A German Sunset
July is upon us and with it the time for glorious, fiery summer sunsets. In the colors black, red and gold. The colors of the German flag.
And the start of July treated us German soccer fans to two international titles. First the Under 21 national squad won the European title by defeating Spain 1:0 in the finals. And tonight our National Team won the Confederations Cup in St. Petersburg with a 1:0 win over Chile. And this with a B-squad, as the key players from the 2014 World Cup Winner were given the summer off to get the needed rest before the pending start of the new European soccer season that will be capped with the World Cup 2018 in Russia next summer.
The two victories give is plenty hope we can defend our title next summer.
Image specs are 1/3200 sec @ f/7,1 and ISO 400. The short exposure time ensure the rendering of the landscape as a black silhouette.
Have a great July!
Marcus
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What I saw but not saw
I have spent last night in Paris. Due to a late flight in I landed in Charles de Gaulle after midnight. Took a Taxi to a hotel in Velizy, arrived there 1am in the night. Breakfast at 7am, shuttle to the office, management meeting, employee town hall, quick sandwich lunch, back in a taxi and off to the airport. My day in Paris (actually it was 15 hours). Business travel reality. But while crossing the city on the way back to CDG I saw the Eiffel Tower and the bridges crossing the Seine. It put a smile on my face, and I fondly remembered the (photographically) better days I had in the city of love on previous business and family trips. And it felt good to be back in Paris, even for a few hours. So sitting in another hotel somewhere in the Black Forest (back in Germany but not home) I did a quick trip back into my archive that I always carry with me on a portable drive. To see in more detail what I only briefly and from a distance saw today in reality. Eiffel Tower, Pont Alexandre III and Hotel des Invalides.
I hope you had a good start into the new week!
Marcus
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Rest Day
I arrived back home from the Pacific Northwest last evening. I’m flying out for another 4 days / 4 countries trip tonight.
In between there is a good day of…doing nothing. Like lying in a green summer meadow full of flowers. Gazing into infinity.
Image specs are 1/500 sec @ f/5.6 and ISO 500. To get this kind of effects use a zoom lens at its far end of the focal range (in this case 150mm in m4/3, equivalent to 300mm in full frame). Focus on a flower behind the first layers of grass and flowers.
For more photography tips and inspirations visit my Learning Center.
Wish everyone a blessed and relaxed Sunday!
Marcus
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Keep Portland Weird
After a six week hiatus I was back in Rose City this week. And amazingly, the weather matched the season, with some beautiful and warm summer days. Despite a fully loaded schedule I managed a small photowalk last evening, just taking my tiny Ricoh GR II that I had brought for this trip and doing a bit of walking through a mild Portland summer evening. I was looking for the famous “Keep Portland Weird” sign that I haven’t seen before, and that set the tone for the rest of my walk. For some more “weird” photographs from PDX continue after the jump… Continue reading “Keep Portland Weird”
Weekly Photo Challenge: Transient
This week’s Weekly Photo Challenge has the theme “Transient”. Sure I have photos of driftwood, of a poppy bud the moment it pops open. But then I thought that Street Photography is all about capturing transient moments of life. Attempts to preserve a short, fleeting moment of life, with all its stories behind. Each of these situations is fully unique, a snapshot of life that will never happen again, a moment in time as we and the ones we photograph wander through our lives. For my selection of images from transient moments continue after the jump…. Continue reading “Weekly Photo Challenge: Transient”
Instant Inspiration (19) – Tell your day in two photos
“Instant Inspiration” is my series for you if you feel you suffer from “Photographer’s Block” or simply want to shoot something that you have never tried. Or at least not recently. Read the posts, become inspired, take your camera, head out and have fun!
Episode 19 should inspire you to describe your day’s content with just two photos.
The idea to this inspiration came to me while on my “usual” Delta flight from Amsterdam to Portland. “Usual” ? Well, despite having not travelled to Rose City in the past six weeks, this is already my tenth business trip to the USA this year, and we are not even at the half year mark. And in addition to this trip there will be minimum two more travels to PDX before my summer vacation. And I really like being in the USA. Since my days as an exchange student in Pennsylvania some 33 years ago, I consider the USA my adopted second home country. I have been here countless times for travel and on business. And I liked each and every trip.
The thing is, this short trip is packed full of “road work”. I have meetings lined up from the moment of arrival until I step back on the plane for the return flight Friday afternoon. No time for photography this time. But thankfully there is the archive (I took the two photos during one of my last trips to Portland).
So how does your day look like? Try to capture it in two photos. Take your camera (or phone) and be creative! I’d love to see your photos – post a link in the comment section.
For all other episodes of my instant inspiration and many more photography tips visit my Learning Center
Have a good week!
Marcus
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Focus
“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.
Have a great Friday!
Marcus
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Budapetizer
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.
If you haven’t done so, checkout my new Learning Center for a collection of free tips and inspirations around photography.
Wish you all a great Thursday!
Marcus
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StoNur on the Road – Georgia Aquarium
Today was a very warm summer day in Nuremberg. We had a great family barbecue and a good time. With this evening a six week stretch where I slept in my own bed comes to an end. Its back to travel days. I will leave for Egypt tomorrow to spend a good 24 hours in Cairo for some meetings, then fly via Vienna too Budapest for another day of meetings. Then I return to Nuremberg for a few days, then it’s back to the pacific Northwest the week after. Back to the usual life on the road. Both Cairo and Budapest forecast 30 degrees celsius and more. Wouldn’t a dip in cold Ocean waters be the thing to do on hot summer days like these? I invite you to join me for some underwater shots I took in Atlanta’s Georgia Aquarium a few years back. For more photos continue after the jump…. Continue reading “StoNur on the Road – Georgia Aquarium”
Weekly Photo Challenge: Order
This weeks Weekly Photo Challenge from Word Press’ “The Daily Post” has the theme “Order”. Here are a few of my images that represent my various takes on the theme. To see them all continue after the jump…. Continue reading “Weekly Photo Challenge: Order”
The End is Near
No, don’t get me wrong, I’m not referring to the end of the world, just to the end of a summer day at the beach of Camogli on the Italian Riviera.
As a series of thunderstorms passed overhead Nuremberg today, I thought I post this one from the archives.
Camogli is an Italian beach paradise in Liguria, just a few miles east of Genoa, and just over the hill from Portofino, which was subject to yesterday’s post.
The photo was shot with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 with the mZuiko 14-150mm F/4.0-5.6 travel zoom. The RAW was shot at 1/320 sec f/9 and ISO200 at the wide end of the focal range. I converted the RAW (that actually looked quite dull) to B&W in Lightroom. I opened up the shadows, increased clarity, played with graduation curves and increased the reds and oranges in the image, bringing out the detail in the buildings. To finish of I sharpened the image, introduced a bit of grain and added a vignette.
If you are looking for tips and inspirations around photography, visit the Leaning Center of this blog, by clicking on the link. It is also accessible from the top menu.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Marcus
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