Waiting

While walking through a small village in rural Nepal I saw a group of children playing in the street. This girl was sitting and watching, I thought she was waiting for something, maybe for her turn in the ongoing game. As I passed her I took this image, already noticing the great light on her face.

It was late afternoon and the sun was low over the horizon. The light was gorgeous and it works very well in the result. I also like the color tones and the facade made of bricks. Again this is a shot unplanned and the best image of that day. I think I have to try street photography more oftern...

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Condor

As we travelled to Patagonia we've been told that with a lot of luck we'll see Condors. But as we stood in front of the Perito Moreno glacier in southern Argentina three Condors circled above our heads. Most people of our hiking group pointed their cameras upwards, just as we did. But it was not easy, although the large birds floated majestically over the ice they still were fast.

I've been lucky because one of the trio suddenly flew in our direction and right above me, only 10 meters away. One of the photos I took you see here, I even managed to get a bit of the snowy mountains into the frame. This works very well as it "earthens" the Condor and gives a good scale of its size.

In reality it was very impressive, just imagine that bird with its 3 meters of wingspan flying close above you and looking at you. Add the huge wall of ice of the Perito Moreno glacier in front of you and only minutes later a large block of ice broke off and fell into the lake. Wonderful scenery and impressions!

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Treasure

Now this is a magical place and I like to recommend it to anyoune who visits Austria one day. It's Lake Weissensee in Carinthia, the highest swimming lake in the Alps. We visited it first in 2003 and have been coming back almost every year. The lake is surrounded by green mountains and forests and only one half of it is accessible and has roads and houses. This ensures it to be a gorgeous, quiet and beautiful place. In summer the shoreline has a distinct white color in contrast to the green water which gave the lake its name ("Weiss" = White). The temperatures can reach 25 degrees Celsius in July/August which makes it a wonderful place for swimming and diving. We often had the feeling to be in the Caribbean! In winter the lake is completely frozen and lots of people come from all over Europe for ice skating (esp. the Dutch).

We have our special place to stay (I won't tell you where, it's ours!) and that's where this photo has been taken. You have a fabulous view over the water and into the Alps, almost each day a different sunset and light. There's nothing better than to have delicious dinner and then to sit and watch the spectacle. Guess what - I took this image while sitting at the table, no need to walk around :-)

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Pink Bike

Occasionally I do a sort of "motif hunt" when I have the opportunity. Last time I've been in Innsbruck, Tyrol and had two hours to wait for my transport back to our hotel. So I walked around the Old town and had no specific image in my mind. Just looking, browsing, waiting what catches my eye. It was biting cold and every time I looked through the viewfinder I had difficulties because of my gloves. And don't forget the hundreds of tourists from all over the world walking around. It was funny to watch all the people pointing their cameras at well known spots like the Goldenes Dachl or some medieval building. In contrast I pointed my camera to things no one else would do, this caused me some strange looks and smiles ;-)

Actually I walked by this bicycle first and didn't notice it. But on my way back through the alley I saw the pink wall and pink bike. So I had found a motif! After waiting for the passerbys to get out of my view I finally managed to get this image. I really like it, strong pink and contrasting white. Good lines and details.

That's what I like most, find new motifs, themes and get photos I never expected.

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Beauty

While hiking in Patagonia I stepped of the path my group was following to see a river I heard but could not see. When I got through the bushes I suddenly stood in front of this gorgeous scenery. Imagine my surprise! The red rocks, the flowing water, green bushes and the mountains in the background with a blue sky... it couldn't get much better.

In fact this is Monte Fitz Roy in southern Argentina, a well known mountain range of Patagonia. The landscape is rough and beautiful, we really enjoyed hiking there. But if I didn't walk off the beaten track, I'd never seen this fabulous scene. Because I was in a hurry (to catch up with my wife and group) I could only take two photos, luckily both turned out good. With more time I could've use my tripod and try different compositions and angles. But I like the images I got, they are gorgeous and they look brilliant as posters hanging on our wall :-)

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Chimney

It's a bit funny I took this photo in Greece, because one will not think the Greek need to have chimneys at all. Especially on the Mediterranean islands like Santorini where I found this. Usually it's hot most of the year and the winters are mild. But I guess this is of a bakery or it's just decoration, I don't know.

The white color of the flat roof and of the chimney looks great in contrast to the blue sky and sea. The fluffy clouds add some nice details, too. It just looks as if they come from the chimney...

I like the typically Greek colors blue and white with a rather unusal motif. It was worth to climb on and around the houses of Oia :-)

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Lost

As we travelled along the east coast of Australia in 2007 we often found deserts and also desert-like beaches. It was great fun to walk up the dunes and slide down the other side. Despite it looks hot, most of the deserts we've seen were in a rather cool climate. But that could've been because of the spring season, summer was still to come.

I like such images, where some foot traces lead into the nowhere or the horizon. You could imagine any kind of story and adventure. Although with this photo it's my own footprints I took a picture of by just turning around ;-)

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Blue

When taking this photo I never thought it will get that good. And that successful, it is one of my most viewed images. It was the very first picture I took while we stayed on Santorini Island in 2005. Only after the slides were developed and scanned I noticed how good the ripples on the sea looked. Combined with the blue church roof it makes an irresistible effect and the tiny bird on the cross is a nice detail. In fact I didn't see that bird when looking through the viewfinder!

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Mighty

You know, there are photographs you will remember all your life. Be it the subject, the circumstances or the result. This is one of mine.

We travelled through Patagonia in 2005 and we also visited the Torres del Paine region. It is a famous place in southern Chile, known for its mountains, lakes and glaciers. One of our hotels has been the Hosteria Peho at Lago Pehoe. In fact the building resides on a tiny island in the middle of the lake. Very picturesque, you should try it, once you are there!

At arrival we had a cloudy sky and couldn't see the mountains which was frustrating. At least we travelled there to see the summits and hike the gorgeous landscape. So while having dinner we talked about getting up early next morning to see if there's better weather and maybe we could get some nice sunrise shots. Because of the early time this would mean to get up (5am) most of us had doubts about it...

But I didn't hesitate and set the alarm for 5 in the morning, just because I wanted to use my tripod I had taken with me on that journey (and got me into troubles when checking in the airport - they didn't let me take it with me in the handbaggage. I had to check it in with the other luggage. It looked so small in its bag compared to the other suitcases, I thought I'd never see it again!).

When I got up then I was the first to walk up the little hill in the back of the hotel. Some other member of our group followed a couple of minutes later. And i t was worth it! The sun was still below the horizon and we saw the mighty peaks of Torres del Pain in great blue light. What a good feeling that was, almost alone, silence around me, magic light and a great view. The lake combined with the mountains looked so pristine and untouched. A view you won't get that often (except you live there ;-)

We took a couple of shots in ca. 30 minutes and we also shared my tripod so both of us could get good images. While we stood there the sun rised in our back and the mountains were in full light. But the pictures with the early, blue light are the best. I love the images and they remind me of a great place and time. I always think of returning to Patagonia since then...

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