Waterland, Amsterdam, NL

Today's picture and the one posted yesterday were both taken in Waterland, a part of the North of Amsterdam. When I posted this one on Flickr there was a commenter that couldn' t believe that this was really taken in Amsterdam. Well, it actually was!
I guess Amsterdam definitely has a bit more to offer than coffeeshops, canals and the red light district!



The circumstances were unique: no wind at all and a nice reflection.

Waterland, Amsterdam, NL

Polder near Wormer, NL

Nieuwendammerdijk, Amsterdam, NL

Nieuwendammerdijk, Amsterdam, NL

Rodeo, Gallup, New Mexico, USA

One of the activities during the 84th Annual Inter Tribal was a rodeo. All the participants were Native Americans.

Powwow, Gallup, New Mexico, USA

Powwow, Gallup, New Mexico, USA

Since 1922, the town of Gallup in the northwest has been celebrating its tribal community and Native Americans with the Annual Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial, a 5-day long event in August. More than 30 tribes from throughout the states join together to participate in parades, dances, rodeo contests, and more. Treasure the preservation and evolution of these tribes through observing their art and crafts, eating their native foods, and witnessing their traditional dances. All the color and flourish you would expect from a celebration of Native American Indian culture is present.

I visited this year's 84th Inter Tribal in Gallup during my trip through The South West of the US. This picture was taken during a ceremony of Native American US Army men.

Monument Valley, Arizona, USA

Monument Valley is situated in the Navajo Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona and southeastern Utah. The landscape is characterized by tall, red sandstone buttes, mesas, and arches created by erosion, rising up to 300 m (1,000 ft) from a sandy plain. The Navajos have occupied the valley since the 1860s.

Tall, red sandstone buttes and mesas rise up from the sandy plain of Monument Valley in northeastern Arizona and southeastern Utah. The scene of countless western movies, the valley has come to symbolize the open spaces and rugged landscape of the American West.

This is a characteristic picture of the Mittens. What makes it different, is the piece of driftwood in the foreground.

Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah, USA

We hiked all the way up to Delicate Arch, a two and a half hours stroll, with temperatures rising till 40 degrees centigrade. Definitely worthwhile the effort, though. Beautiful landscape and scenery and a great place to take pics.

Green River Overlook, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA

This picture was taken on my trip to the US last summer. Canyonland and Arches are two National Parks in Utah. The landscape in both parks is beautiful, surreal sometimes. Best way to visit both parks is to stay in Moab and find a hotel there. Or, as I did, camp at the local KOA. Click on the pic to view the large size.

I took the picture with a Nikon D70 and the 18-70 mm kit lens. Shot in RAW/NEF and processed with Paint Shop Pro 9.01. Obviously I didn't try to get the colors as "neutral" as possible. The reason is that I believe that "neutral" colors are always an interpretation of the camera' s manufacturer technicians. I always try to get the color saturation that reflects the situation and the feeling on the moment that the photo was taken.