Lens-Artists Photo Challange 118: “communication”

LAPC is hosted this week by a guest host again: Biasini. She asks for our understanding of “communication”.

The first thing coming to my mind is the famous statement by the was an Austrian-American family therapist, psychologist, communication theorist, and philosopher Paul Watzlawick. He said, “you can not not communicate”. It’s not a typo doubling the word “not”.  It’s simple. Whenever people come together they communicate. They communicate by their clothing, posture, mimic, and gesture – the body language.

Besides direct (oral or body language) communication between humans, we also have signs, i.e. traffic signs, lighthouses, writings, and so on.

Take care!

Lens-Artists Photo Challange 117: “A Photo Walk”

LAPC is hosted this week by Amy and she asks for images of a photowalk.

At least, once a month I go on a photowalk. That our monthly photographer’s roundtable. It’s always fun: walk, talk, take photos, and discuss the results afterward online.

These images are taking during my last photowalk two weeks ago. I had to take care of my grand-son that day and took him to the hills above the town. Our goal was a visit to the deer enclosure, a round trip of about 3 km or so. From the parking ground, our path first led us through the fields where we saw corn, apples, horses, and cows. Next, we entered the forest to reach the enclosure, soon. We also passed an area, where the lumbermen cut many trees and prepared them for transport. Many things for such a young guy to discover. Finally, we reached the enclosure. Unfortunately, only one deer was visible. The enclosure is big enough to offer a lot of hides to the animals. So, we only saw one. Fortunately, the little guy wasn’t disappointed and walked back with me willingly. Btw. yesterday, he turned 4!

Take care!

500px Global PhotoWalk 2016

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.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

500px Red Bull Photography Global Photo Walk

Join me for the 4th annual 500px Red Bull Photography Global Photo Walk on September 17, 2016! A German version of this invitation is also available in on my other blog.

This is your chance to get out and meet fellow photographers in your community who share your passion. You’ll share tips and tricks, make new friends, and of course – capture some inspiring images.

The theme of this year’s walk is “Action and Adventure.” Put on your walking, running, cycling (for this location probably not the best choice), or hiking shoes and capture the energy, motion, excitement, and movement of today’s fast-paced places and people.

We’re visiting a very exciting location in the north-western part of the Ruhrgebiet / Ruhr-Area: a former steel plant. Because of the location, this event is not only for Germans. The borders of the Netherlands and Belgium are not far away and even someone from northern France can make it here.

Instead of removing the buildings after closure of the factory, the area was transformed into a park and opened for the public. Now, you can watch, how nature reconquers the area. So, each visit gives you new angels of view, different subjects of interest and certainly different subjects to photograph. You can even climb up the blast furnace. On your way up, you can capture many interesting details and you have a fantastic sight from the top to the surrounding landscape.

No need to be a pro to attend! Grab whatever camera you have (DSLR, mobile phone, point-and-shoot) and join in the fun!

Note: You must register for a free ticket on Eventbrite to attend this event – click “Tickets Available” section, above, to register.

Consider joining the event page on Facebook, too, to get some more information during the next weeks.

Have fun!

photowalk on a beautiful pre-sommer day

Yesterday, I attended our monthly photographers roundtable. I guess, I already mentioned, this is more like a photowalk, than sitting somewhere and discussing photo related topics.

This time we were on a small hike (3 hours) through the valley of the river Düssel, not far from the place, where the fossils of the homo neanderthalensis were found in 1856. Today, this valley is also called Neanderthal (Neander Valley). Now, you can find a museum here and some other places donated to the times, when homo neanderthalensis was alive: the ice age. Kids can learn in workshops, how to make fire, spear, bow and arrow. They can even learn how people used to hunt during ice age.

I don’t want to bore you with all these details. Instead, I want to show you some impressions from the nature and the animals, homo neanderthalensis has hunted: the european bison or wisent and the aurochs. While wisents are still around in some eastern parts of Europe, the aurochs is assumed to be lost in the beginning of the 17th century. But, in the early 20th century, the brothers Heck, zoo directors in Berlin and Munich, tried successfully to breed the aurochs back from the common cattle. So, these animals aren’t real aurochs, but heck cattle. Over the years, the heck cattle became more and more look-alike to the ancient aurochs. A small herd of about 30 animals lives here and you can go and see them. I recommend bringing field glasses, just in case they are not near the fence.

Take care!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Monthly photographers roundtable

Yesterday I met with some other photographers for our monthly roundtable. You know, it’s not literally a roundtable for sitting and chatting, but walking and taking photographs.

This time we were in a valley nearby. The valley proposed several remains from the industrial revolution, back in the 18th and 19th century. We expected to see some of the old grinding shops, groundwood mills and knife forges. But, we only found creeks, ponds, forest and signs, telling what kind of workshop once was in that place. Once, more then 10 of these workshops were beside those creeks. Nevertheless, we have had a wonderful afternoon: November 1st and t-shirt weather, what a surprise.

So, instead of showing some industry culture, I’m able to show some autumn photos from one of our local forests.

Enjoy and
take care!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

photographers monthly roundtable

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!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.