Uncurling Nascent Fern Spiral

With seemingly nothing better to do than to crawl around on my belly wrangling a tripod with a camera, I found the this little baby fern:

Fern Spiral

I find the hairy stem of the fern quite lovely and I really like the way the fern spiral repeats itself in the background.

Siberian Squill

Spring has really hit the ground running here, it was over 20°C this weekend! So nature is now extremely busy and all the plant are growing like crazy. Especially the flowers are competing for the attentions of the first bees and bumblebees.

I'm quite taken with the following little blue blossoms that cover the lawn like a sea of blue:

Siberian Squill

I'm fairly sure that it is the siberian squill (scilla siberica), but it could also be the Scilla bifolia. Who am I to say? Maybe a reader is more knowledgeable on the subject?

If I allow myself to dream a little while looking at the picture above, it takes just a little bit of imagination for me to see tiny fairy-creatures dancing about, celebrating their joy in the golden rays of the warm sun ... yes, a hopeless romantic in spring, our author. ;-)

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. ;-))

Surfer riding the Waves

Apparently the Eisbach in München is a hot place to ride the waves on a surfboard. As you can see from the photo below, it is not very wide (only a few meters) and there is quite a crowd queued up on hot summer days waiting their turn. There are many, many more spectators milling about, so if you are a beginner, you might want to choose someplace more private to fall in. :-)

This surfer did quite well, staying on the board for a long time while riding back and forth as the waves took the board:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Surfer riding the waves."] [/caption]

I like the stark contrast between the foamy white spray, the rich green of the water, and the dark silhouette of the surfer. Look at how the line formed by the torso and head is mirrored in the lines of the waves in the background.

To me this picture shows the dynamic, fluid unity that the surfer needs to achieve with the water in order to stay on the board.

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!

L'anémone primeur est arrivé!

The anemones have just begun to bloom. I love these flowers and relish the opportunity to take pictures of them. Here is this year's first (good) anemone picture:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Pink Anemone Flower"] [/caption]

I like anemones for their delicate beauty which is so visible when you look at the colored veins and spots against the light. Can you see the tiny hairs that line the petals? And the shadows the flower throws on itself in the sunlight?

Have I mentioned that I really love these flowers? No, I do not think you could have guessed. :-)

Green Lizard

The green streak on the brown bark of the tree caught my attention. It turned out to be a wonderfully fluorescent green lizard sitting upside-down on the trunk of the tree:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="451" caption="Green Lizard"] [/caption]

I am not quite sure what the lizard was looking at. Perhaps the person behind the camera was every bit intriguing as the lizard in front of the camera?

Alpine Panorama

Last weekend I spent some time in the mountains. The weather was unusually perfect for this time of the year: clear blue sky, sunshine, a slight breeze. I really should have brought my DSLR, but I was too lazy to carry so much weight, so the G9 was my tool of choice.

Image quality is a compromise, of course, but more than good enough for web use or up to medium print size. Sometimes, it is better to have a good time than to get the ultimate in image quality. ;-)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="800" caption="Alpine Panorama XV"][/caption]

Frog on a Rock

While spending some time at the riverside, I noticed a frog sitting on a rock in the water. He held still just long enough for me to expose a single shot, then he dove into the water and hid under a rock.



I like the way the shape of the rock mimics the shape of the frog - or is it the other way around?

Dragonfly on a Rosebud

I was just leaving the house when I spotted the dragonfly that I had been after for days finally sitting still on a rosebud.



Unfortunately I did not have time to grab my DSLR - fortunately I had the G9 ready in a pocket and managed to squeeze off a few shots before I had to run. I am rather pleased with the depth-of-field (or lack thereof) from such a small sensor.

Red Admiral

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) butterfly sitting on some rocks by the river, basking in the sun.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Red Admiral on the Rocks"][/caption]

Mountain Photos

I added some pictures I took while in the mountains with friends this summer.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" caption="Mountain IV"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" caption="Mountains XIX"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" caption="Glacier in the Fog"][/caption]

You can find more mountain images in the gallery.

In case you are wondering: no, the photos where not all taken in the same location or even on the same trip. ;-)

[ad#end-of-post]

Country Road

A snapshot while taking a walk. This picture (or at least the full resolution image) illustrates why it is not good enough to have a camera with you at all times, it really should be the best camera that you have. If you don't have a clue what I am talking about, have a look at the three birds in the picture. What three birds? Exactly! With a better camera you would see the birds in their full glory.

I'm still posting the image because I like the light summer feeling which it captures.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="Country Road"][/caption]

Early morning fog

It's been a while since my last post. I have been busy doing other things, non-photography-related, I am afraid.

I had the opportunity to take a morning walk down the Isar river. The sun was just out and fog wafted over the water.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="800" caption="Morning Fog"][/caption]

Wheat Fields

Taking a walk I came across this view of wheat fields in the sun with thunderclouds moving in.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Summer Wheat Fields"] [/caption]

I really love the dry grain, almost ready for harvesting in the hot sun. To me, it feels as if summer would never end. The sky, of course, tells a different story ...

Dragonfly

I was out walking in the forest when I came upon a muddy little pond with a large dragonfly hovering about.