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Combining latex and vanilla clothes is a lot of fun. And also a little bit of a challenge. ‘Cause it’s aways a bit of a surprise what clothes a model brings to a shoot. But when Yaël showed me her brown suede vest and her combat boots, the rest was easy.
Model Nele had a pair of bunny slippers in her suitcase when came to my studio last year. With a cute cotton tail and everything. An opportunity that was simply too good to pass up. I matched them with some pink latex lingerie for this set:
I don’t do photography assignments anymore. I haven’t for a very long time. And I am not about to start again. But when one of my best friends asked if I would wanted to help her out, I answered “YES!” even before I knew what the question was. And that is how I ended up shooting some fashion with my beautiful friend Daria. There’s too many pics to share, so I’m sharing just a few I really liked.
After a long hiatus–due to COVID-19 of course–Light of Day has finally returned to Belgium. It was very nice to find all my friends back in good health and ready to rock the night away with the LoD crew.
Artists this year included Jesse De Belder from Alps, James Maddock, Williams Honor, Rob Dye and Joe D’Urso.
The Light of Day Foundation, Inc., utilizes the awesome power of music to raise money and awareness in our continuing quest to end Parkinson’s disease and related neuro-degenerative diseases, specifically Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), within our lifetime. It was founded by Bob Benjamin in 2000. A concert in Belgium is staged since 2013.
September 2023, after a long hiatus, I’m going to New York City again. I hitched a ride across the Atlantic on a Delta Airlines bird. This Yankees fan fitted right in. Even though I hadn’t been to NYC for quite a few years, I still remembered how to move around the city and most subway stops.
I took in the sights and sounds of the city. Many miles of hiking in Manhattan. The architecture, classic movie locations, a walk down the Highline, … And with major stops at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, One World Trade Center and Ellis Island.
After all these years, I am still deeply moved by the events of September 11, 2001. Especially when I visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. I can’t help but think back on my 1st visit to NYC when I take the elevator up to the 102th floor of One World Tade Center. Back when the Twin Towers still stood tall as a beacon that defined the New York skyline.
I did a little shopping at that famous photography store on 9th ave. The new gear came in handy to shoot this panorama of Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan.
On Sunday, I had a meeting across the river: I took a train to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey… I went to see Springsteen! It was a beautiful night for a 3 hour rock concert. And as it turned out, it would be the last show Springsteen would play in a while due to health problems.
The Belgian Air Force Days are the highlight of the airshow season for me. Especially when the BAF Days come to Kleine Brogel airbase. So there I was, all geared up, all excited and ready for 3 days of air power demonstrations. Starting with the spotter’s day on Friday. It was a Viper and Lightning fest.
And then, on Saturday, as a walked from the parking lot to the gate, I busted my ankle. That was… THE END. No more BAF Days for me. A major bummer.
The lovely Axelle sends X’s and O’s from my photo studio to all my readers. She wore what seems to be her favorite latex dress to complement her pistachio colored boots and that bright pink purse. I said to her that something baby blue would go well with that combo. We couldn’t find anything blue, so I decided to created something in the background. X’s and O’s were just the right thing.
And lets’ be clear about one more thing… Huey Lewis & the News were absolutely right: it’s hip to be square!
The 15th Wing Air Transport of the Belgian Air Force turns 75 this year. And they’ve celebrated their anniversary with an open door. They’re based at Melsbroek Air Base. That is basically the north east corner of Brussels airport. So next time you catch a flight to your holiday destination, walk down to the end of the A pier. You may actually see some of their A400M transporters on the tarmac.
That right, the 15th Wing Air Transport currently operates 7 Airbus A400M Atlas aircraft, amongst others. We said goodbye to the might Herc a couple of years ago. All our C-130’s have now been replaced by brand-spanking-new A400M’s. And this was one of the 1st opportunities the public had to meet those new A400M’s.
The 15th Wing saw actions in the days before the open door. Just before their open door weekend, they aided in the repatriation of Olivier Vandecasteele after his imprisonment in Iran. This A400M of the 15th Wing met Mr. Vandecasteele in Oman and brought him home.
Melsbroek Air Base is also the home of the air support group of the Belgian Police. Since 1997, they are equipped with MD Helicopters (formerly a division of McDonnell Douglas) MD900 Explorer and MD902 Explorer. The MD900 and the MD902 are so called notar helicopters. The aircraft does not have a tail rotor but instead uses the airflow from the engines’ exhaust to stabalize the aircraft.
Belgian Police uses their helicopters for al sorts of activities ranging form surveillance over transporting their special forces to assisting the fire department with water drops. It was very spectacular to see them demonstrate how the aircraft is used to drop the special forces and their attack dog to arrest suspected criminals.
In the week after the open door weekend, an MD902 of the Federal Police assisted the fire departments to put out a fire at the Hoge Venen National Park.
I took all these photos on Sunday, May 28, 2023 at the open door of the 15th Wing Air Transport.
I went to see Bruce Springsteen in Dublin. After 7 years, it was great to see him perform live again. My best friend and I took the time to visit some places around the city. It had been 10 years since we were in Dublin. And in that time we found a couple of things to see: whiskey tasting at Teeling, Trinity College, … Stuff like that.
Trinity College’s dining hall on the right is dubbed Heaven. The exam hall on the left is dubbed Hell. This sure brings a whole new meaning to the line from Springsteen’s Better Days:
“Tonight this fool’s half way to heaven and just a mile outta hell.”
Some more random images of landmarks around town:
I saw my 1st ever Springsteen concert exactly 30 years ago today. On April 23, 1993 Springsteen played Flanders Expo with his “new” band. After the Tunnel of Love tour, Bruce had disbanded the E Street Band. On the back of the release of the albums Human Touch and Lucky Town, he set out with a whole new band.
I had been into Springsteen’s music since he released Born in the U.S.A. in 1984. But up until 1993 I had never seen him live. I remember being a bit disappointed when he announced he would not be touring with the E Street Band. That disappointment disappeared quickly when I got to Flanders Expo back in 1993. I can still feel the excitement I felt that day! Actually I feel that same excitement before a Springsteen show even today.
Tickets were 1100 Belgian Franks back in 1993. That is €27.3 or roughly US$30 at the rate of publication of this article. Quite the difference with the current ticket prices even if you take inflation into account. You had to go and queue at a ticket outlet or call a ticket hotline number to get tickets to the concert back in those days. Compared to today’s internet age, a lot more hassle.
I got to Flanders Expo quite early on April 23, 1993 and ended up on the 3rd row center stage on the 1st night. On the 2nd night, I was a bit further back. I remember having a blast on both nights. These 2 shows got me on a 30 year–and counting–journey with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. It has been a lot of fun so far. I’ve been to a bunch of cities and met many new friends along the way.
