Freitag, 30. Januar 2009

Joy of Colors


In 2004 we stayed in Caorle, Italy with friends. It was a short vacation and my first trip where I took my new SLR camera with me. Still learning the basics of photography and the features of that Canon EOS 300, I walked around the small city center.

At about 7:30am I soon noticed that it's not that easy to find places for good photos. That's just because the sun is so low over the horizon and the houses cast long shadows. And the narrow alleys in this italian village needs a high sun for good light.

After one hour I decided to return to the hotel and then, just on my way home, I passed this house which was surprisingly in full light. So this image was the only good one this day and it turned out very well. I still like it a lot and it is also one of my most viewed photos on Flickr.

I guess the message may be to never stop searching for your next photo... it could be just around the next corner.

View and buy at RedBubble. Buy at ImageKind.

Donnerstag, 29. Januar 2009

Black Heart


I never thought I will photograph a toilet door - until I found this little gem. In fact it reminded me that at many alpine huts and barns the doors are decorated with lots of symbols carved in wood. A lovely tradition that looks good and also acts as kind of ventilation (not too bad at some places ;-)

Combined with the colorful wood it makes a great image. And especially the little yellow streak looks nice. While I like the result I also hope nobody watched me while kneeing in front of that rest room.

View and buy at RedBubble.

Mittwoch, 28. Januar 2009

Reach Out


The days before taking this picture I was snowshoeing and I sprained my ankle. So, despite it was a beautiful, sunny day, I had to restrain myself and just walk a bit instead of longer hikes. So while Sylvia was skiing I hobbled through the alpine village of Gosau. Luckily for me the night and morning had been really cold. The trees were all white with hoarfrost and ice. And as the sun finally came over the mountains at about 10am the trees startet to glow!

First I thought it would be easy to get good pictures, but guess what: in a village there are houses and other not-so-interesting things. And they always tend to show up in the background! So at a point I concentrated to look up and find a good motif. Which was not easy again, because either the branches just look boring or you end up shooting straight into the sun.

Finally I managed some shots, this was one of them. I really like the abstract feel of it. The color contrast is good and the details are fine, too. These are the winter images I'm after but don't get to often.

View and buy at RedBubble.

Spring Colors


Sometimes it happens that I find a good motif just around the corner. Because I live in the midst of a city I thought I'd never find a gorgeous spring tree in a rural setting. But on a sunny sunday I took the bus and then walked a short distance. Suddenly I stood in bright yellow rapeseed fields and blooming trees were all around me. This was a stunning experience and a great day out for photos.

While I walked around and in between those trees I found this gorgeous combination of colors. A rapeseed field already makes a good photo but here I had an additional blooming tree and green grass. It looked even better in reality! This day I used my tripod very often and this is one of the best images. Looking at this picture it always reminds me of the power of spring. And I hope spring will come soon, because it's my favourite season (besides autumn).

View and buy at RedBubble.

Dienstag, 27. Januar 2009

Tiny


Another favourite from Santorini, taken in June 2005. It was on our first day on the island and we walked to dinner. I spotted that sailing ship that looked so tiny in contrast to the sea. I took the photo and after developing the slides at home I noticed how beautfiul the water was. The blue tones are all natural. The light this evening was magical and I was lucky to have this ship sailing our way. In the background you'll see the small islands which lie within the Caldera of Santorini.

I love not only the blues but the small ripples, too. Together with the waves from the ship they make a perfect texure of the water. It's a great image, also as print, and it always reminds me how beautiful our stay at Santorini was. If you have a chance, go there :-)

View and buy at RedBubble.
View and buy at ImageKind.

(Copyright Notice: All pictures and text are copyrighted by the blog's author. You may not download the images and use it except with written permission.)

Montag, 26. Januar 2009

Up Or Down


One of my all-time favourites. I guess the simplicity and the white makes this so attractive to viewers. On Flickr and RedBubble this has thousands of views and hundreds of "Favs".

Taken on the Island of Santorini, Greece, while our vacation in June 2005. It was the time when I started to take photography more seriously. After our very old Canon EOS 750 had broken we bought a used Canon EOS 300 and I started to look for motifs everywhere. And Santorini is a great place to take photos. Granted, its often pure Kitsch and far from "original" Greece. But why not, you won't find a place that beautifully located in the Mediterranean that easy.

This image was taken on a walk through the village of Oia where we also stayed for about two weeks. I guess this staircase has been photographed a million times, you can find similar images on any photosharing site. Nevertheless I like mine best ;-) I think most of the other photographas suffer from bad light or shadows.

Despite it is a slide (Fuji Sensia 100) and scanned (Nikon Coolscan V) it turned out very well. Only a bit post processing took place. I have a print of it hanging on the wall and I'm proud of it (silly, I know ;-)

View and buy at RedBubble.
View and buy at ImageKind.

(Copyright Notice: All pictures and text are copyrighted by the blog's author. You may not download the images and use it except with written permission.)

Winter Blues


Sometimes a turn can offer complete unexpected views. While snowshoeing in the quiet Längental valley, Tyrol, I turned my head because of the chilly wind. I saw the slope and bright blue sky and I knew, this will make a great abstract.

I like the gentle curve of the slope and the crossing with the mountains. The little white peaks in the middle are a perfect eyecatcher and the white is a good contrast to the blue.

Walking for about 3 hours to this spot with cold winds and through deep fresh fallen snow was worth it. But I almost always end up with some good images on any hike. Nature has so much to offer.

View and buy at RedBubble.
View and buy at ImageKind.