To everyone out there, but particularly to all the many magic people I’ve had the blessings to meet virtually during my five years blogging on the “Streets of Nuremberg”, I wish a peaceful and merry Christmas and much love and laughters together with your family and friends. And please stay safe!
Do you still need a present? Well, you need to hurry. At least when you live in Germany. Tomorrow our government will announce that it’s gonna send the whole country into a total lockdown. From early next week until at least mid January, everything apart from super markets and drug stores will be closed. The originally planned easing of curfews over the holidays is likely to be withdrawn. Is it necessary? There is no doubt about it. The intensive care units in the Nuremberg area (as all over Germany) are filled to capacity. And cases are still rising significantly. There is no alternative to the total lockdown. It will be a very, very quiet Christmas.
Today I was revisiting some old photographs from the trip to Moshi, Tanzania, that The Significant Other and I took back in early 2016. I will apply a different editing style in Lightroom Classic, which will be fun. It is amazing, how different you look at your own images after having them let marinate on your hard disk for a couple of years. There will be quite a few posts coming with photographs from this trip. As it looks I will plenty of time to play with my archive in the next weeks. Oh, and I have got all my presents. Hopefully I will be able to see all the people to hand them over.
I never did post some images I took during our last trip to a museum, at least for the foreseeable future, as all museums are closed due to the Covid lockdown. While I brought the Olympus OM-D E-M1X with the mZuiko 12-100 F/4 for the tour through the exhibitions of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, I never really got into the flow that evening, so the yield was rather limited, but there are a few shots that are worth sharing.
Another quick one from the recent snow day, showing the Imperial Castle in the snow. I love shooting into the light, be it artificial or sunlight. When used correctly, it makes for beautiful effects in your photographs. Just look at how the light from the street lamp falls on the reflecting surface of the snow. The shadows it creates add interest to the image, leading the eye into the frame to the brightest part and the massive tower behind.
The image “Castle in the Snow” was taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1X and the mZuiko 12-100 F/4. Image specs 2.5 sec @ f/4 and ISO 250. Another quick tip for shooting in the cold: keep your spare battery warm in your pocket, to have it usable in case you need it!
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Sunday late afternoon I took The Significant Other and her Mom on a walk on the Streets of Nuremberg to look at the christmas lights in the city. A perfect opportunity for some blue hour shooting.
This afternoon I pulled out some random shots from this week last year that I think I never posted. And you can clearly see what’s missing this year on the Streets of Nuremberg…
Finally Friday, with both The Significant Other and myself having had a rough week from the jobs that pay the bills. Normally, this time of the year, we would head out to our local christmas market for fried sausages and some mulled wine to wind down and prepare for the weekend. Only that the Covid-lockdown has shut the door on all public events this December.
So I decided to have an alternative xmas market, right in our back yard, just for the family. I barbecued Franconian sausages, The Wife made the dough for some bread on sticks we fried above the fire bowl. Add some hot mulled wine and a Spotify christmas music list playing from a mobile speaker. The recent snow in the garden provided the perfect backdrop. And so we had our perfect start into the weekend anyway.
Image shot with the iPhone Xs, B&W conversion in Lightroom Classic.
Have a great start into the weekend yourself! And stay safe!
“Let it snow” is a pop song from 1945, mostly played during the Christmas season, written and composed by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne. Sung by many, the probably most popular version of this song is by Dean Martin. And a most fitting song for today, December 1st 2020, as the Streets of Nuremberg are covered by the first snow of the season. How is that for a winter cliché? And now I’m dreaming of a white christmas 🙂
This photograph of half timbered houses in the Old Town below the Imperial Castle was taken with my Olympus OM-D E-M1 and the mZuiko 12-100 F/4. Image specs are 2 secs @ f/8 and ISO 250, with a focal length of 31mm (equals 62mm in full frame). Camera was on a tripod. RAW conversion and post processing in Lightroom CC
Have a great Tuesday! And keep warm and stay safe!