ZOOMING OUT, BETTER STORYTELLING

Elbe River, Dresden, Saxony, Germany, May 26, 2024

We had met with a dear friend in one of the lovely beer gardens along the Elbe River in Dresden, Saxony and enjoyed a great time together. On the way back to the apartment we watched mighty thunderheads developing around us and with them the low sitting sun created some spectacular light in the sky and on the river.

I took a few pictures of the scene, zooming in on the clouds, with the sun beams as my subject, but wasn’t really happy with the results. I realized that it was more about where to place the different elements in the frame, the river with reflections, the steam boat, the silhouette of the building, and of course the position of the sun in the cloud. Zooming slightly further out made finally for better storytelling about location and time.

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,   @ 43mm, 1/500 s, f/8, ISO 100

MORITZBURG CASTLE

Moritzburg Castle near Dresden, Saxony, Germany, May 21, 2024

After a nice hike with family in the area north of Dresden we stopped at Moritzburg Castle, a Baroque palace in the German state of Saxony. It was built from 1542 to 1546 and was extended several times. It was used as a hunting lodge and country seat by the dukes and emperors of Saxony over the years.

Six days after this photo was created the French President Emmanuel Macron visited Dresden and Moritzburg Castle together with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeyer. It put a smile in my face when I saw on the web that they posed with their wives for an official photo with the Minister President of Saxony Michael Kretschmer almost at the same spot where I took this picture of the beautiful castle. Well, they didn’t have such great rain clouds that made for a nice color contrast with the castle and its surrounding park…

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,   @ 44mm, 1/800 s, f/8, ISO 200

FALL COLORS, LATE OCCURRENCE

Maple tree, Dresden Neustadt, Nov 12, 2023, Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S

Hey everybody, I’m back from a trip to Germany where I spent time with family and friends, hence the silence here in my blog. Before the airplane even touched the tarmac in Dresden earlier this month I realized how many leaves were still on the trees and foliage just started to change colors. This is not common for early November but warm temperatures without any cold snap had delayed the changes that usually come with autumn.

The photo of this beautiful maple was made from a balcony in Dresden. The sun peeked from behind a cloud for a moment and revealed the brilliance of the leaves colors. The Nikon Z6II was set to ”vivid mode” to get the most out for this shot.

DRESDEN - FRAUENKIRCHE

A couple pictures from our trip to Germany earlier this month. One of the world-famous landmarks in the city of Dresden, the capitol of the German state of Saxony, is the Dresdener Frauenkirche. The Baroque church was destroyed in the bombing of Dresden during World War II. From the time of my childhood I still remember the ruins and pile of rubble that was left as a war memorial for almost 50 years. If you like to read a little more about the history of this wonderful church and its restoration between 1992 and 2005, here is a link you may want to use: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Frauenkirche

It was my first time that I had a chance to see the Frauenkirche from the inside. I didn’t bring a tripod with me on this trip but handholding the camera with the Nikon Nikkor 16-35 f/4 attached and utilizing vibration reduction led to some acceptable results. It wasn’t until the late afternoon that the gray overcast of this day finally broke apart. When the sun hit the historic silhouette of the city during late afternoon, it made me quickly forget all pictures I took earlier…

THE ZWINGER / DRESDEN / SAXONY

The Zwinger, Dresden / Saxony / Germany

We are back from our trip to Germany since two weeks and I have only shown one photo made during our journey. On the day of our arrival we used the afternoon and evening for a nice walk through parts of Dresden, the capital of my home state Saxony. It was late in the day when we wandered through the Zwinger, a palace, built in Baroque style and designed by court architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann. It served as the orangery, exhibition gallery and festival arena of the Dresden Court. Today, the Zwinger is a museum complex that contains the Old Masters Picture Gallery, the Dresden Porcelain Collection and the Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments.

Dresden is visited by over 4 million tourist every year and it is difficult to take a picture of any of the attractions, like the Zwinger, without any people in the frame. It was almost 8PM when this shot was taken and even then we were not alone on these historical grounds. I guess a little luck is sometimes necessary…😉

THUNDER HEADS OVER DRESDEN

Dresden, Saxony, Germany

Spending time with my German family and friends is priceless. Yesterday we made a trip by train to the more than 1000 years old city of Meissen and returned to the capitol of my home state Saxony Dresden by paddle river boat. The famous skyline of Dresden was crowned by big thunder heads. You can’t ask for more as a photographer…