Water brings life to the Okavango Delta in Botswana. It fills the lagoons and spills over onto the river plains, creating a labyrinth of papyrus-fringed channels, lily-pad-dotted lagoons and green termite islands. Beautiful abstract patterns, shapes and colors emerge in this abundance of life. Especially when you quietly move through the reeds in a traditional mocorro. More information on the world’s largest inland deltas in our Green Okavango travel report.

The pictures below were taken with the Hipstamatic app on my phone. The app uses software filters to make the images look as though they were taken with a vintage film camera. This makes the result quite random and there is no editing after the picture has been taken. For more of my Hipstamatic pictures have a look in the Hipstamatic portfolio or under the Hipstamatic topic.

The Patagonia sheep farming boom from the late 19th century is history. Back in the days estancias managed the breeding, herding, sheering of sheep and the export of wool and meat. Due to the opening of the Panama Canal sea traffic to the southern tip of the Americas declined. The introduction of synthetic fibers caused a decline of the wool prices.

In February of 2023 we visited Cerro Guido, one of the big estancias near Torres Del Paine. They aim for a coexistence between livestock, wildlife and tourism. The old houses and facilities of the estancia are conserved and most of them still used, to maintain the cultural heritage.

The pictures below were taken with the Hipstamatic app on my phone. The app uses software filters to make the images look as though they were taken with a vintage film camera. This makes the result quite random and there is no editing after the picture has been taken. For more of my Hipstamatic pictures have a look in the Hipstamatic portfolio or under the Hipstamatic topic.

Driving through the high desert of Argentina we saw many churches, chapels, shrines and graveyards for the dead, the living and the holy. Even tiny settlements seem to have impressive churches. Graveyards are colorful and placed on high ground according to Inca traditions and we were told that the living stay in close contact with the dead by sharing meals with them.

The Spanish conquerers brought christianity to Argentina in the 16th century, but Catholic Icons still feature along with ancient Andean indigenous ceremonies like Pachemama worship. In the Inca mythology she is an “Earth Mother”, who presides over fertility, planting and harvesting, embodies the mountains and causes earthquakes. The figure of the Virgin Mary is associated with that of the Pachemama. Religion and worshipping are present in colorful religious festivals and modern-day rituals.

The pictures below were taken with the Hipstamatic app on my phone. The app uses software filters to make the images look as though they were taken with a vintage film camera. This makes the result quite random and there is no editing after the picture has been taken. For more of my Hipstamatic pictures have a look in the Hipstamatic portfolio or under the Hipstamatic topic.

Happy to see you again! It amazes me time and time again to witness how after a long grey, cold and dark winter nature comes back to life. Flowers miraculously reappear with a breathtaking abundance, bringing back colors and insects to our garden.

The first sign of spring arriving are the snowdrops. While the garden is still barren the tiny white flowers appear. They are soon to be followed by the elegant purple crocus and the happy daisies in our lawn. In the borders blunt yellow daffodils brighten up our spring.

As children we used to pick wildflowers like the “pinksterbloem” on the meadows and along the roads. Sadly a lot of those flowers have disappeared or it is illegal to pick them. Therefore I am happy that a lot of wildflowers have made it into our garden…

The pictures below were taken with the Hipstamatic app on my phone. The app uses software filters to make the images look as though they were taken with a vintage film camera. This makes the result quite random and there is no editing after the picture has been taken. For more of my Hipstamatic pictures have a look in the Hipstamatic portfolio or under the Hipstamatic topic.

We love the beach along the North Sea. This is where we grew up, making it our definition of a beach. Even so the beach is never the same. Rain or shine, storm or fog, the colors and shapes of the sea, the sand and the clouds change all the time. Over the years I have made thousands of Hipstas of the beach of Bergen aan Zee.

For this post I made a somewhat grey selection to reflect the crazy times we live in. Corona has been with us for nearly a year. We used to go walking on the beach every Sunday morning with our dog Duvel and then have breakfast at one of the local restaurants on the beach. At first social distancing enabled them to stay open. Sadly we are now in lockdown and the restaurants are only open for takeaway and delivery. We hope that everything will come back to normal when the weather improves.

The pictures below were taken with the Hipstamatic app on my phone. The app uses software filters to make the images look as though they were taken with a vintage film camera. This makes the result quite random and there is no editing after the picture has been taken. For more of my Hipstamatic pictures have a look in the Hipstamatic portfolio or under the Hipstamatic topic.

Trees are living things and every one of them is unique in its form. They grow, straight or twisted, big or small, depending on the soil their roots stand in, the water level, the wind they are exposed to. I love to picture them as silhouettes, without leaves, when their bare shape is visible. Therfore my tree silhouette Hipstas are often spooky, most of them taken in the winter and in low light.

The pictures below were taken with the Hipstamatic app on my phone. The app uses software filters to make the images look as though they were taken with a vintage film camera. This makes the result quite random and there is no editing after the picture has been taken. For more of my Hipstamatic pictures have a look in the Hipstamatic portfolio or under the Hipstamatic topic.

We spent a few days in London for the launch of the Remembering Lions book. During those days we also visited the Wonderful Things exhibition of Tim Walker in the Victoria and Albert Museum. This exhibition explored the creative process of one of the world’s most inventive photographers, through his pictures, films, photographic sets, and special installations. Walker has been creating signature fairytale scenarios for magazines, such as Vogue since the mid-1990s. To this day he creates storytelling shoots, in which the clothes are just one of many elements. His style has found many followers, to be seen in the many glossy magazines I like to use for my magazine collages.

The pictures below were taken with the Hipstamatic app on my phone. The app uses software filters to make the images look as though they were taken with a vintage film camera. This makes the result quite random and there is no editing after the picture has been taken. For more of my Hipstamatic pictures have a look in the Hipstamatic portfolio or under the Hipstamatic topic.

On safari we use cameras and lenses that allow us to zoom in on a scene. But sometimes it is great to take a step back. Hipstamatic allows me to do this. Taking picture becomes more abstract this way. Instead of details you focus on the composition, the whole picture. And it is a nice way to kill time. On safari you have to be patient and wait for things to happen. Hope for animals to behave in a certain way. In the meantime I take my safari Hipstas.

The pictures below were taken with the Hipstamatic app on my phone. The app uses software filters to make the images look as though they were taken with a vintage film camera. This makes the result quite random and there is no editing after the picture has been taken. For more of my Hipstamatic pictures have a look in the Hipstamatic portfolio or under the Hipstamatic topic.

Leven in Hamburg was een feest en we zullen het missen. Ons huis, de rozentuin, het overdekte balkon waar we zo vaak hebben gezeten. We woonden in het pittoreske Treppenviertel met zijn vele kleine huizen dicht aan dicht gebouwd tegen de “Elbhang”. Elke zaterdag liepen we met onze “hackenporsche” de vele trappen omhoog naar het dorp om boodschappen te doen op de markt. Als beloning volgde voor de afdaling een kop koffie met croissant bij Carroux.

The pictures below were taken with the Hipstamatic app on my phone. The app uses software filters to make the images look as though they were taken with a vintage film camera. This makes the result quite random and there is no editing after the picture has been taken. For more of my Hipstamatic pictures have a look in the Hipstamatic portfolio or under the Hipstamatic topic.

To save time we often take internal flights to travel within African countries. But road transfers are great to get a feel for the country and its people. Like everywhere in the world roads attract a lot of people, vehicles, businesses, buildings, construction, advertising, smells and trash. Every country turns this into a local mix depending on the local habits and laws. In 2016 we made a road transfer from Amboseli to Laikipia. traveled trough Kenya. The Hipstas were taken trough the window of a driving vehicle.

The pictures below were made with the Hipstamatic app on my phone. The app uses software filters to make the images look as though they were taken with a vintage film camera. This makes the result quite random and there is no editing after the picture has been taken. For more of my Hipstamatic pictures have a look in the Hipstamatic portfolio or under the Hipstamatic topic.