Venice: A City as the Stage

Way back over the holiday break (which seems like years ago now), we went to Venice. I have to admit that we've neglected Italy a little too much over the years and we were way past due to visit its most romantic city. The vacation days finally worked out last year so that we could have a good stretch of time there to take the city at a mild pace. With all the fabulous places visited in 2016- Iceland, Lisbon, Ireland, etc., Venice kinda fell off our radar for a while. But as the trip approached we remembered, "Oh yeah, we're booked to go to Venice for Christmas!" It turned out to be the perfect place to close out the year. Now, rumor had it that the Christmas break wasn't as popular as the peak summer season for tourists, so we were pretty excited. The thought of having the famed city mostly to ourselves and the locals sounded like just the way we wanted to experience it. We'd been to enough tourist traps over the years that seeing such a popular place when most people don't is a very attractive concept. I didn't really want sunshine and warm piazzas. I was after overcast skies, a little fog, and somewhat empty cicchetti bars.

Somebody lied.

Venice was packed over Christmas. Apparently it is the place for the French to visit over the holidays. You know, come to think of it, I rarely see French tourists outside of France, so maybe Venice is the only place they go? A question for another day...

So much for having the place to ourselves. The weather was cold, but clear so I never got that gloominess I was after either. But, one thing I've learned is that even when my vision never becomes reality, there is usually a new one just around the corner if I'm willing to let go of the original plan. The thing is, if there's ever a place that is photogenic no matter what the conditions or the popularity, it is Venice. If I didn't know better, I'd believe Venice was built just for photographers.

That wonderful haze.

Thanks to the lagoon there's this really magical thing about Venice and the surrounding islands. The light is good all day. I don't know if this is just a winter phenomenon or if it occurs all year, but it's pretty incredible. All that water in the air creates this haze, and it's not the usual kind of haze that just obscures distant views. It's a haze that is all around. The haze and the low hanging winter sun brings a softness to the afternoon that makes golden hour last for several hours. I was totally obsessed with it and maybe spent too much time (and storage) trying to capture its effects. Have you ever seen the vedute paintings of the 18th and 19th centuries? They're those big sprawling paintings of cityscapes and harbors that were really popular when well to do people went on Grand Tours of Europe. Every major art museum has at least a dozen of these. Venice was one of the most common places for the vedutisti to paint, for good reason. It looks like a painting. And so after you see the city in person, you realize the paintings look like photographs and some photographs actually look the old paintings. It's all because of this incredible light.  Check out the works of Francesco Gaurdi  and Antonietta Brandeis to see what I mean.

The haze wasn't present in the cold mornings. They were perfectly clear, and oftentimes full of brilliance. Every morning we get up before the rest of city and walked out to where I wanted to photograph, shoot for a couple of hours, then head back to our apartment for a late breakfast and, usually, a nap.  By the time we went out again in the early afternoon, the magic haze was in place. I'd photograph pretty heavily until the end of blue hour in the evening. All of that makes for an extended day's worth of shooting. I came home with three full cards (two 32GB, 1 64GB) and two more mostly full ones (32GB each) after only 5 days. If we had stayed there any longer I would have needed to pick up some more cards at one of the incredibly overpriced camera shops in Venice. I was in total love with this afternoon light.

While everyone else was interested in the glass shops on Murano, I was fixated with this bridge.
There was something about the long shadows, railing, and that haze.

No filter!

And, it's not just the light. That probably isn't even the first thing that makes Venice amazing to photograph. While the light seems like it is being crafted from unseen stage rafters, the locals look like they a cast from a movie. There are so many beautiful pairs of shoes, perfectly tailored suits, luxurious furs, and stunning hats walking around. They're not even going anywhere that requires this sort of dress code. They're just going to the market or to get a coffee!  Here you have all these tourists stumbling about in their trekking pants and Northface alongside Venetians in bespoke three piece suits, handmade Italian shoes, and cashmere topcoats! It's bloody bizarre, but absolutely riveting. I don't know. Maybe they were dressed like this because it was the holidays and they were all on their way somewhere glitzy and just needed to pop into the Coop for a Panettone on their way there. But, I like to think that there's this whole island city that is truly trapped in another time. Yes, the architecture is all from a by-gone era, but maybe the people are too. They aren't denizens of the old glory days of Venice. I mean it would be a bit ridiculous for the men to strut about in doublets and tights and the women to be laboring to the grocers in 3 voluminous layers of linen and wool gowns while clopping in wooden clogs like the cast of the Merchant of Venice. No, these folks seem to hail from the time when Peggy Guggenheim was just moving her gallery to the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni and throwing her famous parties on the Grand Canal. They're not headed anywhere special. There isn't a dinner party every evening. Is there? No, there can't be. They just can't imagine leaving the house without their studded pocket watches, freshly shined shoes, their white gloves, and their furs. It just isn't done. So, for street photographers Venice is magic. There are no cars to worry about being run over by and no bicycles either. Venice even moves like it is from a slower time. Everything is at a walking pace. Even the boats move leisurely (unless piloted by the Carabinieri). You can take your time and watch the scene unfold, filled with the classiest cast you could encounter on a Tuesday afternoon. Admittedly, I had a bit of a hard time photographing them. Even though cameras are as common as water in Venice, pointing it at the local people instead of the city itself was a struggle. They always noticed and for some reason I found that intimidating. Getting over that fear is something I definitely have to work on. For those who are past that phase in their street photography, go to Venice!

 

Morning shoppers on Burano.

Of course if the locals are a bit difficult to capture, there is always the ever present and ever photographed gondoliers. These guys are so used to being photographed that they don't bat an eye and some will ham it up for the camera a bit. I couldn't resist the visual draw of those sleek gondolas with their casually posed pilots moving through the canals around the hubs of the city. Ferrying bus groups of Koreans, families of four from France, quartets of Indian businessmen sitting in awkward silence, and starry-eyed couples alike on their required 20 minute quick and dirty gondola rides, the gondoliers are always a solid go to subject- especially if you can catch them without their cell phones or, if you're really lucky, without any passengers.

One of my favorite photographs from the trip is one that I didn't take. I was set up along the Grand Canal near all the popular restaurants taking long exposures of passing boats during blue hour one evening. We were tucked next to an unmanned gondola booth. From one of the side alleys came three gondoliers and they were quite angry with each other. Apparently, from what we could understand from our limited knowledge of Italian, the booth was not supposed to be unmanned and it was definitely somebody's fault. Of course, no one wanted to admit it was theirs and a passionate argument went on for about 15 minutes between two of them (the third just sulked after a while) and they were probably still arguing by the time we were long gone. The Italians, God bless em, are famed for their love of arguing. It's a passion passed down from generation to generation and one that can be witnessed or involved in wherever Italians have made their way into the world. However, the best Italian arguments are, of course, in Italian. And this one between the two gondoliers was one of the best I've ever seen. It was chock full of gestures, profanity (the Italians have the best curses), huffing, puffing, eye rolling, stomping of feet, false exits and returns, long dramatic pauses, and operatic tones.  During the height of it, I had my back to them holding down my shutter release for a long exposure. Trapped by my current task I asked my husband to try his best at capturing the drama behind me. So, he pulled out the X70 that he had been using that week and hiding it slightly against me so as not to turn the heat of the wrath on us, fired away with it on automatic mode. I adore this image.

Ok, maybe the light and the people aren't the first things that come to mind when you think of Venice. They weren't for me either before we went. The main attraction is the scenery itself. There is a reason people have been painting, sculpting, composing, writing, and photographing here for so long. Despite that everything is slowly dissolving back into the lagoon, it hasn't lost its inherent beauty. Almost every alley and canal enters into another perfect scene. If you visit, get up before dawn at least once and stroll the place in its glorious soft and quiet hours. It will reward you with a memory no souvenir can give. It will just be you and the garbage men, a couple of photographers, the bakers, and the city. While there may be no time of year to see the city without the hoards of day trippers, there are a couple hours every day when you will be guaranteed to have the city all to yourself.

One of the classic views.

St. Mark's Square just after a winter sunrise.

Light trails of an early vaporetto on the Grand Canal.

I came home with more photographs than I imagined possible. It took me three weeks to get through them. It was a wonderful three weeks of editing and reliving five days in one of Europe's most iconic cities. Every single one of those days presented me with incredible performances thanks to the light, the characters, and the set. Venice is not overrated. You just have to give it a minute or two, maybe stand in the cold hours before dawn, be a little brave, and, behold- scenery, light, action. All you need is to bring your camera. I'm not sure if the world is a stage, but Venice definitely is. And it is just as stunning as you imagined it would be.

The moon sets, the sun rises, and Venice begins to wake.
This image was created after a very long walk and then a cold wait on the Ponte dell'Accademia.
This moment was shared with just one other photographer. It captures a time when
I believe Venice is at her most beautiful- dawn.

For all the photographs click here!

Shooting Iceland Part II: The Aurora

Unbelievably, it's been almost a month since we were in Iceland.  I figured by the time I got to this post, I'd finally have a hand on how to talk about our night with the aurora.  I'm afraid I don't.  I take comfort in knowing that this is a common problem for those who have witnessed it, but I'm worried that this post isn't going to do the experience much justice.

After two nights in Iceland, we hadn't had a single opportunity to catch the aurora.  The night we came in on the plane there was a blizzard and the next two nights were completely overcast.  I kept telling myself that the aurora was a bonus, and that thus far the trip was a total success.  Even though I was well aware that catching the aurora wasn't a guarantee for the trip and I was trying to be as pessimistic as possible about our chances so as not to be totally gutted if we never saw it, it was still nagging on me.  The reason to come in Winter was to partake in the ice tours, but also to have a chance to catch the lights.  If we didn't, we were going to be bummed. There was no way around it.  At around 1:00am after getting back from our two day southern coast tour, I sat in bed looking at our schedule and forecast.  It was obvious that we had one shot to catch the aurora on this trip and it was going to Easter Sunday night.

I went to the website of Reykjavik Excursions which was advertised on the reception desk of our hotel.  They still had a couple slots open for Easter, the price was good, and the forecast was calling for crystal clear skies.  My husband was already sound asleep, but I nudged him awake telling him that I had found a bus that would take us out to the lights and I wanted to book it.  He enthusiastically replied that he was down with the plan then went back to sleep.  I wasn't surprised when he was completely baffled the next morning as I reminded him that we had to catch the bus that night to see the lights.  He didn't remember a thing about the conversation at 1:00am.  For him, it was like I had booked a surprise.

After a full day of wandering on a mellow Easter day in Reykjavik, we went back to our hotel, changed into our cold weather gear, and waited for the minibus that would shuttle us to the big tour bus at the depot outside of downtown.  Once again, we marveled at the efficiency of Icelandic tourism companies.  For such a laid back people, they had scheduling and logistics down to a science.  The tour left the depot at 10:00pm.  It was a packed bus full of tourists from all over Reykjavik, ranging from excited to downright exhausted.  We were joined by an enthusiastic guide who spent the ride out of the city giving us all the information one could possibly have on the auroras- the science, the differences from place to place, and the different types of displays (clouds, ribbons, rain, etc). Lastly she explained how to get a photograph of them.  Unfortunately, this information was way too late for 95% of the group.

So you aren't one of the people groaning on a tour bus at the news your photographs haven't a chance of looking decent, here's what you need to know if you want to get a usable shot of the aurora.

1. You need a tripod.
You will need to take an exposure of about 30 seconds in length and there's no way you can get that handheld.  Also, get a shutter release cable or a remote shutter release.  This is not the time to rely on a smartphone app.

2.  You need a camera with manual control.
Sorry, smartphone users, if the aurora isn't super, super bright you won't be able to capture it successfully.  The way to get those lights to show up in an image is through a long exposure time, a wide aperture, and a high ISO.  So, you need a camera that has manual mode so you can set it up yourself for these conditions.  If you haven't shot outside of Automatic mode before, start practicing before you try on the Aurora.  You don't want to waste time (and warmth) trying to figure out how to change your camera settings.  Also, you'll probably want to use manual focus.  You will be shooting where it is really dark, so automatic focus will probably struggle.

3.  You need a camera that has high ISO capabilities.
Full frame isn't necessary, just make sure your sensor is four thirds or larger.  But, check to make sure the camera you're going to use actually performs well at high ISO levels 3200+.  Read reviews.  Look at sample images.  Not all sensors are created equal.

4.  You need a good lens.
Don't bother with a lens that doesn't have a max aperture of f/2.8 or lower. Preferably, you want it at f/2.  You probably won't need a zoom lens in this instance; auroras are meant to be shot wide.  So, if you have a wide angle prime this is its time to shine.  But, a high quality wide angle zoom will be just fine too.

5.  You need a flashlight or headlamp with a red beam.
It takes about 10 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark and any infiltration of white or blue light (car headlights, camera and phone LCDs) with destroy the adjustment your eyes made.  The only type of light that won't screw your eyes up is red.  Let folks laugh, you will be the only one out there that can see anything.

6.  You need to know how to use your camera.
This seems like a given, but there were a lot of people on that tour who suddenly realized that they had no idea what they were doing and spent the time staring into a menu instead of the most glorious display in nature.  That's just sad.  Don't be that person.

Ok, so back to the bus.  It wasn't long after we got beyond the lights of Reykjavik that the guide directed us to look out the bus window (for once we happened to be on the correct side of the bus).  A huge ribbon of green was starting to appear ever so faintly across the sky.  The guide got really excited.  This was going to be a good night.  The driver found a gravel road a few minutes later and pulled in, along with another bus and about every other car that happened to be on that road at that moment.  The guide gave us reflective snap bracelets (making this child of the 80's very pleased) so she wouldn't lose us in the dark.  Then we all disgorged from the bus.  It was madness for about 5 minutes.  The display of the lights was far more intense and vivid than I expected, and by the sounds of it, the guide wasn't quite believing how bright it was either.  There was some jostling and tourists clambered around in the dark, sinking up to their knees sometimes in the snowdrifts.  Those of us with tripods tried to get out in front of the crowd so we wouldn't get the masses in the shots and would have a little space to ourselves.

I had already got the settings ready before we left the hotel and got the camera on the tripod during the ride out.  It was a good thing too.  It was bloody, bloody cold.  I'm not sure how cold, but the wind was pretty strong and it didn't take long for my hands to start going numb, even with gloves on.  We're from Northeast Ohio, where the Winter temps regularly dip to 0F or below.  My time living in more mild Bavaria may have made me a wuss, or it was hovering somewhere around 5F with the windchill. I kept the tripod low to the ground so I could block the wind with my body.  My shutter release cable is mercifully plastic and long enough that I could pull it into my coat pocket, but I still had to take my hands out in order to focus the lens.  I use fingerless gloves that transform into mittens because I need the dexterity to feel the focus ring.  It only took a few minutes of messing around with the focus ring on the metal lens for the first signs of frost nip to start.  I didn't think about it too much though, because what we were seeing pretty much pushed all other thoughts out of our minds.

We knelt in the snow as the colors changed from yellow green to deep green and back with little hints of pink and red every once in a while.  I snapped away, trying my best to stay in the moment while still managing to capture the display.

There is nothing you can do to prepare for photographing the aurora.  It's not like portrait photography; you can't just practice on your family.  It's not like landscape photography; you can't just practice in your local park.  It's not even like regular night photography; what you're witnessing doesn't happen every night all over the world in a dark place.  Unless you are blessed to live in a place where the aurora occurs, there is no way to practice before you go out for the shot.  If you're lucky your visit will have a couple clear nights so you can get a few chances to practice your technique, but there's no way you can predict that.

The most common display of the aurora is a faint cloud, barely perspective to the human eye.  The display we were given on Easter night was far more intense, bright, rippling, and massive.  I was elated, overwhelmed, and, yes, the emotions were high.  If my eyes weren't already tearing up from the cold, I probably would have gotten teary anyway.  At the most I had hoped just to see the cloud aurora, this was more than I could have dreamed to witness.  We kept saying to each other, "Look at this!  Look at this! Can't you believe this!?!"  The rest of the group was going pretty nuts too.  But, one by one, they started to climb back into the bus.  It was just too cold, and they soon gave up trying to capture it with their phones.  A few of us remained out there with our tripods through the whole time, with just a 5 minute retreat to thaw our faces.  There was no way I could sit on the bus.  My fingers were killing me, but this could be the only chance we have in our lives to see this amazing event.

All in all, the preparation I had done beforehand had served me well.  I made adjustments here and there as the lights intensified or dimmed, but for the most part it was going smoothly for my first time photographing the aurora.  The hardest part was focusing.  Like I mentioned above, it was far too dark to rely on automatic focus.  The spot where the bus had taken us was perfect for seeing the lights, but there wasn't anything bright enough to focus the lens on.  I settled on a bright star, but discovered that my teared up eyes had played some tricks on me and things weren't as sharp as I thought.  I had more success as time passed, but it was probably the hardest part of shooting (besides the freezing part).  Ideally, there would be something on the horizon like a light or a building to focus on, but we were in a stark landscape.  The wind was also a bit of an issue, it caused just enough vibration a few times to cause blurring.  Also, shivering wreaked a bit of havoc.  As I got colder I had a harder time being deliberate with my movements, and clearing bumped the tripod a couple of times.

It wasn't easy, not by a long shot, but it was totally worth it.  It was the most incredible thing I have ever seen, it was the coldest I have ever been.  It was one of the most rewarding moments behind a camera.

Ok, so what did I do to get these shots?  I used the X-T1 with the 16-55mm lens because the lens gets a max of f/2.8 and weather sealing is a must when the temps are this low.  I had it mounted on good old Brian from Three Legged Thing.  I opened the lens all the way and usually took an exposure between 20-30secs.  Any longer and you start to get start trails.  ISO was set at 1600 for the most part, I did raise it a touch when the lights became dimmer.  I actually didn't do too much to these shots in post.  I edited them in Photoshop RAW, to reduce the noise that is inevitable with a higher ISO.  I also lifted the snow in the foreground in most of the shots (thanks to Fujifilm's excellent dynamic range).  Are they the greatest aurora shots out there? No. I'm a novice at shooting them, but I'm totally satisfied at the outcome.  I certainly wouldn't pass up a chance to shoot them again.

My husband demonstrating our awe of the scene before us, holding very still.
That wasn't easy.

Like I said in the last post, this trip was intended to be one of several.  We'll go back for a summer and, if it works out, will return for another winter trip.  For that, we wouldn't use a tour to see the lights again.  They definitely got us there, and it was great having the information from the guide, but the location wasn't the most exciting.  I'd like to be able to set up somewhere with a good focus point or a stunning foreground.  Also, it would be nice to get away from the roads.  There were a lot of headlights to contend with and several cars that had gotten themselves in accidents or stuck because it was too crowded in that area.  But, those are minor things I would change.  This was, without a doubt, the highlight of our trip.  It is a highlight of all our travels.  As long as I live, I'll never forget the dancing lights over the snowscape (something a still photograph will never properly capture).  I'll never forget being so overwhelmed by such intense beauty that I didn't notice I had lost feeling in my hands.  I'll never forget being brought to my knees, reminded that we are really just insignificant creatures with no comprehension of the magnitude of this universe and this planet.  I'll never forget it.

Dash Through Dresden

Dresden at Night
Camera: X-E2 Focal Length: 26.5 Exposure: 15.sec, f/11, ISO200 

Last weekend we kicked off our 2016 travel with a quick day and a half in Dresden.  We took an evening train from Frankfurt and arrived late Friday night in the city.  The weather had finally become cold where we live in northern Bavaria, so it was certainly colder up in Dresden that weekend.  I decided to go as simple as possible and take my two cameras and just two lenses, the 10-24mm and the 18-55mm.  That way I was set up to get most shots and I wouldn't have to change lenses at all, something I like to avoid when the temperatures dip below freezing or the weather is nasty in general.  What I'm learning to accept since I've begun my journey in travel photography is that I'm not always going to get the shot.  We might get to the location and discover that a major landmark is completely covered in scaffolding and tarps for refurbishment or the light may just be really crappy the whole time or we're inside when the light does something amazing outside or there's a rally and the roads are all closed.  Such is the reality of travel photography, no matter how much you research and plan a lot still hinges on luck.

I initially thought that a winter weekend would be sufficient for Dresden.  The Altstadt is pretty condensed and very walkable so I could get those nice morning and evening scenic shots without having to take a bus or tram.  Then, in the afternoons we could duck into the museums to stay warm and get a little culture.  If the weather was more mild we could head to the Neustadt to visit the markets and do a little street photography.  But, we soon discovered that Dresden deserves more than a weekend and that a return visit will definitely be needed.

The train from Frankfurt is about five hours, so we arrived at our hotel about 10:30pm.  By then, the sidewalks had been rolled up and there was hardly a soul around.  The forecast I had been watching made it look like there would be snow waiting for us and I was really looking forward to getting out early the next morning to catch the soft light on fresh snow in the city center.  But, there wasn't a flake to be seen.  Oh well, I thought, perhaps it will come overnight for us.  Still a little revved up from the trip over we decided to walk around the city for a bit to get the lay of the land and make some mental notes about locations for the morning.  Even though the Alstadt center is compact, I quickly deduced that there was no way I was going to capture everything.  For once, we had arrived in a city that wasn't under complete construction.  Only a few cranes loomed in the sky, and there few tarps draped over the massive buildings.  Years of travel has taught me to plan around the most important landmarks being enshrouded in construction materials so when a whole city center is almost construction free it's like being a kid in a candy shop.  Winter is probably the most risky time to shoot a city (besides the weather) because that is the time to get refurbishment projects done while the tourist count is low.

Anyway, our first night there we walked a good portion of the Altstadt and along Brühl's Terrace.  With it being so dark by then I wasn't planning on doing any real shooting, so we left the tripod in the room and I just carried the X-T1 with the 10-24mm.  The first shot of the Fürstenzug was just done handheld.  I never shoot handheld when it's this dark, and I have to say I was really impressed with X-T1's performance.  For the second shot the ground was obviously used as the tripod.  I developed the RAW in camera, something I haven't played around with too much.  While I will likely stick with development in Photoshop for most shots, for a simple scene like this it certainly is the faster and easier route.

Fürstenzug
Camera: X-T1 Focal Length: 24mm Exposure: 1/30, f/5, ISO 4000

Schlossplatz at Midnight
Camera: X-T1 Focal Length: 10mm Exposure: 2 sec, f/8, ISO200

The next morning we got up well before sunrise, suited up in thermals and parkas, slapped on some foot warmers, and headed out to get that magic morning light on the beautiful buildings of the Alstadt.  Unfortunately, there was just a little snow here and there and the sky was a blank slate as the sun began to rise, but this city center has plenty of interesting features to shoot even in the most uninteresting conditions. 

Dresden has a glorious and tragic history.  Although smaller than Leipzig, Dresden is the capital of the state of Saxony.  It was ruled for generations by the Wettin Dynasty, one of the oldest houses of Europe.  The most famous Wettin of Dresden is Augustus II the Strong (1670-1733), and statues and mentions of him are seemingly every few hundred feet.  He was not only a Prince Elector (a noble who participated in the elections of the Holy Roman Emperor), but he was also a King of Poland.  During his reign, Dresden became a center for culture and art and one of Europe's most important cities.  It was under Ausgustus that Dresden and Meissen became the first places in the world outside of Asia that produced porcelain.  It was known for its ceramics ever since.  Unfortunately, its size and location made it a prime target during conflict.  It suffered heavy damage during the Seven Years War and the Napoleonic Wars.  The center was also somewhat destroyed during the May Uprising in 1848.  In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Dresden became a center for the modern age.  It was known for its auto factories, cigarette factories, camera factories, food processing, and medical equipment works.  It was also a European center for the modern art movement.

Of course, what Dresden is remembered most for today is the tragic firebombing which took place February 13-15, 1945.  The bombing was carried out supposedly to destroy military production in the area, to prevent retreating Nazi troops from regrouping in the location, and to cause panic and confusion.  It is also widely held that it was in retaliation for Nazi bombings in England. Over 90% of the city center was leveled beyond recognition and between 18,000-25,000 people (a majority of women and children) were killed.  It wasn't until 2005 that the final reconstruction project ended with the completion of the Frauenkirche.  So, in fact, the Altstadt is rather quite new and the Neustadt (which wasn't bombed) on the opposite side of the Elbe is older.  However, even with this knowledge, it is hard to believe that the beautiful structures of the Alstadt haven't been standing for hundreds of years.

Brühl's Terrace
Camera: X-T1 Focal Length: 15.1mm Exposure: 5.3sec, f/11, ISO200 

Academy of Fine Arts
Camera: X-T1 Focal Length: 10mm Exposure: 2sec, f/11, ISO200

Dresdner Residenzschloss
Camera: X-T1 Focal Length: 10mm Exposure: 1sec, f/11, ISO200

Semperoper and statue of King John I of Saxony
Camera: X-T1 Focal Length: 10mm Exposure: 1.3sec, f/14, ISO200

We rounded out our morning walk at the Zwinger Palace, where we hoped to spend the later half of the morning having a leisurely stroll through the Old Masters and Mathematics & Physics galleries.  The Zwinger palace is not massive compared to the average European palace from the Baroque era, but it is home to some rare collections.  We figured a morning there would be well spent enjoying them while staying out of the 20F weather.  It is the only landmark building in the Altstadt undergoing major refurbishment, so I didn't spend too much time shooting inside the palace itself.

Looking back to Theaterplatz
Camera: X-T1 Focal Length: 10mm Exposure: 3sec, f/11, ISO200

Zwinger Courtyard
Camera: X-T1 Focal Length: 14.5 Exposure: .5sec, f/14, ISO200, Lightroom Edit

Unfortunately, the Old Masters Gallery was completely closed for refurbishment.  That just left the Mathematics & Physics gallery and the Porcelain Gallery, but for the same price as it would be to visit all three.  Now, having spent a good portion of my life looking at ceramics as an archaeologist I wasn't real keen on the Porcelain gallery.  I love looking at old stuff, but ceramics bore me to tears.  I can't say there was a lobby to see it coming from my husband either.   The Mathematics & Physics exhibition sounded very interesting, but we couldn't argue paying the full price of the museum to only see one third of it.  It was the Old Masters that had been the real draw for the Zwinger as this era of the German, Dutch, Flemish, and Italian masters of light is our favorite period in art.  Even though the gallery only displays 40% of its collections at a time, I knew we could spend the majority of the morning basking in the beauty of the pieces.  Oh well, it wasn't meant to be.  So, instead of grabbing a bun and coffee at a bakery before heading into the museum for the morning, we returned to the hotel for its more lavish breakfast and then hit the town for some more strolling, window shopping, and shooting.  

Detail of the Zwinger
Camera: X-E2 Focal Length: 55mm Exposure: 1/60, f/4.5, ISO640

Detail on the Georgenbau Gate
Camera: X-E2 Focal Length: 44.4m Exposure: 1/30. f/4.5, ISO640

Dresdener Residenzschloss Inner Courtyard
Camera: X-E2 Focal Length: 42.5mm Exposure: 1/60, f/8, ISO640

Pause in the Commute
Camera: X-E2 Focal Length: 55mm Exposure: 1/60, f/5.6, ISO640

Taschenberg
Camera: X-E2 Focal Length: 27.7mm Exposure: 1/125, f/8, ISO540, Fujifilm Classic Chrome profile

The famous Frauenkirche was due to open in the afternoon so we headed back there around 1pm to climb the dome and see the interior.  The Frauenkirche has become one the symbols of Dresden and one of the most significant landmarks of the destruction of Europe during WWII.  The original church was completed in the 18th century and immediately became one of the most unique churches of Europe with its Protestant design and 315 foot dome.  It was the symbol of Dresden, surviving cannonball fire during the Seven Years War and the conflict of the May Uprising.   However, it was not to survive the Firebombing of February 1945.  The dome collapsed on February 15th and the church was destroyed beyond recognition.  It would remain in complete ruin for 45 years as a war memorial (and propaganda symbol against the West) under communist rule.  But, after the reunification of Germany, work began in 1994 to rebuild the church.  It wasn't completed until 2005.  The new church is reconstructed of its original materials as much as possible.  The original darkened stones are clearly visible amongst the lighter new sandstone.  The original cross which topped the church and was crumpled and smashed now rests inside near the altar.  Its replacement was cast by the son of one of the British airmen who dropped the bombs in 1945.  Today the church is a symbol for many things, but most especially as one of reconciliation and renewal.  Climbing the dome is a must for visitors to Dresden and provides incredible views of the city and the Dresden basin region.

Looking Down on Dresden
Camera: X-T1 Focal Length: 13.8mm Exposure: 1/60, f/11, ISO320

Dresden and the Elbe
Camera: X-T1 Focal Length: 13.8 Exposure: 1/50, f/11, ISO320 

View of the Neumarkt
Camera: X-T1 Focal Length: 13.8mm Exposure: 1/50, f/11, ISO320

Once again, however, we managed to time our visit poorly.  For a reason that wasn't clearly given, the interior of the church was closed to the public that afternoon.  We were only able to get a glimpse down through the dome as we walked up the wrap around ramp to the top of the dome.  So, clearly we will have to return to Dresden!

In the Dome
Camera: X-E2 Focal Length: 42.5mm Exposure: 1/30, f/8, ISO3200

  Nighttime comes quickly in the Winter.  My main goal for the trip was to shoot Dresden's famous Altstadt skyline from somewhere along the Elbe.  Originally I was thinking I would shoot directly across the river, but I'm never 100% committed to my plans until I've actually "ground truthed" a city.  Upon looking at a few postcards (a great travel photography tip, by the way), I decided I wasn't as inspired by the flat view directly across the river.  Also, since we didn't have time or plans to get into Neustadt, it seemed like a bit of a waste to cross all the way over just to walk all the way back.  So, the idea came to look for a slightly more unique angle from one of the bridges during blue hour instead.  We walked down to the Carolabrücke instead of the more well-known Augustusbrücke and then shot back towards Brühl's Terrace.  This view shows the Ständehaus, Hofkirche, Residenzschloss, Augustusbrücke, and Semperoper.  I particularly liked the lines of the street and moored boats below the terrace and thought it was a bit more interesting than the standard horizontal view across the river.  Plus, I wanted the Elbe to be a star of the shot too.  It is such an important player in the city's history as not only its original highway, but the city's greatest threat.  The Elbe has flooded three times since catastrophic floods in 2002, once nearly destroying the Opera.

Dresden at Blue Hour
Camera: X-E2 Focal Length: 42.5mm Exposure: 10sec, f/13, ISO200

 On the way back to the center we snapped a couple more shots (including the one at the beginning of the post).  Blue hour only lasted about 30mins because of the heavy clouds and by the time we were back to the Frauenkirche it had become quite dark.

Frauenkirche and Martin Luther
Camera: X-T1 Focal Length: 10mm Exposure: 28sec, f/10, ISO200

Every photo trip comes with at least one regret.  My regrets are the things that I made a mistake on, a bad call, a missed opportunity, or just poor time management.  I don't regret that we couldn't get in to see the Old Masters or the inside of Frauenkirche since that was out of our hands.  But, I am disappointed that I didn't look out the window of our hotel when I woke up around 3am Sunday morning to get a drink.  The forecast said there wasn't a single chance of precipitation overnight.  Any snow was due to show up well after we got on our noon train back to Frankfurt.  Neither of us had slept well Friday night because the hotel's beds are in dire need of new mattresses and pillows.  Since it appeared that the light would be the same as it was Saturday morning and we had gotten everything we wanted then, we decided to sleep in on Sunday, have a leisurely breakfast, then wander through Pragerstrasse on the way to catch the train home.  But, if I had looked out the window at 3am I would have seen that it did snow overnight and it snowed quite a bit.  But, I was thirsty and suffering from another fitful night on the soggy mattress and pulling back the curtains didn't cross my mind.  Sigh.  So, we missed the opportunity to get the buildings topped in all their snowy splendor in the morning light on Sunday.  Lesson learned:  Always plan to get up early.  You can always go back to bed if you don't need to shoot.

After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and headed out for one last look of the powdery city on a circuitous route to the train station.

Trees or Tree
Camera: X-T1 Focal Length: 10mm Exposure: 1/60, f/10, ISO500

On The Terrace
Camera: X-T1 Focal Length: 10mm Exposure: 1/100, f/11, ISO500

Snow Commute
Camera: X-E2 Focal Length: 55mm Exposure: 1/250, f/11, ISO1000

Terrace Steps
Camera: X-E2 Focal Length: 23.3mm Exposure: 1/180, f/11, ISO1000

One of the Four Times Of Day 
Camera: X-E2 Focal Length: 50.5mm Exposure: 1/180, f/7.1, ISO1000

On Pragerstrasse
Camera: X-E2 Focal Length: 46.3mm Exposure: 1/5000, f/4, ISO1000

So, that sums up our first excursion of 2016.  I have to say I was very surprised by the city.  Dresden has been in the news quite a bit lately because of pro and anti-PEGIDA demonstrations and occasional violence against refugees or people in general who appear to be of Arab or Jewish descent.  Even though we stuck to the tourist area, we weren't sure what to expect.  Frankfurt has become rather edgy since the beginning of the refugee crisis so we expected to at least come across some anti-immigrant graffiti or posts in a city where this movement is more popular.  However, there wasn't a single indication of this while we were there.  Dresden is quite cosmopolitan with a great shopping district, the opera, and the museums.  It is a city definitely worth a second visit.  We would like to get to the Zwinger and inside the Frauenkirche next time, as well as Neustadt.  Perhaps we may even be able to explore some areas outside the city like Sächsische Schweiz.

Below is the kit I brought for shooting in Dresden last weekend.  Even though it is pictured, I didn't end up bringing the 55-200mm lens and thankfully didn't need it all.  I switched over to the ThinkTank Retrospective 7 for my bag since I was carrying two cameras.  I brought, but didn't need the ND filters.  My tripod is a 3 Legged Thing Brian.  I carry it in its own case and since Brian is pretty light that's not a problem.  For short trips like this I bring along my iPad to do some quick edits in Lightroom Mobile, and despite having access to the internet in Germany, we always stick a guidebook in the bag as a backup.  Other bits and bobs here are a shutter release cable (because it's faster and warmer than using the Fujifilm Camera remote app), spare SD cards, chargers, and a notebook for jotting down thoughts and ideas for a return trip.

Shot with an iPhone 

I did quite a bit of street photography, trying to capture some of the local characters in this grand space.  Most of the shots will be on my Flickr page by the end of the week, but I wanted to share this one here.

Will See You In 5 Minutes
Camera: X-T1 Focal Length: 12.6mm Exposure: 1/30, f/4, ISO6400

Normally I wouldn't use the 10-24mm lens for street shots, but when we passed under the Georgenbau Gate of the Residenzschloss, I wanted to not only capture the people passing through the space, but the architecture of the gate as well.  It was quite dark under there so I cranked up the ISO to its tolerable limit and opened the lens as wide as I could at the focal length.  Originally, I was focusing slightly back into the further passage as people passed directly in the center, making it more of an urban geometry shot than a standard street photo.  However, this guy was passing much closer to me and there was something about his pace and complete immersion in his phone that stood out to me.  Everyone else was strolling through at a Saturday pace.  Most were couples, many of them were tourists.  But, this guy was clearly not concerned with sightseeing, but instead on getting to his destination as quickly as possible while texting on his phone.  So, I snapped the shot, even though I knew he would be out of focus.  In fact, that was imperative for me; this hurried, distracted character breezing through this static symmetrical space.  I know it's not a clean or perfect shot, but it's one of my favorite from the trip.  Cities are built, destroyed, and rebuilt, but we are just fleeting players, usually indifferent to the spaces around us.

The Power of the Tripod

I've been doing a lot of low light shooting these past months, messing around with light trails, sunsets, blue hour, and time lapse.  The most important tool after the camera is a good tripod.  I have recently switched over from the admittedly cheap Manfrotto Compact Action to a 3 Legged Thing Brian.  I have a review of the Brian on my list of upcoming posts.  I'd like to spend a little more time with it before I give my grade.  Anyway, so this isn't about my tripod, it's about tripods in general and how they can revolutionize photography.

Original Here

While most people think of them as a low light tool, they can come in handy during daylight hours.  Lately I've been putting a 10-stop ND filter on my lens when I head out to shoot landscapes during the day.  The nice thing about filters is that they allow me to take a long exposure to smooth out water and clouds (and hide people) no matter how bright the sun is.  Without a filter, these shots can only be done in low light.  So, with my tripod and an ND filter I was able create the shot on the left from one I took at 1:00pm on a bright sunny day.  Pretty nifty.


Tripods are also necessary for HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography.  Many people think that means photos that have blown saturation and a surreal look.  That's a really popular style right now, but it actually means multiple exposures are combined and blended to create a scene where shadows and highlights are brought to a similar level.  I do this a lot, mostly to keep the detail of the sky and foreground evened out, especially for shots taken in the evening where the subject is backlit.   Getting multiple exposures of the same exact shot is impossible without a tripod.  When the shots are blended they have to line up exactly or else there's a lot of noticeable ghosting.  A tripod ensures that the camera doesn't move between shots.  The scene below was created by taking several different exposures, then combining them in post.

Original Here

A tripod is also necessary for night and blue hour photography.  Any camera shake will turn a shot taken in low light from crisp and clean to a blurry abstract creation.  Sometimes that's cool, most of the time it's not.  The shot below is a single exposure of the Louvre Museum courtyard.  In order to keep the lines clear and sharp in the low light of blue hour, I needed my tripod to hold the camera still.  Taking a long exposure in this instance also blurred out the people walking in front of the pyramid, leaving just the stationary group to the left appearing in the final shot.

Original Here

A tripod has to be used for capturing light trails or experimenting with light painting.  Once again, a long exposure is what captures the paths of the light.  The only way to keep the scene sharp, but the light source in motion is to use a tripod.  Lastly, of course, they are required for time lapse videos.  Once again the camera has to be perfectly still for the frames to blend seamlessly in the final composition.

Original Here

Now, of course, a tripod could be bypassed for all of these shots.  As long as the camera isn't moving in any way all of these pictures can be taken without a tripod.  How?  Using some other stationary object.  For example, I could have taken the picture above by setting the camera on the ground.  The one of the bridge in the park could have been taken using a bench or fence post.  But, such stand-ins aren't always available.  There wasn't a bench or fence post in the park where I took that picture and, as you may notice, the ground was pretty muddy.  I wouldn't have wanted to set the camera on the ground to take that shot of the Arc de Triomphe either.  The cars going by mere feet from me caused a lot of vibration on the cobbles.  My tripod absorbed that vibration.  So, while something may do in a pinch, a tripod is a necessary piece of equipment.

But, there's one more reason to lug one around with you.  It gives you respect.  Seriously.  When you whip out a tripod in front of the Eiffel tower at sunrise, all those other tourists step back a little (even more so if you unfurl that thing with panache).  You're not holding up your tablet or phone, man, you have a tripod.  You mean business.  People get out of your way.  They defer to your superior skills.  They stare in awe a little.  Sure, some may giggle and call you a dork under their breathe, but that's just jealously talking.  You're getting the shot.  They're getting a noisy mess.  If there's anyone else shooting with a tripod, they become a kindred spirit.  At the very least you'll get a nod of acknowledgement, but most of the time you'll strike up a conversation.  It's like meeting another cyclist of the same variety (MTB, road, etc) on a ride.  You're in a club now and the tripod is your badge.  Lately, I've noticed another bizarre effect.  Random people on the street see us, tripod over one of our shoulders, and apparently think that we must know all sorts of things.

"Why, yes, I do know where the train station is, obviously. "

"Yes, the museum is currently closed."

"Um, no, I actually have no idea where Dr. Junker's office is.  Shall I Google that for you?"

Well, a tripod can't solve everything.  But, when it comes to photography, it can solve a lot.  Many shots are impossible without a tripod; it doesn't matter how expensive your camera is, how big its sensor is, how many megapixels it has, or what brand it is. Tripods open a lot of creative doors.  Their power may very well blow your mind.