The early bird... doesn't work for me

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It's no secret that for outdoor photography, sunlight is very important. And most of you probably also know that the best times are during the 'golden hour' which is just before sunset and just after sunrise.

I usually shoot my pictures and videos in the evening, because that's when I (and my photographing friends) have time. :-P

Now, I don't know if it's true, but some have said that the light during sunrise is even prettier than during the evening.. so I decided to try that. Now, I'm known for a lot of things.. but me being a cheery and active morning person ain't one of them!

So, I don't know.. perhaps the sunrise light might be nicer.. but I think I look better at 8 in the evening than 5 in the morning! Perhaps I needed more coffee... or perhaps I should have used the light in a different way. I'm not convinced yet.

Also, I'll be going on a small holiday to France soon. And I will test if the light is different than over here in the Netherlands. I'm a practical scientist,.. so that means lots of experiments! ;-)

I'll probably try photography at sunrise a few more times.. if I manage to drag myself out of my bed again at this early hour.

Do you have any favourite times for photography? And what are your lighting tips? Share.. and help spread the knowledge around! :)

Also shot some video clips during the morning 'golden hour'.. do you see any difference?

The princess is not in another castle

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Okay okay, let me stop you right here.. I would never say of myself that I am a princess. It's just that I'm a huge fan of Super Mario Bros.. and of course, at the end of each level, Princess Peach was never there! Ah.. childhood memories! :-P

As far as I'm concerned, there are only thee actual Dutch princesses of whom the oldest will be our new Queen. And yes, I know.. the Mother of the King and her sisters (and the wives of all the King's brothers and cousins) are also called princesses. But that doesn't count. ;-)

Anyhoo, after this small lecture into the #1 classic game and the Dutch monarchy, let me tell you about the photos and outfit in this blog-post. It's an asymmetrical black dress from Cool Cat, a brand that is aimed at teenagers, but I think this dress is still quite tasteful in its own kind. Let me know if you agree or vehemently disagree!

The location is Castle 'de Haar' (kasteel de Haar) and you can find it near Utrecht in a village called Haarzuilens. Some of you might know it because it's the place where the ELFIA - ELF Fantasy Fair is held every year in April. It's a magical place and ideal for photo-shoots!

I was wearing cute pumps with a leopard print and 5 inch stiletto heels. Perhaps not the ideal footwear around a castle, but when it comes to wearing heels... all reason and sanity go out the window. :-P

After walking for a couple of hours admiring the castle and taking lots of photos and videos,.. these shoes were starting to slip off my feet. So I changed back to my more comfy T-strap 5 inch black heels once again just like with the half-pipe photos. I always come prepared!  

Does this happen to you sometimes? You're posing for a pic.. and then other people want to pass?! :-P

We shot so many clips that day.. so the video is a bit longer... I hope you won't get bored! Enjoy!

Choices choice choices

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It's no secret ( heck, it's even in the title of this blog ), I love high heels! A few years back, when I started earning a bit of money after my Ph.D., the dams of self-restraint were broken! :-P

Going into shoe shops, ordering online ( I'm looking at you, Zalando! ), I've bought so many shoes... even shoes that did not really fit well and I've kept them just because they looked so pretty, gorgeous and sexy.

And yes, some will say.. heels are not supposed to be comfortable, but I disagree. Sure, sneakers and flip-flops are always easier to walk in than heels, but I know I have pumps/sandals/boots with a 4 or 5 inch heel that allow me to walk in them for a full day. So, it is possible!

Thus, when I ordered these three pairs of strappy heels, I was determined to only be satisfied if the heels were a 100% comfortable from the moment I put my feet in them. ;-)

To my sadness, the white-black and the all-black heels did not fit completely right, they were just a tad too big. A smaller size would probably be too tight. So, I did the unthinkable.. I sent those two pairs back!

What do you think? Should I have kept them? Or do you agree that it's better to send back shoes that don't fit a 100%?

It was also a day that I decided not to be lazy and I painted my toes. Probably could have done a much better job, but I'm not a pro! :-P 


The last video was of me at the campus of the Rotterdam Erasmus University. There is some extra material where it looks like I'm being stalked as I come out of the library. :-P

Chilling at the campus

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It's the end of the academic year, and that means campuses are emptying quicker than a Dutch stadium after a lost football match! :-P

The nice thing about campuses in the summer months though is that a lot of students are chilling outside, listening to or playing music (as you can hear in the YouTube video). There is just a very relaxed vibe.. which of course is greatly enhanced after the last exams have been made. :)

This is not my campus, but it is a campus (of the Rotterdam Erasmus University) I often frequent and as I have said in a previous post, I like this university because it's a more business-oriented place where these kind of semi-formal dresses are much more common than at technical universities.

It might be a stereotype, but that doesn't make it any less true: most engineers, female or male, don't really care for wearing nice clothes and heels! :-P

Fortunately, I belong in that subsection of engineers/physicists that totally adores cute dresses! But I'm sure you already noticed that. ;-)

So, what are your summer plans? Staying at home? Visiting cool places in your own country? Or crossing the borders? I hope to do a bit of both.. and I will make sure to bring pretty clothes and shoes.. and my camera!  

With my new dedicated video camera, it's suprisingly easy to get lots of footage! If you have any suggestions/tips/feedback on what you would like to see.. just let me know!!

Heaven is a half-pipe

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Some of you might know that I go snowboarding almost every year in the Alps, sometimes even twice.. visiting France and/or Austria! What almost nobody except my childhood friends knows, is the fact that when I was young kid, I had a skateboard! :)

Back then I didn't wear red Steven Madden pumps with a 5 inch heels, so I thought it would be fun to do a photo-shoot with a half-pipe to do just that! Not that skate-boarding needs glamour, though. :-P

For those wondering how I got up to that steep ramp, I will confess.. I cheated! I took off the heels, and climbed up rather ungraciously barefoot. The sun had been shining all day, so the half-pipe was really hot.. and I had to climb up real quick before my feet got cooked. :P

The rest of the day, I changed to another pair of shoes, because even though these black t-strap pumps also have a 5 inch heel.. they're way much more comfy for my usual aimlessly wandering around. ;-)

I combined the heels with a cute pink dress. I'm a sucker for cute feminine details... so I really love the lace. What do you think... red heels or black heels? And should I get a red bag?

As you can see, summer and tropical temperatures really have hit the Netherlands! This week, the thermometer is expected to hit 37 degrees and this means that I will be wearing more short dresses and skirts. So, for the time being.. no jeans! :-P 

No video material of me on a skateboard... just me walking around on the half-pipe! Enjoy!