Who might you be then?

I’m Onno. I live in Amsterdam and love the city, with its many faults. I work in IT, which in itself is not very interesting for the purposes of this site. I am Dutch but somehow end up mostly hanging out with non-Dutchies. That was part of the decision to make English the primary language on this site.

Over the course of the past few years this site evolved into what is almost a public diary. Some posts will make very little sense to anyone or will be misinterpreted, and that’s fine. If you need clarification on something, please do ask. :)

Can I use your photos for my (website/print/project)?

Probably. Send me an e-mail and we’ll sort something out. Generally I just ask for credit (name + link to site) and a copy of the final product if in physical form.

What photography gear do you use?

I’m brand-agnostic and use different types of gear. Every type of camera has its own strengths and weaknesses, so I grab whatever seems right for what I want to capture. My main workhorse is a Canon 5D with a 24-105mm f/4L IS. Occasionally I also use a 16-35mm f/2.8L, which is very nice on a full-frame camera. I also own a Nikon D70 with a 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5, a 50mm f/1.8 prime and a first generation Lensbaby.

Obviously the 5D is the better camera, and I’m enjoying learning the new complexities and freedom that come with more advanced gear. One day I hope I know both cameras well enough to get everything out of them I can. While good gear won’t make you take good photos, in my experience it really does make it easier.

What hardware/software do you use for the site?

The site runs on a retired IBM xSeries 452 with two 1.3GHz processors and several drives mirrored with software RAID. It is physically located at a private data center in Amsterdam and, through some switches, is directly connected to the AMS-IX. In other words, it’s complete overkill for my small website, but that’s OK.

Software-wise, I use:
Wordpress with plenty of plugins, with Zenphoto for the travel and miscellaneous galleries. This is served up by lighttpd with PHP and eaccelerator, all on Ubuntu Linux.

Any other questions/comments?

Send me an e-mail and I’ll be happy to tell you all my secrets.