This was what I carried in my Lowepro Passport Sling for a week of street- and travel-photography in Seville. Besides my Leica SL2-S and the Vario-Elmarit-SL 1:2.8/24-70 ASPH standard zoom I brought two additional primes: The TTArtisan 50mm .95 M-Mount (with a Novoflex M to L adapter) “Nifty Fifty” and as telephoto lens a vintage (Made in the GDR) Pentacon auto 2.8 / 135mm MC (with Novoflex M42 to L adapter). Add a spare battery, my cleaning kit and a few of my Street Photographer’s Business Cards. To find out which lens never made it onto the camera and why I didn’t carry a backup-body im my Seville camera bag, 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.
The Significant Other and I are drinking plenty water while roaming the streets of Sevilla, or in this case during a side-trip to Cordoba. I’m much too busy with sightseeing and photography to write long posts about the splendor of Andalucia. This will come when we’re back home. For now a quick snapshot of a thirsty dog, captured with my Leica SL2-S in the city center of Cordoba. Image specs 1/640 sec @ f/7.1, ISO 200 and 70mm focal length. The triangle between the two dogs on the leash with their owner in the middle contributes to a harmonic composition. The gesture of the dog drinking adds interest as well.
For more tips and inspirations around street photography check out my free Learning Center.
After a two and a half hour flight, The Significant Other and I safely arrived in Sevilla. What a change in weather. From snowy 1 degrees Nuremberg we arrived in sunny and summerly Southern Spain with 24 degrees. After checkin into the hotel conveniently situated in the old town near the Cathedral, we went out for some Tapas. Continuing our first walk through the alleys, we had the unexpected joy to stumble into the colorful parade of the Bolivian Street Carnival. Continue after the jump for more of this fun event…
The political correct term should be layover, rather than hangover. After all, the dictionary definition for layover is “a period of rest or waiting before a further stage in a journey.” But I’m sure, the one or other patron of this waterhole might also get himself a hangover while waiting for the connecting flight. I captured the scene at a bar in Amsterdam airport. You’ll find another shot from this perfectly illuminated “Theater of Street Photography” after the jump…
With lens in my hand, I capture sights new and strange, Memories to keep.
It’s finally Friday. And I just had to write this little travel Haiku. As tomorrow, The Significant Other and I take to the skies to fly to Spain for a week. Time to leave the never ending German winter behind for a week. The weather forecast is awesome. Camera ready, batteries charged. The Streets of Nuremberg will pay a visit to their counterparts in beautiful Seville. The captured memories will be shared on this pages.
Anyone playing with monochrome conversions in post-processing knows the pondering question: B&W or color? Like I did when looking at this shot of Ascensore Spianata Castelletto, one of the elevators that connect the base of Genoa‘s old town with the higher quarters. From the terrace next to the elevator you have a splendid view across the medieval old town out to the harbor and the Mediterranean beyond. I decided I like the monochrome version better. I think it better fits the elegance of the art deco elevator house. What do you think? Check out the color version after the jump…
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.
If you are looking for tips and inspirations around street photography you can find in my free Learning center.
Welcome to March. Technically we should have spring now. Unfortunately, it’s still winter outside. No wonder that the casual weekend shoppers head into coffee shops to warm up. Have you seen the hidden photographer? I’ve got myself a blond pony tail…
Playing with reflections is a great area of street photography. You should grab your camera (or phone) and go looking for interesting reflections yourself.
More tips and inspirations around street photography you can find in my free Learning center.
The image was taken with my iPhone 14 Pro and post-processed in Lightroom Classic.
The kids definitely had a lot of fun on the last Sunday of this year’s carnival season, with this girl playing carniball – get the pun? And deservedly so, after Covid all but eliminated the party in 2021 and 2022. These are a couple of snapshots I took in a Genoa food hall (“MOG“) the other weekend The Significant Other and I discovered by chance (a.k.a. Google Maps) when we where looking for a place to eat Sunday evening.
With the two-week holiday break behind us, The Significant Other and I returned to the jobs that pay the bills today. But we’re still fueled by the memories we made visiting with friends in the Austrian and Swiss alps and, in between, spending the first days at our new “second home” in Genoa. As decoration for our living room we decided to put up a large photo of Genoa’s historic lighthouse – La Lanterna – printed on a 47×32 inch (120×80 cm) canvas.
One of my favorite images of La Lanterna is one I took back in 2004 during a winter sunset with my first digital camera, a Minolta Dimage A1. Revisiting the image in Lightroom Classic, I realized that the quality of a 18 year old digital photograph might not be up to todays standards, and could be unsuitable for a large scale print. Thankfully, Lightroom Classic offers the possibility to upscale any image to double its original size, so I could increase resolution to a modern 5210×3840. Changing the calibration process (in the development module) from the original V1 to the current V5, I was also able to use the modern day capabilities of Lightroom to clean up the noise in the original photograph and enhance clarity and the colors. Exporting the old image to its 2023 clone, I got a clean 10,4 MB file with 300dpi, perfect for a large print.
La Lanterna, as we still see it today, was built in its current shape in 1543, replacing a previous structure on the same rock. It is the world’s third oldest lighthouse and, for more than 350 years, was also the tallest lighthouse in the world.
As mentioned in my recent post about my photographic journey of last year, I did not include my favorite photograph of 2022 in that gallery. But here it is. My fave image of last year. The one I looked at the most. The one I showed around the most. The one that means the most to me. I titled it “Room with a View”. The thing that makes it stand out for me? It is the view from our living room balcony.
Last year, The Significant Other and I realized a dream many years old. Since having lived in Genoa from 2001 to 2005, we have fantasized about one day getting us a little place there. After all, it’s only a seven hour drive from Nuremberg. Three years ago we decided to try to turn the dream into reality and actively started to search for a little apartment. The key premise was it needed to have a view of the port, the city and the sea. It took us two and a half years to find the right place, and we closed the deal in May. The needed renovations took until December. It was quite a project. Last night was the first time we slept in our little Happy Place. We made the dream reality. Now we have a room with a view. This is my favorite photograph of 2022.
Have a great start into 2023, and keep pursuing your own dreams. One day they can become reality!
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