a photographer's view to the world – a traveler's blog
This image is taken during our photographer’s roundtable in January 2010. It’s 11 years old. But I guess, it’s a symbol for this year: a vaccine is available, distribution of the vaccine hast started and the bright area in the sky is proposing a “back to normal” to come soon. Until then, keep safe!
Take care!
8 years ago! What a day. Perfect weather. Even stars above the scene!
Our monthly photographer’s roundtable led us to this closed former steel plant in the north-western Ruhr area. Instead of tearing it down, the area was converted into a park and many parts are accessible for the people. This was neither my first, nor my last visit. Unfortunately, it’s nearly a 100km drive.
Take care!
Today’s subject is inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s famous movie as I kind of felt like the main actor of the story (played by James Stewart) might have felt. No, I’m not sitting in a wheel-chair, nor I’m handicapped otherwise. But, the remaining parts have some similarities.
Last Sunday morning I was attending a personal video conference from our living room. I was sitting on the couch with my notebook standing on the coffee table in front of me. So, I was able to easily watch out of the big window when I suddenly recognized a movement in the garden. That day was already winterly: cold (around 3-4°C), a gray covered sky and it was drizzling. Very uncomfortable being outside. Fortunately, I was sitting inside.
I tried to discover, what kind of movement I recognized from the corner of my eye. It was different from the regular bird’s movements. About 20 meters away from me I saw a gray subject laying on the lawn. But, I was still unable to determine what it was. After staring a couple of seconds on the subject, I got the idea, it could be a bird of prey with its prey after a successful hunt which it now covers with its wings to hide it from greedy competitors. Hurring upstairs for getting my camera, but I was too slow. The gray patch was already gone when I returned.
But, after a couple of minutes, it flew into our apple tree for a short rest. This time my camera was ready.
Here he sits, still having the prey in the left claw. I’m not perfectly sure, what it is (was). I guess it could be an Eurasian blackbird.
Btw. the German name “Sperber” is derived from the Old High German words Sparo (sparrow) and Aar (eagle). So, we have a sparrow-eagle 😊
Btw2. The German title of the movie is “Das Fenster zum Hof” and translates to “The window to the courtyard”, which is in my opinion a better description for the movie. But, as it is Alfred’s creation he has the right to name it whatever he thinks is right.
Take care!
Yesterday, I was in Duisburg for visiting the fair “Photo & Adventure 2019”. For two days you were able to talk with people organizing photo travel trips. Several big dealers of photo equipment and a few brand stands were also set up to answer questions or give hands-on experience for cameras, lenses, tripods, filters, printers, photo paper, and much more stuff you need as a photographer. All the booths summed up to more than 150 exhibitors. One was also invented to attend some presentations on technology, image processing and / or travel destinations. There were also sold tickets to attend some workshops on different topics.
For me, this was a first time experience. In the past, I was in fear of the chaos because I know the venue. And it was, just like expected. Although I was their right for the opening, the parking ground was already overly filled. Fortunately, I got a free spot and headed to the entrance. At the info desk, I first had to clarify if I’d get permission to enter simply by showing the PDF of the online ticket, as I left the printed version accidentally at home – too far away to drive back for fetching it. But, fortunately, the scanner at the entrance was able to read the barcode right from the screen of my smartphone and I got in!
I wasn’t there for any particular reason. Just looking around, to get used to this kind of fair and compare it to photokina. It’s way smaller. The man focus is different. It’s similarly crowded, but worde to reach – at least for me.
I liked the images shown in the photo exhibitions. I also liked the supporting program: a few cosplayers acting as Jedi Knights, stormtroopers, Darth Vader and some further characters from the Star Wars saga, a troop of cheerleaders and a burlesque dancer. They all were there for entertaining the photographers and pose for some images.
Overall, it was an interesting event. But, right now, I unable to say if I’d go again.
Now, enjoy some impressions in the attached slideshow.
This image is quite old, but I still like it.
It’s taken in one of our former capitals of industrialism. Decades ago, huge steel plants, coal mines and similar factories in the montan industry gave thousands of workers an employment. But, they also destroyed the environment by polluting the air and the water.
In that time, there wasn’t much green in the cities. No parks for the kids to play. Freshly washed laundry hung up outside for getting dry, was already gray when fetched from the washing line.
These two guy playing football inside a former steel plant. The thick framing walls once were the outside of two huge coal or ore storages.
There were many changes during the last 30-40 years in our region: less factories, less pollution, less options for employment, many unemployed people and many serious problems for the governments to solve.
More of my images can…
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Last Saturday, the Global PhotoWalk organized by 500px.com took place. In many different locations local photowalks participated and all of these formed the GPW. Now, each photographer has many, many new pixels on his or her camera storage card. A small selection of my images is attached to this post as a gallery.
For an additional challenge I only have had 1 lens with me: a 35 mm prime lens for my full frame camera. No zooming, but carefully selecting the frame.
I was host of the locate photowalk in Duisburg. We walked up the bast furnace of a given up steel plant, now a park. Here you can legally visit a ‘lost place’. But, it’s not really lost, because many people visit the location regularly. But, nevertheless, it’s always interesting to see all the chances since your last visit. I was there at least 5 times during the last years. And, it’s never boring.
13 participants came with me. The youngest was a baby in her stroller. Unfortunately, the planned track was not suitable for a pushchair or stroller. So, she went on her own in park while we climbed up the blast furnace.
From the uppermost platform we have had a fantastic view over the surprisingly green environment, a part of the Ruhrgebiet where once only dust, pollution, smog and dirt were dominating the air. Despite, we only climbed up to 79m, we needed about an hour. That’s because photographers always need much of time for taking photographs, searching the right angle of view, experiencing with different focal lengths and so on. And, certainly, lot of chatting 🙂 When we returned to our starting point, we have had a pause at a beer garden for eating a piece of cake or some fries and drinking something while further taking. This lasted until the rain started. What a pity.
But, tanks to all participants.
Today’s photo is a little bit older, but has a story. When I saw a photo a few minutes ago taken be a friend on G+,this photo came up to my mind.
You know, I live south of the Ruhr area, that part of Europe, where the industrial revolution started centuries ago when a shepherd boy found coal by incident. In the middle of the last century, the mining and the steel industries went worse. Many plants and mines had to be closed for economic reasons. It was much cheaper to by coal overseas and ship them elsewhere, then digging it from the ground here in Germany. The same with steel plants.
The photo below is taken in a former steel plant. The enormous walls are the walls of the coal and ore bunkers. That plant is open to the public as a park. It’s a paradise for photographers. Every now and then I already published photos taken there (i.e. here).
When you’re in my area and want to visit that park, drop me a line.
I developed this photo in bw from the beginning, because it has, in my opinion, a distinct mood for monochrome. For this challenge I reworked it by using Tonality Pro.
This is my contribution to Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness.
Take care!
(as always: click on the photo to see them in a bigger size)
Yesterday we have had our monthly roundtable a.k.a photo walk, because we usually don’t sit around, we walk around. At a beautiful sunny afternoon and a mild evening we walked little and photographed more.
The Ruhr area is well-known as the source of the coal and steel industry for many decades. Beginnig from the 1970s the industry a downturn started. Many coal mines, coke oven plant and steelworks closed. Some of them were removed, some were turned into a museum and others were used to give home to other companies. One of the steelworks was turned into a park and gives home for leisure time. People can play games on big free grass spaces, have a barbecue, use the old coal bunkers and other parts for climbing or even walk up the former high oven and watch, where workers used to cook steel. In the evening parts of the steelworks are illuminated.
I like that park as a destination for taking photographs every now and then. As always I’m a bit upset, when seeing the huge amount of light pollution in the air. The reddish sky, instead of a blue or black, is the result of this light pollution. Light from the streets and the houses goes up in the sky and is reflected by the dirt and the moisture in the air.
I hope, you like them anyway.
Take care!
A rollercoaster for pedestrians!
Art on top of a former mine heap.
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