Thursday, March 24, 2011

Carved Praying Monk

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Buxheim Charterhouse formerly of the Carthusians. The church St. Anna, which is part of the complex, contains absolutely wonderful baroque choir stalls, carved from 1687 to 1691 by Ignaz Waibl. Apparently he carved all of the figures himself, which is quite a feat seeing how much work he had to do and how well he did the work

Here is a sample of his work:

Carved Praying Monk
Carved Praying Monk

As an ironic footnote, despite all of Waibl's talent, he died impoverished, receiving support from the Carthusians. I do not know if he actively tried to get work elsewhere or if he was content to live a simple life in Buxheim. But it certainly did not help that, even though he clearly was one of the most gifted wood carvers of his time, no-one ever got to see his work because the Carthusians never let outsiders into the charterhouse.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Freysing Larks in Concert

I was lucky to be able to attend a concert by the gospel choir Freysing Larks recently. The choir finished a weekend of musical workshops and a small concert tour with a concert at home in a packed house (well, church, actually). I was thrilled and moved by the music!

Freysing Larks in Concert
Freysing Larks in Concert

Having a seat in the front row, I couldn't resist taking a few pictures. I was fascinated by the observation that the singers not only sang the same note in any given moment, but they would often have exactly the same expression while doing so.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Mónika und Christophs Wedding

Mónika und Christoph got married yesterday and I was there to experience and photograph the event. Today my back is killing me and my feet are sore, but I am still excited and touched by the beautiful ceremony, the moving service of thanksgiving and the many amazing and loving people.

Here is a first impression:

Mónika und Christophs Wedding

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Photo: Munich Hypo-House

When the Hypo-Haus was completed in 1981, it was the highest office building in the city of Munich, Germany. At 114 m (374 ft) that may not be saying much for a skyscraper, but Munich has city ordinance that disallows building taller than a fixed limit. Since the Uptown Munich building was completed in 2004, it does not even bear that distinction anymore.

For me, that is not the point, however. I used to dislike the building intensely until I happened to drive past it in absolutely wonderful light as storm clouds were rippling across the sky. All of a sudden it struck me what the architects must have envisioned when they designed me. I still regret that I did not stop immediately and photograph the building then and there, so I try to make up for the omission by angling for a good shot whenever I am in the area.

Hypo-Haus
Hypo-Haus in Munich

In this photo, I really like the slight golden sheen to the building, which I have never noticed before. The building usually looks silver. The outside surface is made of aluminum, which may have been anodized to protect it from corrosion, giving it the gold tint - who knows?

The full resolution image also shows remarkable detail, which goes to show what an Olympus PEN E-P1 is capable of with the right lens (in this case a Panasonic LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7). It's not about the equipment ... but that's a topic for another day.