23.12.2018 In Zug/Arlberg, Austria
This year we had so much snow before Christmas, finally!! (after several years of poor snow conditions around this time of the year). My wife and I spontaneously decided to go skiing for 3 days, and we were not disappointed! The snow was great, the ski lifts and slopes were empty, and we also had some sunny weather. Of course, I also took my camera on a morning hike into the beautiful winter landscape! Here is an image shot before sunrise. Since I did not carry snow shoes, leaving the prepared winter hiking path was difficult, because the snow was too deep. I can highly recommend going on a spontaneous winter trip to the mountains shortly before Christmas if there is enough snow! You will find plenty of photographic opportunities as well as relaxing skiing conditions!
15.9.2018 Hiking in the Dolomites
In the first week of September, I went hiking in the Italian Dolomites. I had not been in this part of the Alps since I was a child, and I always wanted to come back to the Drei Zinnen region (Tre Cime di Lavaredo). The mountains are simply spectacular and offer endless opportunities for photography. What I enjoyed less were the huge crowds of tourists at some of the famous places. I knew that it would be crowded, but some places were worse than expected. For example, Pragser Wildsee (Lago Praies) during the day. If you ever go there, plan on coming early for sunrise or in the evening for shooting the night sky. Nevertheless, I found plenty of beautiful hikes with few people and spectacular photo spots. For example, this image was taken during sunrise from a wonderful vista point which I enjoyed alone.
15.4.2018 Back in Portugal
It is always great to be back in Portugal! In late March, I had a beautiful trip to the west coast and the Algarve region, which offers many fantastic beaches, cliffs, and rock formations to photograph. Motifs are never lacking at the coast, and one can spend hours and days shooting wave action, long exposures, and stunning coastal scenes. My tripod severely suffered this time, and it needed thorough cleaning and repair after the trip. Luckily, I was able to purchase all required spare parts for my Manfrotto 190CXPRO4. Even though I came back with some great shots, I was not fully satisfied with my work and I am planning to come back soon. Sometimes the wind was too strong, sometimes the tide not ideal, sometimes the weather not as I had hoped for. But this is part of the fun and excitement I find in landscape photography!
12.4.2018 A fantastic lense: The Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art!
Back from the Lofoten and Portugal, I can now report about my first experience with my new Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art lens. I used it to shoot the Aurora on the Lofoten and for capturing some seascapes by night in Portugal. I can say that it is a fantastic lense! It seems to capture every bit of light, so that I could get away with reasonably short exposure times when shooting the Aurora. For example, the image shown here was captured with 6 sec exposure at/1.8 and ISO 1600. Also in Portugal, I was amazed about the image quality (low noise, great colors) I could get around midnight at the coast, with the moon as main light source illuminating the landscape. For sure, it is an expensive and heavy piece of equipment, but I also a lot of fun to work with. I would recommend renting one to try it out yourself, before making the investment.
10.3.2018 Packing for Lofoten
After weeks of preparation, I can't wait to take off to the Lofoten (Norway) tomorrow! The weather forecast looks fairly promising, and I might even have a chance for Aurora later in the week. I will take my first shots with my new Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art lens, which should be awesome for capturing the northern lights. New in my bag are also a pair of NRS Boundary Socks and water sandals, which will allow me to stand in cold water for some time. I will also take my snow shoes, walking spikes and sticks to be prepared for some smaller hikes. I now have to decide which other lenses to take. I will probably go for the 16-35 mm f/4, 24-70mm f/2.8, and 70-200mm f/4. If I have enough space, I might also take the 24-105mm f/4, which I really like for traveling. Come back to my website in a few weeks to see some first results! Also, follow my pages on 500px, Instagram and Vero!