although Schilthorn is more of a sunset viewpoint because of its orientation I had some very nice (but cold!) sunrises at Schilthorn and Birg, the cable car station a bit lower.
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160. Travel period: october 17 - 28, 2019. Photo gallery

Switzerland, august 2019

Details: Created on Monday, 26 August 2019 14:22

Two weeks in the Swiss Alps, staying in the villages of Wengen, Mürren and the berggasthaus First near Grindelwald. After a grey and wet first day in Wengen the weather improved with a mix of blue skies and nice cloud formations with even a bit of very light snow on top of the Schilthorn.
From Wengen I had the opportunity to take the cable car up to Männlichen, with its stunning views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Next stop was Mürren where I bought a 4 day pass for the Mürren-Schilthorn cable car, giving me unlimited access. The views from the Schilthorn were stunning, even more so on the days where the clouds -either above or below me- added to the drama. Memorable was a fine walk from Birg (the intermediate cable car station) via the beautiful Grauseeli lake down to Almendhubel.
Last, but certainly not least, was my stay at berggasthaus First, at the end of the Grindelwald-First cable car at 2200m. Staying there gave me the opportunity to visit the famous Bachalpsee in the best light before the crowds came and again after they left.
Two sunrise visits to the Bachalpsee were particularly succesful and, luckily, with quite different weather conditions, giving the photos much variation, at least, I'd like to think so. Being there, with hardly anybody else around, viewing the Bachalpsee with the majestic peaks in the background surely was the highlight of this holiday.
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160. Travel period: august 6 - 20, 2019. Photo gallery

Lake District, april/may 2019

Details: Created on Friday, 10 May 2019 14:22

Ten days in the Lake District resulting in a gallery of around 20 photos, of which 10 were taken on one day....need I tell more? This simply wasn't a particularly succesful photography trip.
Anyway, let's concentrate on the positive things: the one day I mentioned was very fine, with a nice sunrise and an exceptionally beautiful late afternoon and sunset, both on Dale Head. After that most days simply didn't have good light.
Luckily the last days somewhat made up for this with another fine sunset in Great Langdale and a nice last day near Derwent Water. Also it was good to, sort of, 'rediscover' Dale Head as a perfect photography location with stunning views in all directions and that within a one hour walk from Honister Pass.
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160. Travel period: april 22 - may 3, 2019. Photo gallery

Scotland, february 2019

Details: Created on Friday, 08 March 2019 14:22

Usually Scotland is more 'snowsure' than the Lake District, but, unfortunately, on this trip there was very little snow, only on the higher mountains. And with temperatures around 10 degrees Celsius what little snow there was left melt away rapidly. On the other hand: we only had one two hour rainshower, so we can't really complain.
Still, the grandeur of the Scottish Highlands never fails to impress. Highlights: a particularly fine day with an early morning walk in the mist up the Devil's Staircase, part of the west Highland Way, with the mist breaking open soon after sunrise, giving stunning views in all directions. That same day we moved to the Torridon area where we also had a fine afternoon. In the following days the light was not really what we had hoped for, but we still had several fine photographic opportunities.
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160. Travel period: february 22 - march 1, 2019. Photo gallery

Lake District, december 2018

Details: Created on Thursday, 03 January 2019 14:22

Well, I guess this had to happen sooner or later: my first completely snowless December trip to the Lake District. In all my previous December trips to the Lake District (7 by now) I had at least some snow. With the wind mainly coming from the southwest it’s actually surprising I had mostly dry weather, albeit with little sunshine, with only a bit of drizzle on some days. Also I had a some mist and low clouds, which gave some fine photographic opportunities, the mist with its serene character opposed to the quickly changing dramatic low clouds.
However, the best day was still the most wintry and cold day with frost and clear blue skies. That was the day I started very early on Walla Crag before moving on to Great Langdale for a fine afternoon. The white frost in the shadowy areas give the photos from this day a wintry character, despite the lack of snow. Apart from this day I had another fine afternoon with good light and dramatic clouds in the Castlerigg area.
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160. Travel period: December 21 - 31, 2018. Photo gallery

Lake District, october 2018

Details: Created on Sunday, 04 November 2018 14:22

This trip was a sort of autumnal repeat of my recent summer holiday. As in august I stayed in Great Langdale and in the Honister Pass hostel. As I've done eight years ago, I also did a trip from Honister pass to the Wast Water hostel and back the following day, but unfortunately the weather didn't really cooperate, with two rather grey and misty days and only on the first day some glimpses of sunshine.
Certainly not the iconic Wast Water view toward the central fells I had hoped for. Nevertheless I had some nice days in Great Langdale and a particularly fine day on the fells near Green Gable, with stunning views in all directions. Later in the week the strong north wind made it intensely cold, in fact on one of these days a light drizzle turned into snow for a few brief moments.
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160.
Travel period: october 18 - 28, 2018. Photo gallery

Lake District, august 2018

Details: Created on Saturday, 18 August 2018 14:22

Another summer trip to the Lake District. For the landscape photographer summer is usually not the ideal season: the good light at sunrise and sunset is rather short and separated by an excruciatingly long day with mostly 'flat' light on a too green landscape.
Nevertheless: this time I had a number of very fine moments of splendid light, some even rivalling the best winter conditions of my previous trips. I started with a couple of days in Great Langdale, having one particularly fine morning with the fells rising above the mist.
I also did a fine hike of Pike Of Blisco and Crinkle Crags, sometimes with glorious sunlight, at other moments completely surrounded by low clouds. After that I went to Grasmere, while staying there I had a splendid sunrise on the fells overlooking Great Langdale. I ended my trip with a few days at Honister pass, making the central fells easily accessible. Highlights from these days were a splendid sunset -with dramatic skies on and near Green Gable- and sunrise the morning after. Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160.
Travel period: august 1 - 15, 2018. Photo gallery

Pyrenees, april 2018

Details: Created on Monday, 30 April 2018 14:22

A visit to the Spanish Pyrenees. Itinerary: Espot (for the eastern part of the Aiguestortes N.P.), Abiego (in the Parque Natural de la Sierra y Cañones de Guara), Benasque, Bielsa, Buerba and Torla.
After 2 fine days around Espot the forecast was for a rainy period, so we moved to the Guara natural park, south of the Pyrenees. But, although it was dry, the sky was grey, and the landscape, possibly because of the lack of good light, not really photogenic. We ended up photographing the orchards in the park, instead of the canyons. The day after we decided to return to the Pyrenees where, indeed, the rain came pooring down more and more as we approached Benasque, our destination for that day. Just before sunset however, the sky cleared and we had good weather for the rest of our stay. We visited Benasque for the Posets-Maladeta natural park and Bielsa for the Pineta valley.
The highlights, however, were locations we had already visited 8 years ago: the area near the Añisclo canyon with stunning views north toward the Ordesa peaks, the picturesque villages of Vio, Buerba, Nerín and Fanlo and, last but not least, two visits to the majestic Ordesa valley, where we had a fine afternoon and spent our last morning before returning to Barcelona for our flight home.
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160. Travel period: april 20 - 27, 2018. Photo gallery

Lake District, feb./mar. '18

Details: Created on Saturday, 10 March 2018 14:22

On my previous trips to the Lake District whenever I visited Great Langdale I did so from Keswick or Grasmere; because of that I could never be there at sunrise. So this time I decided to stay a couple of days at a bunkhouse in New Dungeon Ghyll. After a splendid first day there, with dramatic skies, I was very excited to see a thin layer of snow at dawn of the 2nd day, turning the landscape into a winter wonderland. A number of photos, with roughly the same view, reflect these changing conditions. One of my favourite views, zooming in at the Langdale Pikes with Blea Tarn in the foreground, is featured three times with different combinations of snow: no snow, snow only on the Langdale Pikes and an 'all-white' version.
Back in Keswick I had a fine Wednesday afternoon with some beautiful sunset views from Castlerigg Stone Circle.
After that unfortunately most of the good weather had gone: the 'beast from the east' brought a strong easterly wind with a severe windchill, grey skies and much snow, causing much disruption all over Britain. My afternoon walks to Castlerigg Stone Circle, hoping, against my better judgment, for some brief moments of sunlight, were an exercise in endurance. To show how changeable the weather is: the last saturday was, contrary to the weather forecast, a pleasant day where I could even enjoy the sunshine on a park bench, albeit warmly clothed.
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160. Travel period: february 22 - march 4, 2018. Photo gallery

Lake District, dec. '17/jan. '18

Details: Created on Friday, 05 January 2018 14:22

After a very promising and superb winter day after my arrival the rest of my stay was a bit of a disappointment; the wintry conditions made way for rather uninspiring grey skies, except perhaps a few brief moments. Hence a big part of this gallery is devoted to that first day: after a fine start at Castlerigg Stone circle and a short walk near Grasmere I spent the afternoon in Great Langdale. Looking back Great Langdale may not be the best choice for sunset photography: quite early the sun is already so low that the valley doesn't get any sunlight, only the higher parts. Little did I know this would be the last good sunset on this holiday......(and last sunrise, for that matter). The first days after that had some brief moments of good light and dramatic skies, but as the week progressed there were fewer and fewer of the 'occasional spells of sunrise' the weather forecast mentioned.....
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160.
Travel period: december 27, 2017 - january 4, 2018. Photo gallery

Dolomites, october 2017

Details: Created on Friday, 27 October 2017 14:22

I've alway admired the special rugged character of the Dolomites, quite different from the Alps. This gallery is of my autumn holiday trip to Val Gardena. With no rain at all I should have very little to complain, but because of the mostly blue skies the landscape lacked a bit in drama and grandeur. Because it was low-season, between the summer and winter crowds, all cable cars but one were not in service. The one that did run brought me to the beautiful Alpe Di Siusi, a stunning combination of rolling meadows and rugged peaks. Another highlight was the Val Vallunga (or Langental) a (luckily mostly flat) valley near Wolkenstein. Breathtaking, both literally and figuratively as I had to gain some 1100 meters height, was the hike to the beautiful Puez-Odle park with its characteristic ridge near the Sass Rigais peak. The last day in Bolzano had a special surprise for me with its beautiful Franciscan cloister.
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen! For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160.
Travel period: October 13 - 21, 2017. Photo gallery

Lake District, august 2017

Details: Created on Thursday, 24 August 2017 14:22

For the first time in over 20 years I visited the Lake District in summer. Five nights I stayed in 'Glaramara House' hotel in Borrowdale, followed by one night in Honister Pass youth hostel and two nights in Grasmere youth hostel. As on my previous trip in february I did the Honister Pass to Green Gable walk, probably the easiest hike to a mountain over 800 m in the Lake District. Unfortunately the weather on top was atrocious, but before and after there were some nice photo opportunities. Another nice walk was from Honister Pass to Buttermere Village. Although there were few sunrise/sunset moments worth getting up/staying out for, I had two particular nice evenings with dramatic cloud formations. The first time from Honister pass overlooking the Borrowdale fells, the second time overlooking Grasmere and the surrounding fells. A 'knee-killer' was the hike on the last day to Harrison Stickle, one of the Langdale Pikes, with fine views over Langdale valley and even toward the Irish Sea.
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160.
Travel period: august 13 - 21, 2017. Photo gallery

Western USA, April 2017

Details: Created on Saturday, 06 May 2017 14:22

A tour of the major parks in Utah (and some in Arizona and Nevada). Itinerary: Arches N.P., Canyonlands, Monument Valley, Capitol Reef, Bryce N.P., Zion N.P., Lower Antelope Canyon (near Page, AZ), White Pocket (on the Paria Plateau) and Valley of Fire. Majestic landscapes, geological wonders: Utah has this in abundance. However: probably the highlight of this tour was a small area on the Paria Plateau, just south of the Utah - Arizona border: White Pocket, a concentration of bizarre geological formations. Because of its remoteness, at the end of a 2 hour drive on a dirt road, we spent the night at this location in tents. So we were able to enjoy it in the warm sunset and sunrise light, simply unforgettable!
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160. Travel period: april 14 - 30, 2017. Photo gallery

Lake District, february/march 2017

Details: Created on Friday, 10 March 2017 14:22

Another trip to The Lake District, this time with wintry conditions, especially on the higher fells. First highlight was a fine walk from Honister Pass to Green Gable, with dramatic views in all directions. Following that was a walk to Thorneythwaite Fell, with splendid vistas toward the central fells. On wednesday we did a nice round trip with the car: Grasmere, Langdale, Wrynose and Hardknott Pass ending with the classic Wast Water views, before returning to Keswick. This was followed on thursday with an heroic -because of the very rough weather- fell walk: Maiden Moor, High Spy and Dale head. Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160.
Travel period: february 25 - march 4, 2017. Photo gallery

Lake District, october 2016

Details: Created on Thursday, 27 October 2016 14:22

As often as I visit the Lake District, the last time I was there in the autumn had been quite a while ago, in 2007, to be exact. The first thing I noticed though is that the full autumn colors were far from peaking, probably as a result of the high temperatures in and after summer. Nevertheless there was a lot to enjoy, although the weather was not as good as I would have liked, well....I guess it never really is. Not in the way of rain, but there were too few days of with real fine light. A good part of this photo gallery is the result of one particularly fine day walking around Buttermere. Other highlights were a day in the fells north of Green and Great Gable and a three day stay in Patterdale, a part of the Lake District that I had visited more than 20 years ago. Part of that stay was a climb of Helvellyn, via Striding Edge, although I have to admit I took the easy path just below the ridge.
Don't forget to press F11 to view this gallery full-screen. For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160.
Travel period: october 13 - 21, 2016. Photo gallery

Lake District, february 2016

Details: Created on Friday, 04 March 2016 14:22

I've added a new gallery of a trip to the Lake District. Originally I had planned this trip for my last Christmas holiday, but I had to cancel that because of the december floods following storm 'Desmond'. After a bad start, a wet and grey day, the rest of my stay was dry, albeit quite cold and lacking a bit in what one might call 'good light'. A shuttle bus had just started its service to Grasmere, after the floods had badly damaged parts of the A591 connecting the northern and southern parts of the Lake District. Luckily this made it possible to visit the Grasmere fells and Langdale, so I was not confined to the northern fells. The weather was not quite as 'wintry' as I had hoped: there was only a bit of snow on the higher fells as you can see on the photos. But, again, considering how bad the weather can be, who am I to complain? Highlights were a particularly fine afternoon in the St. John in the Vale area and a fine walk in far Easedale.
Travel period: february 20 - 28, 2016.

Chamonix, October 2015

Details: Created on Thursday, 29 October 2015 14:22

I've added a new gallery of a trip to Chamonix in the French Alps. After a long and dull walk up the mountains on the first day without ever reaching the tree line the first thing I did the next day was to buy a cablecar pass for the remaining six days, my knees sighed with relief... . Most of the days these cable cars brought me not only (far) above the tree line, but also above the clouds hanging over the town of Chamonix. I was rewarded with stunning views of the impressive mountains of the Aiguille range near the Mont Blanc. An october dusting of snow combined with lovely autumn colors gave me ample photography opportunities. Breathtaking, both figuratively and literally, were my hours on the Aiguille du Midi, at 3777 meter. Equally memorable, however, was my time spent near the Planpraz and Brévent cable car stations.
For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160.
Travel period: october 16 - 22, 2015.

Spain, February 2015

Details: Created on Wednesday, 11 March 2015 23:24

I've added a new gallery of a trip to Spain. Highlight of this trip was, no doubt, the village of Albarracín, in the province of Teruel. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful towns in Spain and rightly so: its streets and buildings, mostly in natural earth tones, are lovely. But even more impressive is its location in the sierra de Albarracín: from practically all sides one has a beautiful panoramic overview of the village, with its city walls as a prominent feature. And from the town itself one has great views of the surrounding hills. Before Albarracín I visited Cuenca with its famous hanging houses. Unexpected bonus was the charming cathedral: the sunlight, filtered through the, mostly modern, stained glass windows gave the building a special atmosphere, less austere and lighter than most cathedrals. Another highlight was the cloister in Santa María la Real de Nieva, north west of Segovia. Just before I arrived there the cloudy sky broke open. Although sunlight is always tricky in a cloister because of the large contrasts, it makes a cloister 'come alive' and give it that special 'ambiente' with its reflected light on the honey colored stones. Don't forget to view the spherical panorama of this cloister.
The one photo of the Alcazar in Segovia was taken in the two minutes the red sun appeared below the clouds just before sunset, hence the almost surreal light.
For those with a 4k screen: the photos in this gallery are 4k, 3840 x 2160.
Travel period: february 22 - 31, 2015.

Lake District, December 2014

Details: Created on Wednesday, 07 January 2015 23:24

I've added a new gallery of another trip to the Lake District. This trip didn't start out very promising because, as with my previous trip a year earlier, the weather was, again, more autumnal than wintry: only a hint of snow and quite a bit of rain. However, luckily after christmas the weather improved with some fresh snow and more sunshine. Because of that the first days in Grasmere, with the poorer weather, only gave a few photo opportunities. Therefore most of the gallery contains photography of the area around Keswick, where I stayed the last five days. Especially nice was a clear blue sunday on Blaeberry Fell and Maiden Mor, with fine views over the Helvellyn range. The last day ended with some beautiful moments near Castlerigg, with the stone circle bathing in the warm sunlight.
Travel period: december 20 - 29, 2014.

Lake District, December 2013

Details: Created on Sunday, 05 January 2014 23:24

I've added a new gallery of another trip to the Lake District. In contrast to most previous holidays in the Lake District this time the weather was more autumnal than wintry: very windy with quite a bit of rain and only a hint of snow on the tops. Despite the weather I had a couple of nice days in the Langdale valleys and around Keswick. Especially the christmas mornings near Castlerigg Stone Circle brought some nice photo opportunites, although the early sunlight was blocked by low clouds the dramatic skies made up for this. So quite a few of the photos in this gallery come from these moments.
Travel period: december 20 - 28, 2013.

Lake District, February 2013

Details: Created on Sunday, 03 March 2013 23:24

I've added a new gallery of another trip to the Lake District. After a cold first weekend the rest of the week I had mostly clear blue skies, perhaps even too clear: the clouds that add a bit of drama to the landscape were mostly absent. But considering how the weather can be, who am I to complain? I made some nice walks around Grasmere and in Borrowdale. Especially fine was an early morning walk catching the sunrise over Great Langdale. Don't forget to view the panorama of this view. And, again, I spent a very fine morning near Castlerigg Stone Circle, with its superb views in all directions. These early druids surely knew how to choose a great location!
Travel period: february 24 - march 1, 2013.

Lake District, February 2012

Details: Created on Thursday, 01 March 2012 23:24

I've added a new gallery of a short trip to the Lake District. Unfortunately this time the weather was mostly poor: dull grey skies.
Judging from photos I saw on the internet before I left I missed the last winter snow by about a week! Most of the photos (those from Borrowdale) come from the one fine afternoon I had.
The few days I was in the Lake District coincided with a film festival in Keswick. Part of this festival was a retrospective of the movie career of John Hurt, one of my favourite actors. He came over to Keswick and I was lucky to get a ticket for a so-called "conversation with John Hurt" - an interview interspersed with short fragments of some movies he played in. Seeing and, even more so, hearing John Hurt was truly unique.
Travel period: february 23 - 28, 2012.

Belmonte & Toledo

Details: Created on Thursday, 29 December 2011 23:24

I've added a new gallery of a short trip to Belmonte, to photograph the castle there (http://www.castillodebelmonte.com/), and Toledo. The exterior views of Belmonte castle are majestic from practically all directions. The weather certainly helped by creating some pretty impressive skies. Also don't forget to view the spherical panoramas I made. Four of these, of the lovely monastery of San Juan De Los Reyes in Toledo, are in the form of a 'virtual tour'. For the panorama of the Synagogue Santa Maria La Blanca I had to digitally remove an exhibition of paintings that was taking place along all of the four walls!
Travel period: december 14 - 19, 2011.

English Cathedrals

Details: Created on Thursday, 03 November 2011 00:56

I've added a new gallery of a visit to several English cathedrals. This trip took me to: Lincoln Cathedral, Southwell and York minster, Peterborough Cathedral, Stamford, Burghley House and Ely and Norwich Cathedral. The weather was cold, but mostly sunny, which gave some good photo opportunities with the sunlight coming through the stained glass windows. Apart from the photos I made a number of spherical panoramas, don't forget to check these out on the panorama page. Three panoramas of Lincoln cathedral are combined in a so-called 'virtual tour', complete with a navigational map.
Travel period: october 14 - 22, 2011.