0810 - glare of the sun

setup: sony nex 7 with sel 50 f1.8 | 50mm | f2.8 | ISO100 | 1/4000 | lightroom 4.2

the first photograph of my beloved former home town hamburg on my blog. so how can i do justice to this great city?

your best bet would be to approach this step by step like the cat in today's pic moves. during a three hour walk in the afternoon i soaked up the atmosphere of the elbe town again. my impression is that things haven't changed since 2009.

the german songwriter herbert groenemeyer said someday that home isn't a place, home is a feeling. there are no words that would describe this relation in a better word.

cu, trshptr

0110 - nowhere to run

setup: sony nex 7 with sigma 30 f2.8 ex dn | 30mm | f2.8 | ISO1600 | 1/30 | lightroom 4.1

subsequent to a long travel you always have to evaluate a great many pictures. thereby sometimes a few ones attract your attention although they hadn't struck initially. today an image of a hurrying nun that is leaving the cathedral of porto venere caught my eye. in my opinion the harsh post-processing fits the moody scenery very well.

probably tomorrow or the day after a walimex / samyang / rokinon pro 8mm f2.8 fisheye lens will arrive for an extensive test during the coming days. for that reason i'm going to work especially with this very special lens  for now and according to that the next postings will be concerned with the apparently excellent little fisheye lens. i'm curious how the fisheye will match the nex 7.

cu, trshptr

1609 - katz orange

setup: sony nex 7 with sigma 30 f2.8 ex dn | 30mm | f2.8 | ISO1600 | 1/20 | lightroom 4.1

already in advance we'd decided to stop by at the berlin restaurant and bar katz orange for an extensive dinner after we'd have explored the city. the search on an internet gourmet portal listed the katz orange next to sarah wiener's restaurant which by itself is a distinction, isn't it?

the ostentatious facility of the katz orange is an old brewery in which since more than 100 years no beer isn't brewed anymore. the building is located in a backyard at the bergstraße in the district prenzlauer berg. some of the interior could have been saved during renovations. solely the public toilets are a joy to use and look at. anyhow the whole furnishing is very cosy and generates a feelgood factor. in the upper floor a bar and a library wait for the satisfied guests.

the local atmosphere is very relaxed, you can wear jeans and shirt or suit and evening gown. you almost cannot be badly dressed for this occasion. if you come before 9pm you might get a (very) personal service, the young and motivated service staff is always kind and attentive.

of course we'd read about the cuisine of the katz orange. the boss in the kitchen is a cook who had worked with an other famous former michelin-starred german chef. we had pork that was simmered for 12 hours at very low temperature: you don't need a knife to part this meat, unbelievable tender. thereto a variety of delicious garnishes was served. value for money is very good in this location although you have to calculate with 80 to 100 euros for a nice dinner for two. it's useful to make a reservation in advance.

the bottom line is that the a visit at the katz orange is a great possibility to leave all your cares behind. an explicit recommendation by me!

cu, trshptr

0709 - multiple bob

setup: sony nex 7 with sel 50 f1.8 | 50mm | f2.8 | ISO100 | 0.8s | tripod | lightroom 4.1

i necessarily need an ally! since two weeks i keep struggling with an incompetent ebay seller that has already sent me a wrong item for the second time. four weeks ago i'd ordered three simple macro tubes for my nex 7 from a chinese ebay seller with mostly good ratings for the reason that i'd like to have the option to shoot with a greater magnification if necessary.

two weeks ago i had my first rude awakening: the tubes that had been sent to me didn't fit for sony nex e-mount. some sample and evidence pics and mails later they apologised in person and promised to send me the correct article next time. this one arrived yesterday but it is anything except correct. they've really managed to send me the exactly same wrong article of their first attempt again. unbelievable.

now i have to write mails and shoot evidence pics again. really annoying. anyhow during this time sideshow bob may reside in the otherwise useless bunch of adaptors and tubes and spread fear and terror.

maybe i'm going to attach today's pic to my recent evidence mail. i think bob would be a good confederate.

cu, trshptr

0309 - orange

setup: sony nex 7 with sel 50 f1.8 | 50mm | f1.8 | ISO250 | -1.0ev | 1/80 | lightroom 4.1

while i was cleaning up my workroom today in the afternoon an empty flacon attracted my attention. every now and then tina beautifies not only our social areas but also "my private" room with useless but decorating stuff, as probably every wife in the world does. i've always liked the odour of the citron fluid in that flacon but today it unfortunately appeared empty and scentless.

till i'll have got anything appropriate to refill this nice, little bottle, a mix of rum and aperol had to satisfy for the daily pic. although this cocktail doesn't smell as good as an orange tree, it definitely looks as orange as the original fill had looked.

cu, trshptr

0308 - late night shopping

setup: sony nex 7 with sel 50 f1.8 | 50mm | f2.5 | ISO200 | 1/20 | lightroom 4.1

like i already said, the area around lake constance is characterised by agriculture, especially fruit and vegetable cultivation and the processing of these products. so you can buy regional products like apples, courgettes, grapes, cherries, cucumbers or homemade juices, vines, liquors and schnapps for little money in every store.

the most of the farms also sell their agricultural products in small self-service kiosks at the streets. of course depending on the time the offer is more or less opulent because their commodity is always fresh. in our case we've stopped at the kiosk at 10pm after we'd have dinner with friends in their favourite balkan restaurant: for that reason the number of products was limited, but you always get anything.

cu, trshptr

3007 - diversity

setup: sony nex 7 with fujian 35 f1.7 | 35mm | f1.8 | manual focus | ISO100 | 1/2500 | lightroom 4.1

step by step the great diversity finds its way also into germany. those days when immigrants had felt off-colour in good old germany are mostly gone, hopefully never to return.

mercifully the bounds between different peoples will melt intensely during the coming decades, especially in europe with its schengen convention. there are already some examples of working multicultural togetherness: above all samples the big european melting pots london and berlin show how intercultural communication has to be. of course there is right-wing radicalism in these locations, too, but fortunately during the last years the mentality of the people has changed in this way that discrimination isn't tolerated anymore at all.

today we have been in friedrichshafen at the culture festival where cross-cultural art, music, theatre, cinema and sundry other things are offered in the open air. in my opinion it is delightful that i can enjoy the presence of people of every colour, language and origin without leaving my hometown.

cu, trshptr

1807 - orange patchwork

setup: sony nex 7 with sigma 30 f2.8 ex dn | 30mm | f2.8 | ISO640 | 1/50 | lightroom 4.1

today i hadn't had the time to catch a breath before half past nine. after work i had to wash all the bicycles, three in number, and do some maintenance work on tina's mountain bike. after all i have lingered after an after work coffee latte at a branch of a well-known big junk chain for the whole evening. at half past nine tina and i had finally accomplished our object, a tall latte for me and a vanilla frappe for her.

while we were stretching our legs subsequent to the drink, i spotted the illuminated, orange wall, that seems to be composed of dozens of rectangular patches. nothing spectacular, but beautiful to look at, especially because its recurring forms and the nicely produced shadows.

cu, trshptr

1706 - silhouette of a latecomer

setup: sony nex 7 with fujian 35 f1.7 | 35mm | f1.8 | manual focus | ISO100 | 1/1600 | lightroom 4.1

today a rather usual business day was followed by a great bicycling tour with my mate andi. after that when i'd finished personal care and eating it was already eight o'clock. at the moment i have only little interest in television - the program is simply awful. it's about time that the olympic games start, so that there would be at least one reason to switch the tube on.

because the opening ceremony will be broadcasted not before next friday evening, i used this chance for a photo walk. the sun was already setting when i reached the fields in the south of my village. unbelievable how fast everything changes these days.

only a few creatures are stunted, like the slim sunflower whose illuminated silhouette traces the shape of a young plant that actually had to be a good deal bigger. don't worry, little flower, the sun will assist you with your growth like it had done today evening.

cu, trshptr

1607 - plump vs. lean

setup: sony nex 7 with sel 50 f1.8 | 50mm | f8.0 | ISO100 | 1/640 | lightroom 4.1

during the last few weeks i've begun to be satisfied with the technical implementation of my pics. slowly but steady i have a handle on my nex 7, i do not have to think about its operation anymore. conversely i'm really impatient of a few of my daily pic ideas or/and the composition of these images. precisely because there is a lack of interesting photography opportunities in the area around lake constance - besides the often shown and captured idyllic scenes - the collocation of a well composed image has to be reconsidered again and again. as from now i want to take into account all factors: concentrate on the full details, compose a statement and affect the viewers, if possible.

let me begin in a small way: some parts of our societies discriminate against people, that are plump or lean. the most people do not have the balls to voice this, what makes them appear even more ridiculous. fortunately there is a lid for every pot, as you can see in the image above. everybody has to have the right to exist regardless whether he, she or it is thin or fat, black or white, tall or small.

my story may seem quite a stretch, sorry, but this is what i've thought when i spotted the scene today in the afternoon in markdorf. cultivated coexistence, nothing else matters! no fence between the individuals, no podium for anybody, because there is no right or wrong. so as you can see the composition of today's pic is still not perfect, but the architectural circumstances were set... ;)

cu, trshptr