February 2012
1 post
5 tags
Plus One Collection 2011
I am very happy to announce that the Plus One Collection 2011 photo book is finally available! I was honored having the chance to contribute one photo to this great project proposed and spearheaded by Ivan Makarov.
The idea is simple:
We, a group of photographers from an online community on social network Google+ thought, hey, why not publish a photography book together? We spend a lot of...
December 2011
9 posts
2 tags
My ten favorite photos of 2011
At the end of a year I like going back and review the photos I made during the year. My goal is to pick my ten personal favorites; which can be is a hard thing to do - at least for me. I started this back in 2009 and with now three annual favorite sets it becomes an intriguing tool for documenting how my photography has changed. When I compare this year’s selection to my ten favorites of...
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Foreign Territory
Foreign Territory.
Death Valley National Park, California.
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Salt Desert
Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park is a very strange place - in a highly intriguing sort of way. It is also the lowest point in North America with an elevation of 86 meters (282 feet) below sea level.
Salt Desert.
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Dante's View
The top of the Black Mountains in Death Valley National Park offers a majestic view of the Badwater Basin below.
Dante’s View.
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Good Times.
Daylight Pass Road in Death Valley towards Beatty, NV
Good Times.
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Blue Hour
I posted already a photo from this spot in Death Valley earlier. However, the light was changing so fast that I was able to make quite a few shots that all have different feeling to them. This one is towards the end of the blue hour just before the was starting to rise.
Blue Hour at Zabriskie Point.
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Ghost town
While visiting Death Valley I also made stop at the ghost town of Rhyolite. It is located near the eastern edge of the national park. At its heyday Rhyolite had by some estimates a population of up to 5,000 during the gold rush in the early 20th century. However, once the ores were exhausted the population quickly dropped to zero again by 1920.
This photo is a long exposure shot of the John S....
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Forever.
This is a different shot from the Mesquite Dunes in Death Valley National Park.
Forever.
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A walk into the desert
I am slowly working through all the photos from the recent G+ trip to Death Valley. This shot from the Mesquite Dunes was made very early in morning. It is quite an experience walking into these dunes for about an hour in the night to find a good spot for the sun to rise. The title is inspired by the fact that I walked into a desert and forgot to take any water with me (greenhorn!). As you can...
November 2011
4 posts
5 tags
Fire And Ice
A day is ending at Badwater Basin. The second photo from the fantastic G+ meetup in Death Valley last weekend. I barely made it in time to get to this location. So there were only a few minutes left with decent light. Still I think this one turned out quite interesting.
Fire and Ice.
6 tags
Visit to Death Valley
I attended an awesome Google+ photography meetup in Death Valley National Park the weekend before last. The whole event was initiated by Thomas Hawk. He posted a great summary of this trip on his web site. It is a very worthwhile read. I had a fantastic time and met many cool and talented photographers. Lots of outstanding photos have been posted on Google+ already. They all are marked with the...
7 tags
Natural Bridges State Park
My daughter and I went to see the beautiful Monarch butterflies at the Natural Bridges State Park in Santa Cruz, CA. last weekend. Every year they return to a small sanctuary and cluster on the pines and eucalyptus trees. It’s a real feast for the eyes and I can highly recommend it to anybody.
After we had seen enough we spent some time at the close beach. My daughter had great fun...
7 tags
Campbell Water Tower
The city of Campbell, CA has a prominent and intriguing water tower I almost see every other day. For the longest time I wanted to go to the Water Tower Plaza and make a few photos. And that’s exactly what I did last weekend. When I saw the cloudy skies I originally planned long exposures but they didn’t work out; there were just too many dark ones. So I went for...
October 2011
7 posts
6 tags
As Time Crawls By
A 60 seconds exposure I made somewhere in San Jose, CA.
As Time Crawls By.
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Epoch 35
A quick shot I made in the Arrival Hall at San Francisco International Airport while I was waiting to pick up a visiting relative.
Epoch 35.
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Going back
Mary Avenue bicycle footbridge in Cupertino, CA is a wonderful structure crossing Interstate 280. I regularly drive underneath this bridge and often tell myself to go back and photograph it again. Because I went there once already and made a few nights shots back in early 2010. Some of them are still on my list of favorite local photos. You can see them here and here.
But this time I wanted to...
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I Am
I Am.
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Some things are meant to be in color
Like the title says I think some things are meant to be in color. This portrait of a Great Horned Owl is a good example. I made it during a recent visit to Alum Rock park in San Jose, CA.
Great Horned Owl.
9 tags
Enjoying the clouds
As I have mentioned in the previous post the months of boring blue skies appear to be behind us. This is the time to get out of the house and make some interesting photos. We even had some early rain and I hope this weather pattern will continue for some time.
Bold.
This a long exposure photo (121 seconds) from the HP Pavilion in San Jose using a 10 stop ND filter.
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The wait is finally over
I think it is fair to say that the wait is finally over: After many months of boring skies (only blue skies that is) clouds have finally arrived in the South Bay Area . With this “long drought” being behind us I am quite excited and sure hope to make a few interesting photos. Below is the first one of hopefully many more to come.
South Bay Rolling.
September 2011
4 posts
7 tags
Camping trip
We went on a camping trip in the Santa Cruz mountains a few weekends back. The place we visited is called Memorial County Park. It has great camp sites of which many are covered by majestic redwood trees. I can definitively recommend it for either a day visit or a camping adventure with your family or friends.
When we made it out of our tents the second morning we were greeted by some...
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A Sense of Balance
The last photo I made inside the Hearst Memorial Building during a recent photo walk at UC Berkeley.
A Sense of Balance.
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A Sense of Soleness
Another photo from inside the Hearst Memorial Building at UC Berkeley.
A Sense of Soleness.
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Another photo walk
When Google+ got started I joined very early on and it has been a great experience so far. So far I mostly use it for photography related content and it definitively has helped to increase my shooting activity level. Just last Thursday there was another photo walk set up by Thomas Hawk and Google+. Thomas posted a write-up of the event.
A Sense of Integrity.
This is a photo I made inside the...
August 2011
7 posts
5 tags
World of Roona
This is the last photo from my recent visit to Stanford University I want to share.
World of Roona.
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No-bo-dies
No-bo-dies.
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Gate to Roona
This is my second photo I made during the “massive photo walk” I attended last week at Stanford University.
Gate to Roona.
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A massive photo walk
I attended a massive photo walk set up by Trey Ratcliff, Thomas Hawk and a couple of Google+ folks such as Brian Rose in Stanford last week. I have participated in a few of those walks in the past but none of them had turnout like this. Not even close. So I think it is justified calling it “massive” - just because of the sheer number of attendees. By one count there were 183 photo...
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About a month ago
One more shot from a recent architectural excursion to downtown San Jose about a month ago.
MMM.
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A rare street shot
I am usually not much into street photography. This is one of my rare attempts which I also happen to like. And in case you’re interested: This shot was made in San Francisco, CA.
Reflection.
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W
Another shot from the Munich Airport Center (MAC).
W.
July 2011
5 posts
5 tags
A few minutes are sometimes enough
I recently was flying out from the relatively new (at least to me) Terminal B of the San Jose airport. The architecture is quite intriguing and I was glad having a few minutes available to make some quick shots before boarding started. After my return I found a few photos I am quite happy with. This is one of them.
Balance.
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And one more
Yet another shot of my on-going “Study of Light and Shapes” project. I hope it continues to be interesting?
Triangular Order.
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Study of Light and Shapes
Squared.
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Up and Down.
Up and Down.
Acer building in San Jose, CA.
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Water abstract
Fourth shot in my study of light and shapes project.
Ripples.
June 2011
8 posts
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Before you
Before You.
Bridge Bank in San Jose, California.
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Morning fog
We recently went on a brief camping trip with friends on Mount Madonna (located between Gilroy and Watsonville, California). Prior to our departure we went on an “adventure” hike with the kids to some abandoned buildings in the forest. The mood was just right with the early morning fog.
The Path.
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No time wasted
As it is guessed rather easily from previous posts I was visiting Germany back in April. Right at the end of this trip I had some time to kill at the Munich airport as we arrived somewhat early for check-in. With the completion of Terminal 2 a couple of years ago a new shopping area bridging both terminals was added as well. The Munich Airport Center offers many different ways to spend money but...
4 tags
A different view
I have posted a landscape photo with the Neresheim Abbey as the main subject earlier. After some additional hiking relishing the many great views available that day I decided to make another landscape shot but this time with a different framing. I wanted to focus more on the large canola fields with its strong yellow color contrasting with the greens of the forest and trees and the blue sky. The...
6 tags
Yet another springtime landscape
Did I mention that I really like spring in the Ries, Southern Germany? I just can’t get enough of those great primary colors.
Rieser Landschaft im Frühling, Plate 2.
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Splendid springtime
I grew up in a rural area in Southern Germany where it was (and still is) quite common to have cold and long winters. But those dark months were always followed by Spring eventually. I remember this time of the year being just wonderful there with nature getting into high gear. So when we visited our families recently I had high hopes and I was not disappointed. My memories were very accurate....
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Better get inside
We were rather fortunate to have fantastic weather almost the entire time during our recent visit to Germany. By no means can this be taken for granted in April. In the South this month is known for offering the full spectrum: Warm and sunny days, cold and cloudy days, rain, or even snow and ice. But even with a long stretch of sunny days there is always a good chance for an impressive...
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Invitation to a leisurely walk
Nördlingen is not only a beautiful town inside its city wall. Many parts of the wall are surrounded by nice parks inviting to a leisurely walk.
Walk with me.
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Not very large
Somewhere in Nördlingen, Germany.
Squeezed.
May 2011
17 posts
6 tags
2.6 km
Nördlingen is the only remaining city in Germany with a complete walkable city wall with a roofed walkway. The total length is 2.6 km (1.6 miles). It’s a very enjoyable walk with many fantastic views. I can highly recommend it.
An der Reimlinger Mauer.
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Half-timbered houses
Nördlingen is well-known for its many half-timbered houses within the city wall. I like especially this beautifully restored one because the green corner contrasts the brown very nicely.
Browne and Greene.
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Somewhere in Nördlingen
Replenishment.
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A rather expensive proposition
Nördlingen is an old beautiful city with many half-timbered houses. However, not all buildings within the city wall have been renovated yet because it’s a rather expensive proposition with a price tag up to one million Euro or even more. Still people live in those slowly decaying houses quite happily.
Hintere Gerbergasse 5.