Tag: Belgium

December 13, 2024

In the spotlight

4.0 km / 2.5 miles 🚶

Durbuy 🇧🇪

Durbuy is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium.

The story

Just a quick stroll through cold, sunny Durbuy on this Friday the 13th, nearly six years since my last visit – this time with the mighty manual 35mm Mitakon, offering a nifty fifty-equivalent field of view. I should have brought a wider lens, as the Mitakon feels a bit too compressed.

The gear

Camera:
Fujifilm X-T3

Camera lens:
Mitakon Speedmaster 35mm f/0.95 II

Camera lens filter:
Tiffen Black Pro-Mist Filter 1/4

Film simulation recipe:
Kodachrome 64

The pictures

December 1, 2024

In the spotlight

10.4 km / 6.5 miles 🚶

Liège 🇧🇪

Liège is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from borders with the Netherlands and with Germany. In Liège, the Meuse meets the river Ourthe.

The story

Today, I decided to explore the city of Liège during the start of the Christmas markets and test out a new film simulation recipe. While climbing down the Montagne de Bueren, I noticed that the jolly holiday vibes weren’t quite there this early in the season, so I didn’t even bother taking pictures of it. However, the gloomy look of the photos I did take is quite intriguing for future missions!

The gear

Camera:
Ricoh GR III (Street Edition)

Camera lens filter:
Tiffen Black Pro-Mist Filter 1/4

Film simulation recipe:
Ricoh Superia Summer Film

The pictures

October 27, 2024

In the spotlight

10.6 km / 6.6 miles 🚶

Pairi Daiza 🇧🇪

Pairi Daiza is a zoo and botanical garden in Belgium that takes you on a journey to the five continents. You can see giant pandas, elephants, polar bears, orangutans and more, and stay close to the animals in their territories.

The story

Another sunny day, this time in a Halloween-themed Pairi Daiza: a beautiful zoo and botanical garden where you can literally pet pelicans, and animals have plenty of space to roam among visitors – when it’s safe to do so 😉

The gear

Camera:
Fujifilm X-S10

Camera lenses:
Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR
Fujinon XC 50-230mm II f/4.5-f/6.7 OIS

Camera lens filter:
Tiffen Black Pro-Mist Filter 1/4

Film simulation recipes:
Kodak Royal Gold 400
Kodak Tri-X 400

The pictures

October 26, 2024

In the spotlight

🚶

Bulge Relics Museum 🇧🇪

The “Bulge Relics Museum is the fruit of a passionate quest started in 1984 on the land of our ancestors who experienced this terrible winter 1944-1945. The BRM presents on several levels of an old historic building thousands of artefacts related to the the Ardennes offensive, mostly found in the Vielsalm and Baraque de Fraiture region. A didactical path through pictures, displays, vehicles and showcases brings you back to those dark hours of winter 1944 which saw the American forces mainly fighting the elite troops of the SS panzerdivisions.

The story

On this beautiful, sunny fall day, what could be more delightful than exploring the horrors of a certain war? Today, I visited the Bulge Relics Museum!

Armed with two cameras – a 16-80mm with Polaroid II bullets loaded and the classic 35mm Zeiss with Tri-X 400 shells for that vintage look – I was ready. Both barrels were equipped with circular polarizing filters to eliminate any annoying reflections from glass displays.

It didn’t take long to decide: black and white was the way to go here!

The gear

Cameras:
Fujifilm X-T3¹
Fujifilm X-S10²

Camera lenses:
Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR¹
Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm f/2.8²

Camera lens filters:
Tiffen Black Pro-Mist Filter 1/4¹
HOYA CIR-PL Slim^{1 2}

Film simulation recipes:
Polaroid II¹
Kodak Tri-X 400²

The pictures

October 13, 2024

In the spotlight

8.3 km / 5.2 miles 🚶

Leuven 🇧🇪

Leuven is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about 25 kilometers (16 miles) east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic city and the former neighbouring municipalities of Heverlee, Kessel-Lo, a part of Korbeek-Lo, Wilsele and Wijgmaal. It is the eighth largest city in Belgium.

The story

Following Wuppertal’s first attempt, this is the second one in Leuven using the Gold Streak filter. This time, I aimed for a vintage, grainy look with the good ol’ Flek and a black-and-white film simulation recipe. Conclusion: this filter is not for me…