Saturday, December 31, 2011

Waterfalls going up

While driving along the southern coast of Iceland in summer of 2011 we just had to stop to take these pictures.

They are all taken from the road with long zoom ranges and therefore big apperatures to start with as well as some handling and shaking issues. I do admit it. The stories they tell, I do want to present, though.
This will be a long post of mine, hang in there.



What you see there is the mountain edge just off the coast. The coast mostly is low land, sands and garvel beds or lava flows and remains. Then, just a bit in from the coastline is the cliff edge that rises up to plateaus or the mountains inlands. Since there is water up ontop of that edge, it is natural that many waterfalls - small and large - come down from that cliff edge and make the drive along the southern coast very interesting.

The winds whipping up from the sea shore create a sight of their own, though.

With this waterfall you could really doubt your eyes. Blowing up was not a direction I had seen with waterfalls before. Water in Iceland goes any direction you can imagine, just check out all those photos I posted over time. But waterfalls rising are truely worth a picture - or would you believe me, otherways?





There are two more things I have notices about this scene, that I would like to draw your attention to. Stay with me for a moment, ok?

If you look at the picutre on the top again: Can you see that despite all the waterfalls there is hardly any water in the lower section? If the wind whips enough, we saw the bottom stay dry for quite a while. That is a strange impact on the ecosystem around the falls.


The other thing I noticed you can see in the two almost identical photos of the black and red cliff (photo 2 and 3 in this post): The rock often consits of very different material, layered, mingled and partially penetrated by each other. This is not folded rock as in the alps but it is lava of differend erruptions and times that worked their way through each other.

What these falls do, of course, is wear down their river bed and potentially create a big pool at the bottom that is hollowed out by the thundering water. What it does as well, though, is cause erosion right underneath the main fall. This leads to sections of rock falling (not being washed out) and therefore these caves behind waterfalls come into existence. Seljalandsfoss probably was shaped this way. 

Check out my posts about that incredible place as well!






Friday, December 30, 2011

Spinner 360 - 360 degree camera

When coming through London Heathrow we checked out the camera and electronics shop.


They had this 360 degree camera there that had an interesting concept. The camera has a stem and a string that you can wind it up with. Then,when you let go,the camera spins around the stem axis while exposing the film inside.


The instructions say that a roll of 36 exposures will make 3 panoramas.


I guess,it might be a fun thing to do. Of course I did not try this out. Also I think you have to duck quick enough so you don't end up in all the photos.


Did anyone try this out? Experiences?


Als wir neulich durch London Heathrow kamen, haben wir den Kamera und Elektronik-Shop genauer unter die Lupe genommen.

Sie hatten eine 360 Grad-Kamera in der Ausstellung, die ich interessant fand. Die Kamera hat einen Stiel und eine Schnur, mit der man sie aufzieht. Wenn man sie dann losläßt, dreht sie sich 360 Grad herum und macht eine Aufnahme, während sie sich dreht.

Die Anleitung sagt, dass eine Rolle mit 36 Aufnahmen für 3 Panoramen ausreicht.

Ich denke, das könnte eine lustige Angelegenheit sein. Ich habe natürlich kein wirkliches Bild ausprobiert. Aber ich kann mir vorstellen, man muss sich recht schnell ducken können, damit man nicht mit auf dem Bild ist.

Hat jemand die Kamera schon ausprobiert? Erfahrungsberichte?






Thursday, December 29, 2011

Airport Experiment

This photo is a photografic experiment on a transport belt in the Munich Airport. While riding the belt and with people moving, I also zoomed during exposure. You can like or not like this picture. But I want to also show experiments since I am constantly trying to push my ways of photography and explore new territory.


Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Summer skies

The summer skies were a motive for the contest I regularly take part in. Here are some more of the contest pictures.









Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Iceland road

Driving along the south coast of Iceland this summer we had crazy rain clouds and mists and the resulting strange light situations.

A road trip deserves road photos. Especially in Iceland. Can you make out the mountains and glaciers in the back? The lava fields covered in thick and squishy moss are amazing by themselves. I can only recommend going to Iceland and seeing for yourselves.







Monday, December 26, 2011

Steintórs Standur

Out in the Westfjords of Iceland we found a waterfall that had a tropical impression on us. It is streaming down the rock and forms a little lagoon on the bottom. The place is called Steinđórs Standur.










Sunday, December 25, 2011

Behind the fall

Seljalandsfoss in southern Iceland is a great and pretty unique place. The waterfall comes down of the cliffband in one big flow and several side runs. This view is from behind the waterfall. The big attraction is not to just look at the fall or dare to go really close to the water edge where the thundering beam of water - even though that is really fun.

The big thing is to go behind the fall into that caving that is hollowed out by the water. 





No, it is true: You do get wet behind there. But moreso in walking towards the cave along the sides. Once you are behind the water, it depends on the wind if you get wet or not.


Friday, December 23, 2011

Black and White landscapes

This river gorge cought our eye from pretty far away on the road so we took the detour and went looking for it. This location is somewhere along the southern coast of Iceland not so far from Seljalandsfoss. An exact location or name I can not provide right now, though.


The photos looked better in black and white in my opinion - so here you go:
















After taking pictures there for a while another couple with cameras showed up. We called over, wondering if we were in their photos. No reply. When hiking out from the edge of the river to the little road we met up. "How is the light?", he asked. We looked confused. "What settings on the camera?", he continued. Oh, a real photographer.
"Fine", we said. "Just the rain spoils the fun a little bit."

"Oh", he seemed to know it all: "You have to know: It rains in southern Iceland all summer long." He then said, he was in Iceland for the first time and had arrived the day before. Oh, and he had talked to someone in the airport about the weather. Well, chatting in Italian was getting tired. English more so. So that is what we left it at. Since I did quote pretty acurately what I heard: You be the judge! :o)


Thursday, December 22, 2011

Waterside sunset

Germany's largest beach - as far as I know - is in St. Peter - Ording at the north sea. The tides are rising far over the beach at normal times already, since the sand is so flat. Storm tides rise even further so the setup of the beach is interesting:

To provide people on the beach with restaurant, ice cream stands and facilities there are houses far out beyond the dunes and coast line. But those houses would be in danger of constantly floding and being washed away. So they rise the houses and platforms on poles. This adds to the special look of this beach. I came here since my childhood and I will come back again and again.

This is a scene in sunset of October 2010 when we spend a week in St. Peter with friends.








Tuesday, December 20, 2011

sky light

This is another photo of that flight from Munich to Dortmund in November 2011. The light was fading but still worth a photo. This was taken shortly before landing in Dortmund.

Hier ist noch ein Bild von meinem Flug München - Dortmund im November 2011. Das Licht lies nach, aber es war noch ein Foto wert. Dieses Bild ist kurz vor Dortmund aufgenommen.


Monday, December 19, 2011

drift material

This is drift material was piled up in the Westfjords in Hornstrandir.




Sunday, December 18, 2011

cut out by the light

The glaring light of Iceland is just incredible. Here is another photo I took from the car while we drove along the southern coast.




Saturday, December 17, 2011

Digital Film Insert

Maybe I am crazy. No, most likely this is not a maybe-kind-of-situation. But I have this idea for a while...

Vielleicht bin ich verrückt. Nein, ich denke, dass ist kein "Vielleicht". Aber ich habe schon seit einer Weile diese Idee...

I do own several old film cameras (35mm), for example one Pentax and another SLR, another analog manual camera and several half automatic cameras that float around in the near and far family. The SLRs of course have matching sets of heavy, awesome lenses.

Ich besitze einige alte Filmkameras (35mm), zum Beispiel eine Pentax und eine weitere Spiegelreflexkamera, eine weitere manuelle analoge Kamera und einige halbautomatische Kameras aus Filmzeiten. Zu den beiden Spiegelreflexkameras habe ich auch noch die schweren, tollen Objektive.

I do have an adapter ring to attach the Pentax lenses to my Canon digital SLRs. That is great. But - as you may expect - I want something else:

Ich habe einen Adapterring um die Pentax Objektive an meine Canon Spiegelreflexkameras anzuschrauben. Das ist toll. Aber - wie Ihr Euch denken könnt - will ich etwas anderes:

I would really like to use the analog cameras again. Yes, I know, I could just buy film. But I am not really intending to do that. What I want for a while already is a digital insert that goes into regular SLRs and analog film cameras. 35mm film cartridges have used some space left and right and hold the negative in place in the middle. That should be space enough to fit digital equipment, especially considering that every cell phone has a camera these days. 

Ich würde wirklich gern die alten analogen Kameras wieder benutzen. Ja, ich weiß, ich könnte Film benutzen. Aber das ist nicht wirklich das, was ich wirklich will. Was ich schon eine ganze Weile lang will, ist ein digitales Element, das in die Filmkamera hineinkommt (z.B. eine normale Spiegelreflexkamera), anstelle des Films. Links und rechts in so einer Kamera ist viel Platz für die Filmrolle, in der Mitte das Negativ. Das sollte viel Platz lassen für das digitale Equipment, jedenfalls, wenn man bedenkt, dass mittlerweile jedes Handy eine Kamera hat.

I did search and ask for something like that for quite a while now. But I did not find it anything until recently. I almost freaked out when I saw this link and read about that "device". But don't get your hopes up: This is a fake page and was an April Fool's day joke only. I am linking the page anyways, so you don't have the same disappointment I had and see for yourself: RE35

Ich habe nach so etwas schon eine ganze Weile lang gesucht. Aber bis vor Kurzem habe ich gar nichts gefunden. Ich bin beinahe ausgeflippt, als ich diesen Link hier gefunden habe und über dieses "Gerät" gelesen habe. Leider darf sich niemand zu früh freuen, es ist nur eine "fake"-Seite und ein Aprilscherz. Ich verlinke die Seite trotzdem, damit Ihr nicht die gleiche Enttäuschung habt, wie ich. Guckt mal hier: RE35

I am considering to built a device like that myself from an old/out of use digital camera. I have a simple old one with low pixel count that would be good for experimenting. It will surely not be easy and may not work at all because the chip will surely not be the size of a digital negative so the ratio will not fit at all, but I really want to see if it works. If I have to fit a bunch of parts outside the camera itself, I would do that, too. As long as the chip gets in place and the camera exposes right (I can trigger the shot simultaneously for chip and camera) I would be pretty happy for a start.

I know the reflection from the back of the lense will be a digital chip issue when using analog lenses (Chips reflect light, while film swallows it). What else is there?

Ich denke darüber nach selbst so ein Ding zu bauen, indem ich eine alte Kamera auseinandernehme. Ich habe eine ganz einfache alte Kamera, die eine geringe Pixelzahl hat und das ich für Experimente verwenden würde. Es wird sicher nicht einfach und funktioniert vielleicht nicht, weil der Chip nicht groß genug ist und damit der Bildausschnitt viel zu klein ist, aber ich will sehen, wie es funktioniert. Falls ich viele der Teile außerhalb der Kamera platzieren muss, mache ich das eben. Solange der Chip in der Kamera an der richtigen Stelle sitzt (und ich die Kamera und den Chip gleichzeitig auslösen kann), sollte es funktionieren. Das wäre schon mal ein Anfang. 

Ich weiß, dass die Reflektion ein Problem sein kann. (Sensoren reflektieren Licht, das durch die Linse fällt, während Film es schluckt).
Well, since I have never done anything like this, I would like to just buy a professional part (especially with a full format chip) but if not possible I may have to give it a try.

Why bother, right? Well, that is just me and my desire to try that out. I have just been thinking about this for too long.

Nachdem ich noch nie irgendwas wie das hier gemacht habe, würde ich natürlich gern ein professionelles Teil kaufen (besonders, weil ich dann einen Vollformat-Sensor hätte) aber falls das nicht möglich ist, versuche ich es selbst.

Warum der Aufstand? Naja, das bin dann wohl ich und mein Wunsch, es auszuprobieren. Ich habe einfach zu lange darüber nachgedacht.
Since this idea was obviously poplularly liked in 1998 and still is not out, I suspect that not too many companies are into promoting this idea. Sure, selling a whole camera and future equipment is much more business than selling an insert to convert old pieces into modern machines. I can not see any camera maker investing into not selling cameras. At least this is not likely until the market is saturated. But there should be someone out there that is pushing this for business. Please, if you know, let me have a contact, a link or any information.

Nachdem diese Idee offenbar bereits 1998 schon auf große Beliebtheit gestoßen ist, vermute ich mal, dass nicht zu viele Firmen diese Idee unbedingt vermarkten wollen. Sicher, eine ganze Kamera zu verkauffen und zukünftig das Zubehör, ist sicher geschäftstüchtiger, als ein einziges Stück Ausrüstung zu verkaufen, das alte Bestandteile ich aktuelles Equipment verwandelt. Ich sehe nicht, dass zu viele Kamerahersteller sich mit soetwas tatsächlich beschäftigen werden und in die Vermeidung von Kamera-Verkäufen zu investieren. Jedenfalls wird das nicht wahrscheinlich, bis der Markt gesättigt ist. Aber ich hoffe, dass jemand da draußen so ein Gerät entwickelt. Lasst mich bitte wissen, wenn Ihr einen Kontakt habt, einen Link oder eine Information.

Also if you do have any ideas about how to built a device like this, or what to pay attention to, please comment! If you just have the same wish, comment here, too. Maybe someone finds the market they are looking for right here. :o) 

Also wenn Ihr Ideen zu dem Bauplan für so eine Kamera habt oder wisst, worauf ich achten muss, lasst es mich wissen. Wenn Ihr einfach nur den gleichen Wunsch habt, hinterlasst mir einen Kommentar. Vielleicht findet sich hier jemand ein, der seinen Markt sucht und uns findet. :o)





water side dog

I liked this dog on the beach of Noderney this fall.




Friday, December 16, 2011

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Vik's beach

Vik has the infamous pebble beaches of the southern coast. 



Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Lava and Moss

In Iceland we often pass these landscapes of lava covered in moss. Here is an HDR of one of those shere endless fields along the southern coast. Did you think that that is what lava fields look like?





I love the organic look of the landscape. It looks all soft and cushy, but once you stand close, it looks like you can not even think of walking over that scared and bubbled ground. You shouldn't anyways, since the ecosystem gets destroyed if you trample the moss.

signs

I love paying attention to signs when I go abroad. I take photos of oddities and funnies. This one here is very Venice, really.



Monday, December 12, 2011

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Satelite

I just found several satelite picutres of Iceland on the web. And I would really like to share them with you. 
Have a look from cloudless skies:


and take a look at the view of December 2011: Snow cover all over the island, just smooth!





An there it is:


Inspiration and photo source: "Iceland in Pictures" posted the winter picture today and linked the others. NASA took the photos.

the bird face

In Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Southern Germany, I met this crazy bird.




Saturday, December 10, 2011

more out of the archives

I have been roaming my archives lately. This is a photo I found and re-liked. Therefore I am showing this one today. It was taken in Southern Germany. I really like doors. And I really like small details inside the larger picture of a place.


Friday, December 9, 2011

very green

This is very green, I know. This lizard was living in a pet shop with very nice exhibits and nice habitats for the animals. I always think it is like going to a zoo when I go there.


Thursday, December 8, 2011

on the beach of Vik

On the beach ov Vik in southern Iceland we walked down to the pebble beach that is bordered by cliffs. There is a sign on the entry to the beach, telling you to not walk close to the cliffs and not to get near the water. When you get there at high tide - as we did - there is hardly any room to walk then. The waves crash up pretty violently and change the hight they wash up all the time. So it really isn't your usual beach walk there.




Well, being safe on the beach is realative on a beach with high, partially lose cliffs above it. Rockfalls can be a serious hazard there all the time.

But while on the beach we got to watch people who were less smart about their choice of path. However they got themselves into that spot far off the path ... we just don't know. But we watched their painfully slow and harzardous way off that rock. In my pictures you can see how far up the rock is wet. We did see waves gush up that high there. They made their wy off and we relaxed. But really: Don't go there!






Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Twin follies

This Iceland horse with the twin follies I watched for quite a while. She was roaming the field and the two little ones were mighty curious but didn't dare to leave their mother's side much. They looked so identical that it almost made you think there was just one folly and you couldn't keep your eyes straight. Especially the curly mane is worth checking out.





Monday, December 5, 2011

Counting sheep

No, there are no sheep and nobody expects you to count them right now. But when high season comes, sheep counting is all that counts here.
The sheep are herded down from the mountains and the back country ranges. Then they need to be sorted to go home to their respective farms. For this, there are sheep corals in certain places. This is one of the bis ones we saw.
The sheep all go into the middle, then they can be sorted into the sections to be taken home.


click to enlarge


This HDR is made of 2 RAW files, since I did not use a tripod and shook during the third exposure. It did work out well enough.
There is, of course, a clean and colored version of this photo. But I did like the old fashioned look of this variation. How do you like it?

glaring light

The light of Iceland is special. The arctic summer with the long hours of light and the low angles it shines at make it special. The wide landscapes and the clean air add to this as it seems to me.

Driving in this light is not the easiest anyways, but the photos make it seem worthwhile.





Das Licht in Island ist etwas Besonderes. Der arktische Sommer und die langen Stunden der Helligkeit sowie die flachen Winkel der Sonnenstrahlung wirken unglaublich. Die weiten Landschaften und die saubere Luft tragen auch zu den Lichtsituationen bei, meine ich.