Black and White or Color – Which is your favorite?
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- 68. Wares for sale at Jeu de Balle
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- 67. La Brocante in Color – Place du Jeu de Balle
Author Archives: Arklahoma Muse Photography
Groot Bijgaarden
The latest castle jaunt in Belgium – I just love this country!
On Sunday I was bound and determined to go SOMEWHERE, ANYWHERE!, rather than stay in on a sunny Belgian day with this stupid sinus infection. I threw out some options at my husband, ranging from Kinderdijk in the Netherlands, graffiti town in Antwerp, to more castle ruins in Walloon Belgium. In the end, we weren’t too keen on driving two hours to anywhere and my husband suggested Floralia at the Groot-Bijgaarden castle grounds. I had suggested this last year when we decided instead to visit the Abbaye de Villers, a place which is now a favorite and the origin of some of my most popular shots. I was convinced I’d never get my husband to go to Floralia, due to the likelihood of crowds, but he surprised me this year.
Groot-Bijgaarden is an ancient château dating back to the 12th century (with some expansions and improvements made over the next several centuries). The chateau…
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African Adventures – Photos from Zambia, South Africa and Namibia
Muli Bwanji?!
I have finally uploaded all the cards I have on hand from our lives in Zambia and New Zealand. My initial pass through the Zambian files have yielded quite a few gems and I took the time today to post some of them on my new page – African Adventures – Zambia, South Africa and Namibia. There are many more to come! Also, be on the lookout for the New Zealand page, coming soon. Please clicks through the photos and don’t hesitate to send me feedback and let me know what you think!
Zikomo! (Thank you in Nyanja)
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Get Thee to the Hallerbos!
Check out my latest post on the Bluebell Forest at my personal blog site, Observations of an Okie. There are pictures too!
Yes! The time has come! The bluebells have emerged in the Hallerbos a bit later this year than last, but they are up and the forest is beginning to glow in all its purple glory! If you live in Belgium, and have not yet had the chance to visit this wonder, you just, simply, must. Last Saturday I took my daughter and her boyfriend for a look. There were still a lot of the white wood anemones about and the bluebells were not yet at their peak. But it was still beautiful.
Predictions are that this week will see the bluebells in their prime. This website – http://www.hallerbos.be/en/bloom-bluebells/flowering-season-2015/ – has been invaluable to me as I check the growth process. I have been out twice already (see this post as my alter ego, Arklahoma Muse on the Hallerbos in White)different times to see the different stages, and I plan on returning…
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Happenings in the Hallerbos
It’s almost that time of year again! It’s almost time for the wonder that is the Hallerbos (Bois de Halle or Halle Forest) in the spring, when the bluebells bloom and the forest floor is transformed into a carpet of gorgeous purple. But although at this time last year the flowers were all abloom, and a few purple flowers have braved the cooler temperatures of this spring, we are still a week or two away from the big show. My husband and I took a stroll through the forest today to check the status of the flowers and were delighted to witness a sort of pre-show.
Hallerbos Pre-Show
In the week or two preceding the bluebells, the forest floor is first carpeted with the blooms of the wood anemones. While it doesn’t have quite the same effect, it is still very beautiful. The forest itself is peaceful (usually!) and makes for a great day in the outdoors no matter what time of year you visit it.
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Expanding My Horizons
Graslei Reflections
Stadshal at Night, Ghent
This week I showcased my work at the US Embassy in Brussels and I have really enjoyed talking to my peers about photography, travel and Belgium. Going through my portfolio so many times has brought something to my attention though. I MIGHT be a little obsessed with Ghent! It seems that every other picture is of some building, some church, some alley – IN GHENT.
Winter Stroll in Oostende
So I decided that this summer I will make more of an effort to branch out a little more and spend more time in other parts of Belgium. There is so much to see that I should have no problem finding great subject matter. There are war memorials and monuments, beautiful parks and forests, beaches, more churches than my children ever want to see again in their lifetimes, festivals, monasteries (and beer tours!), universities, and more chateaus than you can shake a stick at (stay tuned on Observations of an Okie for pics of Denver shaking a stick at a château…). I look forward to getting out there and really exploring more of this awesome country and I promise that I will be careful if I happen on to some haunted, deteriorating building that just begs me to explore it – ahem. There is also that suburb of Antwerp, slowly being abandoned that is covered in graffiti/street art. The list is truly endless.
Unknown Soldier at Flanders Field
But dear Ghent, fear not! I am unable to abandon you completely. You are so close and I can pop up for a stroll through your beautiful streets, visit with your lovely citizens and do some great shopping any time I want (I might even bring you new visitors and take yet another picture of St. Nicolaus’ Church).
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Twilight!
No, not the teen vampire movie. The time of day. One of the coolest times of the day to be taking pictures, and one I can’t for the life of me seem to be in a position to take advantage of very often. But on a recent trip to Ghent we were actually out after dark with our cameras and I was able to snap off a couple of shots while the sun was falling fast below the horizon. I love twilight. I love Ghent. And apparently I love St. Nicholas Church. I can’t seem to get enough of it.
St. Nicolas’s Cathedral at Twilight – Ghent, Belgium
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Luxembourg and The Netherlands
Hello!
I made an initial pass through my archives and finally created a page for photographs from Luxembourg and The Netherlands. I have also made the discovery that my dearth of website worthy photos from Amsterdam makes a return trip an absolute necessity! With any luck, as the weather warms up and the sun shines a bit more, I’ll make the pilgrimage back to these places with my lovely family so that they, too, can enjoy the sights (and I can get some shots of these cities that aren’t quite so grey!). Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
Cheers!
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Ghent Light Festival 2015
This past weekend was the 3rd installation of the Ghent Light Festival. A bi-annual event, artists, groups and schools put together various exhibits using light and videography and install them throughout the very walkable city center of Ghent. I am still working on night photography skills, but even so, I was able to catch a few lovely shots of this lovely art form. Check out these new additions on my Belgium page!
Art installation on Mageleinstraat in Ghent 2015
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Happy New Year from Arklahoma Muse!
Hello! After such a fabulous autumn in 2014 and the outpouring of encouragement and support from my friends and community, I am ready to get down to business in 2015. A new year has begun and the possibilities for growth and creation are just endless. New photos of my travels in Belgium and further abroad in Europe are forthcoming and I am researching other ways of using my photos to create new products for my customers. Stay tuned for updates! In the meantime, be sure to visit the TMA store at the Embassy (if you have access of course) to check out my work for sale hanging above the coffee machine. The works on offer are just a small fraction of what I have, so if you don’t see your favorite, send me a message and I can hook you up!
After two successful portrait sessions for families out and about in Brussels, I am finally ready to offer my services to the USG community and already have a session lined up for later in this quarter. I look forward to the opportunity to increase my portraiture skills this year!
I have also had the opportunity to work with the housing section in photographing some of our lodging for the housing catalog. It’s an incredible opportunity to work on real estate/architecture photography and a real exercise in problem solving and conveying the space to the customer.
Stay with me on this incredible journey of creation and let’s work together to make 2015 the best year yet!
With Gratitude,
Brandy Herren
Are you pulling your own strings or is someone else pulling them for you?
Arklahoma Muse Photography and Design 