Uploads from Xindaan, tagged 1685mmf3556gvr

Sandstone Winter, Saxon Switzerland, Germany

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 08:41:18 -0800

Xindaan posted a photo:

Merry Christmas, everyone. Snow made it barely through to December 24th in Germany. As proof, here is a picture like my Sandstone Morning (taken at Easter 2009, a picture which happens to be my picture the most favorited by you), taken at Christmas Eve, with all its snowy glory. The overcast sky adds to the mood. This morning, December 25th, when I went out to take morning pictures, most of the snow was molten.

The Elbe Sandstone Mountains are located in the border region between Germany and the Czech Republic, referred to the Saxon Switzerland in the German, and Bohemian Switzerland in the czech side. Both are declared national parks. The mountain range is the cause of a large sediment of sandstone created during the Cretaceus, which has been later laid free and thus became victim of erosion processes, mostly by the river Elbe.

Like the first one, this picture was taken with my Nikkor 16-85 at 16 mm, without a tripod, though.

Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - DNA

Icelandic Light

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:14:59 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

A thing that is great in Iceland is the really long time you have for that wonderful golden evening. When we were there in June, it was basically happening between 5pm and midnight. Add to that the ever changing weather, rain to sunrise to rainbow, and you get all sorts of wonderful light moods, like in this picture, where a very dramatic sky from heavy rain showers contrasts to the wonderfully lush green, soft hill - with sheep on it, to put a cherry on top.

I took this picture with my Nikkor 16-85 at 50mm, f8 and 1/80s exposure time.

I recommend to watch this picture using large black magic.

If you are interested, feel free to check out my whole Iceland set at my homepage, or rather the current state it is in. My favorites from there will get here onto flickr. Yes, I take proposals. :)

Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - DNA

Landmannalaugar V, Iceland

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:53:08 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

The fifth (and last :)) I chose of Landmannalaugar is focussing on the amazing colours again.What you can see here is Bláhnúkur (see the previous picture on the right hand side for an overview of its placement in the landscape). The name means "blue mountain", and I guess one can imagine why that is. There is actually a hiking possibility to the top, but as we got there just a few days after the road opened, the bridge was still washed away from the winter, and we couldn't cross the river (Brennisteinsöldukvísl) in the gorge Grænagil.

For taking this picture, I again used my Nikkor 16-85mm at 62mm, f8 and 1/500s exposure time.

I strongly recommend to watch this picture using large black magic.

If you are interested, feel free to check out my whole Iceland set at my homepage, or rather the current state it is in. My favorites from there will get here onto flickr. Yes, I take proposals. :)

Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - DNA

Mühlensee, Nationalpark Müritz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany (HDR)

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:55:03 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

The last week of August, I spent a week at the Nationalpark Müritz, a national park system to protect a unique landscape of lakes, forest, marches and swamps.

This picture shows sunrise at the Mühlensee, a particular lake that is gradually turning into a swamp when it was left alone (i.e. no longer drained), which is why you can see all the dead tree stumps there, when the water got too much for them.

The picture is a HDR consisting out of 4 exposures, allowing both the sky as well as the darker foreground to "be there". The goal with HDR treatment was to still get the realistic look. My lens of choice was the Nikkor 16-85mm at 16mm, f5. See for comparison a non-HDR shot with a slightly different composition.

Getty Images - Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - DNA

Skógafoss, Iceland

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:44:25 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

The Skógafoss. Hard to catch, I went with this option, showing the power of the water in comparison to people standing in front, but still a distance of it. Its actual height is 60 m while being 25 m wide. When you get close to it, closer than the people you see on the picture, you get wet, really wet. Dripping wet, in fact, as I experienced first hand when trying to take shots straight up. Trying was all I could do. And Failing. Without an underwater camera. :)

This picture was taken with my Nikkor 16-85 at 85mm and f8. I strongly recommend to watch this picture using large black magic.

If you are interested, feel free to check out my whole Iceland set at my homepage, or rather the current state it is in. My favorites from there will get here onto flickr. Yes, I take proposals. :)

Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - DNA

Fjallsárlón (v2), Iceland

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 08:47:58 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

Looking for tranquility.

The overcast sky in conjunction with a low camera position allowed for wide-angle shots, taking in the whole scenery with foreground details. The almost complete absence of wind, on third day I went here, allowed for calm impression I tried to get.

The place is Fjallsárlón in Iceland, a glacier lagoon right next to the more famous Jökulsárlón, both being wonderful places.

The picture, recommended to watch using large black magic, was taken with the Nikkor 16-85mm/3.5-5.6G VR at 85 mm and f8 for optimum sharpness.

If you are interested, feel free to check out my whole Iceland set at my homepage, or rather the current state it is in. My favorites from there will get here onto flickr. Yes, I take proposals. :)

#212 on Explore on 2009-08-03. Thank you very much.

Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - DNA

Landmannalaugar, Iceland

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:45:13 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

Another picture of Landmannalaugar. Actually the same scenery as my first one. Yes, I am that boring.

Icelandic weather is tough for a photographer. You need time to wait for the right light. Not just the time of the day, but the time until the clouds are like you want them, letting the sun through or not. And if it takes two weeks, it takes two weeks.

What I like about this picture, and which is why I took it at a different focal length compared to the first one, is the sun coming partially through, creating even more variations in the colours of the mountain. These colours are formed by rhyolite and liparite laid bare by erosion processes.

The picture was taken with my Nikkor 16-85 at 46mm, f8.

If you are interested, feel free to check out my whole Iceland set at my homepage, or rather the current state it is in. My favorites from there will get here onto flickr. Yes, I take proposals. :)

#58 on Explore on 2009-08-01. Thank you very much!

My (Flickr) Most Interesting Pictures - Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - My Flickr DNA

Jökulsárlón, Iceland

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:48:05 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

Literally staring in awe, mouth open. One of the most memorable things I saw in Iceland were the glacier lakes from Jökullsárlón to Fjallsárlón. Just wonderful, quite mediative.

After the initial round of pictures is done, I focus on various subjects. The first glacier lake picture showed Fjallsárlón, this one is Jökulsárlón, which is most famous one, and with up to 248 m the deepest lake in Iceland. The different colours of the ice come from large ice crystals (blue) or volcanic ash (black), next to the normal ice (I'll let you guess the colour :)).

The picture was taken with the Nikkor 16-85mm/3.5-5.6G VR at 85 mm and f8 for optimum sharpness. I then did a crop for a panoramic view.

If you are interested, feel free to check out my whole Iceland set at my homepage, or rather the current state it is in. My favorites from there will get here onto flickr. Yes, I take proposals. :)

#8 on Explore on 2009-07-22. Thank you very much!

My (Flickr) Most Interesting Pictures - Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - My Flickr DNA

Reykjavik, Iceland

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:37:35 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

The first round of my Iceland pictures is concluded with a non-naturey one, showing Reykjavík, more precisely, lake Tjörnin. The Tjörnin is a well known lake right in the center of the city. Adjacent to it are the city hall, several museums, and lots and lots of birds. The church you see here Fríkirkjan, the Free Lutherean Church.

The picture was taken with my Nikkor 16-85/3.5-5.6 at 25mm, f8. The camera was held horizontally to both avoid collapsing lines and give room for the reflection of the church in the lake. For taking the picture, I waited until later in the evening, to get the right light. The great sky added to it additionally.

If you are interested, feel free to check out my whole Iceland set at my homepage, or rather the current state it is in. My favorites from there will get here onto flickr. Yes, I take proposals. :)

#54 on Explore on 2009-07-18. Thank you very much!

My (Flickr) Most Interesting Pictures - Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - My Flickr DNA

Hvítserkur, Iceland

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:12:05 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

We got glaciers, birds, waterfalls - it's time for something volcanic. Iceland is full of it, yet, I chose this rather unconventional picture volcano picture for the introduction round. :)

Hvítserkur is the last remains of a central volcano, about 15 m high. Legend has it that this is a troll turned into stone when he was surprised by the sun while attacking a nearby abbey with rocks.

No special setting regarding focus, aperture or exposure time. Just a black&white treatment, obviously, since the contrasts were what impressed me the most. That single, weirdly shaped rock right in the sea. I just liked that. At the same time, due to the stories, I wanted that "troll" to look dark, menacing, dominating. Hence the choice of contrast.

I definitely recommend to use some B l a c k M a g i c on this one. :)

#89 on Explore on 2009-07-08. Thank you very much!

If you are interested, feel free to check out my whole Iceland set at my homepage, or rather the current state it is in. My favorites from there will get here onto flickr. Yes, I take proposals. :)

Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - DNA

Gullfoss, Iceland

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:04:09 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

Continuing my cross-section of Iceland, this time, it's a waterfall's turn.

Shown is the Gullfoss, or rather, the first of its two cascades, being 11 m high. See the people on the left side for a size reference. While being there, we were blessed with sunshine, and a great rainbow.

The second part of the cascades will be shown later, it's quite impressive as well, as you can see with numerous pictures on flickr.

Gullfoss is part of the Golden Circle (like Þingvellir and Geysir) and as such easily accessible even from Reykjavik.

This picture was taken with the Nikkor 16-85/3.5-5.6 on my D300, mounted on a tripod. This way, I could take medium times without shaking, while long exposure times in conjunction with powerful waterfalls often takes away the, well, power of it. :) So, what you see here is 1/15 s.

If you are interested, feel free to check out my whole Iceland set at my homepage, or rather the current state it is in. My favorites from there will get here onto flickr. Yes, I take proposals. :)

#344 on Explore on 2009-07-06. Thank you very much.

My (Flickr) Most Interesting Pictures - Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - My Flickr DNA

Sandstone Morning (HDR, Saxon Switzerland, Germany)

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Sat, 16 May 2009 23:14:49 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

The sun is rising at the Elbe Sandstone Mountains of the Saxon Switzerland. The Elbe Sandstone Mountains are located in the border region between Germany and the Czech Republic, referred to the Saxon Switzerland in the German, and Bohemian Switzerland in the czech side. Both are declared national parks. The mountain range is the cause of a large sediment of sandstone created during the Cretaceus, which has been later laid free and thus became victim of erosion processes, mostly by the river Elbe.

This picture was taken in the morning at 7:19. For a view of a nearby place at earlier times, see here for 4:30, 5:30 and 6:30. Also, see Sandstone Christmas on how it like with snow.

This picture was taken with the Nikkor 16-85 f/3.5-5.6, at 16 mm, ISO 200 and f8 aperture. It actually is a HDR made out of 9 single exposures, to get the high contrast between the bright sky and the parts of the landscape still lying in the morning shadow under control.

This picture is featured in an Apogee Photo Magazine article about HDR pictures. Thank you!

#289 on Explore on May 2, 2009.

My (Flickr) Most Interesting Pictures - Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - My Flickr DNA

Festival of Lights, Berlin, Germany

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:58:49 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

Festival of Lights 2008 in Berlin, Germany.

This perspective puts the Neptunbrunnen (Fountain of Neptune) into the foreground. I tried to trident to match the rays of light. The rays of light emerge from the Radisson hotel between the fountain and the Berlin Dome, its blue lit cupola visible on this picture.

The long illumination times additionally allowed for soft water of the fountain.

I recommend to watch this picture Large On Black.

#3 on Explore on 2008-10-26.

Financial Crisis (Frankfurt, Germany)

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:41:41 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

An attempt on commenting the financial crisis, by using selective b&w and a red traffic light. Obviously. :)

This picture was taken in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, the black and white background depicts a banking tower (Deutsche Bank).

#11 on Explore on 2008-10-02.

My (Flickr) Most Interesting Pictures - Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - My Flickr DNA

European Central Bank

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 01:16:29 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

Building of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany. This picture was obviously edited a bit for dramatic feel. :)

#91 on Explore on 2008-09-30.

My (Flickr) Most Interesting Pictures - Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - My Flickr DNA

Kaiserdom Frankfurt, Part Deux

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:54:07 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

This is the Kaiserdom St. Bartholomäus (Emperor's Cathedral St. Bartholomew) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is the largest religious building in the city and the former coronation place of the roman-german emperors. Pictured here is the the orgue.

This HDR is composed out of 7 individual exposures, especially in order to get the windows' exposure right. This picture is probably best viewed Large On Black.

#268 on Explore on 2008-09-21.

Brúnavík, Iceland

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 08:41:28 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

A wonderful hike you can make at northeastern Iceland leads you to the bay of Brúnavík. Starting at Bakkagerði, you pass the Geitfell mountain, and get into this beautiful valley with wonderful colours, the mountains getting theirs from ryholite. The colours, like in Landmannalaugar, are just beautiful. Looking at the mountains in the background, judging from their colour, one would guess they're in the sun, yet, as you can see, they're covered in clouds.

And you can see sheep and lambs there. :)

Lens of choice was my Nikkor 16-85 at 85mm and f8, leading to 1/250s exposure time.

Feel free towatch this picture using large black magic.

If you are interested, feel free to check out my whole Iceland set at my homepage, or rather the current state it is in. My favorites from there will get here onto flickr. Yes, I take proposals. :)

Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - DNA

The Young and the Old Iceland

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 09:21:14 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

An a short hike at Námafjall in the Mývatn region, you walk among solfatara, fumaroles emitting sulfurous gasses. Yes, that smells. This is fairly recent volcanic activity, while in the distance, you can see older ones. The prominent one is a so-called flat-top volcano, whose form is characteristic for a sub-glacial eruption, where the ice sheet quickly cools the lava. Consequently, you only find such volcanoes in regions where glaciers are, or were, like antarctica (Brown Bluff), British Columbia (Pyramid Mountain, Tuya Butte, Caribou Tuya, South Tuya, The Table), Oregon (Hayrick Butte, Hogg Rock) and of course Iceland.

The picture was taken using my Nikkor 16-85 at 65mm focal length, f8 and 1/400s.

If you are interested, feel free to check out my whole Iceland set at my homepage, or rather the current state it is in. My favorites from there will get here onto flickr. Yes, I take proposals. :)

Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - DNA

Landmannalaugar, Iceland

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:35:34 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

Very difficult to convey in one picture, but the one single thing next to the glacier lagoons that impressed me the most about Iceland's wonderful nature are the mountains consisting of rhyolite or liparite, which you can find in several places, but in a very concentrated form at Landmannalaugar. If you ever get to Iceland (if you live there, you know it anywaY), get a 4WD car and head there, you will not ever regret it.

The colors you see there are just otherwordly. That's why I chose this picture instead of a panorama shot, because the focus are the colours. This is no editing, nothing, that's how it looks like. All around.

The highland road (we went on the F208) just opened a few days before we got there, so it was still quite empty, resulting in a great round trip hike, passing Brennisteinsalda, the "burning mountain", a name not that far away from the truth.

I chose my Nikkor 16-85/3.5-5.6 at 65mm, f8 for this shot for optimum optical quality. The picture then got put into square format, which I found quite fitting for this scenery.

If you are interested, feel free to check out my whole Iceland set at my homepage, or rather the current state it is in. My favorites from there will get here onto flickr. Yes, I take proposals. :)

#120 on Explore on 2009-06-12. Thank you!

My (Flickr) Most Interesting Pictures - Flickr Hive Mind - flexplore - My Flickr DNA

Colors of Autumn

nobody@flickr.com (Xindaan) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:10:03 -0700

Xindaan posted a photo:

Autumn Tree in the Sun.

#37 on Explore on 2008-10-12.