Month: February 2018

Weekly Photo Challenge: A Face in the Crowd

Red-haired girl rushing by

The job that pays the bills has once more sucked up all my time and energy. And starting tomorrow it is back to traveling for me. First a short trip to Brussels for a workshop, and after spending the coming weekend at home, I will head over the big Ocean again for two weeks of project work in Portland, Oregon. Can’t say that I have missed stepping on a plane in the past four weeks.

So this week’s Word Press’ Weekly Photo Challenge is kind of fitting, as it has the theme “A Face in The Crowd“. When traveling, you embed yourself in moving masses of people, mostly total ignorant of their surroundings, only focused on catching their next train, plane or bus, or waiting in lines for security checks and passport controls. So here are a few Street Photographs perfectly suited to cover this week’s challenge. For more continue after the jump…. Continue reading “Weekly Photo Challenge: A Face in the Crowd” →

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It’s getting cold

Exhalation
Exhalation | Nuremberg | 2018

The winter is icing the Streets of Nuremberg, forecasts are calling for double digit freezing temperatures. I’ve put on my hand knitted Scottish sweater I bought 20 years ago on the Isle of Skye.

This street portrait from one of my last outings into town was taken with my PEN-F and the mZuiko 25mm F/1.8, a perfect combo for street shooting. As m4/3 has a crop factor of 2, this translates to a “Nifty Fifty”, a 50mm prime lens on a full frame sensor.

During my last trip into the city I got myself a Hoya R72 infrared filter, just to venture a bit into infrared photography. Not that is the perfect timing, as we are still a few weeks away from lush green foliage. But stay tuned for some initial results, the first images are processed in my library.

This is the great thing about photography, there are so many creative possibilities we can venture in with relatively small efforts and investments.

If you look for more inspirations and tips around photography, check out my Learning Center for a comprehensive link collection to all my posts designed to inspire and empower my readers.

Wish you all a great weekend!

Marcus

 

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Experimental

Stay Interested !

Go out and experiment!

Finding your photographic style

7

Soggy outside? Shoot in an exhibition!

 

Japanese Aesthetics

Yesterday I went into downtown Nuremberg for some street shooting, but the weather was super miserable, it was snowing heavily but due to the above freezing temperatures it melted immediately into a big soggy mess. So I decided to escape the streets and took my Olympus PEN-F with the mZuiko 12-40 F/2.8 Pro Zoom into the “Neues Museum Nürnberg“, our modern architecture art museum within the historic city walls. It currently features a special exhibition “On the Art of Building a Teahouse – Excursions into Japanese Aesthetics”, a topic that fits perfectly to a fascinating book I recently read – “Wabi-sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers” by Leonard Koren. For more photos and some more information about the exhibition continue after the jump…. Continue reading “Soggy outside? Shoot in an exhibition!” →

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Friendly Retaliation

Having Fun

This is what you get sometimes when shooting strangers in the streets 🙂 But why should only the photographer have all the fun?

Taken with my Olympus PEN-F and the mZuiko 25mm F/1.8. Image specs 1/60 sec at f/2.2 and ISO 2000 (it was already much darker than it seems in the photo).

I’m seriously looking forward to the weekend, after another endless hours work week.

If you want to pic up your camera on the weekend and are looking for tips and inspirations around photography, be sure to check out my free Learning Center.

I wish you all a great weekend!

Marcus

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Street Photography Quick Tip (6)

22

10 Day Photography Challenge – Day 10

The Kids
The Kids | Nuremberg | 2018

“Another Portrait” is the last task to accomplish in Cassia Denner’s 10 Day Photography Challenge. It was a fun challenge, and made me shoot a lot outside my usual street photography arena. So this somewhat different portrait of my two kids is a nice ending to the 10 day photographic fun. Image taken with my Olympus OM-D E-M1 and the mZuiko 12-40 F/2.8 Pro Zoom, Image specs 1/25 sec @ f/2,8 and ISO 1600, focal length was 40mm.

Thanks, Cassia, for organizing the challenge, other participants are  Susan,  Gracie, Ariana, Jenna,  Arabella.

If you look for tips and inspirations around photography, be sure to also visit my free Learning Center.

Wish you all a great weekend!

Marcus

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20

10 Day Photography Challenge – Day 9

Purple Tulips
Purple Tulips | Nuremberg | 2018

For Day 9 of Cassia’s 10 Day Photography Challenge with the topic “Something Purple” I put my Lensbaby back to work, snapping this shot of purple tulips. I hope this is purple, I really have a hard time differentiating between the shades of purple and pink. Not color blind, but at least handicapped, but only for those two colors 😉

I used my Lensbaby Trio 28mm f/3.5 lens, that has a rotating head so I get three Lensbaby effects in one lens: Twist, Velvet and Sweet. It is a manual lens, so focussing on the PEN-F is via the LCD screen and with the help of the focus peaking of the Olympus camera, where the sharp pane is indicated by flickering dots.

Check out the blogs of the other challenge participants: Cassia (our host),  Susan,  Gracie, Ariana, Jenna,  Arabella

If you look for more tips and inspirations around photography, be sure to visit my free Learning Center. Take your camera, go out and create some art today!

I wish everyone a great Friday!

Marcus

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20

10 Day Photography Challenge – Day 8

Family Roots
Family Roots | Nuremberg | 2018

Day 8 of Cassia Denner’s 10 Day Photography Challenge gives us the theme “Old Photo”. So I went into my shoebox of old family photographs and pulled out some images from the late 60’s and early 70’s (you could also say “from the last millennium”) showing me as a baby with my Mom (who worked as a children’s nurse, just as my Big Girl is doing now), my Dad as a singer in a band, me as a flower boy at my uncle’s and aunt’s wedding,  me on the arms of my Grandma and me holding my little sister.

Sorting through those old photographs, holding real paper prints in my hands, enjoying those memories associated, I wonder how looking at old images will be when my kids have reached my age. With all those recent family memories that slumber in the digital graveyards called a hard disc or even in more lofty places like the cloud. So in thirty years down the road, will we have a digital shoebox implanted on a microchip under our skin, and we can conjure images through a neural interface in our brains? Who knows, now that Elon Musk’s Tesla is orbiting our planet 😉

Talking about family photos and memories, I’m in the process of creating many new ones, as we are in the middle of the birthday celebrations for Big Girl (turning 20 yesterday) and The Significant Other (turning 50 today). All my love and best wishes to my two girls 🙂

Check out the blogs of the other challenge participants: Cassia (our host),  Susan,  Gracie, Ariana, Jenna,  Arabella

Have a great Thursday!

Marcus

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31

10 Day Photography Challenge – Day 7

Air Art

Day 7 of Cassia Denner’s 10 Day Photography Challenge is something for the visual artist in me. The theme is “Art”. Instead of taking a photograph of a piece of art I decided to enter some art created by myself with my camera (Ricoh GR II) for this challenge. I’m not sure if anyone else considers these images of being “artsy”, but I like it and already envision it printed on acrylic glass on my living room wall (if cleared by The Significant Other of course). Do you have any idea what this might be? Try yourself in the comment section 😉

Air Art

Air Art

Air Art IV

Check out the blogs of the other participants: Cassia (our host),  Susan,  Gracie, Ariana, Jenna,  Arabella.

If you look for more tips and inspirations around photography, be sure to visit my free Learning Center. Take your camera, go out and create some art today!

Have a great Wednesday!

Marcus

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34

10 Day Photography Challenge – Day 6

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Dress Dreams |2018

“A Dress” is the task for Day 6 of Cassia’s 10 Day Photography Challenge. Now, this is not exactly a guy’s topic ;-), in a sense that I throw myself into a dress and take a selfie. Although I probably could, as we are approaching the culmination of carnival season here in Germany. But then again, I’m not a carnival guy. And the Significant Other is not big on dresses, so no chance for an impromptu high fashion photo shooting.

So what does a guy street photographer do? He looks for a storefront that features dresses, blends into the background and waits for magic things to happen. I took this photo with my Olympus O-MD E-M1 and the 14-150mm F/4-5.6 travel zoom. Image specs 1/200 sec @ f/5,6 and ISO 150, focal length was 90mm (180mm full frame equivalent).

Check out the blogs of the other participants: Cassia (our host),  Susan,  Gracie, Ariana, Jenna,  Arabella

If you look for more tips and inspirations around photography, be sure to visit my free Learning Center.

Have a great Tuesday!

Marcus

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Look at me!

18

10 Day Photography Challenge – Day 5

Buy books not gear!

We are on to Day 5 of Cassia Denner’s 10 Day Photography Challenge, with today’s theme being “Something I bought”. I have to admit I had no time to be overly creative today, with the job that pays the bills kept my away from my camera all day. But I decided to enter this quick iPhone shot of one of my photo book shelfs, together with a little message that is important to me.

No new camera will make you a better photographer. It might increase your motivation to go out shoot more for a little while, bring out a temporary boost in creativity, but eventually the thrill of the new gear will wear off. It always does.

Studying the work of the masters will make you a better photographer. Also studying the theoretical and technical aspects of photography.  There is so much to learn and understand about photography.  I’ve bought many pieces of gear that I rarely use, but I  have never regretted investing in photography books. It just is an enriching experience to sit with a photography book and a good cup of coffee, study and reflect on it.

Thinking about this Day 5 task also inspires me to compile a list of my photography books I own and treasure.  I just need a bit time to do it. So look for it on the Streets of Nuremberg and in my free Learning Center, where you find all my tips and inspirations around photography.

Have a great week!

Marcus

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18

10 Day Photography Challenge – Day 4

Espresso Cups
Weekend Espresso

Day 4 of Cassia Denner’s 10 Day Photography Challenge carries the theme “Coffee”. Which is good…Coffee…Sunday….you get my point?  I need to add a second coffee related photo though, as the “Streets of Nuremberg” have their own coffee mug 🙂 .

Check out the blogs of the other participants: Cassia (our host),  Susan,  Gracie, Ariana, Jenna,  Arabella

After returning from my 3 day trip to the Pacific Northwest I’m really enjoying a downtime Sunday with the family….plenty of coffee, music, legs up….the night will be short, as I will be watching the Super Bowl, the game starting 30 minutes past midnight here in Germany. Let’s see if I will make it to bed at all 🙂  The Big Boy is organizing some hot chicken wings, beer is in the fridge…life is good 🙂

Streets of Nuremberg Coffee Mugs
Streets of Nuremberg Coffee Mugs

I wish you all a great Super Sunday!

Marcus

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38

10 Day Photography Challenge – Day 3

Intensity
Intensity | Portland | 2018

Frequent readers know that when I participate to photography challenges on WordPress, I try to enter street photography images to match the theme. Day 3 of of Cassia Denner’s 10 Day Photography Challenge calls for a photograph with “An Instrument”.

Good that I ran across this street musician in Portland to get my image for today. The total intensity of his performance was mind-blowing, and I tried to capture it in this shot I took with my Olympus PEN-F with the 14-150mm F/4-5.6 travel zoom. Image specs 1/80 sec @ f/5,6 and ISO 1600, focal length was 150mm (equals 300mm in full frame equivalent).

Check out the blogs of the other participants: Cassia (our host),  Susan,  Gracie, Ariana, Jenna,  Arabella

I’m back on the ground in Nuremberg, and look very much forward to a four week stint at home before returning to the Pacific Northwest.

Be sure to check out my free Learning Center, if you also look for tips and inspirations around photography.

Wish you all a great and relaxed weekend!

Marcus

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