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11 exposures stacked median in Photoshop, each between 5-20 seconds, totaling about 2 minutes, then blended with a darker exposure sky.
This was blue hour just before it became pitch dark with freezing temperatures around 28F (-2C).
Samyang 12mm manual focus lens.
Thank you very much for your kind comments and faves.
Explored April 23, 2022
#900
#sliderssunday
Laowa C-Dreamer 7.5 mm F/2
My 900th photo upload on Flickr :) I stumbled upon this interior photo of the Reichstag dome while flipping through my photo folders in search of a photo that might be a worthy No. 900. Back then the Laowa 7.5 mm F/2 prime lens had been my widest lens. Now that the dome is open to the public again, I can't wait to plan another visit, and this time I will bring the M.Zuiko 7-14 wide-angle zoom along. The dome isn't easy to photograph, and I'm curious if 7 mm is that much wider compared to 7.5 mm in an interior setting and whether I will benefit from the extra flexibility a zoom lens offers.
Processing-wise, this is a slider already for Sunday. Back in 2019 I still had not been used to doing exposure bracketing regularly, so the original RAW file had been a little on the dark side. To reproduce the open, airy atmosphere of the Reichstag dome, I went both into Color Efex and Luminar Neo and individually processed the RAW file using the high-key filters of both programmes. The final result is a combination of the Color Efex and the Luminar Neo image done by blending in the layers in PS. I hope you like it.
Mein 900. Foto auf Flickr :) Anlässlich dieses "Jubiläums" habe ich meine Foto-Ordner nach einem Bild durchsucht, dass der Nr. 900 würdig ist, ich hoffe, ich habe das richtige Foto gewählt. Die Reichstagskuppel ist gar nicht so einfach zu fotografieren. Bei meinem Besuch 2019 hatte ich mein damals weitestes Objektiv dabei, das Laowa 7.5 F/2, eine Festbrennweite. Da die Kuppel erfreulicherweise endlich wieder geöffnet ist, werde ich wohl bald einen weiteren Besuch planen – und dieses Mal wird das M.Zuiko 7-14 mit von der Partie sein. Ich bin schon gespannt, ob der halbe Millimeter mehr am weiten Ende in Innenräumen wirklich einen so großen Unterschied macht. Und ich hoffe, von der Flexibilät des Zooms zu profitieren.
Bearbeitungstechnisch ist das eigentlich schon ein Slider für Sonntag. Ich hatte damals noch nicht regelmäßig daran gedacht, bei schwierigen Lichtverhältnissen Belichtungsreihen zu machen und so war die RAW-Datei ein wenig zu dunkel geraten. Um die luftig-leichte Atmosphäre im Innern der Kuppel wiederzugeben, habe ich mich hier also an einer kleinen High-Key-Spielerei versucht, und zwar sowohl in Color Efex als auch in Luminar Neo. Beide Bilder habe ich dann in PS miteinander kombiniert. Das Endergebnis seht Ihr hier, ich hoffe, es gefällt Euch.
#roseate_spoonbill #florida_birds #florida #best_birds_planet #planet_birds #birdbrilliance #birdphotography #nature #wildlifephotography #birdextreme #bestbirdshots #discovertheworld #nature_perfection #wildlifeperfection #gregorymountainpacks #sonyalpha #gitzo #leofotousa #markins #manfrotto #TKpanel #luminarneo #adobeLR&PS #nikcollection
Happy Birthday, dear Chandana! I hope you had a beautiful day full of sunshine and happiness today. I wish you all the best, good health and many happy moments in this new year of your life :)
Explored January 31, 2021
Just two rings which I've pieced together for the photo. Actually three rings, because the plain golden one consists of two combined rings, kind of a double ring. The other ring with those tiny droplets / beads going all around is made of silver. I like to use both together, so I photographed them together, placed onto the silver side of a gold and silver coated piece of cardboard which once was used in a food wrapping. This is an image taken last night, but apparently I had too much time today, because I still tried a few focus stacks with different light and with the rings on top of a glossy black tile, but liked none in the end. So back to yesterday's image which I've processed in DXO PhotoLab 4 (sharpness, micro contrast and denoising with Deep Prime only), then in Analog Efex for the vignette and a very subtle matte look, and finally in Luminar AI, where I'd enhanced a few details (in the painting mask), added a very subtle glow, and slightly brightened the lower part of the silver ring with the dodge and burn tool.
Happy Macro Monday, Everyone, stay safe and healthy!
Lots of unintentional blur this time ;-) I thought of doing focus stacking here, but it was impossible to keep my left hand totally still while changing the focus in my camera's menu (or at all). I'm sure you know what I mean. So it's not all over sharp, but it will have to do.
A Happy Macro Monday, Everyone! Have a great week ahead!
Thank you for your comments and faves, they are always highly appreciated!
#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 woke up early this morning, looked out of the window and saw a clear sky and some fog on the meadows. Time for grabbing the cam and spend some time in nature :-)
I'm not sure if this "photographic behaviour" phenomenon is caused by some short circuit in the human brain or mayb it is the addiction to some toxication of the brain caused by moments like this. I never see anyone outside with the cam on these hours so i'm wondering about the normality of my behavior ;-)
Anyway, it was a beautiful 1.5 hour outside. After the sun was risen, many clouds were showing up and 10 minutes later it was grey.
I used nik collection after reading a lot of nice and positive comments about it so i give it a try :-)
Taken with the 16-35mm f/4, no filters used.
Thanks everyone for visiting my stream.
#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!
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.
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!
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
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!
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
#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!
#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
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
#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
#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
#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!
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 ;-))) !
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!
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!
#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 :)
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
#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!
This scene might be familiar to some of you – it's the GR III version of the "synchronized couple" relaxing on the lawn in front of the main tropical greenhouse at the Botanical Garden in Berlin that I've posted for last Sliders Sunday ("Fun in the Sun", please see the second comment). Well, this one is a little different, it's not the GR version I'd taken from the same position and with the same point of view as the Lensbaby SOL 22 photo which I originally wanted to do either as a monochrome or as a slider for today. But I was never happy with any of the monochrome versions I've processed, because whatever I did, contrasty b&w, soft, sepia... when the colour was gone, all of the sunny lightness and summer ease was gone, too. I've also processed a vintage style colour version of that photo for today, but then stumbled upon this photo with the palm tree and bench (only half of it, but I still think it's a nice element in the image), and I liked that a little better, because it's the same scenery, but a completely different photo, and it also shows a little more of the beautiful ambience of the Botanical Garden. And while this photo actually works well in mono, too, I decided to keep it in colour. Maybe I'm not in "mono mood" right now ;)
DXO PhotoLab processing steps: sharpening and DeepPRIME denoising, a little sliding in ClearView Plus and Smart Lighting, and for the colour rendition (which I usually keep as is) I chose a Leica M10-D simulation, because it added such a nice, creamy-summerly turquoise touch to the blue sky. Next step: Analog Efex for a vintage post card look (Classical Camera preset 7, tweaked), and next.... As far as I recall I also did something in Color Efex (Skylight Filter, most likely), and I also did something in ON1, but since I processed all the different versions of the two GR photos at the same time, I probably got the further processing steps mixed up...
Happy Sliders Sunday, Everyone, stay safe and take care!
Synchronliegen unter Palmen
Diese Szene kommt einigen von Euch vielleicht bekannt vor, wegen des so schön synchron auf dem Liegerasen des Botanischen Gartens in Berlin relaxenden Pärchens :) Letzten Sonntag habe ich Euch die Lensbaby-SOL-22-Version gezeigt (hier im 2. Kommentar zu sehen). Eigentlich wollte ich ja als GR-III-Version das Foto, das ich aus dem gleichen Blickwinkel gemacht hatte, als SW-Version zeigen. SW funktionierte mit dieser Version aber nicht, denn ohne Farbe fehlt dem Foto jegliche sommerliche Leichtigkeit. Deshalb hatte ich es dann als Farbversion bearbeitet, war aber auch damit nicht 100%ig zufrieden. Zum Glück habe ich dann noch diese Version mit Palme und halber (dem Geradestellen geschuldet) Bank entdeckt, die mir sogar ein wenig besser gefällt, weil man mehr vom Ambiente des Botanischen Gartens sieht und es eben, vom verbindenen Element des Pärchens mal abgesehen, ein gänzlich anderes Foto als die Lensbaby-Version ist.
Ich wünsche Euch einen guten Start in die als herbstlich angekündigte neue Woche!