Saturday 30/04/2011 It's Queensday Again! Unedited shots of people celebrating Queensday in Amsterdam last year. Taken with my Panasonic DMC-FZ8. Today it's Queensday again, the biggest party in the Netherlands, everybody puts on orange clothes, hats or crowns and goes out to celebrate the birthday of our former Queen, Juliana, because the current Queen, Beatrix, was unthoughtful enough to be born in January, when it's too cold for a big party outside. I've been drinking and partying already for the last 2 days, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to drink any more beer today, but I will enjoy the ride for sure, and I'll be wearing my special edition 'AmsterSam Queensday' shirt of course...have a great time, maybe I'll bump into you somewhere in the city center :)) Friday 29/04/2011 The Eagle Has Landed Unedited shots of the Central Station Amsterdam, reflected in a puddle. Taken with my Sony HX1. No editing, no magic tricks, no Photoshop. Yesterday my good friend, the very talented Mr. P, has arrived in the best city in the world for a Queensday vacation and we kicked off by having a superfun night of drinking with some friends at my place, we laughed so much and didn't go to bed until the early morning. We're still a bit drunk and looking forward to the weekend, where we intend to go completely nuts together with 16 million Dutchies clad in orange gear, to celebrate our Queen :)) Thank God it's Friday! Thursday 28/04/2011 Home Sweet Home Slightly edited shots of people in Amsterdam, reflected in a puddle. Taken with my HTC Desire mobile phone. No editing besides some added contrast, no Photoshop. I am back in the best city in the world after my bike trip to Germany with the lovely Miss AMiss A last weekend, and I am happy and excited to be in Amsterdam again. As much as it's fun to travel, it's also very nice to come back home and appreciate your own city again. Last night it even rained a bit to welcome me back in style, so I'm going to grab my cam now and go downtown for some puddle hunting. I'm also expecting my good friend Manuel Pandalis, a very talented photographer, today, he's coming to celebrate Queensday with us, it's gonna be so much fun :)) Home Sweet Home Movie I've also shot a movie of this puddle, check it out on my YouTube channel, thank you :) Wednesday 27/04/2011 AmsterSam On The Road Unedited shots of my bike-trip last weekend. Taken with my Sony HX1. Last Friday I went on a bike trip to Germany together with the lovely Miss A, after a fun weekend we biked back to Holland, but because we left around noon (too late), we didn't get very far and only managed 60 kilometers before we decided to take the train. We could have biked on, but would have arrived late at night, or not at all, so with broken hearts we hopped on the train and travelled a large part of the way in lazy-mode. To make up for it, we are planning to go again in June, and this time we'll bike all the way, I'm so looking forward to it already :) On The Road Movies I've made some movies of the road-trip too, check them out on my YouTube page, thank you :) Tuesday 26/04/2011 AmsterSam On The Road Unedited shots of my bike-trip to Germany. Taken with my Sony HX1. Last Friday I went on a bike trip to Germany together with the lovely Miss A. It was so nice to visit another country on our steel horses, we met lots of nice people, saw beautiful places and had such a great time that we decided to do this again very soon. I can only recommend travelling by bike, you get to experience the world around you in a very refreshing, detailed way and you really get in touch with the people and vibrations along the road. All it takes is a bit of will-power and a good bike...and maybe padded pants, because your butt will feel like it took a beating after the first 100 kilometers, but it's so worth it :) Monday 25/04/2011 AmsterSam On The Road Unedited shots of my bicycle road trip. Taken with my Sony HX1. Last Friday I went on a bike trip to Germany together with the lovely Miss A. We biked 140 kilometers in 12 hours and made it from Amsterdam to a little village just before the border, where we decided to take the train for the last bit because it got dark, and we couldn't feel our butts anymore, haha. It was soooo much fun and we saw so many nice places on the way. Today we're going to bike back to the best city in the world, that I already miss like mad, there's just no place like home, sweet home :) Sunday 24/04/2011 AmsterSam On The Road Unedited shots of my bicycle road trip. Taken with my Sony HX1. Last Friday I went on a bike trip to Germany together with the lovely Miss A. We biked 140 kilometers in 12 hours and made it from Amsterdam to a little village just before the border, where we decided to take the train for the last bit because it got dark, and we couldn't feel our butts anymore, haha. It was soooo much fun and we saw so many nice places on the way. Tomorrow we're going to bike back to the best city in the world, that I already miss like mad, there's just no place like home, sweet home :) On The Road Movies I've made some movies of the road trip too, watch them on my YouTube channel, thank you :) Friday 22/04/2011 Here We Go! Slightly edited shots of my bike in Amsterdam. Taken with my Sony HX1. Today my big bike-trip starts, me and the fabulous Lord Bikenheimer are going to another country for the weekend, yay. A couple of years ago I did something like this already, but I didn't take a map with me, so I got lost, but it was funfunfun anyway, I'm really excited to hit the road again. I'm gonna take loads of pictures and movies so that you can enjoy the adventure with me :))) Thank God it's Friday! Thursday 21/04/2011 The Tower Of Power Slightly edited shots of people in Amsterdam, reflected in a puddle. Taken with my Sony HX1. No editing besides some messing around with contrast and saturation, no magic tricks, no Photoshop. The Munt tower is one of the landmarks in Amsterdam, if you are in the city center, chances are you'll come across it, and it's very helpful for all the stoned/drunk tourists trying to find back to their Hotel after sampling the various specialities this city has to offer. It also looks really pretty and it makes music too, what else could you ask for, haha. Tomorrow I'm going on a bike-trip to another country, hopefully the Munt tower will help me to navigate back to the best city in the world when I return :) Wednesday 20/04/2011 Friday Afternoon Fun Slightly edited shots of the lovely Miss E and Miss M in Amsterdam last weekend. Taken with my Sony HX1. Last Friday I went to the city center to have a coffee when I bumped into the lovely Miss M, so we decided to have coffee together and while we were chilling out, the lovely Miss E joined us and we had a marvelous afternoon filled with lots of laughter, just chit-chatting away the day. This is one of the things I love most about the best city in the world, wherever you go, you're bound to bump into somebody you know, because Amsterdam is really just a tiny village that allows us locals to live in this cozy, connected world, while at the same time giving visitors the impression of being one of the world's capitals :) Tuesday 19/04/2011 Magic Mystery Amsterdam Slightly edited shots of buildings in Amsterdam, reflected in a canal. Taken with my Sony HX1. No editing besides some fiddling with the contrast and saturation, no magic tricks, no Photoshop. I love the Amsterdam canals, they add this relaxing, beautiful element to the best city in the world, there's nothing like sitting by the water with food/drinks/smokes and watch the boats go by. Without the canals, Amsterdam would still be the best city in the world, but something would be missing, so I'm really glad that they are there and that they are everywhere...needless to say, they're also really useful when it comes to shooting wicked reflection pictures and movies, hehe :) Magic Mystery Movie I've made a movie of the reflections in the canal as well, view it on my YouTube channel, thank you :) Monday 18/04/2011 Amsterdam Puddle Ladies Slightly edited shots of women reflected in a puddle in Amsterdam. Taken with my Sony HX1. No editing besides some adjusted contrast&saturation, no magic tricks, no Photoshop. I was biking to the city center last weekend when I came across this lovely puddle, so I stopped for some shots, it's one of my favorite corners because there are always people passing by, and in this case there was a lady who kept walking by, calling somebody else, you can nicely see her in the movie I've made. I'm wondering if she was actually talking to somebody or if she was just trying to hog all the attention, because I didn't see another person around...maybe she was calling my name and I wasn't listening properly, hahaha :D Puddle Ladies Movie I've made a reflection movie of this puddle as well, watch it on my YouTube channel, thank you :) Sunday 17/04/2011 AmsterSam Against Atomic Energy Unedited shots of people at a Demonstration against Nuclear Energey yesterday on the Dam square in Amsterdam. Taken with my Sony HX1. Yesterday there was a Demonstration on the Dam square against the use of nuclear energy, I happened to bike by, so I shot some pictures. While I was there, a Flickr friend and fan of my wicked reflections spotted me and came to ask me 'Are you AmsterSam?'...why, yes, I am, haha. I guess I need to get a bigger camera to hide my face behind, if people still recognize me in the street, lol. Now I'm famous, when will I be rich? Please donate generously to the 'AmsterSam World Domination Fund', thank you :-D This is me looking famous, haha :D Dam Demonstration Movie I've made a movie of the Demonstration too, check it out on my YouTube channel, thanks :) Saturday 16/04/2011 Friday Night In Amsterdam Slightly edited shots of the lovely Miss M, Miss B and the other Miss M at the Café Brandon in Amsterdam last night. Taken with my Sony HX1. Last night I went to the Café Brandon again for drinks with the lovely Miss M, Miss B and the other Miss M. It was so much fun again, lots of lovely people, loooots of beer and so much laughter that my jaws still hurt...I'm also still a bit drunk, didn't sleep very much, but luckily it's weekend and I can recover from that awesome night for the next 2 days. Thank you so much for being part of the Friday-fun ladies, you are excellent company :) Brandon Street Racer Movies I've made 2 movies of the crowd outside the Brandon as well, watch them on my YouTube channel, thank you :) Friday 15/04/2011 Thank God It's Friday! Slightly edited shots of the shadows of myself and my bike in the Westerpark in Amsterdam. Taken with my Sony HX1. No editing besides some messing around with contrast and saturation, no magic tricks, no Photoshop. It's Friday, my weekend started and it's another sunny, beautiful day in the best city in the world, yay! I am preparing everything for the bike-trip I'm planning to go on next week Friday, I'm going to bike to another country and need to get some essential accessories, do some proper research online for the best route and make sure that Lord Bikenheimer is ready for the challenge. I'm so excited already, I looooove biking long distances, and this trip will require me to bike at least 200 kilometers in one day, something that most people I've told about think is impossible and such a stoopid, crazy idea that I sometimes doubt my own sanity, but I've done it before and I'll do it again...I'm soooo looking forward to this adventure :))) Thank God it's Friday! Thursday 14/04/2011 Downtown Puddle Dwellers Slightly edited shots of people in Amsterdam, reflected in a puddle. Taken with my HTC Desire mobile phone. No editing besides some added contrast, no Photoshop. Being in one of my puddle pictures is not necessarily a desirable thing, those unlucky enough to get caught in a wet spot while I'm shooting are doomed to spend the rest of their lives in this unpleasant environment as I don't just capture their image but also their souls. Considering this, these folks still look pretty happy...or maybe they haven't tried yet to return to their normal lives, something they'll find impossible, but of course by that time, I've already fled the scene of my crime and shot the next unlucky people in another random pool of water...anything for Art, mhuahahaha :D Downtown Dwellers Movie I've also shot a movie of this puddle, check it out on my YouTube channel, thank you :) Wednesday 13/04/2011 Life Is Good Unedited shots of the Monument in the Sarphatipark in Amsterdam last weekend. Taken with my Sony HX1. No editing. As you might know, I love taking reflection pictures, but sometimes, I see something that is not reflected in a puddle, but still looks so pretty that I just have to shoot and post it. The Sarphatipark is one of those places where everybody is beautiful, the grass is green and the sun seems to shine always. Sitting there with a good book&coffee, or some friends and a BBQ, is one of the best things to do in Amsterdam and I'm looking forward to spending manymany fun days throughout this year at that very special location...hope to meet you there some time :) Tuesday 12/04/2011 God Lives Here Slightly edited shots of people in Amsterdam, reflected in a puddle. Taken with my HTC Desire mobile phone. No editing besides some added contrast, no Photoshop. This is one of my favorite puddles, there are always people around and it has a mighty church in the background, not that I'm the religious type, but I just love the way churches look and add to the atmosphere of a city. And yeah, in could be very well that the God of puddles lives in this particular place, how else would you explain an almost permanent wet spot in the street when there has been virtually no rain in weeks? The puddle God is probably a bit vain and likes to have HIS/HER home reflected in my pictures on a regular basis, lol ;-D God Lives Here Movie I've made a movie of this puddle as well, view it on my YouTube channel, thank you :) Monday 11/04/2011 Sunshine In Your Heart Unedited shots of the lovely Miss B in the Sarphatipark in Amsterdam last Saturday. Taken with my Sony HX1. No editing. I was chilling out in the beautiful Sarphatipark last Saturday with the lovely Miss B, and while we were talking about life, I realized that she is one of the few people that almost always manage to keep the sunshine in her heart and a smile on her lips, even when things are not going her way, this is a rare talent and everbody should have a friend like that. Life is just so much easier when you manage to smile away any problems you might bump into, so keep smiling Miss B, and keep the sun shining in your heart, you know that everything's gonna be alright :)) Sunday 10/04/2011 The Downtown Puddle People Slightly edited shots of people in Amsterdam, reflected in a puddle. Taken with my HTC Desire mobile phone. No editing besides some added contrast, no Photoshop. It's Sunday, it's sunny and the best city in the world is still asleep, except for one wicked Reflectah, who had coffee on his sun-flooded balcony already, to be awake enough to please your eyes with yet another series of wicked reflection shots. Even though it rained only a little bit in the last weeks, there are luckily still enough puddles around to continue shooting the pretty people of Amsterdam in my usual fashion, somebody up there in the sky, who is in charge of providing wet spots, really seems to like me, a lot, hahaha :D Downtown Puddle People Movie I've made a wicked reflection movie of this puddle too, check it out on my YouTube channel, thanks :) Saturday 09/04/2011 Friday Night In Amsterdam Slightly edited shots of the lovely Miss B and Miss A at the Café Brandon in Amsterdam last night. Taken with my Sony HX1. Last night I went to the Café Brandon to meet up with the lovely Miss B and Miss A for some drinks. We ended up getting really drunk on the sidewalk outside the bar with a huge crowd of happy, pretty people and it was another one of those perfect, wicked Amsterdam-style Friday nights with lots of laughter and many new friends...too bad I can't remember their names anymore, too much beer, haha :D Friday 08/04/2011 Black Hole Sun Slightly edited shots of people in Amsterdam, reflected in a puddle. Taken with my HTC Desire mobile phone. No editing besides some playing around with the contrast and saturation, no Photoshop. And another beautiful, sunny, wonderful weekend has started in the best city in the world, I've spent my morning sitting on my balcony with coffee and ciggies, welcoming this lovely day in the most relaxed, best possible way, and now I'm ready for whatever. There is a lot going on in Amsterdam in the next days, I hope I won't be too lazy to do any of all those fun activities, lol :D Thank God it's Friday! Black Hole Sun Movie I've made a wicked reflection movie of this puddle too, check it out on my YouTube channel, thank you :) Thursday 07/04/2011 The Golden Girls Unedited shots of girls on the Dam square in Amsterdam. Taken with my Sony HX1. I saw these girls on the Dam square last weekend, I have no idea what they were doing or why they were surrounded by other girls looking happy, but that didn't stop me from shooting them. Maybe they were some kind of living statues that are usually crowding the Dam, or maybe they had just finished emptying the beer crates they were standing on and gave a mad, drunken speech, but whatever it was, they sure looked fine doing it :) Wednesday 06/04/2011 Summertime And The Living Is Easy Unedited shots of people in the Vondelpark in Amsterdam last weekend. Taken with my Sony HX1. I've mentioned it already in the previous days, last weekend was a great, Summer'ish weekend and all of Amsterdam enjoyed the sunshine in the parks and public places. To give you an idea just how much we all appreciated those lovely days, check out the crowd, it looks like we've had people flown in from other cities to fill up every last little gap of green, lol. Enjoy your day, take it easy :) Summertime Movie I've made a movie of the park people too, check it out on my YouTube page, thank you :) Tuesday 05/04/2011 Sporty People In The Vondelpark Slightly edited shots of shadows and unedited shot of bikers in the Vondelpark in Amsterdam. Taken with my Sony HX1. No editing besides some fiddling with the contrast. Last weekend was a another perfect Spring weekend and everybody went to the park for some relaxation and/or exercise, of course I was skating again but that didn't stop me from shooting other people (or rather their shadows) doing some open-air work-out. I hope we'll get pleeeenty of days like these in the months to come, everybody is so happy and life is just so much easier and enjoyable when the sun smiles at us from the big blue sky :) Monday 04/04/2011 Vondelpark Water World Unedited shots of people chilling out in the Vondelpark in Amsterdam, reflected in water. Taken with my Sony HX1. No editing, no magic tricks, no Photoshop. Last weekend was again super sunny and lovely and everybody went to the parks and public places to enjoy the beautiful weather and meet with friends. Those who were too lazy to participate in the 'International Pillow Fight Day 2011' on the Dam square, were unlucky enough to get caught in my wicked reflection shots and published on the InterWebs...for privacy reasons I've arranged for some waves to distort their faces, haha :D Vondelpark Water World Movie I've made a reflection movie of the chillers in the park as well, watch it on my YouTube channel, thank you :) Sunday 03/04/2011 International Pillow Fight Day 2011 Unedited shots of people at the 'International Pillow Fight Day 2011' yesterday in Amsterdam. Taken with my Sony HX1. Yesterday was the 'International Pillow Fight Day 2011 and in Amsterdam there was a big crowd on the Dam square to fight. I missed most of the action because I was in the Vondelpark skating again, but I still managed to take some shots of the fighters. I have to say, it was pretty nasty getting all covered in feathers and dust, next year I'll take some photos from inside a closed glass cabin or something, haha :D Pillow Fight Movie I've made a movie of the Pillow fighting too, check it out on my YouTube channel, thanks :) Saturday 02/04/2011 Westerpark Panorama Puddle Unedited shots of the Westerpark in Amsterdam, reflected in a canal. Taken with my Sony HX1. No editing, no magic tricks, no Photoshop. It's another superbeautiful, sunny Saturday and of course I am going to the Vondelpark again with my Inline-skates for a refreshing ride with all the other pretty, happy people. If you are in Amsterdam, come and join me, I look like this when I'm on my skates. If you can't make it, or if you're not in the best city in the world, I wish you a wicked, wonderful time anyway, take it easy, enjoy the sunshine, call up your friends and do only fun things. Have a beautiful weekend, enjoy :) Westerpark Panorama Movie I've made a wicked reflection movie of the Westerpark as well, watch it on my YouTube channel, thank you :) Song Of The Day Friday 01/04/2011 AmsterSam Incorporated International Unedited shots of myself reflected on various surfaces at the Headquarter of AmsterSam.com in Amsterdam. Taken with my Sony HX1. No editing besides a bit of added lightness and contrast. Exactly one year ago, I went to the Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce and registered AmsterSam as a company, since then it has grown into a giant international, world-dominating conglomerate of wickedness that is slowly taking over the economy of each and every other country, one at a time. When I wake up in the morning, I usually take a shower with liquid gold, let my servants rub my body down with Platinum-dust and hop onto my diamond-encrusted bike for a tour of my manufacturing-plants that keep popping up all over the skyline of the best city in the world. A typical afternoon consists of hiring&firing employees in a random fashion, leading towards an evening of chilling out at the fireplace in one of my mansions where I enjoy the splendid company of my utterly attractive harem of willing concubines that embalm my tired self with ointments made of the finest herbs and spices. After some heavy chilling-out in the Jacuzzi, I get carried to bed by a delegation of the strongest women on the planet and have my official storyteller whisk me off to sleep by whispering stories about my greatness into my ear. During my night rest I learn a new language by using subliminal techniques that were invented exclusively for my pleasure. Then I wake up and realize it was all just a dream and it's the bloody 1st of April again, hahaha :D Thank God it's Friday! Last Month |