Dark Fantasy - Freedom means having the choice

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Everybody has the right to make a wise and educated choice for themselves.
And I accept their choices as long as their choices
    * do not endanger/hurt, the Planet, the animals, my few loved ones or myself,
    * do not limit or inhibit my right and ability to make my own free choices.  
    * And they accept the consequences of their choices.

Freedom means having the choice to be free.. or not.

Freedom means having the choice

More from this series on Flickr

Populaire posts van deze blog

Sony tech - Using A-mount lenses on E-mount cameras

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This article is about using (vintage) Minolta/Sigma/Sony/Tamron/.. A-mount lenses on contemporary Sony E-mount cameras. Since the Sony LA-EA5 adapter has been released I have been answering dozens of the same questions about compatibility issues from both retailers and end-users. Some questions & personal experiences with the different adapters were special, so I have tested some combinations and made a small list of my findings. Yes, at first -back in 2021- I wanted to make this into a Youtube video.. alas I don't like looking at myself so I stopped editing it. And then in 2023 I glued some of those old clips together into: https://youtu.be/-VLe6eBQpME 1. Sample images are in this Flickr folder ( always making more sample images) 2. Gear Used : 2.1. Adapters : LA-EA3, LA-EA4, LA-EA5 2.2. E-mount cameras cat1: A1, A7SIII, A7IV, A7RV, FX30, ZV-E1 2.3. E-mount cameras cat2: A9II, A7III, A7RIV, A7C, A6600, A6400, ZV-E10 ( also goes for A7RIII, A9, A6100 ) 2.4. E-
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Event - Ciao Tongeren (2024)

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Since I was still processing the images from the O-Parade , I really did not go to Ciao Tongeren to make photos. I did however take the tiny Sony FX3 cinema camera because I had to test a reported audio-issue.. if I had the time, because my focus would lie 100% on enjoying nice wine and tasty food. Normally all music during this event is: old Italian chanson. But what did I suddenly hear while having a limoncello at Ambishop? Music to my taste? Rock à la Willy Radio ? The concrete minds ! A bunch of promising young hounds with the rock 'n roll attitude of old wolves playing gritty hits at The Pub.. I always say: support you local artists . So I had to make a few shots. Luckily this FX3 cinema camera also shoots stills. And luckily The Pub served some rather decent wine to make me even happier. A short video of the band performing: on Clapper To the people who posed for the camera at Buonissimo & Olio Vino: the images are in the gallery.. and the fruity rosé was delicious!
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Event - O-Parade Genk (2024)

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Every May 1st, a national holiday in Belgium, Genk becomes a city of colour, of fantasy and of cheering people. 55000 cheering people in 2024 to be exact. Because that many people lined the road for the O-parade. Luckily at the same time it's kermis ( carnival fair ), jaarmarkt ( market ), fireworks, and hundreds of stalls to drink & eat.. a grand total of 130000 visitors for 1 day is a lot for a city with only 63000 inhabitants. These are some impressions from the editions in 2022 & 2023 .  Eventhough 2024 has had an extremely rainy, stormy and dreary Spring, the weather shifted for a few days and the parade enjoyed the sun and a decent 26°Fahrenheit. The day after it rained again and was 14 degrees colder. So a big thanks to all the witches who made sure Beltane would be a great day . . . Let's provide you a few links: ▷ All photos can always be found on/downloaded from my Flickr and here ! ▷ A " How to download stills from Flickr " tutoria
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Event - Les fêtes médiévales de Binche (2024)

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Let's be really quick and dirty about this event: ▼ There was was an ice-cold wind, but most of the day it was dry, △ Each time the sun showed itself it was wonderful and we all smiled, △ Got a superb medieval cape that really helped against the wind, △ Great food ( including pancakes! ) and too much mead to taste, △ Überfriendly people ( visitors, reenactors, larpers & vendors.. sorry, I didn't run into anyone of the organisation, n or crew ) △ Excellent location: high upon the ramparts of the old city, △ Parked by accident right behind the corner of the event, △ Free parking, free toilets, and a fountain that will be useful during a future hot edition , △ Music by Skayrish , cannon fire, birds of prey, throwing things ( a bad combination with mead ),.. △ A fun afternoon eventhough it was tiny. . .   Let's provide you a few links: ▷ All photos can always be found on/downloaded from my Flickr and here ! ▷ A " How to download stills from Flickr &
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Event - Trolls et Légendes (2024)

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Strange, do you sometimes have the feeling you nearly didn't make any photos during an event because you were spending so much time talking, but then after a long winding road you finally return home, and you suddenly discover a mountainload of shots on your cameras? Let's start with a few links: ▷ All photos can always be found on/downloaded from my Flickr and here ! ▷ A " How to download stills from Flickr " tutorial was posted here . ▷ Some highlights might go to Clapper & to Instagram or even Threads . ▷ Buy Red Cathedral a whisky on Ko-Fi ▷ Updates are on THE Facebook . ▷ Give a follow to this young creative foundation: Deep Red Noise vzw/asbl . . Was it fun? Every edition Trolls et Légendes is becoming more like Castlefest in the sense of: ▷ It's the place where you run into lovingly people you know, ▷ You meet all kinds of new nice humanesque creatures, ▷ The food, the booze & the music make you smile. A short video on Clapp
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Event - FACTS convention

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Only the real cosplay oldtimers might remember glimpses of it, but a very long time ago we had an official photobooth on FACTS convention for the old Aztek-TV . At first in the ICC and then during those first years in Flander's Expo we made on-convention studio stills of cosplayers & actors . Those were fun times of trying new things, experimenting with gear & exploring possibilities.. the Wild Wild West . Just as I love it. Most of those thousands of stills from that era were lost when some external hard drives crashed. Surely they could be saved, but I'm not ready to invest in it ( yet ). However: it's fun to see an image surface once in a while on someone's FB timeline. Good memories ! Fast forward to 2023. But before sharing thoughts on the event, I'll share some links: ▷ A slideshow: Since I forgot to shoot video ▷ Updates on the post-processing progress will go to Facebook . ▷ A small slideshow is on to Instagram . ▷ NEW: Buy Red Cathedral a whi
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Event - Ensor danst in Alden Biesen

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2024 is het Ensor-jaar. Wie meer informatie wenst over deze Oostende kunstschilder (1860-1949) kan altijd terrecht op Wikipedia . Zijn surrealistische, modernistische en expressionistische schilderijen vol maskers en symbolen zoals De Intrige uit 1890 kent iedereen ongetwijfeld. De maskers van James Ensor inspireerden de statige Landcommanderij Alden Biesen tot deze Soirée Masquée: Ensor Danst (op 10 februari). Een gemaskerd bal in de prachtige waterburcht in Belle Epoque-stijl om hun Ensor-jaar stijlvol en glamoureus mee te openen. . Wie poseerde voor een foto kan die via deze Flickr-link GRATIS downloaden. Hier onder alvast een kleine slideshow: ▷ Updates over de voortgang van de fotoverwerking staan op Facebook . ▷ Een mini-video komt op Instagram en op Clapper .     ▷ Trakteer fotograaf Red Cathedral op een whisky via Ko-Fi . ▷ Gemaakt met de steun van Deep Red Noise vzw ▷ Fysieke prints bestellen tegen een democratische prijs kan op aanvraag via Oyp
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Sony tech - Updating your camera firmware

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The Youtube video is embedded below or: https://youtu.be/6ZUNffYzWKc It is actually very easy to do a firmware update on a Sony camera .. you just put the firmware on an SD-card and insert it in your camera.. Go into the Menu > Yellow > 12/Setup option > Version > Update software > Scroll through+Accept conditions > .. Ow-no.. that only works on the A7IV, FX30, ZV-E1 & A7RV. For the other ( read: the previou s) cameras it's a bit more work. Let us go through all the different steps: 1. Surf to your local Sony site ( in Dutch or in French or in English ) 2. Choose the camera or lens you want to update ( Note : different Sony sites have sometimes different old items listed. For example on the UK-site you can still find A6300/A6500 ) 3. For this example I choose the eternal oldie: A6000 .     3.1 Search for a small tab " Support & Product registration "     3.2 Click on " Downloads "     3.3 Click on the latest firmware available ( fo
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Event - Kroningsfeesten Tongeren

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Every 7 years over 10% of the population in the oldest city in Belgium participates in a week of reenactments, processions & after dark shows, all dedicated to the biblical Mary. ( Background story ) and they're aged between 89 years and 1 month old. In 2023, for the 19th edition since 1890 , there are over 3000 participants and they attracted 65000 spectators on the 1st day. 3 More days to go, I said after that 1st Sunday You can just feel a symbiotic connection, some strange form of unity between the citizens. Yes, it's a religious evocation of biblical stories and many participate out of pure heartfelt beliefs, but it's also more than that. It trancends simple religious zealousness both as a spectacle and as a way to create bridges & forge bonds between the citizens. The final day still lured over 50000 visitors to the town ( a day during which it was live-streamed ànd most events for that day were cancelled due to a code red storm warning ) Very impressive
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Collab - Steampunk & Victorian shootday

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Sometimes, when you don't choose a shooting location yourself, you arrive, you sigh deeply and think: " How am I going to make this work? " But last Sunday I arrived at the castle of Tillegem and went: " Oh, this is a pretty castle.. I like that tower. " So I just looked for an angle from where I could set up camp and did just that after only a quarter tour around. There where doublessly better & more interesting angles. I could have changed spots as I usually do.. But with an ankle that's still healing from serious injury this wasn't an option. Hence, yes.. most shots have a very similar look. After a wet, cold & weird Summer, this September has become a perfect Indian Summer; warm, sunny and with steampunkish dresses. The weather was perfect & most people were smiling. INFO: A photos will be downloadable from my extremely ecclectic Flickr (UPDATE: all done) A video will  go to my Clapper & Instagram Updates on progress will be o
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