Suffering tree, Naukluft mountains, Namibia

When we started travelling through Namibia, my first impressions was how incredibly dry, sandy, rocky, and dusty everything is. It was therefore unexpected to find large, grand trees that either seem to wait for water or have lived long ago, when it may have been wetter. However, there are many impressive trees in Namibia. Especially the suffering, mourning tree in the first photograph was really remarkable.

 Dead Quiver tree, Deadvlei, Sossusvlei, Namibia

 Dead Quiver tree shadow, Deadvlei, Sossusvlei, Namibia

 Quiver tree forest, Naukluft mountains, Namibia

 Corkwood (Commiphora glaucescens), Spitzkoppe, Namibia

  Spitzkoppe sunrise, Namibia

After the rocky start from last week, I continue the Namibia series with my preferred landscape photographs. Overall, I am not fully satisfied with my photography during that trip. From several locations I have not created any "keeper" at all. I hope you like the compositions shown here.

 Okaukuejo, Etosha National Park, Namibia

 Erongo mountains, Namibia

 Damaraland, Namibia

 Vingerklip, Namibia

 Quiver tree forest, Naukluft mountains, Namibia

 Twyfelfontein, Namibia

 Spitzkoppe, Namibia

 Rocks and boulders, Spitzkoppe, Namibia

Last year, I have published only one single post. Hopefully, this year I will manage to show new photographs here and on my website again more regularly. Due to the long pause, I have plenty of compositions from last year that I would like to share. Let's start with a few posts and photographs from our summer holiday from last year - in wintery Namibia.
I will keep the text to a minimum unless you, the anonymous visitors, have questions or comments that would start a "conversation". You are all invited to comment! In either case, I hope you enjoy the photographs.

 Rocks and lonely trees, Erongo mountains, Namibia

 Rocks and wimpy, lonely tree, Spitzkoppe, Namibia

 Organ pipes, Namibia

 Rock fissure patterns, Naukluft mountains, Namibia

I wish everybody a healthy, interesting and happy new year 2018!

... it would be the Panasonic Lumix 14-140mm F3.5-5.6.

Several times during the last year I felt the urge to write about this lens because I like it so much. The first version of the Panasonic 14-140mm was the reason why I initially choose a micro four thirds camera and I have used it almost exclusively for many years (for example for most of the carcolor project). Only since last year I own the new version of the 14-140mm lens, which is lighter, smaller, has a slightly larger aperture, and is clearly better optically. From a practical point of view, the smaller size and lower weight result in a much more handy kit for carrying around all day long on hikes, climbs, and skitours and the zoom mechanism is much improved (it does not extend by itself as in the first version). In hindsight, it was a mistake having waited so long to upgrade to the new version. 

 European golden plover, Iceland

In my opinion, the Panasonic Lumix 14-140mm F3.5-5.6 is the one lens that embodies all the advantages of the micro four thirds format: small bodies and lenses that ensure an image quality that is far better than what most photographers ever need. There are of course alternatives for this lens with larger apertures and supposedly better optical quality. However, these advantages are payed for with a considerably larger size, narrower zoom range, and consequently much restricted versatility. And they also cost a lot more. During last year, I have had the chance to compare several micro four thirds lenses (zooms, but also prime lenses) as well as different cameras (micro four thirds, full frame bodies, and Sigma cameras with a foveon sensor). The differences between lenses on the same micro four thirds body were much smaller than I would have expected and I am certain that most people would not be able to tell the difference in real world photographs. By far the biggest difference was seen in the files obtained from the Sigma Foveon sensor. The files from the Sigma DP merrill cameras are just in another category altogether - but this is not the topic of this contribution!

I do of course not suggest to photograph with only one lens and camera. For example, myself I am a macro enthusiast and use (at least at the moment) my macro lens almost as often as the 14-140mm. On most hikes and excursions I carry a micro four thirds camera, the 14-140mm lens, and a macro lens and am thus covered for almost all eventualities. For me this is the must-have equipment that I would always want to have with me; the other cameras and lenses are sometimes useful, nice to have, or just a pleasure to use, but they do not do much more than my "essential" kit.

All the photographs in this blog post have been taken with the new 14-140mm lens during last year - I hope you enjoy. For the foreseeable future, this is the last article, because I have other priorities for this year and will thus update this blog very rarely or not at all. In the meantime, you are welcome to visit the photo galleries on my website, which will be updated from time to time with new photographs and galleries.

All the best, Florian.

 Pakgil, Iceland

 
Bernese Alps, Switzerland

 
Mutteristock, Switzerland

 Redwing, Iceland

 
Speicherstadt, Hamburg, Germany

 Harpa, Reykjavik, Iceland

 
Holocaust memorial, Berlin, Germany

 

We wish you all a happy, interesting, healthy, informative, wonderful, exciting, and lucky new year 2017!

 

 

 

... and merry Christmas if this is what you are celebrating. If you have to work or do not celebrate, I hope you can still enjoy all the sparkling lights and shiny decorations.

 Morning frost, Zurich, Switzerland

This post is last week's weekly text and thus really belated. To compensate, I include three additional morning frost compositions from last week's short excursion to a freezing cold meadow. Together with last week's photograph, these are four compositions, out of almost 60 exposures, that I intend to keep. Do you have a preferred version?

I hope you enjoy today's photograph and wish you an unstressed and enjoyable "before-christmas-week"!

 Morning frost, Zurich, Switzerland

 
Morning frost, Zurich, Switzerland

 Morning frost, Zurich, Switzerland

The weekend is almost over, so it is high time for my weekly contribution. Today I would like to show you the first frost composition of this season (it is still "warm", from yesterday). The picture is also linked to a plea: if you see a strange person kneeling or lying on a frosty meadow on a cold morning, please do not draw any wrong conclusion and just pass by inconspicuously (you may be ignored anyway). He is neither dead, nor drunk or otherwise sick. It is likely just a photographer (maybe me) searching for frosty compositions that are hidden close to the ground, among the blades of grass.

I hope you enjoy today's photograph and wish you a good week!

 Autumnal maple leaves, Zurich, Switzerland

A melange of red and yellow maple leaves - photographed at the same place as last week's composition. I tried to compose the frame with leaf shapes in the fore and background, while only one leaf is sharp and the "center of attraction" for the eye.

Have a nice Sunday (so far it is grey and cold here in Zurich)!

 The last autumnal maple leaf, Zurich, Switzerland

This time it is not two, but only one leaf. Close to where we live, there is a square with a collection of small maple trees that turn beautifully red and yellow in autumn. Usually on the weekends, I pass by and create a few photographs; often of the same leaf every week. Most of the trees are bare now, but a few leaves are still hanging. Just today I have been searching for new fall color compositions among those trees and leaves, but the lonely leaf above was already captured a few weeks ago.

I wish you a good Sunday and a nice week!

 Autumnal beech leaves in a small creek, Frillensee, Inzell, Germany

There is not much to say about these two photographs of two beech leaves. I enjoy walking along and in rivers and creeks in autumn to search for stranded, colourful leaves that are bathed by the flowing water. I hope you enjoy and wish you a good week!

Two stranded beech leaves in the Frillensee creek, Inzell, Germany

 
Bud and red petioles surrounded by autumnal leaves, Zurich, Switzerland

Now that it is almost winter, cold outside, and most of the leaves have fallen, I finally start showing fall photographs. I have promised autumnal compositions for this weekend, but they are/were not ready for display. So here are two very different examples that I just developed for you speedily. Although the two photographs are both a kind of close-up view (and both are in portrait format), they are as different as can be (also with respect to how they were taken). I hope you like at least one of them and wish you a good week!

Stranded yellow maple leave, Siegsdorf, Germany

 Morning light in the mountains of Pakgil, Iceland

As promised last week, here is another, last post with Iceland photographs. This time it is not landscape compositions in the classical sense, but rather closer views that I label as "nature details" (sometimes such photographs are also designated "intimate landscapes"). For me, these are photographs that are neither true landscapes (with a horizon and at least some sky), nor close up or macro photographs, but something in between. Another composition from this category was shown in the Jökulsarlon glacier lagoon post (the second photograph) and I do have a few more that will appear in the future in the nature details gallery. If you want, you may also have a look at a few birds we managed to photograph during our trip in the animals gallery (the first eight photographs are from Iceland).
Next week, I hope to start showing new fall color compositions from this season. Until then, have a good week!

Red spot, Krysuvik on Reykjanes peninsula, Iceland

Rocky reflections, Snaefellsnes peninsula, Iceland

Smoky mountain, Krysuvik on Reykjanes peninsula, Iceland

Cottongrass (Eriophorum) near Raufarhöfn, Melrakkaslétta peninsula, Iceland

Cloudy southward view from Pakgil towards the coast and Hjörleifshöfði, Iceland

These three typical Iceland compositions, showing lush greens and mountains, grey and menacing clouds, but also bright and sunny views, conclude the series of Iceland landscape photographs that were captured during our summer holiday. Next week, I will show a few compositions of more intimate Iceland details and then move on to fall color photographs. Have a nice Sunday (it is grey and cold in Zurich)!

Crater lake Grænavatn on Reykjanes peninsula, Iceland

Strip of light, Snaefellsnes peninsula, Iceland