Retro//Reflection - Issue #4

Backyard photography, in a (very) broad sense ...

Retroreflection is a (give or take) monthly issue that contains a handful of (my) photographs and where I share a bit of insight on them. As an enthusiastic amateur photographer, anything goes.

Maybe you learn something?
Or perhaps it will spark some inspiration?

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In this issue of Retroreflection I want to show you some photos from a project I started quite a number of years ago (around 2014) and even resulted in a dedicated website where I showcase these photographs. But more on that later.

With all the beautiful places around the world, sometimes we forget to look at our own ‘backyard’. I live in The Netherlands in a province called Limburg – and this is my backyard.

“Bovenste Bosch" (Upper Forest) is a inclined forest in the south of Limburg and arguably one of the nicest ones because when you walk along its edge you have a superb view over the rolling landscape! (2018)

Sure, there are no grand mountain ranges (the highest summit, Vaalserberg, is 322 and a bit meters high) or seascapes or whatnot, it doesn’t mean it's not photography worthy! There are a lot of nice views across the landscape, quaint villages and historic cities to visit and in general the people are quite friendly (they do tend to have a very burgundy lifestyle ;-))

Here’s a sample what you can expect:

Hoeve De Plei is a typical half-timbered building you see quite a lot in (the south of) Limburg. You can stay here as it is a hotel with apartments nowadays. (2019)

Castle Schaloen, Oud-Valkenburg in Limburg (The Netherlands) on a sunny Sunday morning in October. The castle is national heritage and has been built with local marlstone ( Limburgse Mergel). Oldest references date from the 13th century, however the current state dates from 16th to 19th century. Nowadays you can stay in the nearby stables (hotel, b&b) or have a meal. (2017)

"Wyck" is one of the many urban quarters of Maastricht. It has a long history and was once seen as a place "outside of Maastricht", but nowadays it's an upcoming area full of trendy shops and good restaurants! (2016)

This is why you get up at the break of dawn, to have the possibility to be at a great location (Brunssummerheide, Limburg) when there's a nice sunrise! At the end of August the heather was still very purple - adding a little morning mist completes this image. (2019)

There’s a lot more to see, so I’m planning of dedicating a few more Retroreflection issues to Limburg in the future.

Anyway, over the years I’ve accumulated a lot of photos taken in Limburg, so I wanted to do something with that and I called this project Imag|in|e Limburg. You can read this in multiple ways: imagine what Limburg looks like, images taken in Limburg (the “|in|” reference) or simply: photos of Limburg.

I started this issue by mentioning that this project even resulted in a dedicated website where I showcase these photographs. Well, feel free to click the button below after reading this issue to have a look at the Imagine Limburg website ;-)

Have you ever been to Limburg? If so, what did you see or do here in this part of the world? Or do you have plans visiting? Let me know in a comment!

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Each issue I want to end with mentioning a photographer, a photography-related website or publication, simply to shown my appreciation for what they do.

Since this issue is dedicated to Limburg, I want to put Toine Lenssen, a photographer from Limburg, in the spotlight. You can find his work on Instagram or on the website of his financial consultancy firm (his office is full of big prints of his photo’s :)

Also in each Issue I want to mention a photographer here on Substack, since there are quite a few active and they all provide a wealth of inspiration (at least to me ;) and I think deserve a little attention.

In this issue a shout out to

Matthew Poburyny's Photography Newsletter

. I have been reading his a few of his newsletters / posts since I joined Substack a while ago and found them very insightful. Well worth your time reading!

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That’s it for this issue.

Thank you for reading until the end :) Feel free to leave a short comment or message. I appreciate the feedback!

Cheers,
Ronald
ronaldsmeets.info