wanderlust

First and Last
Sunrise Rainbow | 2018 | Depoe Bay

Sunrise Rainbow | 2018 | Depoe Bay

My Saturday spent at the coast of the great Pacific Ocean wasn’t all that bad. There was magic in the early morning, and there was magic at the end of the day. It started with a magnificent rainbow, that appeared out of nowhere behind the rugged shoreline of Depoe Bay when the sun came up behind the hills. I captured it with my iPhone Xs. I did have my Olympus PEN-F with the 12-40mm F/2.8 with me, but the 12mm wasn’t wide enough to capture the rainbow in its entirety. So I reverted to my iPhone for a panoramic shot. I got lucky that I even captured a crashing wave while panning. Where there is a rainbow there is also rain. It was the first time, but not the last on this day, that I got thoroughly soaked. The early bird got really wet before getting back to the place where I was staying.

Sunset Lighthouse | 2018 | Yaquina Head

Sunset Lighthouse | 2018 | Yaquina Head

Also the last photo of the day I took with the iPhone. Image quality has become so good, that I don’t bother shooting several photos for a panoramic view with my cam and stitching them later in Lightroom. I simply use my phone with one easy pan. When taking this last photo of the day with the magic evening light behind Newport’s Yaquina Head Lighthouse, I was once more thoroughly wet, as I got caught by a passing intense shower while being down below at the tide pools below the cliffs.

I have to admit there were not too many days of my photographic career where the first and last images of the day where similar memorable. Obviously, there where plenty more photos taken during my day on the coast, but this is for another post.

Wish you a great Sunday!

Marcus

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The last sunset
1/80 sec - f/16 - ISO 640 - 40mm

Depoe Bay – Oregon | 2018 | 1/80 sec – f/16 – ISO 640 – 40mm

Okay, maybe the title is a bit exaggerated – it was only the last sunset of November. But a dramatic one for sure. After a day full of Oregon liquid sunshine and a nasty drive from Portland to the coast I just made it to Depoe Bay about 30 minutes prior to sunset. And after all that heavy rain the sky amazingly cleared for a few minutes, just as I got to the coast. I snapped away with two cameras, the OM-D E-M1 with the 40-150mm F/2.8 and the PEN-F with the 12-40mm F/2.8. With the heavy wind, plenty of salt and water in the air I was glad I had two bodies and didn’t need to change lenses in those conditions. After 15 minutes all hell broke loose with a thundershower with another downpour and hail. Before it cleared the sun was down and the last day of November was lost in a wet, dark night. For a few more photos continue after the jump… (more…)

Start of the festive season
Christmas

Christmas Season below Nuremberg’s Imperial Castle

Sitting in my office in far away Oregon, I swiped though my Instagram feed during lunch break. Somehow I was surprised to see all those images from the grand opening of the historic Nuremberg Christmas market. Being fully engulfed in my work on the other side of the world,  it completely dropped off my radar that this weekend is the start of Advent season, the four weekends prior to Christmas. And traditionally, on Friday night before the First Advent, is the festive opening of Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt, as it is called locally. And with that, the historic old town below the Imperial Castle turns on the lights of all the festive street decorations. Seeing the Instagram photos I’m feeling a bit homesick, but that comes with the job that pays the bills. At least I get to spend two days at the coast of the great Pacific Ocean, albeit with plenty of Oregon liquid sunshine forecasted, but I will make the best of it.

The photograph was taken with my Olympus PEN-F and the 12mm F/2 prime lens, image specs 1/60 sec @ f/2 and ISO 1600.

If you want to pick up your camera on the weekend and are looking for tips and inspirations around photography, visit my free Learning Center  .

Wish you a great weekend and a peaceful Christmas season.

Marcus

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In the air again
1/100 sec | f/5.4 | ISO 5000 | 63mm

1/100 sec | f/5.4 | ISO 5000 | 63mm

I’m back in the air, crossing the Northern Atlantic Ocean on my last trip to the Pacific Northwest. For this year, that is. I’m glad I’m flying directly to Portland from Amsterdam,  saving me the hustle of a connection somewhere in the US, which would have been most likely problematic, given the winter weather that has hit many parts of America in the past days. We left Amsterdam with a ninety minute delay due to the late inbound flight from NYC, but will be catching up most of the time, which will put me on the ground in Rose City around noon and in the office around 1:30pm for a good half day of work, before I will hit the pillows after another 24 hour day. But there will be some incentives on this trip, like visiting a Blazers game tomorrow night and spending the weekend on the Oregon coast.

The photograph for this post I took with my OM-D E-M5 with the 14-150mm F/4-5.6. If you look at the image specs (1/100 sec @ f/5.4 and ISO5000), you can imagine that the image was taken in less than ideal light conditions, given the high ISO I needed to dial-in in order to generate the 1/100 sec shutter speed I needed to freeze the action. Can you guess what it is? Let me know in the comments. I will eventually post the solution there…

Wish you a great Tuesday!

Marcus

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Travel Day (9)

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Rhapsody

PB170203

As I have stated many times on this blog, 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” nearly three years ago, I have connected with many wonderful people. And with some, even virtual friendships have developed over time. One of them is Rhapsody. Now living in far away Nevada, she has her roots in a small village about an hour by car from Nuremberg. We’ve been talking about meeting each other in real life for quite some time. Now that she came back to Germany to tend to family matters, we finally turned virtual plans into reality. Yesterday I drove out to pick her up and take her to nearby historic town of Schwäbisch Hall, where we did spend a splendid day together, a day full of great talks, photography, sightseeing and enjoying some local beer and food. For the photos of our trip continue after the jump…. (more…)

Travel Day (15)
Takeoff from PDX

Takeoff from PDX | 1/1000 sec – f/8 – ISO 200 – 100mm

Back home from yet another week in Portland. The week itself was uneventful and just work. But my flight back, unfortunately once more with my “favorite” airline United,  provided for another bad experience, just two weeks after my United disaster on my way to Memphis. This time all seemed perfect. Initially. Our Airbus A320 was perfectly on time, already out of the gate at PDX airport, when suddenly the captain came on and said we need to go back into the gate, as the aircraft was imbalanced due to improper loading, so they would need to unload bags from the back and put them into the front.

For sure I was happy the pilots found out while still on the ground, but then, fixing the screw up of the ground ops team cost us 45 minutes. Which is not good when my connection time in Chicago was just 55 minutes, which is already on the short side for such a big airport. I asked the flight attendant if they have any information on the connections, if they hold the plane or if we get rebooked. The answer I got was that they have no information and can’t get in touch with anyone on the ground. Comfortingly she said that they normally don’t hold planes and even try to get the international flights out on time and helpfully suggested that I could check the inflight magazine in the seat pocket for the fastest way to get from one concourse to the other. But she did offer me a red wine to help relaxing.

I had a window seat, and at least I got treated to some nice aerial views of Mount Hood, the barren landscape of Montana and of the Chicago skyline during arrival. For those photographs and how the story ended, continue after the jump…

(more…)

iPhoneography by Night
Schwäbisch Hall Market Place

Schwäbisch Hall Market Place

Lately I have been playing a lot with my iPhone 8plus, photographically that is. During a trip to the nearby historic town of Schwäbisch Hall I was taking some night shots with the iPhone, just to see what I can get out of this images when importing them into Lightroom. I have to admit the results are not that bad at all, the dynamic range is quite amazing, for a phone. For more photos continue after the jump… (more…)

StoNur on the Road – Graceland
Tribute to the King's Music

Elvis Presley’s Memphis

He was one the greatest performers of all times. He, the King of Rock and Roll. Elvis Aaron Presley, born on January 8th 1938 in Tupelo, Mississippi. His family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, when he was 13 years old.  A passionate musician from young years, Elvis Presley pioneered the rockabilly music genre, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. His first single “Heartbreak Hotel” became a number one hit in 1956. With regular appearances on TV and in radio shows, Elvis Presley quickly became the leading figure of Rock and Roll. He also started a career as actor, with his first leading role coming in “Love Me Tender” in 1958.

This was also the year he bought Graceland Mansion outside Memphis, Tennessee, the home for him and his family until his death in 1977. During his short but stellar career, he published 24 albums, 17 soundtrack albums to his films,  and he played in 33 movies.

While in Memphis last week, I had to stop by this memorable place while on my way to the airport (Graceland is just a ten minute drive from MEM airport). For all the photos and more info about the King and his house continue after the jump…. (more…)

Danger Zone
Give & Take | Memphis | 2018

Give | Memphis | 2018

No, “Danger Zone” was not a song from the King of Rock n’Roll.  But this is a photo straight from the danger zone. In multiple aspects.

I stopped by Graceland on my way to Memphis Airport. I intended it as a bit of time filler before my return flight, as the mansion is just a ten minute drive from the rental car return. After all, the Significant Other and I have visited before, although we’re not on the same page what year exactly, but both suspecting it was in the very early 90’s. So I figured a quick tour would bring back the memories into the digital age.

Getting in was not all that difficult, no line, a quick tour of the house where Elvis and his family lived from 1958 until his much too early passing in 1977. It was so wonderful retro (I have a post about it coming up). The thing is, they have built a huge Elvis Experience Park across the street. Plenty of dedicated expositions showing his car and motorcycle collection, memorabilia from his stint with the US military in Germany, an area about his acting career and another about his music, with plenty of multimedia content and artifacts. I totally lost my time, so much I enjoyed this new part of the Graceland experience that wasn’t there when we first visited. Which is not a good thing if you have to catch a plane – and gas up the car before returning it – and buy a Powerball ticket (no, we didn’t win the jackpot).

Something else probably sensing some looming danger was the big Olympus in my backpack. It got to tour Graceland. But it didn’t make it out of the bag, as the iPhone was handling all shooting duties. And it did just fine. Wait for the post.

And by the way – “Danger Zone” was a song performed by Kenny Loggins in the movie “Top Gun”.

Wish you a great start into the week!

Marcus

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Rainy Sunday
Black & White

Black & White

Back home from Memphis I found that whatever was left from an amazing summer in Germany has left. It was raining all day with temperatures close to freezing.

The best thing to do? Meeting up with old friends. Instead of a planned hike we escaped into a well-known art gallery. A perfect place for street photography on a rainy day, unless you want to go for the first puddle shooting of the wet season.

Although I had my E-M1 in the backpack, I left in the locker and shot with my iPhone 8 plus. Which is perfectly suitable for street photography.  And in a gallery environment, it even has its advantages. Other visitors tend to totally ignore you when you shoot with a phone. They don’t even bother walking out of the frame. This would have been a different story if I have had the E-M1 with the rather large 12-100mm in my hand. For more photos from my gallery shooting continue after the jump… (more…)