Groentesoep met Hollands Brood

Food is an important part of my life.

One of the greatest things about growing up was that both my father and mother enjoyed cooking, and they were good at it.

Shot in my kitchen; Canon 7D; 18-55mm (at 42mm) lens;
ISO 200; f/5.6; 1/100 sec. I fired two flashes; one was above,
slightly behind, and to the right of the bowl with a small,
handmade beauty dish. The other was fired at a white board above
and pointing down (from camera left) at the bread.

My father learned to cook from his mother, who was from German stock. However, he was born and raised in New York, so there were also a lot of influences throughout the communities he lived in, socialized in and worked in. Although my father cooked a variety of things, one of the constants was that he cooked A LOT of it. It was as if he was cooking for the troops every time he made something, whether it was a roast, soup, pancakes…but, with three growing boys in the home there had to be plenty of food. What wasn’t consumed right away may have been sealed in jars or frozen, or eaten as leftovers the next day. If it was simply put in the fridge, it wouldn’t last very long.

First Things First

I need to acknowledge my inspiration.

First off, I am a Christian and believe that God can inspire us through His creation. The things we see every day, but we may take for granted…because we see them every day…can be extremely inspiring if we simply take the time to stop and appreciate them. We see the sun every day, but when we take the time to simply bask in its warmth or watch it as it sets behind the horizon, it takes on a whole new meaning. It could be as simple as a bird gliding through the air and simply using the thermals to keep itself aloft.

Especially when I'm out, shooting wildlife or landscape type photos, I’m always trying to keep my mind, my heart and my eyes open to the wonders of God’s creation. Hopefully I will be able to convey some of that to those of you who choose to view my work.