New York, Amsterdam, and Gary Numan: An interesting combination.

The Restless Lens: Week 31 (July 29 – August 4)

Getting from New York to Amsterdam turned into a travel saga almost worthy of its own blog post. (I posted the crazy story on Facebook instead.) Finding photographs that felt like my usual Amsterdam work has been a little more challenging as well.

When I'm here on my own, I spend hours wandering the city with no agenda beyond seeing what catches my eye. This first week, though, Mark has been here with me, so we've been doing what normal tourists do: sightseeing, biking, eating our weight in bitterballen, and enjoying the city together. My iPhone has been along for the ride, but it hasn't been the primary focus.

Amsterdam itself has been temporarily transformed. With WorldPride in full swing, the canals and streets are awash in rainbow flags, banners, and enormous crowds. It's festive and wonderful, but it's not quite the quiet, contemplative Amsterdam that so often finds its way into my photographs.

Still, I managed to come home with a few keepers. The biggest surprise was the Gary Numan concert at Paradiso, where the dramatic lighting and theatrical performance made for some fun photographic opportunities. So this week's collection is a bit of a hybrid: a few final images from New York, followed by my first artistic impressions of Amsterdam, including that fun night at the concert.

Next week, Mark heads home and I'll have ten days to myself. That's when the real photo walks begin. Meanwhile, here's what filled my head last week: