Erudite Expressions | Eugene's Photoblog

Ramsau

2009-11-08T22:25:26Z

Seen here is the picturesque municipality of Ramsau in the Bavarian Alps. I've featured three previous images from Ramsau (see here, here, and here), but this image gives you a great overview of the town. The central church visible in the distance was, for example, seen from the other side in this entry. The stream (viewing in the opposite direction) was profiled here. And the beaten path in which I saw some old sheds (such as the one on the left side of the frame in this image) was profiled here. Schönau am Königsee and Ramsau were two of my favourite places I visited this summer. I want to come back to this place in the winter, because see how amazing it can look. Like my previous two entries, this is also a high dynamic range image. It was captured from three exposures, with exposure times of 1/5 seconds, 0.6 seconds, and 3.2 seconds. I used Photomatix Pro to tonemap the image, and then did a lot of work in Photoshop and Lightroom. One of the things I did in Photoshop is do a layers adjustment on the colours visible in the stream; in a method I rarely use, I chose to experiment with replacing the colours, and in this particular case, I went with cyan tones to better match the palate of the entire frame. I also had an adjustment layer for the sky, an adjustment layer for the buildings, and one for the blurred motion of the water visible in the right hand-side of the frame. What I love about this scene is that before you are completely immersed and think that you are witnessing something so peaceful, note the red streak (just below and to the right of the church) of a passing car. Those of you that don't like HDR will probably shy away from this image; I was going for the painterly effect with the post-processing here (compare to, say, yesterday's image with the purpose of going with something moody and dark). I have a lot of things to say about HDR photography, but perhaps I will save my thoughts for a future post. In the meantime: if you don't like HDR photography, chime in with your thoughts in the comments. I may incorporate them in a future post. The rest of you who don't mind (or even like) HDR photography, enjoy this image! If you're interested, my entire gallery from Germany is here. ### Notes: 1) If you like and/or appreciate this image, please vote for Erudite Expressions here and for my photo of the year submission here. 2) Check out my latest photo contest here. 3) If you want to make suggestions on what images you want to see on Erudite Expressions, try using the Suggestions tab on the right hand-side of the page. It's free and simple to use! 4) Read my updated books page here (two book reviews posted). 5) My next post will probably be on Wednesday or Thursday (busy schedule ahead). 6) I had a great photoshoot in Stone Mountain Park today. If you are interested in hiring me, check out this page. 7) Looking for some awesome desktop wallpaper? I made one from one of my images from Schönau am Königsee and even incorporated November's calendar on it. It's free to download right here.

stormy Ramsau

2009-11-07T01:45:19Z

I captured this image after a storm passed through Ramsau, a small town in Bavaria, Germany. To see the other shots from Ramsau, see here and here. Like yesterday's image, this one is also a high dynamic range image. I went with a dark post-processing here, so the image may appear to be underexposed in certain parts. Of the two images, which one do you prefer? And I mentioned a tip for photographers in yesterday's entry; some of you reached out and said that it was helpful. If you observe this scene carefully, however, you'll notice I violated the tip I gave yesterday. For this capture, I wanted to stay out of the road for the relatively long exposures (ten second timer and three images captured). This image was a challenge to frame. If I moved a little to the left, I would have obscured a good part of the central church (it is already partly obscured as it is, and I wanted to capture at least a portion of the large door). On the other other hand, if I moved a little to the right, I would have further violated the rule. Since I also wanted to include the pot with the plant in the frame, I had to make a compromise and go with the framing chosen in this image. Check back tomorrow for another HDR image of Ramsau. That one will give you a breathtaking view of the town, with the church and stream visible in the same frame. This is a picture that you will want to see. ### If you have a minute, I would appreciate it if you: 1) Voted for Erudite Expressions here and for my photo of the year submission here. 2) Checked out my latest photo contest here. 3) Viewed my entire gallery from Germany here. 4) Read my updated books page here (two book reviews posted). 5) Followed me on twitter here.

off the beaten path

2009-11-06T23:31:15Z

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I am profiling some images from the picturesque Bavarian town of Ramsau this weekend. Starting off today: a path I took through this small village. When I was here, it started raining, but I wanted to explore this charming town. Instead of walking on the main road through the town, I took the beaten path. When I came to the juncture seen in today's entry, I thought of Robert Frost's poem “The Road Not Taken” (one of my favourite poems). But the thought didn't last long, because after I captured this photo, I ran down that small path toward the shed. I then proceeded to take a circuitous route exploring the rest of Ramsau. Technical notes: this is a high dynamic range image captured from three exposures, set at -2EV, 0EV, and +2EV. I was carrying my tripod with me, so it was no problem setting the ISO to 100. My aperture was set to f/11, and the exposure times were 0.8 seconds, 1/5 seconds, and 3.2 seconds. I then used Photomatix Pro to create the tonemapped image, imported the result into Lightroom where I tweaked some colours, and then exported into Photoshop CS3 for some dodging/burning and channel mixer action. Tip for photographers: Here's something to consider when creating compositions with the camera. If you take a look at the image, notice how the edges of the shed do not intersect the edges of the house on the right anywhere in the frame. If I moved my camera a little to the left or a little to the right, there would have been an intersection of the lines, and I don't think the final result would have been as pleasing to the eye (you may disagree with me on this point). So hence the tip: whenever possible, don't try to intersect the (leading) lines. I will be posting at least two more images from Ramsau. At least one of these images will be a high dynamic range image. ### Notes: 1) You should vote for Erudite Expressions here and for my photo of the year submission here. 2) You should check out my latest photo contest here. 3) You should check out my entire gallery from Germany here. 4) You should check out my updated books page here. 5) You should follow me on twitter here.

tree and stream

2009-11-05T02:04:54Z

Yesterday I took a break from posting images I captured in Bavaria to post an iconic image of New Yankee Stadium. If you're a fan of the New York Yankees, you should order a print of that image. But if you're not into that idea, and you want to receive a free print of that image, I invite you to check out a contest I am holding on my prints blog. As for the image in today's entry: I captured it from a small bridge which crossed this stream on the way from Schönau am Königsee to Ramsau. I took several exposures from this location, but in the end, chose to work with a single exposure rather than making a high dynamic range image. The image was a 2.5 second exposure at f/16. What draws me into this scene is the dark forest (but especially that lone tree on the right side of the frame) and the curious textures of the rocks found in the stream. In the next day or two, I will post a dramatic view of Ramsau. I post-processed that image a while ago, and it has already become one of my favourite images I captured in 2009. ### Notes: 1) The Photoblog Awards are ongoing. If you want good karma, vote for Erudite Expressions here. 2) The contest for the free print of New Yankee Stadium is here. 3) All of my images from Germany may be found in this gallery. 4) I've updated my books page. If you have some recommendations, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email.

Tribute to the Yankees

2009-11-04T00:58:35Z

Shortly before midnight tonight, the New York Yankees won their 27th World Series... It's not often that I interrupt my series of posts, but I think the Yankees deserve a lot of credit this season. So, thus the picture for today's entry: a tribute to the New York Yankees for being the best team in baseball in 2009. The New York Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies with a final score of 7-3. Hideki Matsui had a huge game, tying the World Series record with six RBIs; for his efforts, Matsui was named the World Series MVP. It was the Yankees' first World Series victory since 2000. Interestingly, this World Series victory for the Yankees came eight years to the day after the Yankees lost Game 7 of the 2001 World Series in Arizona on Luis Gonzalez’s broken-bat single off Mariano Rivera. There's a reason Yankee Stadium is important. New Yankee Stadium cost $1.5 billion, and it is impressive indeed (both exterior and interior). This picture is from my visit there this summer. I captured this image during the singing of the 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' and I think the display of the American flag on the huge HD screen in the outfield could not be more proper. If you're curious, you can see the other pictures here and here. For the old timers, this was World Series victory number five; Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera came up together through the minors and were instrumental in the Yankees' World Series victories starting from 1996. It had been nearly fifty years since players had won five titles with the same team. The last to do it? You guessed it! The New York Yankees in 1962, with the likes of Yogi Berra (ten titles), Mickey Mantle (seven titles) and Whitey Ford (six titles) in 1962. I think this is a great victory for the Yankees, for baseball, and for America. You don't have to be a Yankees fan to appreciate what they have accomplished this season. There is a study that suggests America will be on its way to recovery from a recession based on this World Series victory. I think we can all use some good news, right? Congratulations to the New York Yankees, winners of the 2009 World Series! ###### This message is to all you fans of the New York Yankees. For those of you who would like to purchase a print of this image, there are two options. The first option is to use the “purchase a print” link above the photo, in which the order is carried out through Fotomoto (you can purchase with confidence). You can even take 15% off your order if you read this post and follow the instructions. Alternatively, you can use the “purchase a print” option below the photo, in which case the print order fulfillment will be carried out by MpixPro. This and my other photos of New Yankee Stadium (see here and here) were captured with the Canon 5D (12.8 megapixels), so you can make prints as large as 24”x36”. Prints make for a great gift! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Schönau overview

2009-11-03T00:48:08Z

This is the last image I am posting from this mini-series from Schönau am Königsee. You can see the other images in the series here, here, here, here, here, and here. I call this image “Schönau Overview” because the image combines the various elements of the Bavarian town which I described in my previous posts. For example, in the distant center, you can see the dock from which I captured this image. The boat houses are seen on the left of the frame, one of which I prominently featured in this post. And finally, you can see the outdoor restaurant where I initially stood before running to capture this shot. If you look closely on one of those outdoor umbrellas, you may notice some raindrops from a shower that passed through the area. Up next on Erudite Expressions, we will take a journey to one of the other Bavarian havens, Ramsau. ### In other news: today was my birthday. Thanks everyone who wished me a happy birthday! It was a pretty busy day for me, but in the evening, I had the pleasure of dining in Restaurant Eugene, rated as Atlanta's top restaurant for 2009 by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. The service there was impeccable and the food was terrific. I will talk more about my experience at Restaurant Eugene, but I think I will try to do something different; I will try to get a guest blog published in someone's dedicated food blog. Also, a huge thanks to those of you who voted for Erudite Expressions in the 2009 Photoblog Awards. Last surprise: I was thinking about giving away one of my images so that you could use it as a desktop. But then I saw some photographers giving away desktop calendars, so with that in mind, I picked one of the images which I haven't posted on Erudite Expressions. I picked an image which I captured just moments before this one and made it into a desktop calendar for November 2009. It's free to download (1920x1280 pixels) right here. Enjoy!

the light over Schönau

2009-11-02T23:22:34Z

As the rain clouds approached over Schönau am Königsee, I kept exploring. As soon as it started raining, most tourists either scrambled to tourist shops or hid under the umbrellas of outdoor restaurants and cafes. I managed to stay dry for a few seconds under a small canopy. I say a few seconds because I happened to glance in the distance. And then I saw this beautiful scene in front of me... So I scrambled forward to find a great vantage point to capture a photo. The result is the image you seen in today's entry. Trust me, it was a lot more captivating in person. The way the light streamed through those jagged peaks in the distance...it was just incredible. I'll be posting one (and at most two) more images from Schönau am Königsee, after which I'll post some images from another Bavarian village called Ramsau. ### In other news: it's my birthday tomorrow! In lieu of birthday wishes and presents, you can make my day by voting for my photoblog in the 2009 Photoblog Awards. If you haven't already done so, go here to register (it takes less than a minute to register, and you will never get spammed if that's your concern), then navigate to my page, and then click Vote. It's simple, easy, and it will definitely make my day! Of course, I also encourage you to check out the 2300+ photoblog candidates and vote for others as well! Thanks!

break in Schönau

2009-11-01T23:48:38Z

I'm continuing my posts on Schönau am Königsee today and into next week. To view the other posts, see here, here, and here. And if you missed the special Halloween themed post, do check it out here (make sure to read the caption as well; I think it's a very interesting story). The image in today's entry was captured in one of the outdoor restaurants in Schönau am Königsee (about a hundred yards away from the dock). It was cloudy when I captured this shot. In the distance, you can see a boat. Tourists can take the boat form the dock and travel to other small towns located on Lake Königsee. What's really neat is that the boats (there are eighteen boats comprising the fleet) that you may find on the lake are all electrical, thus keeping the lake clean and free of pollution. One reason to take the boat ride is to visit Königssee's landmark, the chapel of St. Bartholomew. This world-famous church can only be reached by boat (or after a long, strenuous hike). The church dates back to the 12th century. I didn't visit it on my trip to Bavaria, but perhaps I will visit it sometime in the future. Perhaps make it a winter trip because it looks amazing. As I mentioned in this entry, Schönau am Königsee is a peaceful place. I will be posting at least three to five photos from this place next week. Stay tuned. ### In other news: if you've ever been curious which classics I have read and recommend, check out my updated books page. I'm hoping to update the page with the list of books I have read in 2009. Also, thanks again for your votes here!

the legendary island

2009-10-31T15:47:21Z

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, there lived an elderly man in the town of Schönau am Königsee. His name was Anton Adner. This man loved to tell stories. He lived in Schönau all his life, and would happily explain to a willing listener how Schönau used to be a locality (Gnotschaft) of the Berchtesgaden Provostry, but became part of the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1810. Anton Adner was a maker of toys and wooden boxes, which he sold in markets in his local town but also in far away places like the Netherlands. He lived a hard life. It wasn't easy making a living back in those days. Whenever he finished a set of toys, he would pile them in his large, ragged sack and start walking. He walked to the local markets and the distant markets. Never once in his life did he venture forth on a horse or other modes of transportation. Anton would be gone for months at a time. Sure, he had his own house in Schönau, but after his wife died, he grew lonely. His travels to far-away places brought him a great deal of adventure. But as he was getting older, he realized he couldn't go on these journeys any more. On his last journey to Munich, he fell and slipped on some ice, and if it wasn't for an attentive lady who saw him fall, he might not have recovered. So he made his decision to stay in Schönau. He loved making toys, and so that's what he kept on doing. He owned a boat house, and for anyone who peered inside it, they would notice all kinds of things: wooden dolls, tricycles, train sets, and other trinkets. He still sold some of these toys in the local markets, but Anton wanted to do something more. Anton made more toys than he sold, and pretty soon he ran out of space in his boat house to store his toys! So Anton wondered what he could do. He met with the town mayor and explained his situation. What Anton wanted to do was build a small bridge that would link the edge of Schönau to a small island on Lake Königsee. Because he was an expert carpenter, Anton made it his own project. He just needed supplies (the wood, the nails, and other materials) to start building this bridge. The mayor reluctantly agreed, and Anton was so thankful. Over the next two years, Anton slowly worked on making this bridge. After the bridge was completed, it was officially unveiled. Villagers as far away as fifty miles came to see the marvelous creation. The island which the bridge linked with the mainland was small—about a hundred feet across—so people had to take turns going to the little island. The initial buzz around the bridge wore off, but there were a few dedicated folks who came to the island daily. It was so refreshing to recline next to the old tree and breathe in the fresh air. Every morning Anton would wake up, pack his tools, and take a stroll to the island. He would spend hours there. Making new toys. Children would come to the island as well, and he would entertain them. He told them great stories about the Kingdom of Bavaria. How wonderful of a life he led. How he lost his wife some twenty odd years ago. One day, on October 31, kids knocked on Anton's door and exclaimed “Trick or Treat!” And boy, these children were in for a great surprise! Rather than receiving candy, Anton gave away some of his most prized toys. Toys that he made many years ago and didn't sell. The kids who received these toys were ecstatic. They told their friends, who told their friends, and pretty soon every child from Schönau had visited Anton's house and received a lovely toy. The next morning, Anton would head to the little island and start to work on more toys. He worked throughout the year. The following year on October 31, children not only from Schönau but from the five adjoining towns came to Anton's door. And every single child received a toy. And so this tradition continued for over twenty years. Anton became a legend of Schönau and all of Germany. He lived to be 117 years old. When Anton died, the town of Schönau commemorated his death. There was a large town celebration attended by thousands. There are stories that people who bought his toys in France, the Netherlands, Austria, and distant parts of Germany heard about his death and came to Schönau to pay their respects. Anton Adner was buried on that small island in the middle of Lake Königsee. There is a large monument that stands on the little island. The inscription reads: “Here lies Anton Adner (1705-1822). Master carpenter, friend to all. Legend of Schönau.” So that he would rest in peace, the bridge that Anton built was demolished. Still, the remnants of that bridge can be seen on the island today. The wood is rotten, but what Anton did for his community has never been forgotten. To this day, there is a wonderful tradition in Schönau and the surrounding towns in Bavaria. When children come knocking on the door on Halloween, rather than giving away candy, it is more appropriate to give away a toy. The legend of Anton Adner thrives to this very day. Happy Halloween everyone!

peace at the dock

2009-10-30T20:26:01Z

One of the most interesting things about Schönau am Königsee is the way it is situated on Lake Königsee. This tiny town is basically surrounded by the lake on three sides. There is no right or wrong path to take, but you can stroll through the perimeter of the town and catch different views. The image in today's entry was captured from the dock in Schönau am Königsee; if you look at this image, the dock is the one with the flags, at center, a third of a distance away from the left of the frame. What I loved about this place is how quaint it is. Sure, there are some tourists who visit this town daily, but it's what you make of the place that counts. There are plenty of spots to explore which are away from the bustle, and that's exactly what I did. One of my quests in my travel adventures is to find peace. I found it in Schönau am Königsee. Near the end of my stay here, I sat down on the edge of the lake and meditated. In Schönau, the air is crisp and fresh. Invigorating. And except for the occasional quacking by ducks or the neighing of horses (there are a few barns in the area), it's very quiet. I think overall, this was my favourite place which I visited this summer.