flow
the floating city | venice, italy
"i have spoken to you of pompeii," said the moon, "that corpse of a city, exposed in the view of living towns. i know another sight still more strange, and this is not the corpse but the specter of a city. whenever the jetty fountains splash into the marble basins, they seem to me to be telling the story of the floating city." - hans christian andersen
europeitaliaItalycanalcathedralchurchcityscapelightroomlong exposuremonumentpalaceseaseasonsuntowertravelurbanvenetoveneziawaterwinter
farol da ponta dos capelinhos | açores, portugal
the life of the lighthouse of ponta dos capelinhos on the westernmost tip of faial was as adventurous as they get; an eruption of capelinhos volcano just one kilometre away from a lighthouse in 1957-58 destroyed all surrounding buildings and resulted in a rise of the volcanic cone (visible on the right) by more than 200 meters;
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venetian silk i | venice, italy
"this was venice, the flattering and suspect beauty this city, half fairy tale and half tourist trap, in whose insalubrious air the arts once rankly and voluptuously blossomed, where composers have been inspired to lulling tones of somniferous eroticism." – thomas mann
europeitaliaItalyarchitecture buildingchurchcityscapelandscapelong exposurereligious structureseasontowertravelvenetoveneziawinter
lago di carezza | südtirol, italia
as the legend says in once upon the time a beautiful water nymph lived in the pristine waters of lago di carezza. a wizard masaré, once heard her singing and fell in love, however, not even his magic was enough to win the nymph. with help from a witch, an elaborate plan was born. masaré was supposed to stretch a rainbow from the lake and disguise as a jewellery salesman, just to be able to approach the nymph.
sadly for the wizard, he forgot the salesman cloak and was recognized. the nymph jumped into the lake and was never seen since. angry masaré smashed the rainbow into pieces, which fell into waters of the lake. since then the ladin name of the lake is "lec de ergobando" (rainbow lake).europeitaliaItalyspringalto adigehdrlakelandscapemountainseasonskysüdtiroltraveltreewater
grand harbour | valletta, malta
grand harbour - now a peaceful port in the middle of the middle see - once was a heavily contested military stronghold; during the great siege of malta six thousand knights of st. john and maltese soldiers defended three fortified cities of birgu, senglea against 36 thousand strong ottoman army;
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saint-paul | starsbourg, france
while the strabourg cathedral with one unfinished tower is the symbol of the old city, église réformée saint-paul is probably the most familiar of the new german strasbourg
a separation | valletta, malta
while many consider malta and other mediterranean islands to be summer destinations, it is winters when they truly reveal themselves
"in valletta
a centaur sits at night
on a bastions
for few minutes
then goes"
- emmanuel george cefai, vallettaeuropechurchfortlightroomlong exposuremaltaseaseasonwaterwinter
eye of the storm | südtirol, italy
“when you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. that’s what this storm’s all about.” - haruki murakami, kafka on the shore
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the battle | madeira, portugal
one year and one day ago the day started with a battle between sun and clouds; clouds won and it was only two days later that we saw the first rays of sun reaching the southern coast of madeira
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under the sky | südtirol, italia
the small church of san giovanni in ranui in the background of villnöß valley
europeitaliaItalyspringalto adigelightroomreligious structureseasonsüdtirol
happiness | bali barat, bali
“it is neither wealth nor splendor, but tranquility and occupation which give you happiness.”
-- thomas jeffersonasiabalibali baratindonesianusabay menjanganboatby waterlagoonlightroomlonelinessmountainromanceseatranquilitytransportationtravelwater
the empty road | südtirol, italia
"the road goes ever on and on
down from the door where it began.
now far ahead the road has gone,
and I must follow, if i can,
pursuing it with eager feet,
until it joins some larger way
where many paths and errands meet.
and whither then? i cannot say"
-- j.r.r. tolkien, "the fellowship of the ring"europeFanesSenesBraiesitaliaItalyspringalto adigefreedomhilllandscapelightroommeadowmountainpeaceroadseasonsüdtiroltrailtravelvalley
dirty job
did you know that worker bees visit more than four million blossoms to produce one kilogram of honey? their job is not only tiresome but can also get pretty dirty; just after visiting a few hibiscus blossoms this worker bee got all covered in pollen and could hardly fly; i caught it while trying to unload some of the undesirable cargo;
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farewell to malta | valetta, malta
"Adieu, ye joys of La Valette!
Adieu, sirocco, sun, and sweat!
Adieu, thou palace rarely enter'd!
Adieu, ye mansions where I've ventured!
Adieu, ye cursed streets of stairs!
(How surely he who mounts you swears!)"
-- George Gordon Byron, "Farewell To Malta"europeSliemacityscapehdrlagoonlong exposuremaltareligious structuresea
crowned valley | südtirol, italia
long long time ago there was a beauty contest among the alpine valleys. villnösstal (or val di funes) was victorious and wears its magnificent crown of the odle/geisler mountains to this day.
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ponts couverts | strasbourg, france
built in the 13th century, the ponts couverts is one of the few remnants of the medieval defences of the city of strasbourg. shot on the easter morning during the only minute of sunshine that day.
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begining | sliema, malta
once a quiet fishing village tas-sliema grew into the most dynamic town in malta. laying between the capital valletta and tourism centre st julian, sliema has today a bit of both worlds.
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madeiran chaffinch | madeira, portugal
madeiran chaffinch is endemic to madeira subspecies of the european chaffinch. preferring rather high altitudes, they are common companions of hikers exploring the island.
this particular one was part of an extremely friendly group staying near the coffee shop on the "levada das 25 fontes" walk. the group of scavengers was living of remains of cakes and sandwiches from the tourists' plates.europemadeiraMadeiran Chaffinchportugalbirdbirdslightroomwildlife
the alhambra | granada, spain
"Give him alms, woman,
because there is nothing sadder in life than being blind in Granada".
These lines by Francisco de Icaza are inscribed on the walls of Alhambra - one of the most precious jewels of Arabic architecture in the world. The palace built in the 13th century was home to Nasrid dynasty - the last Arab rulers in Iberian peninsula. Later, it served as the royal court of Ferdinand and Isabella. It was here, where they extended their royal endorsement of the infamous expedition to India by Christopher Columbus. In this picture, the Alhambra and the city of Granada are fading in what Bill Clinton once called "the most beautiful sunset in the world".
quest iii
The greater flamingo is the most widespread species of the flamingos in the world. They live on mudflats and shallow coastal lagoons from Southern Europe to Bangladesh. Flamingo hatchlings are grey and it takes up to three years for their feathers to attain the famous pink colour. "quest iii" is the newest addition to the "sense of water" collection.
asiaDubaiFlamingoRas al Khor Wildlife Sanctuaryaffinitybirdbirdscoastfloodplainlagoonuaewaterwildlife
in blue | frankfurt, germany
Making a good shot is always about finding a balance between accident and control. It could not be truer in the case of cityscape photography that requires both preparation and favours from the gods of nature. However, sometimes it just happens that you are in the right place at the right time with a camera on your shoulders and the monkey in your head tells you to turn around and look back. That's the story of "in blue".
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pico ruivo | madeira, portugal
One day in December I was lucky to be the first person to witness the sunrise in Madeira, from its highest peak - Pico Ruivo, 1862 m. Reaching up before 7 am wasn’t necessarily hard, however, the wind and the low temperatures added a bit of challenge to the climb. This picture was taken shortly before sunrise, when the little village of Santana (down) was still asleep under a dense cover of clouds, awaiting for a new day to start.
approach
capturing these little flying creatures can require either a great amount of patience or even a greater amount of luck. most of the time though it takes both. here's the "approach" i succeeded on a rainy day, when the butterflies were a bit to lazy to fly around. however, it still took a good 20 minutes to have it landing on the leaf.
fall i
Paratroopers in the sky. Work from the "lost" collection.
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clash | madeira, portugal
One day in December I was lucky to be the first person to witness the sunrise in Madeira, from its highest pick - Pico Ruivo, 1862 m. Reaching up before 7 am wasn’t necessarily hard, however, the wind and the low temperatures added a bit of challenge to the climb. This picture was taken shortly before sunrise, when the little tow of Santana (down) was still asleep under a dense cover of clouds, waiting for a new day to start.
Atlantic oceaneuropemadeiraportugalQuinta do FurãoSantanaatlanticcloudcoastlandscapeoceanwater
