Finally a new post. I do not have much to say at the moment and photograph only rarely. Nevertheless I hope you enjoy this unusual Lake of Zurich watercolor composition that I captured recently.

Thank you for visiting anyway and have a nice weekend!

The watercolor composition above was discovered on the same trip as Watercolors 18, but a little further up the coast, in Seattle. In contrast to most of my watercolor photographs, it is a man-made structure that is being distorted and reflected: Seattle's great wheel. The waves and ripples multiply and distort the reflection and thus create countless versions of this attraction. This bewildering display and the overall color and mood of the composition remind me of another Seattle reflection photograph of mine: Spacy Space Needle (Carcolor 33), which features reflections and distortions of Seattle's landmark tower.

In contrast to many of my photographs, this creation lacks a regular, geometric pattern and may seem rather chaotic. In my opinion, the dark grey spots, devoid of any great wheel reflection, anchor the composition. In particular the larger, oval shape in the center of the frame attracts the eye. In addition, there is a clear direction from the lower right corner, with countless great wheel reflections, to the upper left corner, where the reflections thin out. Nevertheless, this example is rather distinct and different from the ones shown in the watercolor gallery so far.

Already the entire year I somehow lack inspiration and motivation for blogging; often I am too tired in the evening, more interested in work-related topics, or not interested in anything at all. At the moment, I try to overcome my inertia by working on photographs on my hard drive and by finishing projects. First, I try to closely inspect, finalise, and conclude the watercolor collection and thus keep showing you more such compositions.

The version here is, in my opinion, similar to the fourth composition shown much earlier, even though the two photographs have been taken at the opposite coast of the United States. "Shallow water waves on Sand Beach" was captured in Maine, while the example here was composed in Oregon; at Smugglers Cove. The composition above may seem technically flawed (out of focus), incredibly boring, or even banal. Yet, it is a photograph I still like, even though it has been taken over two years ago. It has thus successfully stood my test of time.

If you have looked at some of my photographs, you probably realise that I like patterns and intimate views, details, instead of sweeping vistas. In today's photograph, I particularly like the regular, angled waves, the overall harmonious color and mood; even though it is much less colorful than I often prefer. For the attentive inspector, there is even subtle hint of the sandy ground that is shimmering through. If you want, also have a look at the entire watercolor gallery with other recent and older examples of colorful reflections on bodies of water.

Although I have recently posted several times about our summer holiday (and the GX8 adventure), I should officially recommence my regular photo articles after the "summer break"; again with a watercolor composition. Today's watercolor photograph is an early version: bare birch tree trunks reflected in a shallow (artificial) lake.

For me, this composition does not really look like a photograph, but rather resembles a painting. Photographs like this depend much less on resolution or other camera specifications than traditional landscape captures, for example, because they are not about sharpness and detail. As long as I do not print this photograph very large, which I won't, this watercolor composition seems perfectly fine to me; despite the tininess of the camera (and its sensor) it was captured with.

If you want, head over to the watercolor gallery and look at the other recent examples - there are two more photographs (compositions 15 and 16), which have only been presented in the course of the GX8 adventure.

The watercolor composition above was created recently, on a wonderful evening at the Lake of Zurich. Our son just had his last day of primary school ever and we "celebrated" the occasion by swimming in the lake, eating at the lake, and with a sunset pedalo tour on the lake. It was warm, but not too hot, everybody was happy (and not fighting) - it was really "just" perfect. In the photograph above, I enjoy the smooth and soft-looking surface of the water. To me, it rather looks like a fabric than a liquid.

Photography-wise, it is not an easy year for me. I struggle writing regularly for this blog, feel in between photography projects in a rather unproductive way, our printer is still producing ugly spots and lines all over the sheet (the reason for the missing monthly print), and I keep destroying my photography equipment. I have just permanently put down my trusted and beloved Lumix GH1 - after many years of regular use. The watercolor composition above is one of the last captures of this camera (no, I did not drown it in the Lake of Zurich, but in a much more shallow body of water in a most embarrassing way). My little "photography time" has recently been used to finally create at least one of two planned family photo books (for last year!). Since we will also go on holiday, I am now taking a (hopefully creative) summer break for this blog and only "return" writing here in a couple of weeks, sometimes in August.

In the meantime, we will spend a summer holiday in the Swiss mountains, for which I have received an exciting new camera as a temporary replacement (I will definitely report on this most unexpected and most welcome occasion). I am looking forward to spending a few days with the family, to hiking, and of course to creating photographs. 

I have neglected the watercolors theme (all themes actually) for some time (more than half a year!). Nevertheless, I still and again feel inspired by the "water theme" and here is thus a new composition that is very different from the ones already shown in this gallery. Instead of having been created from close by the water's surface, this photograph was captured from a hiking path high above the lake - Lake Thun in the Bernese Alps. It is also not showing strangely shaped distortions, reflections and colors, but just the light and regular pattern of waves that were created by a passing by boat. 

This is already the third Calanque d'En Vau watercolor composition. It has been taken from the same spot as the tow other examples (Calanque d'En Vau 1 and 2). In this photograph, the blue of the crystal clear water is blended with the grey reflections of the limestone cliffs.
More watercolor compositions have been shown in earlier blog posts and are presented in a dedicated online gallery.

Today's watercolor compositon brings me back to California, more specifically to Yosemite National Park. During our summer holiday of last year, Tuolumne meadows was our first stop after leaving San Francisco. After a morning hike to Lembert Dome, we made a lengthy pause at Tuolumne River, where the children played in the water and I used the time to photograph. I was particularly intrigued by the watercolor swirls and patterns on the surface of the water gushing around rocks. For me, the photograph above captures the essence of that impression and I hope some of you like it.
If you want, have a look at the watercolor photographs shown in earlier blog posts or at the watercolor gallery.

As promised last week, here is a second example of a Calanque d'En Vau watercolor composition. It has been taken from the same spot as the last example, except that it was captured exactly 25 minutes later (thank you EXIF data!). In this photograph, the greenish-turquois color of the water is more apparent and spotted with the white and blue reflections of the sky and clouds.
More watercolor compositions have been shown in earlier blog posts and are presented in a dedicated online gallery.

The Mediterranean coast between Marseille and Cassis impresses with a formidable cliff line and rocky coves - the Massif des Calanques. Bright grey limestone cliffs rise out of the sea and are in stark contrast to the clear, turquois water of the mediterranean. Supposedly one of the most beautiful of these coves is Calanque d'En Vau, which is accessible by a nice hike over limestone gravel and rocks, through mediterranean pine forest and macchia. When we hiked there last spring, the small beach at the base of the Calanque d'En Vau was filled with hikers as well as some climbers - the Calanques are a prime territory for rock climbing.
In comparison to a bog-standard shot of the turquoise Calanque waters and the bright rocks, the photograph above is certainly a rather unusual composition. However, for me it is linked to a memorable photo session and quiet observation of the water surface for almost an hour. I have been standing right above the water surface on a limestone ridge. The direction and strength of the wind was changing all the time, sometimes a cloud cast a shadow, and thus the reflected colors and the patterns on the water surface varied constantly. During my watercolor photo session I captured many different compositions. The capture shown above is the first example that I would like to share; more will follow. In the meantime, also have a look at the other watercolor photographs shown so far.

Caumasee is a wonderful lake that can be reached by foot or bike from Flims, a mountain village and popular skiing location in Switzerland. When we visited this beautiful lake last year, rainbow colors, light and shadow patterns were dancing across the ground of the lake and thereby transformed the shallow shore into a mesmerizing display of abstract, prismatic patterns. Also note how the ground is distorted in some places; almost as if some pebbles were seen through a magnifying glass. In contrast to the other watercolor photographs shown so far, in this composition the colors and patterns are not reflections on the water surface, but rather projected onto the ground. Yet, the patterns and colors are still created by the shallow waves and ripples on the water surface and I am still amazed by the beauty of the scene. I could have watched and photographed for hours!

A watercolor composition from close-by: Reflections of a grey and blue winter sky on the surface of  Türlersee. As a child, we have visited Türlersee regularly, but since then I had not been there often. It is a beautiful lake between meadows and forests and there is a comfortable and short walk around the entire lake. Also check out the other six watercolor photographs!

Our summer holiday of 2013 was a prolific and creative watercolor period. Although I had "collected" compositions of colorful and interesting reflections on all kinds of water bodies here and there before, it was during those five weeks that the watercolor theme really materialized. Today's example arose from an exciting photography session at Sol Duc River in Olympic National Park in Washington State. When I suddenly saw these colors, lights, and shades dance on the fast-flowing water, I had to photograph. For me, this composition perfectly captures the beauty and essence of that moment.

Today's watercolor example is atypical for this series: It was captured from far away (from the Pont de la Jonction) and the striking colors are caused by the waters of the rivers Rhône and Arve in Geneva; not by reflections and distortions. At this point, the waters of the Rhône have just flown out of Lake Geneva and are therefore clear, while the cloudy waters of the Arve carry along silt and sand from the mountains in France. In this photograph, I particularly like the cloud patterns on the two rivers. On the Rhône (left), the cloudy sky is reflected, while the clear Rhône waters entering the Arve create cloud-like turbulence on the right.

Regular wave patterns on Sand Beach in Acadia National Park in Maine, USA. It is an unusual watercolor composition in many ways: The colors are soft and subdued, there is little contrast, and everything is out of focus because the photograph was captured with a long exposure (a little over 3 seconds). The growing watercolors series is shown on this blog as well as in the watercolors gallery. I hope you enjoy!

As a follow up to last weeks green Boston watercolor photograph, here comes another composition of intermingled, reflected greens. Besides the colors and the fact the it is again only water that you are seeing, the two photographs are quite different though. The version above was created in Bavaria, close to the small town of Siegsdorf, and the body of water is a river (Traun) and not a pond. Consequently, the waves are more shallow and intermingled and thus reflect the leaf colors much more chaotically. Nevertheless, the result is, in my opinion, an attractive, abstract, green marbled watercolor composition.

An early watercolor photograph of mine: Green reflections in the lagoon of the Boston Public Garden. Besides all the beautiful shades of green I particularly like the contrasting color palette in the left and right half of the composition. It looks almost as if the right half was the negative image of the left half (or the other way around). I hope you enjoy and wish you a nice day!

  Watercolors on Lake Helen in Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, USA.

My May-print is also the starting signal for the new watercolor theme, which I will present with many more photographs in the future.
Since several years I try to create photographs of amazing colors and patterns on the surfaces of lakes, rivers, and the sea. Although somewhat similar to the carcolor compositions, these watercolor reflections are much more complex. Instead of a rigid, reflective car body, here the "mirror" is a wavy and wobbly liquid. Depending on the frequency and pattern of the waves and riddles, the reflections change dramatically. These photographs thus have a certain random element and each capture is truly unique. However, observing a body of water for a while will reveal recurring patterns and over time I have learned to predict and pre-visualize compositions that I find interesting.
The photograph above, which I have printed as my monthly print for May, shows fantastic cloud and sky reflections on the surface of Lake Helen in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Brownish-reddish volcanic rock, green trees, and spicy waves transform this otherwise ordinary water reflection into something unexpected - at least in my opinion. By the way: the waves were partly created by me because I was wading in the refreshing water in order to create this photograph and the photograph would also fit the tilt-(shift)-theme.