Abstract Roof

I was recently passing through Munich central station when I noticed the play of sunlight coming in low contrasted against the clear blue sky. With the deep shadows in the roof, this gives an almost surreal image.

Abstract Roof

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 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.

Airport Morning

Airports, to me at least, tend to be very technical looking. There is nothing wrong with this, I can find incredible beauty in these man-made constructs.

But I was delighted when I saw this sunrise over the airport one morning:

Airport Morning

I love the luminous quality of the sky and the way the dramatic clouds are making way for the blue sky (or is it the other way around?). The ground mist softens up the shapes of buildings, airplanes, and other artifacts of man just enough to make it clear that everything is part of nature, whether we realize it or not.

Nightfall Construction

Walking the streets, I came upon a fascinating construction site. An older concrete building was being torn down to make room for some modern apartment buildings.

As I watched, the last glow of sunlight disappeared and the moon became the brightest object in the sky. The rubble and the construction equipment turned into silhouettes, giving them a strange quality.



The times when the sun appears and disappears from the sky are often the best times for photography because light is most interesting then. Nightfall certainly is the most convenient of these times - I don't have to get up early. ;-)

Ice Crystal Colors II

More ice crystals:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Ice Crystal Colors II"][/caption]

Ice Crystal Colors I

It is currently rather cold and it snows quite a bit in Bavaria. On Sunday the sky was a clear blue and the sunlight was crisp and clean, lighting these ice crystals beautifully:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Ice Crystal Colors I"][/caption]

Can you guess what the background is?

Winter Storm

Storm clouds rising over a winter field, lightly covered in snow. For a few minutes the low afternoon sun bathed the landscape in soft golden light while blue and purple clouds boiled above.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Winter Storm"][/caption]

Tracks in the Snow

Winter has arrived here in Germany and it is getting cold and snowy. On an outing I found a frozen pond with crisp, fresh snow on the frozen surface which an animal, probably a dog, had explored.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Tracks in the Snow"][/caption]

I like the way the sunlight plays on the white surface with the shadows appearing blue, not black, because of the ice.

Constructing Sunrise

Just after sunrise the light was still warm and yellow-orange, but the sky was already blue with just a bit of color haze over the horizon. You can tell it is still cold by the condensation on the side of the building (that is what the patches are).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Constructing Sunrise"][/caption]

The lines of the cranes and the building make an interesting composition and the warm light goes well with the yellow metal of the cranes which in turn contrast nicely with the desaturated gray of the building.

Oak Tree in Rapeseed Field

Last week we experienced some lovely fall weather. I was driving when the storm clouds parted to let the sun light up a rapeseed field. I stopped the car at the next safe opportunity and ran out with my camera before the light changed again.

It turned out that the weather stayed like this for a few minutes more than I anticipated and it was on the way back that I got the best images of the oak tree with the orange leaves in the bright yellow and green rapeseed field.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Oak Tree in a Rapeseed Field"][/caption]

Much to my chagrin, I was only carrying a JPEG-only tiny compact camera. This really shows at larger print sizes, but for online viewing it is a moot point.

Aside from the cliches that there is no substitute for the right light and that the best camera is the one you have at hand, there is another lesson that I draw from this experience:

Wear sturdy boots when you take a walk in the fields or spend an hour cleaning up your dress shoes. (Yes, it I did. ;-))

Dragonfly Sunning on a Rock

Last weekend I came upon this dragonfly while walking along the Große Laine in Jachenau in the Alps.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Dragonfly Sunning itself on a Rock."] [/caption]

The dragonfly zoomed about over the water of the river for a while before landing on the face of a large boulder to spread its wings and enjoy the warm sunlight. I was able to get consecutively closer to take some pictures before a child popped up over the top of the rock, peering straight down at the dragonfly. This, of course, was a bit too much for the dragonfly, which took off.

I really love the comment of the child: "I guess it thought I was going to kill it." - Spot on, dear!

Yellow Flowers in Front of a Blue Sky

Here's a fun shot I took while on my belly in the gras:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="533" caption="Yellow Flowers in Front of a Blue Sky"] [/caption]

I had to resist the temptation to increase the saturation of the blue sky to get a more in-your-face look, which would have meshed well with the super-saturated color of the flower. I prefer this rendition because it conveys the light, sunny feel that goes with that particular sky - if you have ever been to Bavaria in that kind of weather, you will know what a "Bavarian Sky" is and what I am talking about.

Mountains and Contrails

While in the mountains last weekend, I could not help but notice the white contrails of airplanes in the crystal clear blue sky.

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Ice Crystals

Snow had recently fallen in the mountains, probably no more than two days ago. On the north side, just below the summit, no sunlight had yet reached the freshly fallen snow, so no melting had occurred yet.

Close to the ground the snow crystals on the pines created a wonderfully sculpted landscape.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="800" caption="Snow Crystals V"][/caption]

The blue tinge is caused by ice filtering light as it passes through or is reflected. I decided not to correct it because I quite like the effect.