Category Archives: Short Impressions

Winter

Winter

This year’s winter was rather typical: November is rainy and gray and one begins to wait for colder temperatures. Snow actually comes around for brief period in the beginning of December, but is then replaced by even more rain and days after days with little light. Darkness surrounds the city and its inhabitants minds. In January, one has given up the hope for a cold winter after all, and the wait for Spring begins. And while February starts off with some warm sunlight and everybody is getting ready to enjoy the first blossoms, winter grips on tightly again and doesn’t let go, even though it is the middle of March by now.

Flocks a Mile Wide

Flocks a Mile Wide

Freedom to fly and live, and thrive and try new things, drop by the roaring sea, be free below the heavens of the world, be slow and grow, relentless wind between the feathers, thoughts stirred up by elements, weather dictates sentiments, torn between the now and then – when will we feel this life again?

Persistence

Persistence

Small and quick,
he hauls his loot,
cuts through the light,
speeds through my sight,
lifts off, his flight
insouciant.

Light is everything in photography. It shapes the scene and provides a sense of time and place. Depending on the direction of light in relation to the camera, the same subject can change its color, form, feeling, and essence.

City Life

Cite Life

Noisy nights, deep yellow lights
tint the streets, hint at outcasts
that did outlast the grim cold winters of the past;
splinters in society.
Meanwhile, the crowd does join the Christmas fair –
snow in the air – to buy cheap wine,
to dine, to whine about the great decline
of their homeland that is quite fine.
And they move on and buy their beer
at Assal's shop, shoes from Amir,
on which they stumble home each year
to disappear, to leave the fear
beneath the starlit sky behind.

On Time

On Time

When catching the train you expect it to be on time. Like, exactly on schedule, precise to the minute. For yourself to be on time, you probably want to arrive five minutes early at the platform though. When meeting friends there is more leeway: You might be a little early or a little late, it will count as on time, no worries. For some friends don’t be too late though. When photographing the sunrise, as early as possible is on time. There is always a lot to explore and setting up compositions requires care. When approaching a job interview, being on time is being late. You need to be there five to ten minutes earlier than the appointment. But don’t be too early either. Being on time is difficult. So, when is ‘on time’ for a four year project? An hour before deadline? A week? A month?

Hidden Gems

Hidden Gems

The internet is large and most content is shallow. Navigating clickbait, fake news, and social media is exhausting. But sometimes, it also yields something precious, something that is a worthwhile the investment of time, or something that evokes true emotion.

For me, this is mostly the case when someone has mastered his or her art and excels in what they do, such as these three hidden gems I found recently:

Photo Post: P25

Photo Post: P25

Record temperature highs all around, forest fires all over Europe, and an advancing drought that threatens food and energy production – only a small glimpse of what will come.

So, instead of exposing ourselves to the constant stream of news, we enjoyed some of the beautiful nature nearby by hiking the P25 trail near Kleinalmerode. It’s one of the newest premium trails in Hesse and the closest one to our home. Normally, Kleinalmerode is known for its cherry blossom in late spring; but during this time of year we strolled through barley fields, found lots of insects scaling cornflowers, and observed bumblebees exploring the landscape of flowers. It also revived my passion for macro-photography and hopefully I’ll manage to use some more of these long Summer days to pursue photography.

Photo Post: Pause

Photo Post: Pause

A small selection of pictures taken on our way to and on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Dramatic weather made for some interesting skies during the middle of the day, but (near) constant rain spoiled the hiking and photography fun. Skye is beautiful; but so is the mainland. However, unlike the mainland Skye is flooded with tourists. So we agreed that this single visit is enough for us for now.