Cuypers Library Amsterdam

When I’m abroad I will always try to shoot in some special locations, often these are arranged by local photographers or friends, and it always gives me some really cool shots you normally can’t.
When Scott (Kelby) was asked what he would love to do he asked me to arrange a nice library and send me some images of the Cuypers Library in the “rijksmuseum” in Amsterdam…. well that’s not a location where you just walk in and start setting up you tripod and shoot.

 

Originally we arrange acces before opening times, but believe it or not we got stuck in traffic in a MAJOR way (and we even had an hour to spare) and while in the car we talked about our power grid and having all the lines under ground so we hardly have any problems etc. etc…… the regular “this is how our country work” kind of chit chat.

 

Due to the traffic jam I had to find a restroom and we pulled up to a shopping centre and a Burger King, well at 10:00 you expect them to be open right?
Much to our surprise (and my horror) it was closed, so we walked to the next store… closed
In the next store people were looking at us from behind the electric doors and refused to open them up, in my best “mime” I tried to explain I really had to visit their store, one of the employees pulled out an ipad and typed “We are stuck in here due to power outage”…. hummmm that is new.

 

Finally we found a public restroom without lights (thank you iPhone and steady hands).
We arrived in the Rijksmuseum about 2 hours late, but after some negotiations we were still allowed to shoot. Today some of my images from Cuypers library. Do realize I never shoot interiors and this was actually one of the first times I shot it like this (from my new Benro tripod). So enjoy the images but don’t judge them 😀

 

Many thanks for the Rijksmuseum for letting us shoot here and making the exception.