October is slowly coming to a close. And what a beautiful month it has been. I have read that it will be the warmest October ever in Germany since weather recordings started back in 1881. Fall colors are stunning this year. No reason to travel elsewhere for that, Franconia is enjoying its own Indian summer. I took the photos in this post in the woods behind the house, using my iPhone 12 Pro Max. My daily 5K walk has become my personal color rush.
One of the most important aspects of my blogging is getting in touch with people from all over this planet. Since starting the “Streets of Nuremberg” more than six years ago, I have connected with many wonderful people. One of them is Marion, a.k.a Little Miss Traveler. She runs a wonderful travel blog, the Love Travelling Blog. There she blogs passionately about her own travel diaries to provide her readers with plenty inspirations to plan their own trips to great locations. We’ve started our blogs about the same time six years ago and have been following each other pretty much from the beginning.
We’ve always talked about meeting each other in real life once the opportunity arises. And finally Little Miss Traveler made it to Nuremberg for a long weekend, accompanied by her son. The Significant Other and I met them Sunday afternoon for a joint trip to the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, and after that enjoyed some local beer and food and great talks. For some further photos of our meeting continue after the jump….
It was this kind of season – summarized in one image. Instead of being the usual Christmas City ablaze with lights, Nuremberg went through another subdued Holiday season. No Christmas markets, most public events canceled. Mask mandate everywhere and long lines in front of shops to get the mandatory vaccine certificate checked out.
Add the mostly gruesome weather of the last weeks into the equation, then you know why my trips onto the Streets of Nuremberg were rather limited in this kind of season. Below some random street shots that I captured during last Saturdays trip into town together with The Significant Other.
The last post was about my first attempt doing a pregnancy session. Capturing the joy of expecting parents. As it turned out, it was not a week too soon, because the baby eventually decided to arrive a good three weeks ahead of schedule. Here are the images from the newborn session with a baby girl not even a week old…
Occasionally I blog about me venturing outside my usual street- and travel photography. I’m always eager to step out of my photographic comfort zone and try new things. Like taking on a gig for my first ever pregnancy session. As it turned out, not a week too soon, because the baby eventually decided to arrive a good three weeks ahead of schedule. Have I mentioned that yesterday I also did the newborn session? But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, here’s first the post with the images of the expectant couple, the gear I brought along and the approach I took…
I was very much looking forward to this, shooting with a 60 year old lens. My Dad gave me a vintage 90mm Leica Summicron F/2 for Christmas (thanks, Dad, for the awesome present). The beauty of the Leica M system is that you can attach any lens from the Leica (M)esssucher (=rangefinder) system introduced back in 1954 to modern Leica digital cameras with an M-Mount. And as I have acquired a (for digital camera standards also vintage) used Leica M (Type 240) about a year ago, the 90mm is a great addition to my small collection of Leica prime lenses.
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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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!
This past weekend, the soft Autumn sun has graced Franconia, so yesterday I grabbed The Significant Other and my Leica M and headed out for a hike in the Steigerwald, a hilly region rising up to 500 meters above sea level and bordering on the valley of the River Main. The slopes down to the river are famous for their vineyards. And, this time of the year, are also famous for their colorful autumn views.
Who would have thought that Covid has some positive side effects. And I’m not talking global effects, like blue skies without contrails, clean city air and coast lines that see sea life returning. To compensate reduced occupancy due to distancing requirements, the City of Nuremberg allowed restaurants in the Old Town to put tables out on the streets combined with blocking traffic and turning streets into pop-up pedestrian zones.
On the weekend, The Significant Other and I made use of it, enjoying a dinner together with friends in an excellent French Restaurant in a beautiful alley in the Old Town below the magnificent towers of St. Sebald Church.
I took this photograph of my beautiful wife with the Leica M and the Elmarit-M F/2.8 28mm. Image specs are 1/25 sec @ f/3.4 and ISO 3200. The Leica handles the ISO quite well, the only challenge was to manually focus the rangefinder to make sure her profile is sharp. Who says a 28mm isn’t suitable for portraits? There is nothing like the smooth rendering of the Leica lenses shot wide open.
Do you have similar positive side effects from Corona? Let me know in the comments!
Another landscape image on this street photography blog, but I couldn’t help posting after seeing this explosion in the sky just about an hour ago. After a warm summer day spent working for the job that pays the bills, I had taken my convertible for a small trip around the countryside near our house. Just in case, I brought the Leica M with the Elmarit 28mm. Then I saw this amazing Cumulonimbus popping up at 9:30pm local, lit by the setting sun. I got home in time. Now, the heavy T-Storm is raging outside. More explosions in the sky….
Image specs 1/60 sec @ f/5.6 and ISO 640. RAW conversion in Lightroom Classic. I did expose for the sky and opened up the shadows of the foreground.
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