Taschenuhr...

Windows, Bruges

This gorgeous horse works on a bull ranch near Seville, Spain. He is not only beautiful but brave!

"The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears."

-- Arabian Proverb

#macromondays

#knots

#lensbaby

Explored September 28, 2021

I tried. I really tried to knot beautiful knots all Sunday evening. I have a box full of paracord in different colours which I've bought for a camera shoulder strap project, but I never got beyond making a few wrist straps so far. I tried (the operative word is tried) to make a few Celtic style knots with the paracord, also surgical knots, the monkey's fist knot (which ended up looking like an exploding Death Star)... Let's admit it, I'd be lost if I were to rely on my knot knotting abilities. What I succeeded in was inadvertidly tangling up a very thin golden necklace (each link is only 1 mm / 0.039 inches long) which I've borrowed from my Mother for the theme. The necklace now has knots where I've never intended them. I suppose I'll be in serious trouble if I don't manage to un-knot the necklace. But I have my photo ;)

Image taken with the Lensbaby SOL 22 (equipped with the 16mm extension tube) which came to my MM rescue today. I had the necklace tangled up on a black tile, and chose the two nicest looking knots as main subject. For illumination I've used a yellow light from the left, and a handheld (upper right position) flashlight which I've shone through the blue tealight holder for a rather nice electric blue effect. Processed with the usual suspects DXO PhotoLab 4, Color Efex, Analog Efex, and Luminar AI.

Happy Macro Monday, Everyone!

Clearly I was drawn to these narrow alleys of old Girona. One more set of stairs with this POV. I liked this one for its particularly gritty feel. 3 exposure HDR.

Thanks for having a look! All faves and comments are highly appreciated!

Thanks for having a look! All faves and comments are highly appreciated!

BEFORE & AFTER EDIT:

gyazo.com/ce17cd9f4fd036d85700b1d9649c70e8

DSC03392_HDR

#white_egret #florida_birds #florida #best_birds_planet #planet_birds #birdbrilliance #birdphotography #nature #wildlifephotography #birdextreme #bestbirdshots #discovertheworld #nature_perfection #wildlifeperfection #gregorymountainpacks #canon #gitzo #leofotousa #markins #manfrotto #TKpanel #luminarneo #adobe_LR_PS #nikcollection #topaz #dxo #capture_1 #rrs

I found "Stitch" very challenging. Thought about something with buttons, my poor knitting abilities ("dropped" stitches) combined with tiny people ... ended up with my sewing machine ;-).

A big thank you to Chandana Witharanage for encouraging me not to skip this week's MM.

Happy Macro Monday everyone!

Finally I found some courage to expose myself and my camera to the intense elements on the shore. I managed to fire of some handheld shots, and by getting low I was able to include the textures in the black sand, created by the strong winds. I underexposed quite a bit, and still had to shoot at ISO 800 to get a sharp image, because of the wind that constantly tried to blow me over. So I was quite pleased with the way this shot came out, with enough details and clarity to work with in the edit. After making this shot it was a matter of walking backwards to the shelter again, and look for more details over there. I had a great time and felt really alive, struggling with the elements. And if there is one place that fits these circumstances perfectly, it’s Vik!

Thanks for having a look! All faves and comments are highly appreciated!

#burrowing_owl #florida #best_birds_planet #planet_birds #birdbrilliance #birdphotography #nature #wildlifephotography #birdextreme #bestbirdshots #discovertheworld #nature_perfection #wildlifeperfection #gregorymountainpacks #canon #gitzo #leofotousa #markins #manfrotto #TKpanel #luminarneo #adobe_LR_PS #nikcollection #topaz #dxo #capture_1 #rrs

7DWF: Fauna

Mandarin ducks at the Schlachtensee, a very popular bathing lake, and excursion destination in the southwest of Berlin. They were not shy at all. I should have used a smaller aperture, as she isn't pin sharp (and admittedly I only had eyes for his magnificent plumage). But I'm glad I caught them together ;-). Taken with my vintage Zuiko MC Auto-S lens.

Have a wonderful Sunday, and great new week ahead, dear Flickr friends!

Mandarinenten am Schlachtensee, einem beliebten Ausflugsziel und Badesee in Berlins Südwesten. Ich hätte wohl eine kleinere Blende einstellen sollen, sie habe ich leider nicht ganz scharf erwischt, aber zugegebenermaßen galt mein Blick auch vor allem seinem Prachtgefieder. Ich bin aber froh, dass ich beide drauf habe. Mit meinem manuellen Zuiko MC Auto-S aufgenommen.

Ich wünsche Euch einen schönen Sonntag und einen guten Start in die neue Woche ;-))) !

bromelia

#MacroMondays

#iSpy

"The most pious man may not live in peace if he does not please his wicked neighbour." Friedrich Schiller, Wilhelm Tell IV 3

Neighbours, construction noise, traffic noise... cities are loud. So what can you do to regain some peace of mind? Earplugs are an option :) All earplugs have one thing in common – whether you use the orange or yellow foam cones, the classic wax earplugs, or the somewhat more sophisticatedly shaped earplugs with a filter such as the ones in my image – all of them will muffle noise up to a maximum of 30 dB. Normally, I use foam cones if I want to block out some noise for work or falling asleep, but the cones have a slight tendency to fall out, especially when I use them for sleeping. It will be seen, if these "Sleep+" earplugs in my image will stay in place at night, or how well they attenuate noise (23 dB, according to the manufacturer), as I haven't used them, yet (of course I haven't – only for the photo 😉). In fact I've bought them especially for the iSpy theme, but also for later use.

These earplugs came in a really neat ice-blue, capsule-shaped aluminium container which I've used as background. Makeshift filters used for the colourful light were the yellow plastic bottle cap and the red chocolate box lid. The image is a focus stack made of 15 images, and I've used the final in-camera JPG as starting point for the other processing steps. In DXO, I softened the background, and enhanced the micro contrast on the plugs with the "Local Adjustments" tool, and in the general settings I enhanced the vibrancy. Next I went into Analog Efex to achieve a softer, slightly matte look (after all, this is all about tranquility). And even though these silicone earplugs are brand new, I had to do quite some lint cleaning with the healing brush in PS.

HMM, Everyone, and stay safe and healthy (and relaxed) :)

"Es kann der Frömmste nicht in Frieden bleiben...

...wenn es dem bösen Nachbar nicht gefällt." Das wusste schon Friedrich Schiller (Wilhelm Tell IV 3, 1804). Abhilfe bei lauten Nachbarn, aber auch bei Straßen-, Bau- und sonstigem städtischen Lärm können Ohrstöpsel schaffen, zumindest bis zu 30 dB. Dabei ist es völlig egal, ob man nun die gelben oder orangefarbenen Schaumstoffkegel, die klassischen Wachskügelchen oder aufwendiger geformte und mit Filter versehene Stöpsel wie die in meinem MM-Foto verwendet (und letztere schaffen laut Hersteller sogar "nur" eine Schalldämpfung von 23 dB). Eigentlich nehme ich immer die einfachen Schaumstoffkegel, um Störendes bei der Arbeit oder beim Einschlafen abzudämpfen, die Kegel haben allerdings den Nachteil, dass sie, insbesondere beim Einschlafen, gerne aus den Ohren rutschen – und dann ist es mit der Ruhe dahin. Ob diese "Sleep+"-Ohrstöpsel nun bequemer sind und vor allen Dingen besser an Ort und Stelle bleiben als die weichen Schaumstoffteile, kann ich noch genau so wenig beurteilen wie ihre Lärm abdämpfenden Eigenschaften. Denn natürlich habe ich sie bislang nur für das Foto verwendet (und in der Tat extra für das Thema gekauft, aber natürlich werde ich sie dann auch benutzen) :)

Die Ohrstöpsel wurden in einer schicken, eisblauen Aluminiumkapsel geliefert, die ich hier auch als Hintergrund verwendet habe. Angestrahlt habe ich die kleine Szene von links mit einer mit der gelben Plastikflaschenverschlusskappe bestückten LED-Lampe und von rechts habe ich vor die zweite Lampe den roten Deckel einer Mon-Cherie-Packung gestellt – meine Klassiker unter den "Farbfiltern" :) Technisch ist das Foto ein Stacking aus 15 Fotos (in der Kamera erstellt). In DXO PhotoLab 4 habe ich allgemein die Schärfe und die Dynamik erhöht und mit dem "Lokale Anpassungen"-Werkzeug den Hintergrund weicher gemacht (Schieber "Bokeh" auf Anschlag) sowie den Mikrokontrast bei den Stöpseln erhöht. Analog Efex sorgte dann für einen weicheren, leicht matten Look – schließlich geht es ja hier um Ruhe :)

Habt eine entspannte Sommerwoche und passt weiter gut auf Euch auf, liebe Flickr-Freunde :)

#macromondays

#Phobia

#Trypophobia

#dentophobia

#Necrophobia

#Achluophobia

So many phobias, and so many choices. I should have checked the English list of phobias on Wikipedia first, because there is a phobia called "Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia" (fear of the number 666) which would have been worth picking for the word alone, and it would also have been an apt choice for Halloween ;) But since I already had a vague idea of which phobia I wanted to illustrate when I read about the theme, I only looked into the German list for the correct term for the latter: which is trypophobia, a fear of holes or textures with a pattern of holes – and I'd strongly advise you not to look for images of that particular fear, because... nope :)

So trypophobia is the main phobia in this photo. When we once had "Mesh" as an MM theme some time ago, I'd noticed that the biggest of the many tiny holes in the mesh of a small laundry sachet looked like a skull when seen from a certain angle. I'd picked a different subject for the theme back then, but I immediately had the idea to use the "laundry sachet skull" when I read about the Phobia theme. Btw, I'm sure there also is a phobia against losing single socks in the washing machine, even if you won't find it on the Wikipedia list ;)

Other phobias that might work with this photo as well are "necrophobia" (fear of death or the dead – and doesn't Mr. Skull remind you of a mummy as well?), dentophobia (fear of the dentist, although poor Mr. Skull has already lost all his teeth, probably because of eating too many "Mon Cherie" chocolates), achluphobia (fear of darkness), and eisoptrophobia (fear of mirrors or seeing one's reflection in the mirror ̵– which is me every morning)...

Stupidly (most stupidly, I should note), I thought that the image I had already taken and processed last night wasn't sharp enough. So I still took several more photos today – alas, none of them were any sharper so I picked the aforementioned first photo from yesterday anyway. Stupid, isn't it? It's a single High Resolution shot processed in Color Efex mainly with the tonal contrast filter which added a nice "oomph" to the image. I chose the "High Resolution" mode so I'd be able to crop the image so that there would be only one "skull" in the frame (the length of Mr. Skull's eyes and mouth is 1,5 cm/0,059 inches each). So what you see is a 3229x3229 image cropped from the original 10368x7776 SOOC photo. I did this because you can get extremely close to the subject with the 30mm macro lens – which in this case meant that the lens blocked out all the light coming from the left and right (which I'd put up to highlight the white mesh). So I had to increase the working distance which made the tiny holes too tiny for cropping out a single "skull" with the regular resolution. Setup: White mesh laundry sachet wrapped around the red, transparent chocolate box lid; the third light source was a soft white photo light from above.

HMM and Happy Halloween, Everyone, and have a nice week ahead!

For Macro Monday's "Broken" Theme. Thought I'd combine a little "Intentional Blur" with "Egg". And with a catchy tune. In German we are calling a song which you can't get out of your mind an "Ohrwurm" = earworm.

A Happy Macro Monday, Everyone!

Für das Macro-Monday-Thema "Broken". Ein bisschen "Intentional Blur", kombiniert mit "Egg" und einem Ohrwum. Ich wünsche Euch einen schönen, sonnigen Montag ;-)!

Vielen Dank für Eure tollen Kommentare und Faves!

Just another photo from my archives (alas, still no new shots), to celebrate the awesome beauty of enduring love.

Nineteen years ago Laura and I wed. I have seen so many couples breaking up lately,,, So many families crumbling away. So much love wasted. So let me celebrate the beauty of enduring love - a life-giving light that every day rises and spreads its warmth over our lives.

Thank you Laura... Life is not always an easy travel, and we are not a perfect, romance couple. But you are the gift which makes everything else worthy living.

#macromondays

#Smell

Has Mars rover Perseverance finally found proof that there is life on Mars? In recent audio transmissions there were strange munching sounds to be heard, frequently interrupted by "Mmmmmmmmm" sounds. And they seemed to come from Perseverance itself while it explored a new part of Candor Chasma. Or was it possible that Mars had its very own counterpart in Candyverse and that particular spot Perseverance was examining was a spot where both parallel universes interfered? And Perserverance had taken samples from Candor Chasma's Candyverse counterpart Caramel Chasma? The samples Perseverance would send to Earth later suggested the latter. Because the probe Perseverance had sent contained a jar full of vegan Dulce de leche. When the scientists at the NASA Mars 2020 mission headquarters opened the jar, the most delicious caramel smell filled the room. And the scientists decided to risk a self-experiment...

...which, as I can assure you, turned out all right. Just like my first attempt at cooking Dulce de leche at home ;) At first I thought about doing a caramel nest or another shape, then I thought caramel sauce would be nicer for the theme, because the delightful smell is strongest while the sauce is being cooked. But while I was looking for caramel sauce recipes, I also stumbled upon a few Dulce de leche recipes, and that's something I've wanted to make at home for ages. Since I couldn't decide which recipe I should use, I combined a few and started to improvise. And yes, that smell (and taste!)... yummylicious :) There are things that I like to taste, but not to smell – cheese, for instance. Of which I took a few shots today, because I wasn't sure about my Caramel Chasma image. But in the end I still preferred the image that illustrates the yummy smell.

What you see in the image are the remains of the Dulce de leche inside of the non-stick pot (strongly recommended for a sticky recipe like this) I've cooked it in. All that you see here is either the caramel cream or the pot itself. The image is another stacked one, made of 15 photos and combined in Helicon Focus (method A, radius 6, smoothing 4). Processed in DXO PhotoLab 4, Color Efex (Skylight filter, Color Contrast filter), and Luminar AI (Color Harmony). And, in case you are interested: ingredients used for the Dulce de leche were 200 g coconut sugar, 200 ml soy cream, one package (50 g) creamed coconut, ca. 70 g of vegan butter, bourbon vanilla extract and salt to taste.

HMM, Everyone, and I'll catch up with you a little later!

Happy City Life at the Pond – and there are ducks, and a dog, too :)

#sliderssunday

Explored December 5, 2022

You know that it's a dull day when you enter the bathroom to wash your hands and the motion detector turns the night light on. At noon. The brightest time of the day. Well, not at the moment. This is what must be the darkest, dullest late autumn we've had in years. Time for some virtual sunshine, and another photo from the sunny, warm walk at the Rudolph-Wilde-Park in late October.

It's the same lake, or rather pond (it even has a name: Ententeich, "duck pond"), as in my previous photo from that spot (please check the first comment for that capture), but taken from the opposite side. Here you can see the tower of the Rathaus Schöneberg which was West Berlin's town hall during the time of the Berlin Wall and the German separation. John F. Kennedy spoke to the Berliners from the balcony of Rathaus Schöneberg when he visited West Berlin on June 26, 1963, the 15th anniversary of the West Berlin Airlift.

The building on the other side of the duck pond is a subway station, the "U-Bahnhof Rathaus Schöneberg" which is one of only five stations of Berlin's shortest underground line with the shortest train (consisting of only two carts in each direction), the U4. The U4 is among Berlin's oldest underground lines, it was put into service in 1910 (when Schöneberg was still an independent community), and it only passes through the borough of Schöneberg. At the moment, the station is being renovated, and that white "cube" that you can see on the left is a part of the construction site. I thought about retouching it, but then it's a part of the city life and also a part of Berlin's constant imperfection, and I think it also isn't too disturbing as an image element. So here's another photo Post Processed to the MAX!!! from a city that is imperfect to the max (but I love my city).

HSS, Everyone, and have a nice new week ahead!

Thanks for having a look! All faves and comments are highly appreciated!

#MacroMondays

#PickTwo

Explored 15 June 2021

My choices for "Pick Two" are: metallic and stone. Most of you know that I like science fiction and all things space-related, so it's probably not a surprise that I'm also interested in the "visitors" from outer space: meteorites. I have collected a few over the years, nothing special, as the really rare and/or valuable pieces are expensive, and the "expensive department" has been taken over by camera gear in the last years ;). Anyways, the meteorite I've chosen as my "metallic stone" was the first meteorite I've ever bought. It's an iron meteorite from Arizona, from the famous Barringer Crater. The longest side has 2,5 cm / 0,98 inches.

Since the meteorite itself is of an unconspicious dark brown / greyish colour, I've once again experimented with my makeshift colour filters to liven it up. My collection of these makeshift filters has only recently been supplemented by a semi-transparent yellow cap (from a dish soap bottle) which works surprisingly well and produces a very sunny yellow. It looked nice, and I'm sure you will see this yellow in a future MM photo, but in the end I decided to give the prism another try, because the position of the evening sun was just right to create another rainbow :) Just like with my rusty rivet shrooms which I'd taken for the "Rust" theme a few weeks ago, I was surprised how well this metallic stone took on the rainbow colours of the prism, making it actually look as if the colours were in the metal, and not a mere projection created by the sunshine.

Technicalities: the image is another focus stack made from 15 images which I've combined in Helicon Focus (A, radius 7, smoothing 2). Further processed in Viveza, where I'd darkened the background, in Luminar AI for detail enhancements (small and medium) on the meteorite, and in Analog Efex for a slightly matte look.

Happy Macro Mondays, Everyone, stay safe and healthy!

Juni-Meteorit

Mein Wortpaar für das "Pick-Two"-Thema ist metallisch und Stein: ein Eisenmeteorit. Wie einige von Euch ja wissen, bin ich ein Science-Fiction-Fan, und so ist es nicht weiter verwunderlich, dass ich mich auch für die echten "Besucher" aus dem All interessiere, die Meteoriten. Ich habe eine klitzekleine Sammlung, nichts besonderes, denn die wirklich wertvollen und/oder seltenen Stücke sind sehr teuer – und die "Abteilung teuer" hat sich in den letzten Jahren eindeutig in Richtung Kamera und alles drumherum verlagert ;) Dieser Eisenmeteorit mit dem runden "Auge" in der Mitte war mein erster Meteorit überhaupt, er stammt aus dem berühmten Barringer-Krater in Arizona.

Da diese Art vom Meteorit keine besonders aufregende Farbgebung hat (Dunkelbraun-gräulich), kamen zunächst wieder meine improvisierten Farbfilter zum Einsatz, die kürzlich Zuwachs in Form einer halbtransparenten, sonnengelben Plastikschraubkappe von einer Spüli-Flasche bekommen haben. Diese Kappe funktioniert erstaunlich gut als Farbfilter und Ihr werdet das schöne Gelb, das sie erzeugt, sicherlich bei einem anderen MM-Thema sehen. Denn am Ende habe ich doch wieder zum Prisma gegriffen, weil die Abendsonne gerade so günstig durch das Fenster hereinschien und viele schöne Regenbogenfarben erzeugte :) Wie schon bei meinen rostigen "Niet-Pilzen", die ich vor einigen Wochen für das "Rust"-Thema fotografiert hatte, war ich auch hier überrascht, wie gut die metallische Oberfläche die Farben angenommen hat, fast so, als wären sie Bestandteil der Meteoriten-Oberfläche und nicht eine bloße Lichtprojektion.

Das Foto ist wieder ein Fokus-Stack bestehend aus 15 Fotos, die ich dieses Mal in Helicon Focus zusammengefügt habe (Methode A, Radius 7, Smoothing 2). Ich habe dann in Viveza den Hintergrund abgedunkelt, in Luminar AI die Meteoriten-Details hervorgehoben und abschließend in Analog Efex einen leichten Matt-Look hinzugefügt.

Habt eine schöne Woche, liebe Flickr-Freunde, und passt gut auf Euch auf!

While I was at Glen Maye I found I wasn't the only one at the waterfall. Mr & Mrs Mallard were having a swim and a look around!

Came across Nik software available for free this week so I've had a play with this using it. I think it will take me a while to get the hang of it but I like what it can do.

This is the monochrome version of a photo that I have uploaded earlier. The post production was done with Nik Collection Analog Effects Pro 2

Los plugins de Google Nik Collection pasan a ser “gratuitos”

www.google.com/intl/es/nikcollection/

#sliderssunday

Explored May 9, 2022

The main lake at the Britzer Garten which is one of Berlin's biggest and most beautiful public parks. On that photowalk, in June '21, I had brought along the Ricoh GRIII (with which this photo was taken), and the Olympus equipped with the 7-14mm zoom lens (you can find a photo taken with that combo in the first comment). Back then, I couldn't decide which photo I should upload first, and the Oly image "won". So now it's the GRIII's turn. For this image, I had used a filter from the NiSi Master Kit for the GRIII (the polarizer, if I remember correctly), a set of filters that consists of a camera adapter, a filter holder, and, of course, several filters. This is a single image that I've duly (over-)processed for Sliders Sunday by using this and that in Color Efex, Viveza, and ON1 Photo RAW, plus a few LR tweaks and slidings. I hope you like it, HSS :)

Dear Flickr friends, I can't say how much time I will have for Flickr in the next weeks. We're having massive water damage in our apartment which means that right now (and for the next weeks) everything here is a huge mess. I will certainly stop by on Flickr every day to check your photos, and I also hope that, once we're settled some more again, or time permits otherwise, I can also continue to take part in MMs, and also continue to upload once or twice a week... Well, let's see how it will be.

Have a nice week ahead, and take care!

Der Hauptsee im Britzer Garten, einem der gößten und schönsten Parks in Berlin. Bei diesem Fotowalk im letzten Juni hatte ich sowohl die Ricoh GRIII (mit der ich dieses Foto gemacht habe) als auch die Olympus mit dem 7-14mm-Weitwinkel-Zoom dabei (ein Foto mit dieser Kombo findet Ihr im ersten Kommentar). Während ich mit der Oly am Hauptsee Belichtungsreihen gemacht hatte, ist das Ricoh-Foto ein Einzelbild, für das ich, wenn ich mich recht entsinne, den Polfilter aus dem NiSi-Filter-Set für die GRIII verwendet habe. Da es (Slider) Sonntag ist, habe ich bei der Bearbeitung ein wenig übertrieben und mich in Color Efex, Viveza und ON1 ausgetobt (mit kleinen Tweaks auch noch in Lightroom) – ganz wie es sich für den Slider Sunday gehört :)

Ich weiß leider nicht, wie viel Zeit ich in den nächsten Wochen für Flickr haben werde. Wir haben einen riesigen Wasserschaden in der Wohnung und momentan ist alles ein Riesenchaos. Ich werde bestimmt jeden Tag mal kurz bei Flickr vorbeischauen und hoffe auch, dass ich weiter z. B. an Macro Mondays teilnehmen oder zumindes ein Foto in der Woche hochladen kann. Na mal sehen, wie das alles so wird...

Ich wünsche Euch eine schöne neue Mai-Woche, passt auf Euch auf!

HMM. A new edit of one posted about two months ago. Processed with Silver Efex Pro 3.

Explored December 1, 2020

A macro lens brings you close to small subjects. Sometimes it also brings you close to huge subjects – when you use it as a short telephoto lens ;) And you won't get much closer to the iconic tower ball / orb of Berlin's TV tower unless you are in a helicopter, or you are one of those daredevil window washers who clean windows in the highest heights. No job for me, because I am a little afraid of heights. How strong my vertigo will be depends on the circumstances, such as high railings and enough space to retreat. The less space I have (narrow, winding stairs), or low or no railings (God forbid!), the stronger it is. I hate to admit that, when my balcony parapet was replaced a few years ago, I refused to go out on the balcony as long as the new parapet had not been installed (and I only live on the second floor – pre WWII building with high ceilings, though). And so I sometimes dream that I am up there, right on top of the TV tower (and in my dreams it is at least twice as high as its already impressive 386 m / 1207,35 feet which make it the fourth tallest tower in Europe), and there is no railing at all and the space I'm on is a square of a mere 1x1 metres (3x3 feet), and I ask myself what on earth has brought me up there ;)

I took this photo from the Panorama Terrace (120 m / 393 inches above the ground) of the Park Inn Hotel which is right across the Fernsehturm. In the first comment you can see a wide-angle image taken with the Lumix LX100. Btw, the slowly rotating tower ball with its restaurant is 32 m / 104 feet in diameter.

Mit einem Makro-Objektiv kann man ganz kleine Dinge groß herausbringen, man kann aber auch sehr große Objekte nah heranholen, wenn man es als leichtes Tele verwendet. So wie hier auf der Aussichtsplattform des Park Inn Hotels den Berliner Fernsehturm – und näher wird man an die berühmte Kugel des Berliner Wahrzeichens kaum herankommen, außer man sitzt in einem Hubschrauber oder ist einer dieser waghalsigen Fensterputzer, die ihre Arbeit in höchsten Höhen verrichten. Keine Arbeit für mich, weil ich leichte Höhenangst habe. Wenn ich genügend Platz habe und z.B. das Geländer hoch genug ist, habe ich kaum Probleme, aber enge, gewundene Wendeltreppen (im Spandauer Juliusturm, z.B.) oder Übergänge, womoglich mit niedrigem (oder gar keinem!) Geländer sind schon eine ganz andere Angelegenheit. Als vor ein paar Jahren die Brüstung meines Balkons ausgetauscht wurde, bin ich erst wieder rausgegangen, als die neue installiert war – und ich wohne bloß im 2. Stock (Altbau, allerdings) ;) Und so finde ich mich in meinen Träumen manchmal da ganz oben wieder, oben auf dem Fernsehturm, nur dass er in meinem Traum immer mindestens doppelt so hoch ist wie seine ja bereits imposanten 368 Meter, und die Plattform, auf der ich stehe, ist gut 1x1 Meter "groß" und hat natürlich kein Geländer. Und dann frage ich mich, was ich da oben überhaupt mache ;)

Im 1. Kommentar findet Ihr eine Weitwinkel-Aufnahme, die ich am selben Abend mit der Lumix LX100 gemacht habe.

Time to buckle up and endure January and February while hoping for spring to come again.

Time to hang in there!

"The deep roots never doubt that spring will come again."

~ Marty Rubin

Reste der Stadtbefestigung mit ehem. Wachturm und Blick auf den Turm der evang. St. Johanniskirche (links) und die beiden Türme der evang. Stiftskirche (rechts)

Remains of the city fortifications with former watchtower and view of the tower of the Protestant St. John's Church (left) and the two towers of the Protestant Collegiate Church (right)

#sliderssunday

#Shocktober

#Halloween

Down in the basement where entering is off limits for unauthorized persons... But it's Halloween, and what would you do? Enter at your own risk.

So imagine the usual group of friends, students, probably, who want to spend an adventurous weekend in an abandoned old house at the end of the street (or, even better: in the middle of nowhere), in a house that is surrounded by a dark, gloomy mystery. They want to have some fun, and they also want to solve that mystery. You all know what will happen in the course of that weekend. First, there will be strange sounds that our group of friends will dismiss as "old house sounds". But the sounds get stranger, more threatening, so they will start looking for the origins of those sounds which seem to come from the basement (it's always the basement or the attic, isn't it?), a pitch dark, ice cold basement filled with eerie sounds. Will they go down there? You bet they will... and would you? I'll leave the rest of that story to your imagination. But I can tell you as much: I went down into that basement, by my own choice, by my free will (at least that's what I thought at the time).

Since I came back to tell the story, it's obvious that there were no supernatural powers in that basement. But it was a creepy place anyways, and it really had been pitch black down there. Without flashlights we'd have been lost. That basement has been the boiler room of an old prison. Accordingly, that sign on the now "unemployed" door says "Boiler room! No admittance for unauthorized persons! The director". I'd have never explored that basement on my own. I was there with Sabine.R back in September 2018. That prison, which had started of as a regular district court prison in 1901, has seen some very real horrors in the early 1930s. For more infos on its history and also on our visit there please check my album "Gefängnis Köpenick".

HSS and Happy Halloween, y'all :)

Irgendwo im Keller...

... mitten in Berlin... Oder befindet sich dieser düstere Keller überhaupt in Berlin und nicht etwa doch in einem einsam (sehr einsam) gelegenen, verlassenen, von einem tiefdunklen Geheimnis umgebenen Haus mitten im Nirgendwo?

Wäre dies der Schauplatz eines Gruselfilms, dann wäre es so. Dafür nehme man die üblichen Verdächtigen, eine Gruppe von Freunden (Studenten wahrscheinlich), die ein aufregendes Wochenende in diesem Haus verbringen wollen. Unsere Freundestruppe will einen draufmachen, Spaß haben, aber natürlich am Ende auch das Geheimnis dieses Hauses gelöst haben. Gesagt, getan. Und erst sieht auch alles nach eine großen Spaß aus und das "Geheimnis" ist wohl doch nur eine Geschichte ohne echten Hintergrund.

Aber dann, als es bereits dunkel wird, sind plötzlich seltsame Geräusche im Haus zu vernehmen, die unser Grüppchen zunächst als "Altes-Haus-Geräusche" abtut. Nur werden diese Geräusche mit jedem Quäntchen Tageslicht, das allmählich schwindet, immer bedrohlicher und unerklärlicher. Ist an dem Geheimnis evtl. doch was dran? Unsere abenteuerlustige (oder soll ich sagen: schon leicht lebensmüde) Truppe begibt sich also auf die Suche nach dem Ursprung der seltsamen Geräusche. Sie scheinen aus dem Keller zu kommen (es ist immer der Keller oder der Dachboden, nicht wahr?). Einem Keller, dessen Tür mit mehreren Schlössern verammelt ist und auf der ein eindeutig formuliertes Verbotsschild zu finden ist. Es kommt, wie es kommen muss... man begibt sich die Treppe hinab in die Finsternis und das Unheil nimmt seinen Lauf...

Oder doch nicht? Ich bin in diesem, tastächlich stockdunklen, Keller gewesen – freiwillig. Aber nicht allein, das hätte ich mich nie getraut, so gruselig war es da unten. Ich war im September 2018 mit Sabine.R dort gewesen, ohne Taschenlampen wären wir dort nicht weit gekommen. Es handelt sich um den Heizungskeller eines alten Berliner Gefängnisses (wie auch in "schönstem" Amtsdeutsch auf dem Verbotsschild an der ausrangierten Tür zu lesen ist). Dieses 1901 erbaute Gefängnis war ursprünglich ein reguläres Amtsgerichtsgefängnis gewesen, hat dann aber in den frühen 1930er-Jahren ganz realen Horror erlebt. Mehr dazu und zu unserem Besuch dort findet ihr in meinem "Gefängnis Köpenick"-Album.

Ich wünsche Euch einen schönen (Rest-)Sonntag, Reformationstag und, ja, auch Happy Halloween :)

Unfolding enveloping missiles of soul... Recall senses sadly... Mirage like soft blue like lanterns below... To light the way gladly...

STRG/CTRL+ www.youtube.com/watch?v=suyJsJHVoGY

#smileonsaturday

#sliderssunday

Taken last night for the Smile on Saturday theme "Flora in Monotone". This resilient little flower still blooms on my balcony, even though it's almost December and it's also getting colder now, with night temperatures approaching 0 °C, and day temperatures not much higher. About two weeks ago, when I actually wanted to photograph a colourful sunset from my balcony, I noticed that the illuminated windows in the house across the street would make a very interesting-looking bokeh background for the yellow flower. Since then I've taken numerous images of this humble little beauty (and her sister), handheld and at higher ISO first (and all of them blurry), then with a tripod crammed in between the balcony table (well, yes, I could move it away) and the balcony parapet, still a fairly shaky affair (and last night it had also been windy); I'd taken the first images with the Lumix LX100, then the next ones with my Oly (with different lenses – this most recent image was taken with the obvious choice, the 60mm macro lens), and I will also still try to get a few nice shots with the Ricoh. When you can't get out to shoot, you've got to find something around your home to fulfill the photoghraphic yearning ;) So you'll see more of this balcony beauty in the future.

Processed in DXO PhotoLab 4, where I've also applied two film simulations from the DXO FilmPack, first the Fuji Reala 100, then the DXO Cross Processed simulation of a Fuji Superior 200 film, because the latter adds a beautiful turquoise-and-hints-of-blue monotone look to any image. I've then further tweaked a few settings in Viveza (Brightness at +7, Contrast at -3) and in Color Efex (preset "Foliage Bump"), and finally, in ON1, added a Glow filter ("Diffuse Glow") and an HDR filter ("Subtle").

Btw could somebody help me with the ID? I'm guessing buttercup, but I'm not quite sure; it's a very sturdy flower with yellow blossoms and lots of herbaceous (you could also call it "weedy") looking green leaves. Thank you :)

HSoS and HSS Everyone, keep smiling, stay safe, and take care!

Für das HSoS-Thema "Flora in Monotone". Gestern Abend auf meinem Balkon fotografiert. Das robuste (eigentlich gelbe) Blümchen hält sich auch bei nun dem Nullpunkt entgegensinkenden Temperaturen und einem unangenehmen Wind tapfer (und könnte mir evtl. jemand bei der Bestimmung aushelfen? Wie gesagt, das Blümchen ist gelb und hat viele, recht [un-]krautig aussehende grüne Blätter; ich tippe auf Hahnenfuß, bin mir aber nicht sicher; Danke schon einmal!).

Seit zwei Wochen fotografiere ich diese unscheinbare Balkonschönheit und auch seine ebenso hübsche Schwester immer mal wieder zur blauen Stunde (und gestern Abend war es sogar bereits dunkel). Eigentlich hatte ich seinerzeit bloß einen besonders schönen Sonnenuntergang vom Balkon fotografiert, bei der Gelegenheit aber entdeckt, dass die erleuchteten Fenster im Haus gegenüber einen schönen Bokeh-Hintergrund für's Blümchen abgeben könnten.

Die ersten Fotos entstanden aus der Hand und bei höherem ISO (alle verwackelt), jetzt nehme ich immer das Stativ, was aber trotzdem eine wackelige Angelegenheit ist, weil ich es immer zwischen Balkonbrüstung und Balkontisch quetschen muss (und ja, den Tisch könnte man auch wegschieben), aber ich habe jetzt schon einige recht hübsche Bilder dieser bescheidenen Balkonschönheit gemacht, mal mit der Lumix LX100, dann mit der Oly und verschiedenen Objektiven (dieses Bild habe ich mit der naheliegenden Objektivwahl, dem 60mm Makro, gemacht - nicht 100%ig scharf, es war gestern ziemlich windig), demnächst versuche ich es auch mal mit der Ricoh. Wenn man schon nur selten zu Fotospaziergängen raus kann, muss man sich seine Motive eben in der Nähe suchen und mit unterschiedlichem fotografischen Werkzeug für die nötige Abwechlsung sorgen ;)

Entwickelt in DXO PhotoLab 4. Nach regulären Entwicklungsanpassungen wie ClearView, Smart Lightning, Objektivschärfe und anschließendem Entrauschen in DeepPrime habe ich noch zwei Presets aus dem DXO FilmPack angewendet, zuerst eine Fuji-Reala-100-Simulation, dann eine "DXO Cross entwickelter Film" Simulation eines Fuji Superia 200, der jedes Bild in sehr angenehmes Türkis-Blau taucht. Anschließend noch kleine Anpassungen in Viveza (Helligkeit +7, Kontrast -3) und Color Efex (Preset "Foliage Bump"), dann noch etwas Leuchten ("Diffuse") und dezentes ("Subtle") HDR in ON1.

Habt ein schönes WE, liebe Flickr-Freunde, und passt gut auf Euch auf!

Same spot, different conditions...

www.flickr.com/photos/153407093@N07/51904846548/in/datepo...

Thanks for having a look! All faves and comments are highly appreciated!

You do me (and hopefully yourself) a big favour by pressing L and then F11, to view at maximum size.

Sedona, Arizona

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Hände wie eine 300jährige Schildkröte nach der Gartenarbeit...

Processing in Lightroom & Nikcollection (now for free!!!)

...Said everyone's favourite Borg Seven of Nine after smoking some... No, no, not what you think ;) But this semi-translucent, lavender-coloured fluorite, which consists of many cubic shaped crystals with many #corners, has always reminded me of a Borg cube. Albeit a rather psychedelic, flower power, rock'n'roll-type of Borg cube, because the way the cubic crystals are shaped and arranged also conveys a certain kind of cheerful chaos. And lavender also definitely isn't your typical Borg colour. Which makes this a peace and love hippie Borg cube :)

Explored January 10, 2022

Photographed with the M.Zuiko 30mm F3.5 macro lens, the 60mm's little brother. Unlike the 60mm, which is a "true" macro lens with a 1:1 magnification, the 30mm gives you a magnification of 1,25 (2,5 in the MFT world). The fantastic Laowa 50mm Ultra Macro lens offers even more magnification (Goodbye extension tubes!), and it's still on my list, but Olympus – or rather OM System, as the company is called now – had a lens promotion, so I was able to get this already very affordable lens literally dirt-cheap, so I went for it. It's not a pro lens like the 60mm, it's all plastic, no weather sealing etc., but it supports the in-camera focus stacking function, and together with the 16mm extension tube and the Raynox DCR-250 close-up lens (which I've both used for this shot) it's only as long as the 60mm without any extensions. And last, but not least, the image quality is excellent, too. Of course it won't replace my trusty 60mm, but it's a great addititon to it with its extra magnification (and the length of this technical description gives away that I still had to justify the purchase for myself, because Santa had already brought me another new lens). The minimum focusing distance is a mere 14 cm (5,51 inches) which means that you can get really close to your photographic subject, and with extension tubes and close-up lens mounted that focusing distance shrinks considerably once again. In fact, for this image I was so close that the Raynox close-up lens actually touched the upper part of the fluorite. Soft light from above prevented shading from the lens (to which it is prone also without extensions due to the super short focusing distance). OK, enough tech talk, more info on the programmes used for post processing is in the tags ;)

P.S. Thank you wolli s for the tip to slightly oil the subject after dusting it to keep it lint-free, it works!

Happy Macro Monday, Everyone, have a nice week ahead, and stay safe!

I'll catch up with you tonight!

#sliderssunday

That "corner around my corner" across the street is an endless source of beautiful motifs. After the poppies, irises, and other June bloomers, there are now lupines (methinks), dog roses, and the annual Black-eyed Susans. They last super long, well into autumn (and sometimes beyond). About two weeks ago, the first of them popped up in their well-established two different spots in front of the tiny house next to the old, derelict (but heritage-protected and inhabited) house. That old house also provides the somewhat gritty, yet oddly appealing background of crumbling plaster, faded lettering (here only visible in the upper left corner) and decay.

I've photographed (and posted) these coneflowers often over the years, but since there's always a long break between the coneflower-related Flickr posts, I thought I could slip you yet another variation of these sunshiny beauties ;) If you zoom in, you can find a half-hidden tiny critter sitting on the right petal of the centre flower.

In Analog Efex, I added a vintage paper texture (with reduced opacity at 28 on the slider) to the background only.

HSS, Everyone!

#great_white_egret #florida_birds #florida #best_birds_planet #planet_birds #birdbrilliance #birdphotography #nature #wildlifephotography #birdextreme #bestbirdshots #discovertheworld #nature_perfection #wildlifeperfection #gregorymountainpacks #sony #gitzo #leofotousa #markins #manfrotto #TKpanel #luminarneo #adobe_LR_PS #nikcollection #topaz #dxo #capture_1 #rrs

Poor pitiful pups

BEFORE & AFTER EDIT:

gyazo.com/44963a3fc5253657364f77c2710d20cd

DEADWOOL TUX@ MAINSTORE

#sliderssunday

Laowa C-Dreamer 7.5 F/2

This is the follow-up to my previous photo, the promised glance into the "Beehive". The Reichstag dome isn't at all easy to photograph from the inside. A wide angle lens is strongly recommended, and this was the very first time I was able to use the Laowa C-Dreamer 7.5 F/2 ultra wide-angle lens there. On that day the dome was also very well-patronised, if not to say crowded, which made it even more difficult to photograph. A few things I tried there simply didn't work out because there were always at least one or more persons too close to me which didn't exactly help with the composition, to say the least, and which also looked downright distracting in the photo ;-) The good thing is that I can re-visit this place as often as I wish, and I'm sure that one day I will find an emptier beehive ;-) At the moment the Reichstag roof-top terrace and the dome are still closed for public due to the Corona situation. I've read on the Bundestag website that the roof-top terrace and the restaurant will re-open in early July, and I hope that the dome will follow soon.

The atmosphere inside the beehive is usually very light and airy, even on a rainy day (and then it can also quickly get freezing cold inside, because the dome's top is open which also means that when you've climbed right to the top it will be wet and windy there on such a day). On the right you can see the cone which isn't just an architectural or design element. The cone is cased with 360 movable mirrors and serves as a "light deflecting element (...) which directs diffuse daylight into the plenary hall ten metres below. In addition, the light deflection element ensures that used air is removed from the plenary hall. It makes use of the thermal lift and directs the air upwards via an exhaust nozzle. This air then escapes through a 10-metre wide central opening at the top of the dome." (quote taken from the Bundestag website, bundestag.de).

The cone and its reverse, double-helix-like designed ramps (one is meant for walking up, the other, you've guessed it, for walking down inside the dome) have always reminded me of a whirlwind, albeit a "calm" and benign one. The Raw file was a little on the darker side, so I used several sliders in several editing programs to retrieve that airy, kind of "floaty" atmosphere. I've also slightly blurred the faces of the people standing closest to the cone to avoid recognition.

Happy Sliders Sunday, Everyone, stay safe and healthy, dear Flickr friends!