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.

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Foggy Lakeside

This really should have been published a couple of days ago, because it was taken on the first afternoon of this year. It was unusually warm, and had been from Christmas, which you can tell because the snow is completely gone. I guess this is why there was quite a bit of fog.

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The grass on the shore in the foreground is green, the rest of the image is desaturated because of the fog. I think this is more of an autumn mood rather than winter, but what a poetic way to start the new year by showing that it is impossible to see far through the fog of time!

Rooftop Picnic

Looking down on a flat rooftop, I was struck by the low-contrast gray-in-gray pattern of the pipes and cables on the gravel. Then I saw the table and benches made of metal grills and just had to take a picture.

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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.

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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.

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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!