Walking the streets of Brussels

I just love HDR photography.  Have I mentioned that before?  :)

I think this scene is a great example of why I love it so.  I was wandering in Brussels, Belgium and thought this street scene just looked so interesting.  I find all the little architectural elements fascinating, and the cobblestone street, and the signs, and the little chalkboards outside the restaurant advertising the meal of the day.

But the thing is, a camera taking a single frame just doesn't do it justice (see my Before & After below).  The single exposure looks flat and lifeless, whereas to my eye the HDR just pops with life and vibrancy.

Here's the Before & After comparison - let me know your thoughts!

Maison des Brasseurs

I just want to quickly thank those of you that have visited and commented on my shots this week.  Due to work travel followed by a family vacation, I am way behind in returning the favors.  So thank you and I will be catching up soon!   

Brussels, Belgium is an incredibly beautiful city.  It seemed like I was stopping every 10 feet, photographing one thing after another.  When you get deeper into photography, it just starts to happen.  You see things you never noticed before, and you shoot things that you never would have paid attention to in the past.  Then when you get dropped into a place like Brussels, it's hard to get anything done because there is a photographic temptation at every turn!

This is a portion of one of the architecturally stunning guild houses that encircle Grand Place, which is Brussels' historic town square.  This was formerly home to the Brewer's Guild - see, there's another temptation about Brussels - all the great beer!

Technicals: Nikon D700, 7 exposures, f/13, 28-300mm zoom lens (at 105mm)

Software: Photomatix, Color Efex Pro, Aperture 

Beer Planet

Have I ever mentioned here on the blog that I enjoy a nice cold beer?  I'm not sure that I have, but it's true.  I do enjoy it.  These days - being older and wiser, no doubt (ahem) - my focus is on quality, not quantity.  I'm not all the way to the land of beer snobbery, but I am getting there, and enjoying the trip.  :)

Anyways, that is just frivolous background info, and only partly related to this post.  This post is really about Brussels, Belgium which is a beer heaven (not to mention a chocolate heaven - and also a photographic heaven - so it's basically a perfect place!).  Great local beer is available all over Brussels, and of course there are some really interesting and fun shops like Beer Planet, where you can get your hands on the stuff.  Of course, being a photographer at heart, I had to stop and take a shot of this awesome storefront.

Technicals: Nikon D700, 28-300 zoom lens (at 32mm), single exposure at f/13

Software: Color Efex Pro, Aperture

A busy bar in Brussels

Just a post and run today folks - still in Santa Fe but heading home real soon.  Lots of catching up to do, both at work and of course with my photography.  It's been a great time here and looking forward to sharing the photos when I can - hopefully starting next week.

I caught this shot on a side street in Brussels, just off Grand Place by one block.  It's such a rich environment there that you can stop at every corner and have a great scene to photograph...so I did!

Dining in Grand Place

As I have said here before, Grand Place in Brussels is the most beautiful town square I have ever seen, and possibly the most beautiful one in the world.  It's incredible.  The architecture is amazing and there is just such an elegant but relaxed feel to it.  It just feels good to be there.  Does that make any sense at all?  :)

I could easily spend a day just hanging out there and taking a lot of photos.  As it turns out, that is sort of what I did, though I didn't stay in Grand Place the whole time.  I would snap some shots, wander some side streets, come back and snap a few more, then turn down another side street for a while, and then find myself back in Grand Place again a while later.  It's that kind of place - it just draws you back every time.

This scene just caught my eye on one of those wanderings.  I like the hand-written chalk signs, and the stonework, and the architecture, and the colors, and.....well, you get the idea.

The Royal Galleries of Saint Hubert

I hate shopping.  There, I said it.  Shopping stinks, unless I am at a camera store, in which case it's great.   Walking around in a shopping mall just sucks the life out of me.  (Ok, mini-rant over.)

However - I do make exceptions.  Take for example, The Royal Galleries of Saint Hubert in Brussels, Belgium.  I'll go here anytime!  Of course, I'm not there to shop - I'm there to fire brackets like a mad man.

Before I went to Brussels, I dug into the Stuck on Earth app (which is awesome BTW - and free!) to investigate spots I might want to "inspect a little closer".  This one came up, and since it was right around the corner from Grand Place (their incredible town square), I figured I might as well take a look.  It also happens to be a nice lead-in to the Rue de Bouchers, which I will get to another time, on another post.

Built in the mid-1800's in an Italian style and with a beautiful glass roof, the Galleries are occupied by high-end boutiques and cafes, and it's actually an excellent place to spend some time - though I can't comment on the shopping, since I didn't do any.  :)

The ghosts of Grand Place

I just can't help myself - I keeping posting shots from my recent trip through Europe.  I enjoyed it so much and took so many photos (over 3500!), that I'm afraid you will continue to see a bunch here.  But, I will probably mix it up a little just to keep you interested!  :)

This is another shot from the most beautiful and majestic town square in the entire world - Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium.  As I have said before, it really is just an incredible spot.  This shot gives you a nice look at the amazing architecture.  Honestly, it's a difficult place to shoot because it is large and square, so that doesn't really translate to good shots that give you a feel for the size and grandeur.  It's best to just isolate a piece of it.

In this case, I was just firing brackets one afternoon towards the Town Hall building (the one rising out of frame on the left), having found some steps to climb up to get a little better view.  That gentleman there in the red shirt just stopped in front of me, while of course all the rest of the crowd continued to move.  I liked the look with all the ghosting, with the one guy just taking it all in...

iPhone fun in Brussels

Grab a cup of coffee or tea, because I have 10 photos here...take a moment and enjoy them!

I love Brussels, it's an incredible town. There is just so much to enjoy there: architecture, history, culture, Belgian waffles, chocolate, beer...now I'm getting hungry. My recent stay there was only a couple of days, but I was able to squeeze in some serious photo time, and also grabbed a TON of iPhone shots. So, here's a quick tour of some cool Brussels spots, taken with my iPhone and processed on my iPhone as well.

Grand Place is the historic and beautiful town square...I just love the architectural details!

This is the top of their Town Hall, which is the centerpiece of Grand Place - just incredible.

Here's a wide view of Grand Place - a pretty wide view for an iPhone!

Selling flowers in Grand Place...a leisurely Saturday!

I found some awesome graffiti in this town!! I had to shoot this one, just couldn't "Let it be" HAHA.

How awesome is this shot of the pigs?? I loved it!  Pig graffiti - fun!

Of course, no European city is complete without a little sidewalk cafe action...so awesome.

This may be my favorite of all - just loved the graffiti all over the wall, with the cherry blossom tree and the flower petals scattered across the ground - awesomeness!

I hope you enjoyed my little tour of Brussels (at least a few spots in Brussels). Thanks for stopping by!

Selling art in Grand Place

Saturday was great - we participated in the Great Urban Race. If you aren't familiar with it, it is a combo adventure race/scavenger hunt that is hosted in various cities. You are given a list of clues which you have to solve. Solving them leads you to various spots around town, where you have to complete a challenge. It was awesome! Here are a few things I did: ran A LOT, ate a worm, held a ferret, made a s'more (and ate it!), shot a paintball gun at a target (2 for 2, perfect!) and even took a pie in the face. It was awesome! Well, except for eating a worm. That was pretty gross, and I even had to dry-swallow it. Blech! Anyways, we completed the course in about 2.5 hours and actually came in 12th place! Not bad out of 60-70 teams! We even qualified for the National Championship - sweet!

Daily Photo: Selling art in Grand Place

Ok, I doubt you came here to read about my weekend activities, but it was so fun I just had to share. On to the photo then - another shot from my recent trip to Brussels, Belgium!

Grand Place is the historical town square in Brussels, and without a doubt is the most beautiful town square I have ever seen, and maybe the most beautiful in the world. That's the good news. The bad news is that due to its popularity, it is always crowded. I have a ton of shots from Grand Place but there are always tourists in them, which is ok. Even I couldn't get up early enough to beat the crowds.

One thing you find in Grand Place is some art stands. Folks set up there and sell their wares, whether it be art or in some cases flowers. It's all pretty awesome and it's a wonderful place to pass the time.

And here is a quick snap I took there one afternoon as I was passing through Grand Place. It gives you a good idea about the size of the square, and of course you get a sense of the architectural grandeur which really defines Grand Place. Enjoy! Thanks for stopping by!

A Little Delirium in Brussels

Let the European tour continue!  More from my trip last week!  This time - lovely Brussels, Belgium!

Brussels is an incredible town.  I was first there over 10 years ago, and it always stuck with me as "one of those places".  A lot of the reason for that is Grand Place, which is their town square.  It's an incredible sight, and yes I have a LOT of photos from there that will make their way onto the blog here.

But first I have this shot, which is actually from less than a block off of Grand Place.  It was blue hour, and I was wandering the streets.  I just loved all the lights here so I waited for most of the folks to clear the scene and fired off some brackets!