February 2016 I finally did it. Seeing and photographing the northern lights has been on my mind for a long time. For this photography workshop I chose http://arr.at because of the location, Senja in northern Norway. A great choice. Picturesque fjords, scenic fishing villages and majestic mountains provide great photo-ops during the day, in the evenings we chased the northern lights. Being right on the ocean had various advantages: temperatures were surprisingly mild (given that we were 400km north of the polar circle) and the weather changes rapidly, bright sunshine and heavy snowfall within an hour. Of course the northern lights are as spectacular in the interior of Lapland, but there you can easily be stuck in a storm for a week at minus 35 degree Celsius. Only the Sami people enjoy this battery-eating temperatures.
Archive | Travel Photography
Benin through the lens of an EOS 70D
Leaves coated with red soil
A nasty grey sky was the first thing I spotted when opening the curtains on my very first morning in Cotonou. Was it going to rain any minute? A quick check of the weather app said „low visibility due to dust“. Eventually it sank in, Harmattan season. This wind bis lowing from the Sahara across West Africa between December and March fills the air with thick dust. The horizon is greyish white, a photographer’s nightmare. A kind of blue skies would sometimes reappear late afternoon.
Benin Photo Gallery
Benin Photos
Roch's family home, outdoor kitchen
Traveling to Benin has been on my mind for years, especially experiencing the voodoo festival. X-mas 2015 it finally happened. a total of 17 days I spent leisurely moving around Benin. From the capital Cotonou I did short trips to the stilt village of Ganvie, to Ouidah and Puerto Novo, mostly by motorbike taxis. Dassa was the most northern city I visited, from where I moved to Abomey, the former residence of the Dahoman Kings. The voodoo festival in Ouidah was the definite high-light of this trip.
China – A Selection Of 54 Pictures
In Chengyang, a Dong Village near Sanjiang, Guilin region, China
We traveled the 30 days our visa permitted throughout China’s southwestern provinces in Mai 2008: Guangxi (Guilin, Yangshuo), Sichuan (Chengdu, Leshan, Emei Shan), Yunnan (Lijiang, Dali, Kunming, Yuanyang) & Xishuangbanna (Jingling). This was definitely not enough! Nevertheless, we now know it can be easily done without a common language. This introduction to China also was an immense eye opener and some of the negative concepts we had of this country we corrected or simply vanished! Continue Reading →
New Zealand – A Selection of 35 Pictures
Steaming oceans accompanied us going further north towards Westport, West Coast, South Island, New Zealand
Of the 40 days in New Zealand, we spent 4 weeks on the South Island and a little less than two weeks on the North Island. If the start was not the most pleasant one, we slowly got caught from the unique landscape of both Islands, which couldn’t be more different… Continue Reading →
Cook Islands – A Selection of 26 Pictures
Ranginui´s Retreat, Aitutaki Atoll, Cook Islands
We spent three weeks on the Cook Islands in February 2008 during our Round The World Trip: altogether 9 days on Rarotonga, 7 on Aitutaki and 5 on Atiu. The Cook Islands were definitely a highlight in our trip and finally we discovered some of those Pacific Islands that matched our ideas of the “South Seas”. Continue Reading →
Easter Island – A Selection Of 35 Pictures
Rano Raraku, the quarry where all the Moais were carved from the volcanic stone, Rapa Nui or Easter Island, Pacific
I spent one week on Easter Island in February 2008 and had the immense chance to witness the Tapati Rapa Nui or Rapa Nui Festival, as well as to discover the mysterious Moai… Continue Reading →
Brazil – A Selection Of 58 Pictures
Jaguar, Porto Jofre, Northern Pantanal, Brazil
In 2007, I spent 4 weeks in Brazil and entered the country from Venezuela, discovering Manaus, Recife & Olinda, Fernando de Noronha, Salvador de Bahia & Morro de Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro & Sao Paulo. In 2015, I spent 6 weeks there and visited Salvador de Bahia & Morro de Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais (Belo Horizonte, Ouro Preto & Tiradentes), Rio de Janeiro & Ilha Grande, Iguazu (both Brazilean & Argentinian sides), Bonito, the Northern Pantanal (entering from Cuiaba and going to Porto Jofre), Brasilia & last but not least Sao Paulo.
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Fakarava – A Selection Of 22 Pictures
Black Pearl Farm, Fakarava, French Polynesia
We only spent 6 days in French Polynesia, four of them diving in Fakarava and two stopovers in Papeete. So our selection of pictures has to be seen in this context… Continue Reading →
Mali – A Selection Of 42 Pictures
The Kanaga Masks, the highest in hierarchy of Masks, preparing for the Dance – Dance of the Masks, Dogon Country, Mali, Africa
We spent 17 days in Mali during Christmas 2005 & New Year 2006. Although we had only a bit more than two weeks to visit this huge country, we managed to see most of Mali’s major attractions!
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