Misadventures at Hohenzollern Castle

Last weekend's plans fell through so we decided to take advantage of our stolen time by taking a rather industrious day trip into Baden-Württemberg to check out the famous Hohenzollern Castle.  A six hour drive there and back didn't seem so terrible.  Heck, we used to make that drive down to Columbus and back when we lived in Akron just to have dinner (at a German family restaurant, oddly enough).  Anyway, it all sounded perfectly reasonable.

So, we left early in the morning of Sunday and headed down to the castle.  The drive went along smoothly, albeit insanely dull.  One highpoint was getting stuck in a small town that was holding a parade for people dressed as witches.  Whether that was some sort of traditional Carnival activity or not was never determined.  After escaping the witches we arrived in the village below the castle (this is starting to sound like a work of the Grimm brothers).  The plan was to go to the park on a hill opposite the castle to take some pictures than head to the castle for a tour.  Well, when we arrived this was the view.

Fujifilm X-E2 ISO 800 55m f/10 1/500

Not exactly what I was hoping for.  Additionally, as you can see, it had snowed quite a bit.  While making the surroundings extremely beautiful, it made finding a trail to the park impossible.  Ah, if only there were things you could hang up on trees or posts that could indicate to visitors the proper direction for such attractions.  I believe they're known as signs in my neck of the woods.  Eh hem.  Anyway, even if we had found a sign that indicated the correct direction of the viewpoint to the castle, the low laying clouds completely enveloped the castle and the hill where this park supposedly existed.  So, after taking a few shots in the forest we decided to head over to the castle for the tour and hope for better weather afterwards.  

Fujifilm X-E2 ISO 800 55mm f/13 1/500

Hohenzollern Castle is considered one of the most beautiful castles in Germany.  It is.  However, besides its aesthetic qualities, the castle itself isn't a very interesting attraction.  The castle was built by the Hohenzollern family in the mid-1800's to replace a ruin from the mid-1400's.  At this point the Hohenzollerns were an important dynastic family in Germany.  Kings of Prussia and the emperors of the short-lived German Empire (1871-1918) were members.  The castle was basically built as showpiece for the family, much like the better known Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria.  No one lived in Hohenzollern Castle, so anyone hoping for a peep into the lifestyle of the German emperors will be disappointed.  Basically, it is a shrine to the glory days of a family long past its time of influence or importance.  The tour, thankfully inexpensive, takes the visitor through a handful of dusty, unheated rooms that apparently never really served much of a purpose when they were constructed.  Non-German speakers are given a book in their language to read on the tour, an activity, quite frankly, which could be attempted more comfortably in the visitor center.  Perhaps audioguides along with signage will some day catch on in the future.  If the grounds are wet, the visitor is obligated to wear giant slippers over their shoes making the somewhat dull tour more interesting with the prospect of oneself or someone else tripping on the uneven floors and crashing into a "priceless" yet tarnished decorative item.  The tour concludes in the treasury where you can see the crown of Wilhelm II, among other things.  However, like the castle itself, the crown was never used either.  So, the visitor (unless they are fans of the Hohenzollern dynasty) walks away feeling like they just visited a roadside attraction which cost an ridiculous amount of money to construct so some folks could play act at being fairytale royalty.  

But, that doesn't mean it isn't a remarkable photographic subject.  While regretting the time and money spent on the tour, the view from the castle of the surrounding countryside was worth taking the paid bus ride to the top of Hohenzollern Berg.

We never made it back to the hill overlooking the castle.  The sun was already heading down by the time the tour had ended and we climbed back down the hill to the car.  So, I never got the shot I had dragged us three hours down the autobahn to take .  One of the lessons I'm learning during this experimentation with landscape photography is how important proper planning is.  Don't try to fit too much.  But, most importantly you can't account for the weather.  As it worked out, I ended up taking the last shot of the trip from the side of the road below the castle.  The light of the ending day ended up being pale and subtle as the heavy cloud cover cleared away.  While nothing really ended up being the way we hoped and some plans went awry, this unexpected view ended up being quite satisfactory.

Canon 600D ISO 100 19mm f/9 40secs, 10 stop ND filter, two exposure blend with Photoshop

The rest of the photos from our Hohenzollern misadventures can be viewed on Flickr and some will be up on Instagram and for sale Twenty20 as well.

Three Shots from Aschaffenburg

While the weather isn't particularly pleasant over the next few months and there aren't any state holidays on the Hessian calendar until Easter, we're pretty much staying close to home on the weekends.  It's kind of nice not to have anywhere we need to be.  It gives time for leisurely Saturday morning bike rides to a cafe for a pastry and a coffee, Sunday lie ins, Netflix binges, backgammon tournaments and strolls along the river.  The first few months of the year can be pretty dull now that the holidays are over, and Winter still remains.  But, there is one thing about Winter that makes it worth going out, the light.

Since we don't have anywhere to be, we thought it'd be a good chance to do a little exploring around the area and to take some photos around sunrise or sunset.  Sunrise is around 8:00am, so that doesn't require any ridiculous alarm times.  Sunset happens around 5:00pm, providing plenty of shooting time before dinner.  So, even though the temperatures are polar, Winter is really the best time of year for city night and landscape shooting.  Plus, around here at least, the sunrises and sunsets can be pretty spectacular because of the unique cloud cover and position of the sun.

This past weekend, we headed into Aschaffenburg, one of the larger cities on the Main River, about 45 minutes upriver from Frankfurt.  Aschaffenburg used to belong to the Prince Bishops of Mainz and then was passed to the Kingdom of Bavaria.  Consequently, it has several rather impressive constructions, the most famous being the Schloss Johannisburg.  We ride by the Schloss pretty regularly on bike rides and even after a year, I still can't get over the size.  I've taken many pictures of it, usually with my phone in passing, but never intentionally came to the city to focus on it as a subject.  This weekend it was my second priority so I plan on going back to it again soon.  On our way to the river,  it became clear from the glimpses of the sky through the buildings that we were missing a particularly brilliant light show.   By the time we got down to the river sunset was just ending.  We didn't have enough time to set up before it was over, so I whipped out my X-E2 and snapped the shot below quickly from the bike path.  One of the things I love about this camera is that I can get a shot in low light like this handheld.  I took this using the Vibrant film simulation, but other than adding the watermark I didn't edit it any further.  One of the great things about Fujifilm's X-Series is that they are WiFi connectable.  So, I was able to post this directly to Instagram shortly after taking it.  One of my goals over the next couple of years is to stop using my phone as a primary camera.  Having a WiFi capable camera makes that possible.

Fujifilm X-E2 ISO 1600 18mm f/6.5 1/30

After taking that, we headed down to the bridge over the Main and set the tripod up.  The bridge is the main route over the river from the western bank and sees a lot of traffic.  So, there's quite a bit of shake.  I switched over to the Canon because I wanted to use its wide-angle lens.  I enabled mirror lock-up, disabled image stabilization, and used a remote shutter.  But, with the bridge shake, there was no way to get a perfectly sharp image.  I'm not a pixel peeper, but in editing I noticed there was some blur in the details.  Oh well, there's nothing that can be done about a shaky bridge!

Canon 600D ISO 100 16mm f/9 6.0secs

I didn't do too much with this in post except crop it down a little and remove a buoy in the river that I found distracting.  The image here is showing somewhat brighter and more saturated than it does elsewhere, which may just be a Blogger glitch.  While I like the view and the Schloss, I'm not really "into" this particular shot.  In hindsight, I wish I had made it there while the sunset was doing its thing because I think it would have highlighted the building a bit better than the lights and would have added more interest in the sky and water.  So, this is on the list of things to try again in the future.

Where was I which made me miss the sunset?  There's a rather large park in the center of the city that was part of the royal grounds back when the King of Bavaria had his summer residence in Aschaffenburg.  While the king and kingdom are no more, the palace and park remain and it's full of interesting little sights.  One of those are ruins of a medieval church that are on an island in the middle of a small lake.  The ruins were my primary location and I was hoping to get them while the lowlight of the sun cut through the park a bit.  We spent a lot of time walking around the ruins trying to find a good angle.  But, while it's an interesting spot, it wasn't so interesting to photograph.  The site is closed off from the public with a barred gate and windows that take away from the visual impact of the ruins on one side.  It is one of those things that the eye overlooks, but the lens cannot.  On the other side there's some debris and warning tape that makes the whole spot look like an unsightly construction area.  So, that left me with the back end of the apse, and on the side of the lake furthest from the ruins.  It took some time for me to find a spot that didn't have fencing, trash cans, walking paths, or benches in the shot, but I finally found a little corner (nearly in a bush) that gave a view of the ruins without showing all the uninteresting and somewhat ugly "city stuff."  I originally planned to use the X-E2 when I was thinking about the ruins, but when I found this spot I immediately switched over to the Canon so I could use the 10-22mm wide angle lens.  There was a little brook that fed into the lake with an attractive angle and I wanted to get that in the frame more than I wanted the ruins.

Canon 600D ISO 100 10mm f/9 1.6s, edited with Photoshop

Unlike the other two, I spent a lot of time with this one in post.  With the low light, I wanted to take a long exposure in order to capture the silky movement of the water.  Of course, doing that meant the little bit of sky peeping through the trees was going to get blown out.  I haven't started using ND filters yet, though I have recently picked up a few to begin experimenting with soon.  However, because the horizon here wasn't clear cut, I probably wouldn't have used a graduated ND filter anyway.  So, I decided to take multiple exposures, one long to get the water and the fading light on the ruins in the background, and another much faster to get the sky.  I didn't want a full HDR look for the final result, so I blended the two with a much slower process using multiple layers.  While it clearly has undergone some processing to get the final result, I wasn't going for a completely natural look to begin with.  It was a place that imparted a feeling of mystery.  I wanted to sift through all the junk of a modern city park and create a photograph that might bring that mysterious vibe back to the surface.

So, those were the three shots from the weekend.  Thanks to some early birthday presents, I've replaced my worn out Manfrotto tripod with a slick and funky Three Legged Thing "Brian" and the awkward Lowepro Slingshot with a Hama Daytour 230.  I'm really looking forward to trying them out in the coming weekends.  This weekend, however, we have friends in to town, so I'll be foregoing landscape shooting in favor of just the X-E2 with a new lens (that just came to the door about 5 minutes ago).  More on that next week!

Paris in December

When I sat down last week to write this post it was the morning after the Charlie Hebdo attacks.  I had "write about Paris" at the top of Thursday's to-do list since Monday.  But, in the wake of the tragedy, I found myself staring at a blinking cursor for over an hour, completely incapable of finding anything to say.  Writing about photographing Paris seemed inappropriate or insensitive, I'm not sure.  I closed out Blogger and decided to come back later.  So, here I am back the following week still not 100% sure about this post, and troubled in my spirit.

There are three cities that I adore, love so much they almost seem a part of the family in some way.  I'm not from them, and I haven't lived in them.  But, when we visit them, being there always brings us joy, a joy you can't help but mention, one that causes a smile to be plastered rather stupidly on one's face for the extent of the visit.  Most cities have the opposite effect.  In fact, I would happily exchange a weekend in a city for one in the mountains 9 out of 10 times.  But, New York City, Ghent, and Paris are special and will draw us back again and again.  Paris, well, it stands above the other two.  It may be cliche to say Paris is my favorite city, but honestly I don't care.  It's magic.  If you go, you'll get it.  If you don't get it, then you didn't do it right.  There's more to it than its architecture, history, shopping (if you're into that), food, and cultural spots.  It's all that and more.  There's a soul, a feeling of depth, memory, and insight coming from its very stones.  I'm not sure if I will ever be able to put my finger on it, so the only solution is to keep going back and get to know the place a little better each time.

Our most recent trip to Paris was the last week of December.  We popped over on the train, rented a loft apartment for four days, and spent the majority of the trip walking The Dog's feet off all over the city from Trocadero to Sorbonne from the 2nd Arrondissement to Chaillot and back (because he refused to ride the Metro).  It was clear and cold for the entire trip, so we bundled up in long underwear, fleeces, parkas, hats, and mittens and strode the streets undeterred though bulkier than preferred.  It was a trip designed just for a little exploring with The Dog, cafe loitering, and some photography thrown in.  It has been a long time since we went just the two of us, so finally I felt comfortable to tote along the tripod and try my hand at those big wide night shots I'd yet to capture on previous trips.  Granted, it was mighty cold and uncomfortable when the sun wasn't around, but I'd gladly go through it again to have the privilege of capturing more of this glorious city in the low light.

I love experimenting with night photography, arriving well before sunrise or sunset to get set up and watch the light change across the landscape.  Depending on where, sometimes it's an opportunity to chat with another photographer.  In Paris, being among many in one spot is a given.  The downside is that it takes a little more planning than just walking around taking photos of whatever catches the eye.  The good "blue hour" light is only around for a short while, so I had to choose one location each evening that would be my priority.  It's a hard decision in the most photogenic city in the world.

For this trip I carried the Canon 600D fitted with the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM and the Fujifilm X-E2.  I used my Lowepro Slingshot to carry my tripod through the day since going back to the apartment three times a day wasn't convenient (without using the Metro) nor easy (the apartment was a 6th floor walkup accessed by one of the most ridiculous staircases I have ever encountered outside a castle tower).  More on how this kit worked out at the end of the post.

I'm not a morning person, and I'm even less inclined to get up when it's 20F and I have to climb down a bazillion stairs.  Plus, this was vacation and vacation means relaxing.  But, this is Paris and sleeping instead of shooting before sunrise must be some kind of sin.  We were staying pretty close to Les Invalides so the first early morning session was there.  We walked all around the massive complex, before choosing to shoot the rear of building where Napoleon's tomb is housed.

Canon 600D 10mm f/13 .6s

Because we had The Dog with us we couldn't get into the inner courtyard, which was less than ideal.  However, this position did result in Paris' most famous landmark making a cameo.  While the focal point is certainly Napoleon's tomb, the lines of the stone walls tend to lead the eye over to the Eiffel Tower.  While it wasn't what I was originally going for, it's an interesting result I suppose.  Travel photography is teaching me to work with the situation I'm in and to make the best of it.  Sometimes I can't get where I really want to be, or I can only to discover there's a giant tarp over the building, or it's just too darn crowded.  I'm learning to compromise, experiment, and to always have a Plan B.

Another morning we walked over to Trocadero to shoot the Eiffel Tower (because you have to).  Everyone, their mothers, and pet monkeys were up on the Esplande du Trocadero waiting for the sunrise, so we opted for down below near the fountain (which was off for the winter).  I liked the angle from that level better anyway because it's in front of all the scaffolding currently draped all over the area.  There was only one other photographer down there and so we had a lovely private spot to watch the changing colors of the morning dance behind the Eiffel Tower.  I didn't want just a silhouette of the tower so the final edit is a blend of multiple exposures, hence the repeated jet streams- another result I wasn't planning on but kinda like.  Oh, and that other photographer was in the dead center of the shot, but he was wearing all black and didn't move a muscle the whole time, bless him.  I even have a hard time finding him.

Canon 600D 12mm f/10 1/50

After the sun came up each day, I stowed the Canon in the bag and switched exclusively to the X-E2.  I found myself shooting in black and white almost the entire time.  Paris lends itself so well to monochrome that it felt like the natural choice, especially with the harsh light of clear December days.

Fujifilm X-E2 24mm f/7.1 1/1000

Pont Alexandre III is one of my favorite things to gawk at in Paris.  I'm pretty sure I could spend a good portion of a day just taking its picture.  No matter how many times I walk over it, take a boat under it, or glimpse it from afar I think, "Man, that's a beautiful bridge."  It's an extravagant piece of architecture and I absolutely adore the thing.
 

Fujifilm X-E2 32mm f/9 1/400

This shot is, of course, a pretty famous view.  You'll see it on countless postcards and posters.  Despite it not being "unique," it's a classic example of good composition and I had to take it, kinda like every art student has to do a still life with some fruit at some point.  I did very little editing on this as the contrast and details were captured nicely in JPEG, JPEG, with the Fuji.  I only felt the desire to add a bit of a vignette and slap the watermark on.  Have I mentioned how much I love my X-E2?

Fujifilm X-E2 55mm f/5.6 1/500

I took this walking back from taking the Eiffel Tower shot.  When the forecast called for morning fog, I had hoped for a thick, luxurious blanket over the city.  It didn't happen, but a little clung to the trees in the park below the tower.  There was something about the scene of the park in the early morning with its maintenance tractors, mud, and garbage collectors that caught my attention.  It's a side of one the most popular tourists destinations most people don't get to see.  In a few minutes buses would unload their cargo and the area would be covered in selfie taking tourists, but for this time it was just another park on a cold winter morning.

Fujifilm X-E2 10mm f/2.8 1/125

One of the terrible things about shooting anywhere in the winter is that it's crazy cold in the morning, but one of the great things about shooting in Paris in the winter is that a warm cafe and a Chocolat Chaud are never far away.  We spent a lot of time cafe hopping that week trying to get feeling back in our fingers. 

When the sun started to head down again, we headed to the spot chosen for "Blue Hour."  The first one was Notre Dame des Paris, from below on the banks of Seine.  I had taken pictures of the famous cathedral down here before, but I've always hankered to get an evening shot when the lights were on.  

Canon 600D 10mm f/13 10s

We had quite a bit of time here while I watched the light, and I'd like take the opportunity to formally apologize to my husband and The Dog for having them sit in the wind tunnel so long.  But, I really did appreciate their company as I think it kept those creepy drunk guys at bay.  Despite the cold, I'd say this is one of the more enjoyable sessions we had.  Except for those drunk guys and one other photographer who came and went quickly, we had the place to ourselves.  I love walking along the Seine and this scene captures the mood of that experience.  Paris at night is truly something special.

Canon 600D 12mm f/13 10s

On the way back to our apartment for the night we paused at Les Deux Magots.  I do love a good Parisian cafe, and this one is a venerable establishment.  I can just imagine Monsieur Hemingway in there arguing with some unlucky soul about bullfighting technique or something.  Oh, I should mention that while our apartment's access was torture for an asthmatic, it did have quite the rewarding view at sunrise...

Fujifilm X-E2 30mm f/13 1/30

And sunset.

Fujifilm X-E2 25mm f/6.5 1/100, vibrant film simulation

My other priority "blue hour" spot was the Louvre courtyard.  It's another well know location, and a particular favorite for night photography.  There was a massive tourist presence and quite a few of us with tripods trying to get the shot without getting in each other's.  The after hours crowd in this part of Paris was pretty insane because of the nearby Christmas market on the Champs-Elysees.  It was here that I was particularly thankful to have The Dog with us as he prevented a very oblivious individual from crashing into me and my tripod.  The kid may have wet himself in fear, but I have found a new appreciation for our mean old dog.  Setting up at the Louvre was also compounded by the Museum's stupid, in my opinion, idea to set up a hideous red trailer in the courtyard.  Apparently it's going to be yet another Museum store, but I don't get the point and its location is absolutely inappropriate.  Say goodbye to any panoramic shots or, for that matter, views from the opposite side of the courtyard.  Not really a fan of the red squiggle in the pyramid either, but that's just me.  It's a beautiful location and I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to capture it, despite the difficulties.

Of course, I took quite a bit more shots on the trip and the rest of them are up on my Flickr and I've been posting a few to Instagram and Twenty20 as well.

Now for some final thoughts.  For the most part the kit worked out pretty well.  Of course, carrying everything around for several days wasn't so great.  Normally, I would leave the tripod back at the apartment and wouldn't have carried the second body, but this was a unique situation.  What it taught me was that the Slingshot bag does not work for all day carry.  The tripod positioning is awkward and tends to bash the head into walls or tourists (who may or may not deserve it).  And, the wrap around fit it crazy hard on the back.  The experience has me set on getting a regular backpack with a vertical tripod mount for days when I'm carrying a lot with me for a long period of time.  I don't do that very often, but if it comes up again, I never want to use the Slingshot.  Another weak spot in the kit is my tripod.  Its an inexpensive model, not particularly sturdy, and I knew that when I bought it.  But, after several years it's starting to get sticky and uncooperative.  In the cold, the poor thing freezes up really tight and getting it to the proper position is a battle.  I think I'll be retiring it soon.  As for cameras, carrying two around was a bit overkill, but I haven't added any new Fujinon lens yet, so that's the way it's gotta be for a while.  Their stuff requires some fancy budgeting and I have a lot of things vying for top position on my wish list.  For the time being I'll continue to use my Canon with the wide-angle lens until I can add a superior (and smaller) Fujinon.  The more I use the X-E2 the more I desire to work exclusively with their X cameras and lenses.

Fujifilm X-E2 21mm f/5.6 1/500

Taking a camera around Paris is an overwhelming, exciting, and inspiring experience.  It's one of the first places we went after we moved to Europe in 2011, and it certainly can be credited with igniting a love for photography in me.  What better place in the world to pick up a camera?  We try to get back to this beautiful city at least once a year.  I have to admit it was jarring to return home and read about the terrible events of last week taking place not far from some of the areas we were exploring.  As I said, Paris almost feels like a family member, a really artsy, eccentric, gorgeous family member.  The events of the attacks and aftermath break my heart and anger me.  It's the most beautiful city in the world and this escalation of violence on its streets is an insult.  But, we'll go back.  We'll go back soon.  I have a lot more I'd like to photograph there.  There are places we haven't been yet and spots I haven't been able to capture quite right.  I hope to be on its streets again soon with all those other photography lovers, weaving through the crowds of tourists, and snapping away.  The only way I feel we can show our support and solidarity is to not let these barbaric acts keep us away from the City of Light.