Streetphotography

Life in the Big Apple
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Red Tie |New York City | 2018

The post should be titled “Sign of Life from the Big Apple”. We’ve been roaming the streets of New York City for 5 days now. Initially I intended to blog each day, but gave up on it on day 2. Anyone surprised? The SD cards are filling up nicely now. You will get to see it eventually, promised! Also please bear with me not answering to comments or reading other people’s blogs, I will catch up on both once back home. So I will leave you just with a few street shots, as those need not much curating or processing. For a few more shots, what we saw so far and how happy I am with the gear I brought, continue after the jump… (more…)

Ready for the Easter Bunny
Easter can come

Easter can come | Nuremberg | 2018

How ’bout a small German lesson – “Ostern kann kommen” – reads this shop’s window and attracts (chocolate starved) onlookers. I personally take a good tasty Bratwurst any day over a chocolate Easter bunny. But that’s just me.

I’ve officially made it already to my long Easter weekend, but it was a rough ride the last days. But the business laptop is closed and won’t be opened until Tuesday. Never mind, the e-mails will also arrive by iPhone 😉

Photo was taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 with the Oly 12-100 F/4 Pro Zoom, image specs 1/320 at f/8 and ISO3200 (still form that infamous series), focal length was 38mm (76mm full frame equivalent).

If you still look for inspirations around photography for the Easter weekend, check out the tips in my  Learning Center .

Have a great Friday!

Marcus

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The Beauty of Spring
Springtime Bellezza

Springtime Bellezza | Nuremberg | 2018

Another nice day is in the books, spring is coming with all might. The job that pays the bills is once more demanding all my time, but a long Easter weekend is just around the corner. Time to see friends and family, time for some photography. We’ll be heading down to Austria for the weekend, then four more workdays (and the 18th birthday of my Big Boy), and the Significant Other and me will be off for a week in the Big Apple.

I’m still figuring out all the great things we want/need to do, but then again, isn’t planning the trips just as much fun as actually doing them? Equipment-wise I want to travel light, the OM-D E-M1 with the 12-100 F/4 as all-round cam/lens combo, and the PEN-F with the 17mm F/1.8 for some light street shooting. That’s all. Maybe I bring the Lensbaby Trio and/or the WALIMEX Pro 7,5mm 1:3.5 Fish-Eye, two small lenses that easily fit in the bag. That’s it. Maybe I change my mind, maybe 😉

The photo was taken with the E-M1 and the 12-100 F/4. Image specs 1/2000 sec @ f/11 and ISO 3200. Yes, also this photo was affected by me not noticing the wrong ISO setting with which  I shot all afternoon. The Olympus handles ISO well, so no big deal in this sunshine  photo.

Have a great Tuesday!

Marcus

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A Touch of Spring
Sun Walled

Sun Walled | Nuremberg | 2018

Together with the Significant Other I headed into town yesterday, where we seemingly met the rest of Nuremberg’s population, as everybody was drawn out to just a touch of spring, with the sun shining from a spotless sky and temperatures hitting almost double digits. And everyone was trying to find her or his spot in the sun.

Oranges

Oranges | Nuremberg | 2018

I brought the Olympus OM-D E-M1 with the mZuiko 12-100mm F/4 for some snapshots of the sun seekers. Oh, and just for the case I haven’t mentioned it yet on this photography blog (I know I have numerous time), don’t forget to check your camera settings before you start shooting, they might be way off from your last photographic outing.

Stupid me shot the whole afternoon with ISO 3200, which was still dialed in from me shooting the inflight Polar Lights during my return flight from Portland last weekend. No I was lucky, because the OM-D handles noise quite well and there is no issue of having a grainy look on street photographs. Best is we all put a piece of paper in your camera bags with the text “check your settings”….or better make it a habit to reset them after every outing with your camera.

Flying Coffee

Flying Coffee | Nuremberg | 2018

Spring Break

Spring Break | Nuremberg | 2018

So far it was a good weekend, with the beautiful sunny Saturday. The daughter of a very good friend married yesterday, and at least they got very decent weather for their special day, after a mostly grey and cold week. Also this morning looks promising, the sun is shining, the sky is blue, although temperatures are still way below freezing. But I hope again for the afternoon, and coffee and cake in the sun. And some more photography with the correct ISO 😉

If you still seek some tips and inspirations for your photographic outing today,  check out my free Learning Center and get inspired.

Wish you all a happy and sunny Sunday!

Marcus

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Instant Inspiration (22) – Variations on a Billboard
Illusion

Illusion | Portland | 2018

During my last transatlantic flight I watched “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”, a quite impressive movie, for which Frances McDormand deservedly won the Academy Award in the category Best Actress in a Leading Role.

“Variations on a Billboard” is the title of the 22nd episode of my “Instant Inspirations”, 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 (you can find all previous episodes in my  Learning Center“).

I saw this huge advertisement on the side of high-rise building in downtown Portland. It caught my eye in more than one aspect. Even though it is obvious, I honestly saw it only when I processed the photographs on my computer. They eye wants to see what the eye expects to see.

Then, I started to work the scene trying to capture more variants of this big billboard advertisement. My other favorites and links to previous episodes of “Instant Inspirations” you can find after the jump…. (more…)

Hockey Fans
Fans

Fans | Portland | 2018

Strolling around the Rose Quarter, a sports and entertainment district located east of downtown Portland on the banks of the Willamette River, I saw a couple of Hockey Fans waiting in front of the Memorial Coliseum. This couple caught my eyes, so I walked up to them and asked them what game they are waiting for, as Portland doesn’t have a NHL team. So they educated me about the Western Hockey League, where hockey is played by young athletes between 16 and 20 years old. The league consists of  teams coming from Canada and and the Northwestern US. The Portland based team is called the Winterhawks.

Joan and Ron told me they like the passion with what the kids play the games, that it is a very laid back atmosphere at the games that, obviously, are much more affordable to watch than the high profile NHL games.

And after a very nice conversation they happily posed for a portrait.

Today is my last workday in the Rose City, tomorrow morning I head back home via Seattle and Amsterdam. Can’t wait!

If you want to pic up your camera and are looking for tips and inspirations around photography, be sure to check out my free Learning Center.

Have a great Thursday!

Marcus

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Snacktime
Lunchbreak

Light Snack | Portland | 2018

While standing on a parking lot trying to photograph a giant mural in downtown Portland last Saturday, I couldn’t help noticing this guy leaning on his car and munching a fully loaded sandwich he had just picked up from one of the food trucks across the street.

The reason I noticed him was because he had a good loud chuckle. So after snapping the mural, I walked up to him and asked him what was so funny. He pointed to a car still trying to maneuver its way into an empty parking bay, explaining it was his buddy who is just never able to properly park the car. I just replied that to some it is given, and to some it is not. And we shared a good chuckle together.

I thought he had an interesting face, so asked him if I could take his portrait. He thought for a second, than agreed without hesitation, and threw himself into this very serious pose. I just took two shots, and immediately liked this one with the tighter framing, after checking my camera screen to see if it was sharp. We wished us a good day and went our ways.

Just one of a few nice encounters I had with the people of Portland last weekend. More to come.

The photo was taken with my Olympus OM-D E-M1 and the mZuiko 12-100 F/4 Pro Zoom. Image specs are 1/125 sec @ f/4.5 and ISO 200, 44mm focal length.

Wish you a great Wednesday!

Marcus

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A quick Sunday Movie Quiz
Passengers

Passengers | Portland | 2018

Used my free Saturday in the Rose City for some street shooting and shopping, before finishing off a relaxed outing with watching a great performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem by the Oregon Symphony in the historic Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (next to the Heathman Hotel).

Endangered Species

Endangered Species | Portland | 2018

Both photos were taken with my Olympus OM-D E-M1 and the mZuiko 12-100mm F/4. Specs of the first image was 1/125 sec @ f/4 and ISO 500, 61mm focal length, the second image was shot with 1/200 sec @ f/6.3 and ISO 200, 100mm focal range.

While browsing quickly through my images this Sunday morning I found that the combination of two of yesterday’s shots make for a great movie quiz.

Can you guess the title? Leave your answer in the comment section.

After uploading this post I will head out to the Oregon coast for some hiking on the cliffs of Cascade Head. I really need to maximize my free weekend in the Pacific Northwest. Stay tuned for some photos.

Wish you all a great Sunday!

Marcus

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Travel Day (10)
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1/125 sec @ f/2.8 and ISO 200 – 17mm focal length

After a five-week stint at home it was back to business traveling today, taking my (usual) 6am flight from Nuremberg to Amsterdam and on to Portland for two weeks of project work in the Pacific Northwest. The five-week flying hiatus meant finally a new meal menu and also a bunch of new movies to watch.

During the early morning approach to Amsterdam Schiphol I took some aerials of the frozen coastal area of the Netherlands. And connecting through AMS airport I used the opportunity for some quick street (or rather airport) shooting. For all the photos continue after the jump…

(more…)

It’s getting cold
Exhalation

Exhalation | Nuremberg | 2018

The winter is icing the Streets of Nuremberg, forecasts are calling for double digit freezing temperatures. I’ve put on my hand knitted Scottish sweater I bought 20 years ago on the Isle of Skye.

This street portrait from one of my last outings into town was taken with my PEN-F and the mZuiko 25mm F/1.8, a perfect combo for street shooting. As m4/3 has a crop factor of 2, this translates to a “Nifty Fifty”, a 50mm prime lens on a full frame sensor.

During my last trip into the city I got myself a Hoya R72 infrared filter, just to venture a bit into infrared photography. Not that is the perfect timing, as we are still a few weeks away from lush green foliage. But stay tuned for some initial results, the first images are processed in my library.

This is the great thing about photography, there are so many creative possibilities we can venture in with relatively small efforts and investments.

If you look for more inspirations and tips around photography, check out my Learning Center for a comprehensive link collection to all my posts designed to inspire and empower my readers.

Wish you all a great weekend!

Marcus

 

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