Autumn in Munich

Autumn is here, in full force:

- the weather is colder, consistently single digits (Celsius) in the evening and only teens during the day
- the leaves are falling in bunches, and people always wear a "real" jacket (even the summer holdouts)
- the Alps are getting snow

Note that Munich lies at 48 degrees north latitude... this is further north than St. John's, Newfoundland (Canada)!
The days are getting quite short, and the afternoon sun is already very low on the horizon.

Despite the increasing darkness, I've had some nice views from my office in Neuperlach (southeast Munich).
This first one uses the Olympus "Dramatic Tone" art filter on the E-PL2:

It's a little dark, but I zoomed way out to show how the mountain peaks are getting significant snow now...

... and zoomed out a little more on the same area (about 16:00 in the afternoon):

Winter is on its way, so we'll have to dust off the skiis soon.

Random photos [01]

Just a short post to share some recent photos while moving through everyday life...

First, a shot from the third floor of my apartment building, looking north.  You see one of the few tall buildings in Munich, metallic and modern.  It was a cloudy/stormy day, and I just like the clouds plus the contrast with the small white building in the foreground:

I was walking to meet a friend for dinner, and went by one of the old homes -- high steep roof, tiny windows, and short doors.  Squished between two post-war buildings, I found it ironic that in front were parked two Minis!

Also on the way to meet my friend for dinner, I decided to cut through a cemetary.  I like what bracketing + fusion/tonemapping in Photomatix does to the stones and flowers.

Then I found one site with a cross, and lined the setting sun into the center.  Again Photomatix-ed.

I arrived a bit early, and clicked away at Frau U when she was walking down the sidewalk.  She just looks happy! 

While I was waiting, I wanted to try a technique that I read about.  It is often discussed regarding photography of fast moving items...

A short shutter speed will "freeze" the action, like our photos of the Women's World Cup.  However, sometimes you would like to give a sense of a subject's speed/motion.  To achieve this, you want your target to be clear (obviously) and the background to be blurred.  It is implemented by panning the camera while you shoot -- following the subject at the same rate.

It's funny because the first thing people are told NOT to do is shake the camera - it causes images to blur!  In this case, you direct the blur to the background while trying to keep the main subject sharp.  My first try is below - not so good, even though it is an older guy driving his Volvo!

This is tricky to do.  I have even more respect for the pros now.  If you're interested, check out this great article on car racing photography at a favorite photo Web site of mine (this is good too).

Yup.  Still have LOTS to learn about photography...

More Changes in Munich

We've attended a couple of really fun public events at the Siemens world headquarters.  From watching Germany destroy Argentina in the 2010 World Cup to sledding down the slope last winter, we've had some fun at Wittelsbacherplatz! Annual events include the Hamburg Fish Market and a Christmas market, as well as special events.

Over the next four year, both Siemens and Wittelsbacherplatz will be getting a major makeover.

A jury including the Siemens CEO and Munich's Mayor have awarded the commission to Danish firm HenningLarsen Architects.  Given the significance of the location and Siemens place as a local leader of industry,  this is a project that will receive great scrutiny.

Architecturally speaking, it will be a headquarters comprised of 6 buildings, linked together to foster communication and creating 6 courtyards which will encourage interaction - both among employees and between Siemens and the city. The 3rd pillar of the plan (after Communication and Interaction) is Innovation, which will utilize Siemens innovations (and I'm sure, others') to construct a building that surpasses most current sustainable building standards. In fact, it's targeted to get a LEED Platinum rating - the highest "green building" rating -, which is rather impressive given that it's a refurbishment and not new construction.  If you're not familiar with the LEED Ratings, you can check out info from the US Green Building Council. (Those look a lot like solar panels on the roof...)

Rendering by HenningLarson Architects

According the architects' site,

The top floor is well-suited for public events such as art exhibitions and allows the visitors to enjoy the skyline of the city while exploring the exhibitions. The public access to Siemens’ new headquarters creates a continuous flow of guests and passers-by and signals that corporate architecture of the 21st century should be open and inviting.

They've done a good job of holding public festivals and events in the plaza, so I'm excited to see what will really be open to the public in the building. I'm sure the courtyards will be open and will have a few nice cafes. But we'll have to see how the public events work with the tight security of most headquarters.

Rendering by HenningLarson Architects

We hope they keep this in the plans:

For more pictures and detailed plans, check out the architects' site.

via ArchDaily

My New (Woman) Purse

I'm not sure that I really have to specify, but since we've talked a lot about man purses here on Schnitzelbahn, perhaps I do.

While I really enjoy photography and love my camera, I struggle with how to carry it - especially for a long day of sightseeing. For Herr J - with his larger bag, stronger muscles, and smaller camera/lenses - it's not a major issue. He can easily fit his camera and several lenses in his manpurse, with plenty of room to spare. Plus, and let's be honest here...he doesn't care quite as much how it looks with what he's wearing or how it matches his shoes. This could change once he has multiple manpurses...we shall see....

I had a purse or two that were big enough to carry my camera and perhaps one additional lens. But their shoulder straps are always slipping off (especially when wearing a coat) and give me shoulder pain after an hour or two. When hiking or doing a lot of outdoor walking, I can use my wonderful little camera backpack. It's falling apart (the zipper is on its last legs) but it has some padding and the dual straps are much better on the back. Plus, since it's on there securely, I have both hands free.

The problem with the bag, however, is that most museums here prohibit any backpack style bags, no matter the size. While this bag is smaller than my purse or Herr J's, it's apparently the style that is the issue and the museums force you to check it. You can probably take a Birkin bag through, but not a small, flat camera backpack. Annoying and also I usually carried this as a combo purse/camera bag, so wouldn't want to check my wallet and sunglasses and phone as well.

After too many sore shoulders and annoyances, I had to make a change. I had seen a few really cool ones on US websites, including Kelly Moore's bags which look like a stylish purse from the outside, but are structured to protect your gear. However, the truth is that I'd also been looking for an excuse to get either a George, Gina, & Lucy or a Liebeskind bag. I love the hardware on the GG&Ls or the supersoft leather on the Liebeskinds, but I really liked the idea of getting something German and not yet well-known in the US. Occasionally I'll see a paparazzi photo of someone carrying a GG&L in LA, but it's not yet a well-known brand there. I hope it stays that way! Unfortunately I doubt it, especially now that they make leather versions (beautiful but NOT in the same price range!)...

Basically I was looking for the perfect blend of form and function, of style and structure. So, I took Herr J to go purse shopping.

Don't worry guys, this was not the cliché of dragging your man along for hours of painful shopping, asking if he prefers these Navy Blue shoes to those Prussian Blue ones that look indistinguishable to the average male eye. No, this was more of a surgical strike. I had done my recon, selected potential targets, and planned to have dinner afterwards at Augustiner am Dom. Nothing like the prospect of flammkuchen, zwiebelrostbraten, and tasty beer to hurry the process along!

So, our outing was successful and Herr J provided invaluable advice. Really!

Though it is not my typical style, I ended up getting a messenger style bag. I had planned to get something that at minimum had a shoulder strap, though I gravitated to the tote-style bags that had both handles and straps.  Herr J accurately pointed out that (1) this design will better distribute the weight, (2) keep my hands free for taking photos, eating ice cream, holding a beer, or all of the above, and (3) the construction and fasteners used on the messenger bag are much sturdier and can handle the weight and wear & tear that will come from carrying around a D700 and a couple of lenses (Here threre's room to spare after a D700 with 24-70mm attached, plus 70-300mm and 100mm macro).

It also needed to have a secure zip closure, in case I'm somewhere that pickpockets are an issue.

I chose the blue, so that it would work for all seasons and with black or brown. That's the girly part of things... In the past few years, I find myself gravitating towards red or blue bags, since they are much more versatile with shoes and coats. Now that I have to think about wearing coats much of the year.

How has it worked?

This bag has surpassed all my expectations. In my travels for work, it has turned out to be a perfect laptop bag as well! That was a big surprise, and a huge help when I have travels or a lot of walking. Not the most formal bag, however, so I have my eye out for something sturdy but a bit dressier (I'm thinking red this time, probably leather). 

Sightseeing in Stuttgart

Photoblog - The Daily Commute

My trip to work every day goes like this:

- walk to S-Bahn station (above-ground trains)
- take S-Bahn to Ostbahnhof (East Station)
- transfer to U-Bahn (subway)
- walk to office

It is actually quite efficient.  Maybe a 5 minute walk plus brief wait for the S-Bahn, one stop to the East Station plus short wait for the U-bahn, 20 minute ride to the final stop, and 5 minute walk to my building.  And I can grab a butterbrezel for breakfast if needed...

I've always liked that I can read on trains (vs. driving).  But one of the reasons that I bought a Micro-Four-Thirds camera is that its smaller form factor allows me to carry it every day (in my man purse, of couse).  I've found that I can use the camera on the commute -- either getting to know it better (different settings), passing time before a train comes, or even capturing a unique moment.  Here are some examples:

On the return commute one evening, I arrived at the Ostbahnhof and noticed that the setting sun was low in the sky and the cloud arrangement made it look like the rays were streaming upwards.  Out came the camera.  I bracketed a few shots, and procesed this in Oloneo software for HDR tonemapping.

 

It was funny:  the taxi in the above photo (lower right) was waiting in line for new passengers, so he got out and started giving me suggestions on taking better photographs!  Here is another bracketed result, zoomed out a bit to get mostly sky.  Both results are a little grainy... I need to improve skills a bit.  But cool nonetheless.

The next photo was taken at my S-Bahn station - the first point in the morning commute.  The train on the other track was stopped for pasengers so I experimented with bracketing again.  I liked the detail that comes out in the train windows, and the sky is OK too.

The following photo is at the same station, but this time coming back from a late night at the office.  Almost home... but I took a moment to experiment with slower shutter speeds to capture a passing S-Bahn.  Hand held - not too bad.  The prominent yellow streak is the text that shows what train it is.  You can also see the red body color and the white stripes at the top & bottom of the "train" too.

 

When the weather is nice, I'll take a quick lunch and walk around with the camera.  On the edge of the work campus sits this semi-circle thing for sitting and relaxing.  Again, I took 5 bracketed photos and this time merged and tonemapped in Photomatix software.  Photomatix tends to produce great clouds and stone, and here enhanced the clarity of white clover in the grass (foreground).

Between two of the buildings lies a walkway, perhaps at the third floor level.  I just like how this came out, with the yellow against the blue sky (and seeing through the windows).  You will see stickers of birds on many windows in Germany -- I think they mimic outlines of predators and deter smaller birds from crashing into the glass.

 

This is a different walkway at ground level.  You again see a sticker of a bird.  Like the S-Bahn above, I like how merging and tonemapping brings out details through the window - this is pretty agressive processing though.  The white pyramids seen through the windows let light into tunnels running underneath the campus here.  At night, light from the tunnels make the pyramids glow slightly.  (I tried a shot of that, but really need my tripod...)

 

This next photo is at the U-Bahn station near the office.  This was after another long day of work, and I was experimenting with the Olympus "dramatic tone" art filter and liked the result.  Nice and contrasty.

 

If you take the stairs in the above photo, you end up on the platform.  (Oddly, this U-bahn station is above ground -- the end station of this line.  The trains immediately go underground from here.)  While waiting for the train to arrive, I took this photo after an early-evening rain.  I pushed up the contast and saturation a bit to exaggerate the cars and the water on the streets.

 

From the same platform as before... but obviously on a day when work lasted a lot longer!  This time I was practicing being steady with hand-held shots at longer shutter speeds.  The same hotel is on the left, but now you see part of the campus on the right side.  Funny - a bus was at the stop in each photo (lower left)!

 

This next shot is on the subway boarded from the platrorm above.  It's really late, so there are few passengers.  I could see down the train more than usual, and tried a few different shots.  Stability was an issue, but this one came out pretty nicely.  This again uses the internal dramatic-tone filter because bracketing would have been impossible on the moving train car.  I also found it amusing that I caught the signs in the middle of an update -- and the one closest to me had not yet caught up with the others (or had it just changed and the others would soon follow?).

I have to end with one more shot of the great sunset.  Even when I left the Ostbahnhof and got home, the sky was still interesting.  I bracketed this result from my building, with the sun hovering above the buildings.  Really fascinating how the sky is blue above the clouds, but below we get sunset colors.  There's some lens flare and red spots (an occational Olympous problem) but still an interesting outcome.

 

I love having my camera around to use any time (thanks, man-purse!).  Hopefully the experimentation and repetition help improve my skill, but in any case it's a lot of fun.

Pansies

When we visited at the beginning of May, Nymphenburg Gardens didn't have many formally planted flowers, with the exception of beds of pansies in two locations.

I've always liked pansies, but never thought they were that special. Until our May Day morning walk.

The pansies planted by the main palace had the most amazing effect from the night's rain.

 

   

 

In front of the cafe were beds of a different variety of pansies. These were sprinkled with pollen rather than rain drops, but were the most vibrant, frilly pansies I'd ever seen.

 

Silly Goose!

We've been visiting the English Garden the past few weekends to see the babies growing.  Last week we saw some unusual behavior from a Greylag Goose near the Seehaus.

First we see him happily swimming with his family.

 

But then another goose catches his eye and he quickly turns to go after it.

 

A goose snapping at something was not unusual in itself. These guys can be pretty aggressive with other birds and will persistently beg you for food by nipping the back of your knee to "let you know" that they want bread. They'll also eat it from your hand without hurting you - they're much rougher on other birds than on people. Obviously they understand "don't bite the hand that feeds you" quite well!

What was unusual was first, that the other goose swam underwater to evade attack

and second, how aggressively the attacker continued to pursue him, trying to catch and bite him.

 

 

By this point, they've zigzagged back and forth in front of us for a seemingly long time (probably under a minute), with the victim spending most of the time fully underwater (circled in orange) and kicking up a trail of muddy water. 

The strategy works, and clearly he can swim underwater much faster than his pursuer can on the surface.  Realizing this, our attacker changes tactics and tries to catch up with a quick flight and a divebomb.

And...he fails....

But decides to give it one last try!! (you can see the other one still underwater, below his left wing)

 

Finally he gives up on the chase

and returns to his woman and children...

 

...with a big spash! 

 

We could never figure out what started the attack - it seemed unprovoked to us, but we don't speak goose very well. All I know is that I'm eternally grateful I'd set the camera to shutter priority. It's the only way to get decent shots of things that are bundles of endless, unpredictable energy...like baby ducks and silly geese.