It’s been super busy these past weeks, mainly due to the job that pays the bills. Not much time to take a camera for a spin, and neither time to write about it on these pages. But with things slowly getting back to normal, let me share the results of some recent photographic outings I managed to squeeze in none less. Like these couple of black & white images from a day trip to Pisa’s Piazza dei Miracoli we did the other week while spending time at our “south” home in Genoa. Continue after the jump for some history and photographs of this 13th century marble magic …
Seville explored – Real Alcázar introduces you to the Royal Palace of Seville, Spain. The palace was originally constructed as a fortress during the 10th century by the Moors and has since been expanded and modified by various rulers and monarchs. An UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is considered one of the most important cultural landmarks in Spain. It has been used as a filming location for several movies and TV shows, including “Game of Thrones,” which featured the palace as the setting for the Water Gardens of Dorne. For its history and more photographs of its splendor, continue after the jump…
Seville explored – Setas de Sevilla (Mushrooms of Seville) is yet another post about a stunning architectural masterpiece located in the heart of Seville, Spain. Only this time, it is a rather modern structure. Also known as “Metropol Parasol”, it supposedly is the largest wooden structure in the world. Located at La Encarnación square in the old quarter of Seville, it was designed by the German architect Jürgen Mayer and completed in April 2011. For more about the Setas’ history and some more photographs, continue after the jump….
I’ve received quite a few comments why I’ve been using my iPhone 14 Pro a lot lately, and not the Leica. Well, for one, because it has a great camera and a sensor that captures awesome images, and it is the camera that is always with me. But make no mistake. An iPhone (or any other modern “camera-phone”) will (at least with today’s technology), never be able to compete with a full frame sensor. When walking the streets of Seville I carry the iPhone and the SL2-S. And there are scenes like the one in the title image where I know it was worth lugging a 2 kilo camera/lens combo around. To capture the full tonal range of this magnificent building. And a sunburst to go with it. That’s what an iPhone can’t do.
Here’s another street photograph using reflections to capture the viewer’s attention. Two passersby become three under the watchful eyes of Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of America. The legendary seafarer was born in Genoa around 1451.
His monument, built in 1862, is located in the Piazza Acquaverde in Genoa, directly next to the main train station, Stazione Principe. The statue of Colombo stands on top of a large marble pedestal, his left hand rests on an anchor while his right is on the shoulder of a figure of America typified by a kneeling Indian maiden holding a cross in the right hand. At each of the four corners of the base stands a smaller square pedestal, on each of which is a seated statue, representing Piety, Science, Constancy and Prudence.
In recent years, the Columbus Memorial has been the subject of controversy, as some people have criticized Columbus for his treatment of the indigenous peoples he encountered in the Americas. There have been discussions to remove the monument, but it remains a prominent landmark in the city of Genoa.
The image was taken with my iPhone 14 Pro and post-processed in Lightroom Classic.
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In yesterday’s posts I left you with a small riddle, asking whether anyone would recognize the building were I shot the abstract fine-art architectural shots. While no-one came up with the right solution (Oculus – World Trade Center Station in New York City), a few readers correctly recognized the work of architect Santiago Calatrava. Today, continuing my series “NYC Experience” from our trip to the Big Apple in 2018, I show you a bit more of the outside and interior of this new iconic NCY landmark.
Put me in a building with interesting architecture and light, and I feel like a child in a sandbox. Using my camera as my little shovel. Playing with light and lines…
Chances are that you are sick and tired of hearing about polling these days. But I have another one for you – a preset poll. I’ve been playing around with Lightroom putting together some new presets.
Sometimes it is important to revisit your work. This image from The Significant Other climbing up the staircase of Nuremberg’s Schauspielhaus I posted already back in early 2019. While putting together our photographic yearbook of 2019, I was looking again at this photograph I took with my iPhone, and it still is one my fav images from last January.
It is really fun, being home all December (which hasn’t happened the past 5 years) and having time to explore the various Christmas markets of our area, enjoy time with friends and family and really get into the holiday spirit. Together with good friends, The Significant Other and myself today traveled to Abensberg (a small town about 100km south of Nuremberg) to visit a special Christmas market.
As promised, this is the second set of images that I took during an Instawalk through the Nuremberg subway system (read part 1 here). Thanks to Igers Nürnberg and VGN for making it possible. We were allowed to bring tripods, and did shooting in stations and out of the front window of our driverless subway while traveling between stations.
A few weeks ago I did join another Instawalk organized by the admins of the Nuremberg Instagram community. This time a group of local Instagramers with their cameras and tripods toured through the Nuremberg subway system. We were properly authorized with photo permits (thanks VGN for making it possible), because normally underground photography is strictly prohibited.
