Let's talk about Nothing

Although quite occupied during this Dutch Intelligent Lock Down in Corona time (we are advised to stay at home instead of ordered), I sometimes have a moment to slow down my brains which, I have to admit, are not always working the same pace as my  muscles. My brains win...

During the past weekend, when the sun was shining bright in a beautiful blue sky and  my village being overrun by people who preferred to sniff the fresh sea air, keeping at last 2 metres social distance, I sat on my little patio surrounded by Pansies in the most beautiful colours.
My feet high up on my rocking couch, cat and book on my lap, a hot chocolate within reach, I decided to do nothing. And not only that, also to think Nothing.

And I mean literally Nothing, with a capital N.

When I tried to stop my brain completely, I discovered there is not something like Nothing when it comes to the brains. At least, my brains. Thinking of Nothing is already something.
So what does Nothing mean? According to the Cambridge Dictionary there are numerous explanations and synonyms but nothing that indicates emptiness. In my context "Easiness and Simplicity" comes closest.

Do we realise how often we use the word Nothing?
   "What are you doing?" Actually....nothing.
Not true. Just sitting is not doing nothing, for example, you have chosen a chair to sit comfortably, telling your muscles to behave comfortably. So you do something.
   "Where are you thinking about?" To be honest, nothing....
Where at the same time you might think 'please stop asking me these questions, I want peace...'
   "Do we have any money left?" No, nothing but there are still some pennies left in your purse.
   "How was your day out? What did you do?" Fine but I did nothing.
In the meantime you drove and walked, ate and drank, looked and listened.
Etcetera, etcetera, you can think of some examples yourself.

Back to the brains. Whilst I was thinking of Nothing, I was actually thinking of numerous things: being happy with my little house and patio, being extremely happy feeling the sun on my face, the wind (although still cold) through my hair, the cat on my lap and the dogs nearby, the sound of the chicken, their free eggs, the smell of the flowers, the sound of the sea....

I forced my brains not to dwell off these Nothing subjects, just to concentrate on now and here, not on tomorrow or next week where Nothing is out of the question.
No, just now, this very moment, only this afternoon.

At the same time a few people entered my brains and I allowed them to do so. Precious people who were welcome to share Nothing with me. I hoped they were at ease as much as I was, whether they were doing Something or Nothing.

In my thoughts I had a conversation with them, offered them my peaceful moment in this strange Corona time where Nothing all of a sudden seems very well possible.....: do I see stripes from the plains in the sky? No, nothing. Do I see or smell pollution? No, nothing.

Photo: Ike Roelfsema Photography

Are cars blocking the roads to find people something to entertain themselves because enjoying ones own home is out of fashion? No, nothing.
Are the beaches chock a block? No, nothing like it.
Are people fighting over shopping carts in overcrowded supermarkets on  Sunday? No, nothing.....

Then I hoped that we are right now learning to find a balance between Nothing and Everything.
A lot less of Everything and a little more than Nothing. The latter because nothing Nothing does not exists. But there are so many positive Nothings. Free of charge Nothings which often turn out to be the very best Nothings ever. The most enjoyable and achieving Nothings. A good synonym for these Nothings could very well be Happiness. Or Contentedness.

This is most likely my shortest Blog Post ever, for the simple reason it is about Nothing.
I leave the realization of Nothing to you and hope it will benefit your spirit.

Lots of love,

Helen XXX

Let's talk about Rain

Because it is more common these days than sunshine. And just now you are thinking I am sooooooo fed up with rain, I write about it.
Not to make things worse though! Maybe I can raise some love for it with you.

Rain is not just water. It is liquid water in the form of droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapour and then become heavy enough to fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth (source Wikipedia)
If you are into recycling, well, here is the best example in the world.

Without rain, no life. The bottle of water you tow around walking, sporting or because you are told you  need to drink at least 2 litres per day, is filled with life.
The tea, coffee you drink is made with water. The food you eat needs water to grow. Your flourishing garden, refreshing shower, your bath, swimming in the sea, romantic outings near the lake, fountains, reflections in rain puddles, even your clean cloths or shiny car, it all has to do with water and without rain no water.
A little gratefulness when it is raining is not out of place.

The average human being loves an equal amount of sunshine and rain. So do the farmers.
Many people travel hundreds if not thousands of miles to escape the rain, craving for warmer areas where they can zip their wine near.... yes... the sea.
Unfortunately water is not equally spread around the world. Where we had so much rain the past weeks, other counties suffer from extreme droughts. And no, I am not going to discuss the climate change.

Fortunately there are also people who love rain. They are called 'Pluviophyles', lovers of rain. A pluviophyle is someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days.
And I know where I am talking about. Rain gives me a feeling of well being, cosiness and happiness.
This might sound strange to those who dislike rain but let me try to explain.
When it is raining, the sky is usually very dark which creates in my home a 'nestling' atmosphere. Candlelight, a book, or staring out of the windows, fascinated by the ever chancing pattern of running drops on the glass, giving the world at the other side, a totally different look.
The sound of the rain is easing my busy mind, it 'forces' it to a steady thinking rhythm. 

A rainy day can be a boring grey but can also be dramatic, with fierce clouds in 1000 shades of grey and black. Clouds that burst from the sea, that hang around overlooking the world below or floating past blown by the wind. A never boring scenery!

Rain smells, a wonderful lovely smell which fills the air before the rain arrives. And after the rain the smell is even better; a lush green smell of life. Colours are brighter, the grass greener, the soil darker, the sea more blue or silver.
Raindrops on your hair and face. Raindrops near the sea are a bit salty, try and taste. Look at the sky, feel the drops on your eyes, lick them from your lips. And smile! This is life!
Spread your arms and catch the rain, hold it in the palm of your hand and be aware you hold life.

Photo: Ike Roelfsema Photography

Yesterday I stood near the sea and let the rain and strong wind play with me, with my thoughts and feelings. I gave over to the forces of nature and felt so extremely alive!!
I watched the clouds by night, listened to the sound of the tide swallowing the rain, taking advantage of it. Due to the strong wind, the tide rushed in faster then usual. A fascinating site.
Dark clouds guided the tide ashore, covered my little space in this enormous big world in a darkness as beautiful as it could be. The sun was not to be seen other then colouring the rims of the clouds in a subtle orange pink, reflected in the shiny mud where the tide had not taken over yet.
A few spares moments and then the first waves washed ashore. 

And I watched, absorbed....... rain, life, passion, love.....

Helen

Let's talk about the power of Autumn

Last night I stood on top of the dike near the sea and watched the light house beams kissing the waves. The strong wind embraced me, I felt happy and content.

The people who know me well, know how much I love Autumn.

Ever since I was a child, Autumn has been my friend. A friend that gives me energy, that fires my heart, that feeds me with expectations.

When I was 3 years young, we lived temporarily near the sea and although memories of that time are mostly vague, I still remember the sound of the sea, the scent and the light.
I remember that very day when there was a huge storm and I all of a sudden 'disappeared'.
My parents were devastated, a 3 year old little girl, gone, traceless.

But they knew me of course so well and had a pretty accurate guess of where I could be. A thorough search led to the toddler that walked on the beach, all on her own, in wind force 9 with her hands on her back, in perfect harmony with the elements, not understanding the hassle about her solitude promenade.

And I have not changed much. I still love the elements. I need them like we all need oxygen.
I need views, endless views whether it is near the sea, a lake, the fields or the hills.
I am occasionally called a Child of the North and I have always been proud of that name. My Scandinavian, Baltic and Celtic DNA (half of all my DNA) is so obvious.

I have spent Autumns in Scandinavia where I walked for hours through the forest, along the lakes. Where I sat still to listen.

Where Summer in Scandinavia can be warm and lazy, full of heavy scents of all those flowers blooming at once to celebrate the short period of constant light, Autumn is the time of year in which nature is busy preparing itself for a long dark, magical period called Winter.

The mushrooms flourish, berries turning flaming red, black or deep blue to provide food for animals and humans. The scent of mushrooms mingles with the scent of decaying leaves.
The sound of running mice, climbing squirrels, foraging bears, foxes, lynxes, deer and elks which all know now it is time to eat or store as much as you can.

Birds leave for warmer areas, birds stay or arrive to spend the Winter.

Photo: Ike Roelfsema Photography

The first mist spreading its voile over the lake, changing the forest into a magical place full of white and grey shadows, muffling sounds to whispers. Water drops falling from the trees, sound like little silver bells. These are all early Autumn sounds and so wonderful to listen to.

The first mist that lays its blanket over the sea, fading the transition between water and sky, adding soft pastels, soothing the water and sounds.

Then comes the first night frost which turns the small world into a fairytale with a crisp white layer where the Autumn colours glow underneath.
And nature comes to a hold. Only silence, a very deep silence that speaks more to me than any other sound. A silence I inhale, adopt, treasure.
A silence so close to true love. The love that makes you tremble with expectation, that opens up your heart, makes you mellow and soft. The love that you do not only keep in your heart but also in your hands, to offer it to whom this love is worthy, that very special person.

This special gift of Autumn lifts me up, makes me extremely happy.  I carry it with me, in my heart, my soul, my body.

Autumns other gift is its beautiful promise of Spring, a promise always kept, a promise never failing. Love that promise, hold it close to you, very close.

Love,

Helen

Johan Sebastian Bach: Concerto for 2 harpsichords, string and b.c. in
C minor BWV 1062 'Allegro assai'

Let' talk about an introvert's perspective on landscape photography

Yes, a long title of today's blog but I can not think of an other one.

Gurushots "The World's Greatest Photo Game", I am one of the participants, on and off.
I noticed that taking part for a longer period, many of the challenges are more or less the same and therefore more or less boring. Staying away for several months can refresh my view on the challenges.

Returning after a while helps to notice the trends in photography. Trends are good, they keep it alive and challenging. It moves the boundaries within photography, the way we look at people, objects and landscapes. Even the most conservative photographer may adopt a new view, although......

Introversion "a personality trait characterized by a focus on internal feelings rather than on external sources of stimulation"
Do not misunderstand an introvert, we are not shy and or timid. We might look like hermits, but we are not. We are well aware of the world around us, but we rather observe it than jumping up and down or running around in all it's liveliness, afraid missing something of which we are not aware yet, surrounded by many people.
If we take a photo, we carefully observe the spot and click with our feelings and techniques.
We love often unobserved details but we also love the wide views.
Above all, we love wandering around natures beauty on our own, regaining our energy, enjoying the solitude. Or with a like minded close friend.
I know for instance, that showing a group of photographers my favourite spots, does not add to the quality of my photos. None of my photos show my feelings of what I love, I was too distracted. On the other hand, being with a close friend who understands and uses the beauty of the surrounding, my photos are of a much better quality.

Well, what has Gurushots to do with Introversion.
One of the most persistent trends in landscape photography is people standing in the middle of the lens view, raising their arms and therefore, in my humble opinion, spoiling the view of an otherwise beautiful photo of an even more beautiful landscape.

Photo: Ike Roelfsema Photography

Please do not get me wrong, I do not mind people in landscape photos but only when it adds something like a perspective: a tiny person in a large world. An indication of the dimensions. A mountaineer surrounded by majestic mountains. You know what I mean.
But not dominating the photo. And why with raised arms? Is it to express their appreciation for Mother Nature? For the beauty I can't see because they block my view? Or is it "I made it, I conquered nature, I won!"

These photos are more and more seen on photo sites and oh boy, do I dislike it. To me it is the sound of a radio with music I do not want to hear, a ghetto blaster. An irritating noise. A stain I want to wipe off.
I want to shout "Go away, you spoil my view!!" To me it belongs in the category 'holiday pictures' and not Landscape Photography.
Fortunately technique allows me not to like the photo and to move on to the next. Nobody is forcing me to like it, it is my free choice as is it the free choice of the photographer for this composition.
A composition gaining popularity. So much that I am very curious to know why.
Because "Why???" is the question that remains. "Why on earth do you put someone in front of your lens in the middle of a breath taking view? And why oh why, someone with raised arms?"

Another fast growing trend is sexy half dressed ladies in photos which subjects have nothing to do with artistic nudes. I do not mind an artistic nude, particularly when the photographer understands
the use of light.
Believe me there is a huge difference to this and a half dressed sexy girl distracting your attention of what really matters: the background or original subject. To me it often feels if the only goal is to collect likes with the girl instead of the photographic skills.

I know, I know, I think and act like the Introvert I am. Time to pause from Gurushots when my last challenge ends. Time to explore the Wadden Sea, time to explore solitude.

Love,

Helen

Let's talk about settling

It has been a while since my move from one little village to another.
In my previous blog post I was still sorting all my belongings and packing numerous removal boxes.

I was surprised how many things one can gather over the years. It was a mix of more then one household and what wasn't needed or 'to sort out on short term but it never happened' was boxed and stored in the garage.
Anyone who moved more than once will admit that it is the best opportunity to get rid of what you never missed over the past years, or what you probably will not use in the future. Or more realistic, what does not fit in the new home which is considerably smaller then the previous home.

Apart from taking much to the skip and the charity shop, I was also able to provide friends with nice things. Giving is so much nicer than selling, particularly when a happy face says "Thank you!"
I could not have done otherwise than giving warm hearted because I was surrounded by wonderful people who took the time to help me shifting. One couple even cooked meals for me! And not to forget the moral support from friends all over the world. I know, what ever I gave them, it will never be enough to express how thankful I was and still am.

I will not go deeper into the move other than that it was a logistic nightmare but I survived. The weeks or even months around the move can best be described as a 'tough job with lots of over time'  and a 'full time work out'. And yes, my physical condition definitely improved! (There is always a good side to everything!)

I loved my previous house, I lived there for over 10 years without one day of regret and I felt so sorry for the house that I was not able to maintain it anymore. It deserved new caring owners and that is what it got.
But I also love my new home, a small rental cottage in a fishing village close to the Wadden Sea.
From day one I felt comfortable and at ease. Of course, decorated with precious items which have been in the family for many generations, I had to feel at home. But it is not just that. It is the home it self. Built in 1890 and gently renovated over the past century, it is now up to the modern standards but still with originally features such as beams and wooden floors.

It does not have a garden at the back but a nice cosy patio where I spend more time reading and enjoying the sun than I ever did before.
It is situated in a tiny but very hospitable fishing village with a church with an 800 year old tower where the church bells still ring every 30 minutes to announce the time. I love the sound!
There is a wonderful Pub 'De Kalkman' where they serve several local brewed beers and very tasty food for very reasonable prices.

I also love the sound of the seagulls, geese and all other Wadden birds. I love the smell of the Wad.
I love that special light near the coast which changes every other minute.
A day can not start better than standing on top of the dike watching the clouds, the sun, the tides, an occasional sailing boat spending the night and waiting for high tide to leave again.

A village is only hospitable by to the people living here. They made me feel very welcome, do not

Photo by Ike Roelfsema Photography

hesitate to introduce them selves and to take the time to talk to me. I already received home grown apples, plums and raspberries.
They asked me to participate in the Village Fair by creating an oil painting (first time in my life).
The Fair was so nice although I did not attend the big parties at night. All streets were decorated with colourful small flags and lights and home made artistic creations which have been photographed by the many tourists that enjoy the village and the Wadden Sea.

I love the sunshine but also the rain and are looking forward to the famous sea mist that suddenly appears to cover the village in a mysterious soft grey light. I love the spectacular sunsets and cloud formations.
I do not have to explain my camera being my loyal companion.....

Happiness my dear readers, is all around me and I realize how very fortunate I am.
I share this happiness with you and if you ever want to visit 'my' village drop me a message.

Lots of love,

Helen

Let's talk about photo cameras

No, don't be afraid nor disappointed, this is not going to be a tutorial for using your camera, neither will it be a technical lecture about photo cameras.
I am a passionate photographer who carries around her camera where ever she goes . I wrote about that before: Let's talk about photography

Today it is more about using different camera's for different occasions and moving on in Mega Pixels.
I still have my very first digital pocket camera, a PENTAX Optio 50L with 5MP which was a miracle at the time. Together with my analogue SRL, it suited me in all situations like quick holiday snapshots.
I loved that you could upload the photo's to your computer and share them in on-line albums (sharing is great!) so relatives and friends all over the world could view them.
For you youngsters it might sound very antique that there was an era without Mega Pixels, DSRL's, web albums or even mobile phones and computers. But believe me there was and we had an equal amount of fun as today.

Anyhow, the first digital pocket camera was a present given to me by my mother and I still cherish it and occasionally I still use it for monochrome photos.
But even I moved on to more MP's and recently received another amazing present; a very dear cousin (thank you so much!!!) made it possible for me to buy a Canon 77D. So, from 5 MP to 24 MP. What a difference!

And in between? A second hand FUJIFILM FinePix S950, 9MP and a great camera! Not a DSRL (still used my analogue) but with great features and an excellent zoom. Unfortunately it developed an annoying and expensive problem with the white balance and had to make way for my first Olympus, the E-400 (also second hand), 10 MP. This was the moment that even my analogue retired (until recently, analogue is hot again! Visit my Polaroid website).

My relationship with Olympus is a very steady one, the E-400 was my loyal companion for a vast amount of years and it is with an aching heart and tears in my eyes that the time is there to sell her.
She was my lecturer in understanding DSRL's, in editing photo's and changing my view on landscapes and objects. We travelled by foot, bicycle, plain, boat, train, car and motor home. Her photos have been uploaded and edited on Windows 98, XP, Vista, 7 and 10.

Dog Bas
Camera: Olympus SP-590UZ
Photo: © Ike Roelfsema

Still I bought a 'brother', a second hand Olympus E-510 - also 10MP, mainly (don't laugh...) for the Live View. And no, it does not have a touchscreen. I particularly like the live view using a tripod. And that is what I do for my Still Life photography (and sunsets).
And slowly but surely, the E-400 made way for the E-510. Though I could not sell her, I kept her and looked after her. At times I even thought her photo's were sharper than those of her 'brother'.

I love Olympus so much that I bought a bridge camera. I never attended to but nearby was an Olympus SP-590UZ for sale for a ridiculous low 'give away' price. It turned out the seller used it only once until it's internal memory was full (!), he did not bother to buy a memory card and it moved to a closet for a while.
I have been playing around with it and was impressed by it's 26x zoom (see the photo of my dog, taken at a distance of 11 metres).
And it is great with Macro too. Well, it may stay.

All Still Live photos are now taken with the E-510 and the E-400 will be put up for sale shortly. Including two lenses, lens hood, memory card, 2 batteries, battery charger and USB cable.
I truly hope she will find a new owner that will respect her for another couple of years.

Besides a Polaroid and analogue collection for own use and for rental purposes, I now have for 'daily' use the Olympus E-510, the 590UZ and my brand new Canon 77D which is an adventure on its own.
I was so much used to my E-510 that I have spent a whole battery on just exploring the 77D.
I watched some interesting video's (check out Jared Polin, Tony & Chelsea Northrup and last but not least Adam Carnacz who is a passionate landscape photographer), I read tutorials, watched photo's and received a lot of interesting advices from my friend Jannie who is also a passionate photographer and who owns a Canon 760D

Guru Pick in Gurushots Challenge "All is Vintage"
Photo: © Ike Roelfsema

I have to admit, I 'miss' my E-510, which means that I have to get used to the 77D but right now our acquaintanceship is running smoothly and I took my very first serious shot yesterday.
And guess what? A Still Life...... Which was successfully rewarded with a Guru Pick in the challenge "All Things Vintage" on Gurushots.

How many different camera's do you use on a regular base? And which one is your favourite?
Love to hear from you, leave your comment below.


Photo hugs,  Ike Helen