Cigarette Advertising
The golden age of emphysema, when men were men and women were puffing away at ungodly blends of menthol. Cigarette advertising was ubiquitous, but especially prevalent in places were you were having fun, like movie theatres and games arcades, showing other people having more fun than you would ever have.
Nature
Scenes of natural beauty. Enjoy them before they're gone.
Austria
One of the most beautiful countries in Europe, if you ask me. Which nobody ever does.
Eugene
My nephew Eugene. Probably not of much interest to anyone except family.
Art
Anything and everything I consider to be art, which might or might not include graffiti. OK, it might.
Architecture
Sometimes the form and function of the structures we leave behind say much more about us than the words we pretend to mean sincerely.
Windmill Storm Damage
Storm damage to our construction site on the night of 29 February on 1 March 2007.
Chinese Pavilion, Brussels
The Chinese Pavilion in Brussels was commissioned by Belgium's King Leopold II, after he saw something similar in Paris at the 1900 Exposition Universelle. The pavilion was designed by Parisian architect Alexandre Marcel, and the woodwork was made by specialists from Yokohama and Shanghai.
The Great Electro-Mechanical Brain
An article from Life Magazine, January 14, 1946: "MIT's differential analyzer advances science by freeing it from pick-and-shovel work of mathematics."
Gentse Feesten
Every summer, for ten whole days, the Belgian city of Ghent comes to a halt to have a drink and listen to some music. Mostly non-stop.
www.gentsefeesten.be/
Ireland
Photographs taken in Dublin and Ratoath in April 2007.
Paris Protest
A protest gathering held by Iraqi and Lebanese expatriates in Paris, protesting French and EU political policy in the Middle East.
Oberursel in Black & White
Photographs taken in and around Oberursel in the Taunus area of Germany, near Frankfurt.
London 1995
Photographs taken in London on a visit in 1995.
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein, smallest German-speaking country in the world and tax dodge of the rich and famous.
50th Wedding Anniversary
Taken at my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary at La Maison in Pretoria, South Africa.
Grabouw Compost Plant
A photoshoot I did for a compost plant in Grabouw, South Africa. The plant ingeniously converted human waste into pathogen-free growing media and organic fertiliser.
Industrial Frankfurt
Mostly photographs of the industrial side of Frankfurt, Germany.
Laa, Austria
A small town in Lower Austria, near the Czech border.
Knysna, South Africa
Photographs taken in and around Knysna, on the Garden Route in South Africa.
Greece, 1993
A visit to the islands of Hydra and Spetses near Athens, Greece, in 1993.
Disneyland Paris, 2006
Photographs taken on a visit to Disneyland Paris in 2006.
Orton Effect
Using the Orton effect to breathe new life into old photographs. All of these are best viewed at full size.
Giraffe having a nap
Something I had never seen before: a giraffe lying down to sleep. Somehow, I had always imaged they sleep standing up, like horses. Apparently this is a common misconception, and giraffes often lie down for a nap, albeit short ones of between a minute and twenty minutes.
Eugene's Baptism
My nephew's baptism in South Africa.
Rietvlei Barbecue
A barbecue at the Rietvlei Game Reserve near Pretoria, South Africa.
My Grandmother's 90th Birthday
A birthday brunch held in Pretoria to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday. She was born in 1917, during World War I, only days after the death of Rasputin and a few days before Mata Hari was arrested for spying.
Ubumanzi, South Africa
A holiday at the Ubumanzi game reserve in the South African Bushveld.
Leuven, Belgium
A lovely medieval university town.
Christmas 2006
Christmas in Leuven, Belgium, with Cornel, Carla and Mia.
Abner Dean Illustrates 1984
A series of drawings by cartoonist Abner Dean, to illustrate a summary of Orwell's 1984. The summary and cartoons were published in the July 18, 1949 edition of Life Magazine, in the year Orwell's novel was first published.
Cologne By Night
I'm a sucker for rivers, bridges and bright lights, and when I can get them all together in Cologne I'm in hog heaven.
Rasthaus Gruibingen, Germany
This rest stop in Gruibingen in Germany was redesigned in 2003
according to the principles of Feng Shui. Only in Germany... although
the architecture is beautiful.
Black & White Photography
I love black & white photography, and I feel grainy textures and sharp contrasts often tell a story much more intensely than colour ever could.
South Africa
Different times, different places, but all taken in South Africa.
Great Yarmouth
An afternoon and a night on the town in Great Yarmouth, soaking up the unique downbeat culture. Forever aspiring to be Vegas, never reaching Blackpool.
Horst Castle
One of the most beauiful castles in Belgium, located in a Flemish valley near Leuven.
Cimetière du Montparnasse
Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris
Belvedere Chapel, South Africa
The small chapel in Belvedere, close to Knysna on the Garden Route in South Africa.
Bath, England
The history of Bath can be traced back to the Roman baths built there. It's one the more tourist places in the UK, but consumately beautiful.
Political Rallies, South Africa
Photographs chronicling the violent transition period from apartheid rule to democracy.
Fort Eben-Emael
Located in Belgium, the fort was considered the safest possible at the start of World War II, having been designed to incorporate the lessons learnt many lessons during World War I. Too bad the architects couldn't predict that 80 German commando troops would drop from the sky on glider planes, using modern explosives to cut their way in.
Kölner Dom
Photographs taken around the Cathedral of Cologne on a sweltering hot July day.
Al Copley
Pianist Al Copley playing at home.
Michael Ward's Mostly Women
Book launch for photographer Michael Ward's autobiography, Mostly Women, held in the Saint Giles Street Gallery in Norwich.
Churches and Religious Imagery
Doornik, Belgium
Photographs taken in Doornik, Belgium.
Notre-Dame à la Rose
Some photographs taken at the 12th century Hospital of Notre-Dame à la Rose in Lessines, Belgium.
Tirolian Alps
Photographs taken on a short family holiday in the Tirolian Alps.
St. Bernard Windmill in Black & White
Black & white photographs of the Saint Bernard windmill in Flanders.
Urban Exploring
Digitally manipulated photographs of a windmill in Belgium.
Graphic Novel Effect
Photographs manipulated to simulate a graphic novel effect.
Carnival in La Roche-en-Ardenne
The 2006 carnival held on the last weekend of March in the picturesque Belgian town of La Roche-en-Ardenne.
House Plans
Plans (mostly still under revision) for our house, to be built next to the Saint Bernard Windmill. See windmill.raath.org for more information.
Retro
Photographs taken by my father in South Africa in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Wedding Pictures
Ilze and my wedding pictures, taken on 31 July 1999 in Hout Bay, South Africa. Now, I'm not normally into posting pictures of weddings and/or pets, but considering the cost (both financial and emotional) of this shebang, I'm bloody well showing them off whenever I can.
Saint Bernard Windmill
The challenge: buy and renovate a semi-rural property including a windmill. This is our theme for today, there are no prizes, and our lucky winners get to repay a massive mortgage for 25 years while living in a barn.
windmill.raath.org
Cape Town, South Africa
Photographs taken in and around Cape Town, South Africa.
West Coast, South Africa
The West Coast area of South Africa is a beautiful, often barren area.
South Coast, South Africa
Photographs taken on the South African South Coast, near the town of Hermanus.
Pretoria, South Africa
Photographs taken in Pretoria, South Africa over the course of several years.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Photographs taken during an ever so short visit in September 1993.
Brou Church & Monastery, France
Photographs taken at the Brou Church and Monastery in Bourg-en-Bresse, France.
Northern Italy, 2004
Photographs taken in Verona, in Bergamo and on Lake Garda in 2004.
Germany in Sepia
Photographs taken of German forests, castles and villages in 1993.
Sachsen, Germany
Photographs taken in the German "province" of Sachsen. (Germany doesn't have provinces, but Bundesländer.)
Rothenburg, Germany
A bit touristy, but I can still recommend Rothenburg ob der Tauber around Christmas time.
Saarbrücken, Germany
Photographs taken in 1992 on a long weekend in Saarbrücken, on the border between Germany and France. Back in those days, my German visa allowed me on to the bridge crossing the river Saar, but my lack of French visa meant I could be arrested if I crossed over the border.
San Francisco, December 2001
A visit to San Francisco in December 2001.
Disneyworld Paris 1993
Photographs taken at Disneyworld Paris (then called Eurodisney) in 1993.
Brussels, Belgium
Capital of Europe, home of the European Parliament and a large number of Belgians.
Paris, France
Photographs taken in Paris over the course of several years.
Ferrari Day
Owning a Ferrari or other ludicrously expensive sports car is about penis size, and what better place for a pan-European pissing contest than a sunny day at the Spa-Francorchamps Formula 1 racing track in Belgium.
Fasching in Frankfurt
Fasching is a traditional celebration for parts of Germany, similar to carnival or mardi gras.
Girls Girls Girls
Because Maurice Chevalier knows, we really do like them.
Erik de Waal
South African puppeteer Erik de Waal photographed at a session in Stellenbosch.
The Poker Players
A smart game of poker photographed in South Africa around 1989.
African Fish
A series of cigarette cards on fish found in Southern Africa, issued in South Africa. A card of each fish is followed by a description in English and Afrikaans.
Interior Design Ideas
Just some random ideas for renovation work and interior design on our windmill and barn.
windmill.gormagon.org/
Halloween DIY
Some cleverly retro plans for Halloween costumes from my trusty 1968 edition of the Popular Mechanics Do-It-Yourself Encyclopedia. A PDF of these pages can be found on my site.