Welcome to Open Source Photography at marcrphoto.wordpress.com! This is where I share my passion for photography gear, tutorials, and film simulations, all with a focus on using open-source software on Linux, but also Windows and MacOS. As a retired IT specialist, Technician, Photographer & Bushcrafter based in Belgium, I’m excited to combine my expertise in technology and photography to help others navigate this creative world.
You’re also welcome to visit my photo gallery, La Gallerie at marcroovers.wordpress.com, which serves not only to showcase my photography but also as an important link to my main site. Often, lenses used for specific photos are reviewed on the main site, or editing techniques are explored in detail on Open Source Photography (OSP). La Gallerie is not a typical portfolio site—it’s truly an extension of OSP.
Under the pseudonym “Bushcrafter,” I’ve built this blog to connect with fellow enthusiasts who want to embrace DIY solutions and open-source tools. My primary goal is to offer resources that empower you to make informed decisions about your gear and editing process.
On Open Source Photography, you’ll find:
🛠 Gear Reviews
Real-world impressions of cameras, lenses, and accessories—especially the kind that don’t always get the spotlight. Expect honest, hands-on insights, from vintage glass to modern Micro Four Thirds and the occasional Leica detour.
🧪 Tutorials & How-Tos
Step-by-step guides for getting the most out of open-source tools like RawTherapee, Darktable, and GIMP. I cover both the basics and the deep-end stuff—color management, tone curves, masking, LUTs, and more. No fluff, just practical workflows.
🎞 Film Simulations (PictureFX)
I create and share my own LUTs and profiles—called PictureFX—inspired by analog film, classic processes, and a few creative twists (think Aerochrome or fake infrared). All open-source compatible, and often a bit different from the usual “Fuji look.”
📷 Photography Tips & Thoughts
Whether you shoot Olympus, Panasonic, Leica, or adapted manual lenses, I share practical tips, field-tested tricks, and the occasional rant or reflection on how tools affect the way we see and shoot.
💻 Tech Tools & Smart Workflows
Behind every good photo is a well-tuned computer. I share scripts, Linux tips, and open-source utilities that make life easier for photographers—like batch tools, EXIF editors, and file management tricks.
I also explore how AI can assist—not to fake photos, but to help you work smarter: automating repetitive tasks, debugging scripts, writing metadata helpers, or just thinking along when things get tricky.
It’s not magic. It’s just tech that works for you.
My nature and wildlife photography often inspires the content I create. Whether it’s a detailed review or a guide on open-source editing software, I aim to make the technical and artistic sides of photography more accessible.
Through Open Source Photography, I hope to build a space where we can explore creative possibilities together. If you’re looking to embrace open-source solutions or just want to learn more about photography, I invite you to join me on this journey.
The image above ? well, that moment stayed with me. I’ve always had a soft spot for old warbirds, not just to photograph them, but to feel what they represent, engineering, history, and a certain kind of raw presence you don’t find in modern machines. This P-51 Mustang was one of those encounters where everything comes together.
I had the chance to take it a step further and go up in one, which is something else entirely. The sound, the vibration, the way it moves through the air, it’s not just a flight, it’s an experience that stays with you long after you’re back on the ground. Since then, whenever I see one, camera in hand, it’s never just another subject.
Written by Marc R.
Every article starts the same way, messy. Dutch first, because that’s where my thinking lives, then English takes over when Dutch runs out of road. Notes, fragments, half sentences, just getting things out before they disappear.
Writing isn’t clean. It’s trial and error, coffee going cold, sentences that almost work and then don’t. AI helps shape that mess, translate it, test it, but it doesn’t do the thinking. The work, and the mistakes, are mine.
If this way of working speaks to you, you might want to stick around.
📸 Open Source Photography – The technical side, color science and craft
🌲 The Bushcraft Family – Outdoor stories, nature, and field life
🖼️ La Gallerie – My Pictures, pure and simple
No sponsors, no noise, no nonsense. Just read, look, maybe share.
