#179 The Morning Turned Gold

I was up early. Normally I would have stayed in bed a bit longer, but for some reason that day I got up and looked out of the window. All I could see was fog rolling in. It happened fast. The next minute I was…

I was up early. Normally I would have stayed in bed a bit longer, but for some reason that day I got up and looked out of the window. All I could see was fog rolling in. It happened fast. The next minute I was…

What a hell of a ride… Another 100km. Now find a spot where I can pitch my and chill for the evening. I’ve got a wine with me so I’m gonna dive in it… Monschau is such a beautiful little town. Glad I made it.

There’s something odd about photographing a huge industrial complex at sunrise. Part of me sees smoke stacks and steel. Another part just sees shapes, light and one hell of a sky. It can be beautiful… Depends how you looking at it… I’ve seen this industrial…

I’d been riding all day. 100km… perhaps more that day. I was exhausted by the end of the day. By the time I found this field near Monschau, I didn’t need much anymore… just somewhere to pitch the tent, something to eat, and a sunset…

Over 100 kilometres on the mountain bike. Hills, backroads, trails, wrong turns, tired legs and a camera in the bag the whole way. I’d do it again tomorrow. I wasn’t planning some heroic 100+ kilometre mission. I just kept riding, kept exploring, and somewhere along…

I could have pointed the camera straight at the sunset and called it a day. But the interesting part was everything around it… the water, the slopes, the greenery and the way the landscape kept stretching across the horizon. A panorama was the only way…

There are moments when you know you’re probably about to get soaked. This was one of them.

Just a stream, a lot of green and one of those places I could have stayed for hours.

I’m starting to think bad weather makes some of the best photographs. Stadspark was soaked that morning. Water everywhere, mist hanging between the trees and reflections in places where there normally aren’t any. I’ve walked through this park countless times, but for a few minutes…

This was probably my favorite beach in Corsica. It was remote enough that it never felt crowded, the sunsets were ridiculous, and it also happened to be a great nudist beach. I stayed there for three days — one night sleeping directly on the beach…

The Kinda Days I Want To Remember… Boys messing around at a playground in Sittard while I had my camera with me. Nothing extraordinary to anyone else, I guess. But to me? Priceless. These are the moments I’ll remember forever.

On one of my morning escapes I stopped by Zuyderland. The light was getting interesting, so I switched to a wide-angle lens and took a few shots.

We Stayed Until The Light Was Gone The waves were getting darker, the sky was burning orange and neither of us was in any hurry to leave. We kept walking until there wasn’t much light left. Then we pitched our tents in the dunes and…

Me and a mate were driving along the west coast of New Zealand, jumping from one beach to another — Karekare, Piha and whatever else we could find along the way. Karekare was different. The sheer size of the beach, the remoteness, and the fact…

The whole place was completely calm. Meanwhile, the sky looked like it was putting on a show just for itself. Glad I was there for it.

I remember standing there watching people look at photographs I had taken around Sittard. It probably wasn’t a big deal to anyone else. To me, it was huge.

…and I’m starting to understand why I keep getting up so early. There’s something about the morning light, the freshness of the air, and the empty streets. Love it.

From down there, it’s a maze of narrow streets. From up here, somehow it all makes sense.

This was taken during a trip to Zeeland a while back. The sun was dropping toward the horizon, turning everything orange, when this ship slowly moved into the frame. I remember watching it and thinking… yeah, this is the shot. Felt like I was in…

A few weeks ago I bought a new bike. The Fiido Titan Adventure Bike. And I had no idea how much it would change my mornings. Over the last three weeks I’ve found myself waking up before five, excited like a little kid… packing my…