Dreaming

As we stayed at Lake Weissensee this July, we had mostly bad weather. Lots of rain, clouds and chilly wind. No summer at all. But on some days the sun broke through and we could enjoy some time in the sun.

When crusing the lake with a passenger ship we always passed the shoreline and it gave me the opportuntiy to take this shot. First I tried to place the man in the lower part of the picture but then I thought it works much better when he's at the top. This way the title fits perfectly, a dreaming person floating on green water.

The reed also is a good addition, it even matches the green of the lake perfectly. Sometimes I'm lucky to find such a motif. It's hard to plan such an image.

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Regatta

Last weekend we did a short hike in one of our favourite regions, the Salzkammergut (Salt Lake District), it's a 1-2 hour drive from our place. We are often there because you have 76 lakes (large and small), lots of mountains and gorgeous villages. Being there always reminds us how beautiful Austria is...

That image shows Lake Wolfgangsee as seen from the village St. Wolfgang where our hike ended. That small town seems to be magnetic to tourists from all over the world. As usual we've seen dozens of Japanese, British, American, German, etc. people. All enjoying the scenery and the sunny day. These are the moments when I realize that tourism plays a major role in our countries economy.

Despite the bustle we had a nice hour strolling the alleys and having some ice cream :-) And while I licked my vanilla I spotted the bright white sails out in the lake. I noticed that actually it's a regatta taking place and right after finishing my desert I picked up my camera.

Now it wasn't easy to get good images, I can tell! The ships have been really fast, floating and turning quickly. Most of my shots weren't good because with a zoom (at 300mm) it's even more difficult to get sharp images when the object moves.

But finally some were good. The bright white sails make a fine contrast to the forest in the back. Also the ships form a row which looks good, too. And the glistering blue water shows what sunny day it was.

So again I was rewarded with a fine, unplanned image :-)

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Fluid

Water abstracts are an all-time favourite of mine. They always have a mysterious feel to it, something hidden, vague, dreamlike. I could look forever on the soft wobbling surface of a lake or some other body of water.

So this is one of my many water abstract photographs. It was taken at Lake Weissensee (again ;-) back in 2005 with my old film camera Canon EOS 300 and a Fuji Sensia film. After scanning almost no postprocessing was done. The blue color is natural as are the shadows and waves.

Here the waves different tones and the shadows of some reed mix up to an intersting combination of details. I also like the darker upper part. I hope you like it too. It really looks great printed in A4 size and hanging at our wall :-)

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Water Ghosts

Shooting waterfalls seems to be an easy task. But in my opinion it is rather difficult to get something interesting on film (or chip). Using normal shutter speed doesn't really give a good image, lower shutter speeds are essential to me. But that's not enough. There are so many waterfall photos with a good water blur, yet they are boring. I always try to find a different approach to the water flow.

Two weeks ago we've been again in the Stoder Valley where the river Steyr has its origin. Now with the snow melting and flowing from the surrounding mountains there's plenty of water in the river. It has some smaller waterfalls, too. This time I tried to use my tele lens to find new views. Mounted on the tripod I scanned with full focal length at 300mm (times 1.6 crop factor). I noticed that rock barely visible and the water jet it caused. Taking some pictures this one was the best.

I love it, it has a eerie feel to it because of the whirls at the end of the jet. To me they form little water "ghosts", like hidden creatures living in the rush. And the form of the jet is important for the photo as are the matching colors of the water and the rock. Overall I'm happy with the picture, I think it will make a wonderful print. It surely will look good hanging on a wall, maybe in our bathroom ;-)

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(You can view more images of the river Steyr here).

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Watercolors

Sometimes I'm blind. I just can't see the beauty right in front of me. It must have been a dozen times I walked by this brook and enjoyed its clear water and colors. But I simply missed to notice what a great photo this would make.

So finally last weekend I was on my way back form a walk and so again I passed this place. Maybe it has been the light or some other thing, but I noticed the beauty of the colors, they are even in layers. I took the photo and at home I saw the beautiful variations of water colors.

Thinking about it, I wonder how that different colors are possible in such a small place. The area you see is about only 1 meter across. It must be the different kinds of rocks, soil or vegetation on the ground. However, I enjoy its beauty. Just imagine the water running, bubbling and glistening in the light. Refreshing.

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Alpine Reservoir

I really like this photo, it shows brilliant colors and contrasts. And I didn't have to tweak or manipulate it, it came out of the camera that way. That's because it was such a beautiful day with bright light and a clear sky. Using my tripod helped a bit to get a crisp and sharp image.

To take the shot we had to walk/climb a small hill nearby the dam. Not many people walk up there, most are tourists who prefer to walk around the dam a bit and then sit in the small cafe to enjoy the sight and sun - which isn't a bad thing ;-)

I had no idea how beautiful a reservoir and dam can look. From now on I will take every opportunity to explore new sights at these monuments!

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