As a kid I was always outside; playing soccer, chasing the ice cream truck, fishing or building tree houses. My imagination roamed free and my body willingly followed. Now I seem to be attached to a screen most of the time I’m awake. Work work work and in between work I let myself drown in Facebook or YouTube. I’m not complaining, really, I love my job and always have new ideas to write down. Others might do this in a paper notebook, but my handwriting would make a doctor jealous so I capture my thoughts digitally.
I needed some time away from the screen. I needed a new reason to go outside. To be outside. Basically, I just needed a new hobby. Sadly, I’m a bit too old to build tree houses. And catching Pokemons just isn’t my cop ‘o tea. So I opted for photography.
Thank you Steve for inventing the iPhone and putting an okay lens in it and thank you Kevin & Mike for coming up with Instagram.
To date I’ve posted over 1750 iPhone photos on Instagram. A lot of selfies, blurry party shots, some food pics and images of ordinary objects. Yep, I’m one of those people who’s filling up this photo platform with crap. Time to step up my game.
A friend borrowed me his Olympus Pen. A hipster looking camera with too many options and buttons I don’t (yet) understand the purpose for. The best way to figure something out is just to start using it. Trial and error and all that.
So I took a few days of and dusted of my Instagram account @just.amsterdam. Staying close to home the first day I shot some pics at the skate park near my house in Amsterdam’s Old South. They are not great, but not horrible either (if I say so myself).
The second day I went to the complete other side of my hometown, Amsterdam North – the old ship wharf. Here creative minds use spray cans to express themselves.
