On December 3 I started my new job. As I spend quite some time on the train, most of the pictures I’ve taken the past couple of weeks have been with an iOS device on the train.
In Halle
Passing trains
In Brussels-Nord
Near Halle
In the train
Almost empty
Writing christmas cards on a shaky train. Brave.
All Saints’ Day is typically a holiday in Belgium and this year this amounted to an extended weekend. My family and I decided to take this time to go to Barcelona. Having heard about this city from so many different people, I flew in with high expectations.
For sure the unseasonably warm weather played a role in my experience of the city, but the first day I was actually overwhelmed by Barcelona. The light had a warm glow, the people seemed interesting and the backdrop was often breathtaking. The next two days I felt a sense of calm belonging, similar to the feeling I get when I listen to Peter Gabriel’s song Solsbury Hill. I think it is this feeling that led me to take much more pictures than usual. Below you can find a selection (all taken with the Zeiss 35mm 1.4).
I am aware that I usually post too many pictures and that stricter editing is in order. Instead of doing this, however, I choose to first list the stronger ones (i.e. pictures that tell a story by themselves) after which I list the ones that together show more of the atmosphere. I hope you will like them!
First up, the stronger ones.
Portaits on the Ramblas
Asleep near the sea
Family?
Inversely covered
The digital age in Park Güell
Street artists on a break near La Sagrada Familia
Next are the ones that portray more of a mood than a story.
Tunnels of sun
Difficult smile in harsh light
On the beach on November 2
Boredom on the steps of a 700 year old church
La Sagrada Familia (Spanish for under construction)
A tower to God, for two newlyweds
Curiosity behind each corner
Catholicism
I am currently on a city trip to Barcelona. Unfortunately, I have forgotten my usb cable and therefore I cannot transfer the pictures from my camera to a laptop. This forces me to publish my first blogpost with iphone pictures, but I am rather happy with the results!
As undoubtedly many with me, I’m a huge fan of autumn. Nature’s decay can be stunning. At the same time, it has a melancholic appeal, as its beauty decreases day by day. I find this a perfect setting for photographing people, especially with the superb Zeiss 35mm F1.4 distagon lens.
Circle of life
Autumn people
Treeline climber
Barefoot tree climber
Zero degrees of separation
Late Sunday snack
Lenses with a single focal length (the non-zooms) are preferred by me. They make me think more about the composition. The focal length I use most is the 35mm. It allows to take (environmental) portraits, group shots and pictures where multiple things are going on at the same time. It is no coincidence that this lens is also a Zeiss lens. Just look at the color and the lack of distortion. They are manual focus, which means you have to work a bit harder and anticipate, but I think they are well worth this effort.
The photographs below are taken this afternoon using the Zeiss 35mm F1.4 Distagon ZE. Click them for a larger version.
Here are a few photographs of our recent extended weekend in Oostende.
I mainly used the Canon 50mm and my two Zeiss lenses, the 35mm F1.4 and the 100mm F2. These three produce all the colors, contrast and sharpness I could ever want in my pictures.
As always, click on a picture to see a larger version.
Today we visited Banff National Park. After visiting Seattle and Vancouver, being surrounded by nature is a very welcome experience. First there was the (early bird special) canoe on Lake Louise. It’s a super nice thing to do because of the calmness, the quiet and the screamingly turquoise water. Next up was a scenic drive in the Jasper NP direction (which we can’t visit itself because of time constraints) and in the evening we did a walk around Lake Louise again.
Tomorrow we’ll head for Banff the village. Then the trip goes to Glacier National Park in the States again. We’re looking forward to it.
Below are some pictures of our day. They’re in black and white to reserve something for our friends and families when we’re back home. Afterwards, the full color pictures are bound to end up on this site and on flickr.
Well look who’s here …
Hi. I know it’s been a while. I’ve been busy, you know.
What’s been keeping you busy?
Finishing a PhD and stuff. While it may have seemed as I have given up on photography (and I must confess that my shooting count during November-May has been historically low), I’m happy to return to this blog and to photography.
So are you all talk, or can you back it up with some pictures?
As a matter of fact, I’m currently on a road trip with my wife. The pictures you can see below. We’ve been to Seattle for a couple of days, went killer-whale-watching in Bellingham and are currently in Vancouver. You know, they say Seattle is like a beautiful city that’s sick all the time, but …
Says who?
Can’t remember. But actually, what I wanted to say before you cut me off, is that if Seattle has a permanent cold, Vancouver, where we are now, seems to be having the flu.The weather there is just plain awful. And that’s too bad since we had high expectations coming here. Moreover, the weather stays like this for the foreseeable future.
You know that it’s important to manage expectations. Especially on a road trip.
Funny that you of all media should say that.
How come?
Well, you expected me to post weekly on this blog, even though I obviously had more pressing priorities.
… Point taken. Now just show those pictures already.
“Solitude produces originality, bold and astonishing beauty, poetry. But solitude also produces perverseness, the disproportianate, the absurd and the forbidden.” – Thomas Mann
Photos: click for larger sample
Experimenting with the 6x17 format
Regular 2x3 format
Experimenting with 4x5 format
Experimenting with 6x17 format
Failure to fall within the 6x17 format
Experimenting with 6x17 format
Regular 2x3 format
Regular 2x3 format
