Little Family Photo Shoot

It might be a bit late for an introduction, but I've been doing some photo shoots lately and thought it would be fun to make one of our own little family! Yesterday was a gorgeous day, so we went to a nearby park and had some fun! It seems to me it happens all too often that I take photographs of everything I find interesting, of our little boy, but never of us as a family (and then there's that thing that I hate to be in front of the camera ;), so here you go: it's us!

Just the two of us (our munchkin kept running away to play, can't blame him!) I couldn't help the bunny ears, I have a very geeky sense of humor.

  We caught him eventually! It didn't last long...

Our sweet little boy standing perfectly still for a minute :) Love him to bits!



See you soon and have a wonderful weekend! xxx

India!

India. They say you either love it or you hate it. We went to Delhi, Jaipur, Agra and Varanasi (and to Nepal from there) 5 years ago and we've been dreaming of going back ever since. We've been to other countries in Asia and absolutely loved it, but there's just nothing that can compare with the overwhelming, all-embracing, otherworldly, incomprehensible experience that is called India. And finally we're going back! Well, in January that is, so we have to wait for a bit, but still...  YAY! It is such a wonderful feeling, I could dance all day!

Over the past weeks I've been checking out possible routes to follow, places to visit, train schedules and so on. This time we'll be visiting the south of India, the states Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The south is a whole lot more relaxed and less crowded than the north and since there are three of us now, we've decided to take it slow! Our little boy is all kinds of excited and wants to see the elephants!

And of course I just had to dig up all the old photos I had from India. Believe me, that took some time! My computer crashed a few years ago and I lost some files, got some back after a while and now they're scattered all over the place. Let's just say my computer could do with a clean up, which I now have done ;)
I really enjoyed looking through these pictures, reliving all the wonderful adventures :)

The holy city of Varanasi (aka Benares) is by far the most beautiful place I've ever seen (and possibly the oldest living city on earth)! Watching life, death and religion go together hand in hand from the sacred Ganges river was an amazing experience..

I miss the hustle and bustle and the complete craziness on the streets. Traffic in India is like nothing you've ever seen! Everybody is honking and it seems there are no rules in traffic whatsoever! To us it seemed the biggest vehicle or the loudest one got to go first. And of course the holy cow is king on the streets. Everywhere they go, drivers go out of the way! I can't wait to get in a tuktuk again!
I even miss the famous Indian head-wobble. It can mean 'yes', 'maybe' or even 'no' and you just have to trust your feeling when asking to take pictures of people!  

India is a world of contradictions. It breathes magic and its beauty is overpowering. India has it all: from the snowy tops of the Himalaya, to the lush green tea plantations, the vast plains, palm beaches, holy cities, sacred rivers, fantastic wildlife... But it has its downsides too. There is extreme poverty, pollution, corruption and so on... We'll be on the look out for schools and orphanages we can provide with books and other things they might need, which we will buy there to stimulate the local economy.  

Do you have a favourite place in the world? It doesn't have to be a specific country or even far away! It could be your own back yard! A place that makes your heart leap when you think of it? Please tell me, I'd love to hear it! xxx



Gretels Gorgeous Giveaway!

When I first joined Etsy, I really didn't know what to expect. What a ride it's been! But the absolute best thing about Etsy is the wonderful people and amazing artists that are on there! From now on I'll share such artists with you every once in a while, starting today with the lovely and brilliant Tami from Gretel Creations!

That's her!

Tami makes the cutest amigurumi & felt plushies, especially her sloths stole my heart! Come on, look at this cute little fella! Adorable, right? I love sloths and their ability to stay calm and relaxed under every circumstance. I wish they could teach me how to do that!

Oh, and if you prefer something really special, she makes personalized one of a kind plushies too!                

Some of the other wonderful creatures she makes:  owls, llamas, even E.T.!

Find Gretel Creations here:

BLOG: gretelcreations.blogspot.co.uk

ETSY SHOP: www.etsy.com/shop/GretelCreations

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/g.c.handmadewithlove

Now the really good news: Gretel Creations is having a giveaway!!! And there are not one, not two, but THREE prizes to be won! You have until 31st July to enter and the giveaway is open worldwide.

Enter here: gretelcreations.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/hello-lovely-people-at-last-after.html

1st prize:

2nd prize:

3th prize:

I hope you enjoyed Tami's work as much as I do!

xxx

Take a walk with me...

Why, hello there! Do you fancy taking a walk? I'd love it if you would join me. I'd like to tell you something while we stroll along...
You know... I love photography. Quite obvious, yes, but I really do, for a lot of different reasons. It is about capturing the moment: that one perfect smile, that stunning view at sunset, especially when there's a huge chance you'll never get to capture it again! There is so much beauty around us and the art of photography helps me see and experience it every moment of every day. Places I used to walk past without noticing the beautiful flowers, the charm of a rusty old door, the magic of a spiderweb in a keyhole. I am so grateful for that, it really feels as a gift. 

  

  

It's about waiting, holding back and being patient. I like taking portraits when people don't notice me. It's when they're pure and at ease that I like them best. In Asia I usually asked people if it would be ok to take a photograph, then I took a few, but the shots I loved the most were those taken after, when they had forgotten about me and went on with their lives. 

It's about creating a world of my own. When I'm back home after a shoot and I sit behind my computer (with a considerate amount of coffee), I go through the photos and check them for a lot of things: sharpness, composition, lighting, but most of all I check them for a certain 'feel'. It can be anything really. I love to add a little magic to my images. It's just the way I like to see the world! I did a series based on Red Riding Hoods trip through the magic forest on her way to grandma, where I could really let myself go to create magic! I loved that!

But most of all I love it because photographs are tangible memories. I thrive on memories and dreams. So many wonderful moments, such fantastic travels and amazing places that we've seen and so many that still have to come... I can hardly wait! When I look back at the many, many photographs (thousands!) I've taken over the years, I feel so lucky.  

   

The photographs I shared in this post were all taken over the past few weeks and all in the south of Holland, most even within a one mile radius from our home. It's so easy to forget sometimes, but we are all surrounded by beauty. Nature is magical in itself! I love how our son likes to hug trees...

I cherish the wonderful moments we share with good friends and lovely food.

And keep trying to find magic in everyday life.



Where do you find magic? Where do you dream about? And do you stop to smell the roses often enough? Please let me know. I'd love to hear from you :)

My Life in Pics Too

It's been such a busy week! It's hot and humid, but it beats all the rain we were having before! As you might have expected I've been trying out my new camera. So far it continues to exceed my expectations, so we're still very much in love :)

Last week I wanted to try out my tripod, so I went to a beautiful graveyard I've been wanting to catch on camera for years. I drive past it often, but always in a hurry and I never actually took the time to park the car and go in. Now I finally did I ask myself why I didn't do that sooner. Such a serene and magical place! I love graveyards. That may sound a little morbid, but I love how green and quiet they are and I love to think about all the stories that wander around in these places. The mossy statues with their delicate faces, the overgrown wooden crosses, they all breathe a certain pureness that's hard to come by in daily life.

Back home I like to try to integrate my own fantasies into some of the existing images.



Another thing I love about graveyards: there are hardly any people! I like that a lot!

Later this week we took our little boy Ravi to a playground, he had so much fun! He loves everything that can drive!

It was also a week of fabulous Etsy mail! My lovely friend Heidi McDonald made me the cutest painting ever! Don't you just love the bright pink colours?!

She is so talented! This is a typical example of the new direction she's been heading over the past few months and I absolutely adore everything she creates!
I LOVE the little camera she gave me in the painting!

Want to take a look for yourself? You won't be dissappointed! Find her here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ScissorsGlue and here http://heidimmcdonald.blogspot.nl/

And last, but not least: the wonderful Carrie of Cherry Blossom Tattoo Photography

(https://www.facebook.com/CherryBlossomTattooPhotography) featured me in her wonderful blog!!! She said such sweet things in her article! They made me blush (a lot!) :)
Click the link to read a little bit more about me and my work (and to see a pic of me and my gorgeous kitty Zelda!)
http://cherryblossomtattoophotography.blogspot.nl/2012/07/sweet-etsy-goodness-interview.html

So, that was my week up till now! How has your week been? What has inspired you lately? And do you like graveyards too or do you prefer to be among the living? ;)

See you soon xxx

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

GIVEAWAY WINNERS!
Hello everyone! It's time to announce the winners of my Fabulous 500 giveaway! Thank you all so much for participating! And the winners are: 

 2nd prize (one 5x5 or 5x7 photo): CAROL GRESSELL!!!

1st prize (one 8x8, 8x10 or 8x12 photo): AMY SCHAULAND!!!

Congratulations, ladies!! Please contact me at maximonstertjefineartphotography@hotmail.com or send me a message on facebook with your address and the photograph of your choice! You can pick anything from either my Etsy shop, Fine Art America, facebook or Flickr :)

Yay, that was exciting! I wish I could send you all a present... But for those who didn't win, no sad faces please! I've made a special coupon code for you if there's something you've been eyeing! Just enter FAB20 at checkout for a 20% discount! This code will be valid for a couple of days :)

I'M IN LOVE!

And now something completely different. I am in love. My darling sweethearts name? The Nikon D7000. What a camera... We're still on a getting to know each other basis, but deep in my heart I know... he's the one for me!

We went for a lovely walk after the storm and sang the tune of 'My Little Pony' to the horses:

He brought me flowers:



We had a picknick in the park:



I even showed him the magical forest. Hey, I don't show that to just ANYONE!

Today he even spent the entire afternoon on a graveyard with me to take photographs! If that's not true love, than what is? ;)

You'll be hearing more of him in the near future!

Have a fantastic week! xx