With this double-post I’m finally back on schedule with my photo of the week. Since this is a double-bill I decided to pick a theme, these are my two of my favourite pics shot in my native village of Duffel in Belgium.

The first is a fantastic winter scene that greeted me on the first day of my Christmas holiday in December 2007. When you combine a very thick fog with a very heavy frost followed by a clearance in the morning you get an almost fairy-tale-like scene. I took quite a few shots but this is the one I think worked best.

Winter Wonderland - Duffel, Belgiumon Flickr – Full-Size

The second shot is of a Thalys express train passing through Duffel with an international express train from Brussels to Amsterdam. These trains are actually French TGVs in a different coat of paint and are part-owned by the national rail companies of France, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany. There are very few places where you can get photos of electric trains without pylons in the way, the rail bridge in Duffel is one of those rare places.

Evening Express - Thalys in Duffel, Belgiumon Flickr – Full-Size

For those of you interested in such things, here are the technical details of the first shot:

  • Camera: Nikon D40
  • Lens: Nikon DX AFS 18-55mm (D40 kit lens)
  • Exposure: 1/320 sec
  • Focal Length: 18mm
  • Focal Ratio: F5.6
  • ISO: 200
  • Camera Mode: Aperture Priority
  • Exposure Compensation: 0.33

And of the second shot:

  • Camera: Nikon D40
  • Lens: Nikon DX AFS 18-55mm (D40 kit lens)
  • Exposure: 1/250 sec
  • Focal Length: 30mm
  • Focal Ratio: F8
  • ISO: 200
  • Camera Mode: Auto