the biggest advantage of joining your girl with shopping is the fact that you can finally read all the stuff you have kicked down the road all the time. alternatively you can observe and track other husbands while doing exactly this, right?
refuse?
not everyone lives the life from which i'd showed snippets yesterday. hard contrasts, once again. stiff subject...
lisbon life
as promised i'm coming back to my perception of yesterday's, detailed image. it's common that colour is a central design medium in southern europe. one and even f.e. the portuguese themselves might accept that their cities can be characterised by organised mess. additionally, as i already mentioned a few postings back, the many and apparently never disappearing building sites take the same line and produce lots of textures, spread all over the city, marking the historic cityscape. moreover very special circumstances - like narrow and steep alleys - can make for hard contrasts that amplify all the effects and highlight the different peculiarities, i've listed so far.
last but not least only people provide vitality and link all the characteristic elements to an authentic system. for that reason i dedicate today's posting solely to lisbon's wonderful people.
preserver of lisbon's colour
the last four days of our holidays were spent in lisbon. unfortunately i'm in a rush today, so i'll come back to story and background of this imho again very characteristic image and its relation to the city tomorrow.
leaving the countryside
figueira da foz, pt.
new era?
so today was this one big, special announcement day? everyone of you might have realised the incredible news about the sony a7, a7r and rx10...
well, actually i for one have rather longed for a camera with, let's say, at least the same iq than my nex7, but smaller dimensions; than for one with even better (full frame) features and therefor a noticeably more bulky design.
how do you think about a completely, actually more to be expected rx10 scenario: the same or an improved version of the nex7 sensor, an extendable 35 or 50 mm (ff äquivalent) lens, like the nikon coolpix a, and all this together with the mandatory rest packed into the smallest possible body (maybe with the size of a rx100)? how do you, sony? some other time, perhaps. by the look of things my nex7 will stay with me for at least another year, which is anything but sad...
cut! another topic: the image above is my first photograph processed on my new (mega, mega cool) ultrabook machine, first time with lightroom 5.2, too. everything works like charm so much that i don't ever want to stop processing my vacation snaps. i'll give all the features (and windows 8.1 from tomorrow on) a try and report at the latest in a few days.
so for me a new era is beginning right now, if not necessarily concerning photography itself. therewith i first of all have to improve my own artistical skills, instead of enhancing the specs of my equipment more and more. like i said, just my 2 cents!
greenster
perfect match... but i wonder, how the tiny little renault 4 will look in late autumn?
serra do buçaco
in the early 17th century the forest of bussaco was conceded to the barefoot carmelites as an answer for their wishes of having a spiritual hermitage of their own, to withdraw totally from the outside world, to suit their silent and austere lifestyle, and to dedicate their lives entirely to meditation. the monks not only built a convent but also created a luxurious garden with many species of trees. in order to isolate themselves and their forest from the outside world, they additionally built an approximately 8 km long wall round their sacred forest.
the walking paths, chapels, hermitages and belvederes are unforgettable and still exemplify the rarefied atmosphere of serenity and peace of this very special place. today the forest hosts a splendid five-star-hotel, the bussaco palace [source and more information]. it's a must see, especially in low season!
road trip
our trip to the serra do buçaco, the probably most beautiful place i've seen in portugal yet, made for one of the funniest afternoons we had on vacation. although the adventurous car ride there along forest tracks and winding mountain roads put a strain on our fiat 500, the drive was recompensed with great views over the moody forests.
tomorrow i'll show a photo spread from the forest itself.
to the sea
mountains are wonderful, but the sea is even more.