About me
Hi, my name is Michel and I've been photographing all things flying (and landscapes) since about 2004. I started with an analog camera, progressed onto DSLR and then to mirrorless.
Nowadays, the majority of my aviation photography takes place at my home airport, Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST/EHBK). That's where my focus is on this website. I want to document as much as possible for my future self and other enthusiasts. It's not just about photographing planes either, but also about the story behind the photos and all the visiting planes.
Other airports I've visited in the past, among others: AMS, BRU, DUS, CGN, NRN, DTM, TXL, FRA, CDG, ORY, LBG, LUX, LGG, CRL, LIL, BTS, PRG, BUD, SOF, RJK, TIV, DBV, PMI, TFS, OPO, EBLE, EBFS, EHVK, EHGR, EHLE, EBSP, EBTX, NCE, ALL, ZRH, BSL, MAN, JFK, WAW, GDN, KBP, OTP, GSE, CPH, BGY, LJU, BEG, and ATH. And then I probably forgot some... I've included several reports from some of those airports as well, as I try to include my whole database at some point.
I've also included a non-aviation page with mainly landscape photos, which I enjoy taking as well.
Over the years, I've used a lot of different equipment for (aviation) photography. In 2007 I bought my first DSLR, a Nikon D40. The next year I upgraded to a D200, this was a fantastic camera. After 1.5 years I wanted to try Canon and got a 50D, but I didn't feel much love for that camera and brand. I decided to sell the Canon and got a new Nikon D300s, which is still one of my favourite cameras of all time. About 3.5 years later I wanted to try full-frame and got a D700. A great camera as well, but I missed the crop factor and I needed more megapixels for cropping. The same year I bought a D7100 but used it as a secondary camera for 3 years as I wasn't too big of a fan. In 2016 I decided to fully use the D7100 though, which lasted for nearly 10 years before I sold it and gave it a second life with a new owner!
Recently, as the DSLR era was coming to an end and the D7100 was aging, I sold all my Nikon gear and got a Sony A6700 (mirrorless) with 2 lenses. The size and weight difference is enormous. This marked an end to 19 years of using Nikon; let the new Sony era begin!
Lens-wise I've used about everything that exists. The 80-400mm AF-D VR was my trusty workhorse for more than 15 years, usually combined with the 24-120mm f/4 VR. The heaviest lens I've ever used was the Nikon 200-400mm F/4 VR, at 3.3 kgs.
I hope you enjoy my portfolio and like my perspective on aviation. Feel free to reach out if you share the passion of (aviation) photography!
The complete equipment list (current in yellow):
Cameras used:
- Sony A6700
- Nikon D7100
- Nikon D700
- Nikon D300s
- Canon Eos 50D
- Nikon D200
- Nikon D40
- Nikon Coolpix
- HP Photosmart 945
- Analog
Lenses used:
- Sony E 70-350mm
- Sony E 18-135mm
- Nikon 80-400mm AF-D VR
- Nikon 24-120mm F/4 VR
- Nikon 18-200mm VR II
- Tamron 150-600mm VC
- Tamron 70-200mm F/2.8
- Nikon 18-135mm
- Nikon 70-300mm VR
- Nikon 55-200mm VR
- Sigma 50-500mm OS
- Sigma 120-300mm F/2.8 OS
- Sigma 120-400mm OS
- Nikon 300mm F/4
- Nikon 300mm F/2.8 AF-I
- Nikon 200-400mm F/4 VR
- Canon 70-200mm F/4 L
- Nikon 12-24mm F/4
- Nikon 16-85mm VR
- Nikon 18-55mm
- Nikon 18-35mm F/3.5-4.5
- Nikon 20-35mm
- Tamron 11-18mm
- Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8
- Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8
- Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8
- Sigma 10-20mm
Phones used for photography:
- Motorola Edge 60 Pro
- iPhone 13
- iPhone SE 2020/2022