I just returned home from a marvelous long weekend that I spend with my significant other in Austria’s “Mühlviertel”. During the trip home today we passed through the Czech Republic, visiting Unesco’s World Heritage Site in Český Krumlov (pictures are coming up). Which brings the total of visited countries in the last 7 days to 5 (Germany, Egypt, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic). And Tuesday I head back over the pond to Portland.
During last weeks business trip I actually had a free evening in Hungary’s capital Budapest, were I had the chance for 5 hours sightseeing (from 7pm to midnight). To see the photos and for a bit of history and information continue after the jump…. Continue reading “StoNur on the Road – One Night in Budapest”→
“Focus” is the theme of this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge from Word Press’ “The Daily Post”. I can meet the challenge with one of my street photos that I took just this past Tuesday evening in Budapest.
A photograph has to convey emotion, has to have heart and soul to capture the viewer’s imagination. It does not have to be technically perfect, it does not have to perfectly in focus. Sometimes, being a bit blurred can even add to the message of an image. When you look at the works of the masters of the genre, like Henri Cartier-Bresson or Elliott Erwitt, many of their iconic photographs are not technically perfect, but have an abundance of heart and soul.
This photo of kissing teenage travelers I took on Budapest’s famous Fischerbastei (Halászbástya) with the parliament building providing the background is for me such an example where the focal point of an image does not need to perfectly in focus.
I took the photo with my Olympus PEN-F with the mZuiko 14-150mm F/4.0-5.6 travel zoom, image specs are 1/10 sec at f/6.3 and ISO 1600, 63mm focal length.
Shooting with a relatively low shutter speed at 1/10 sec (due to the low evening light) my lens was not fast enough with the motions of the young couple. This is also a good example why leaving the camera in “P-Mode” makes so much sense. When you see a motive that attracts you just compose and press the shutter, without fumbling with the settings. Because capturing a possibly imperfect image that means something to you is better than no photo at all. It might not be perfectly in focus. But it can have heart and soul.
Back home from my express trip to Egypt and Hungary, all within 72 hours. What I didn’t achieve in Cairo I managed to get done in Budapest. I escaped my business duties for one evening and got to a full 5 hours of sightseeing (mostly on foot) through this magnificent imperial city, returning to the hotel way past midnight.
I brought along the Olympus PEN-F with the mZuiko 14-150mm F/4.0-5.6 travel zoom. And me and my cam had a fabulous time. I took to many photos for a quick post processing session, but I promise I’ll take you on a tour through a summer Budapest evening. After all, I have a long weekend ahead due to a public holiday here in Germany. So I leave you with this appetizer shot of the Hungarian parliament building, taking from the gardens of the former imperial palace. Image specs are 0,6 sec @ f/6,3 and ISO 200, focal length was 90mm (equals 180mm in full frame equivalent). I put the camera on a stone wall, as I didn’t bring a tripod. I just added a bit of clarity and contrast in Lightroom CC, otherwise this is out of camera.
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