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I was reading this article in “The Economist”.

As I love maps and figures I sketched up this image which I find much more amazing than the fact that “Georgia is as big an economy as Austria” (yawn)

And, yes, the map is “to scale”!

The Floods here have nothing in common with the kind we see on the news. More or less every year the tiny river Altmühl floods the surrounding meadows and more often than not these temporary shallow lakes freeze. There is hardly any damage done, sometimes you have to circumvent some little road that has been flooded. However the interaction of the sky and the water can create some beautiful scenes.

Flood

In the last few weeks I have mainly been concentrating on my facebook page  but nevertheless I want this blog to be halfway complete. So for the sake of completeness – although you might have seen me bragging about it on facebook before – here is the link to my “Photo of the Day” from Deccember 21st 2011!

Photo of the Day

Since I first went to New York City as a 19 year old city landscapes and skyscrapers fascinated me. Back then I thought a 10 sqm room somewhere near the top of the Chrysler Building would be the most beautiful place to live.

My passion for views of city landscapes was probably the driving force for moving to Singapore where I lived on 36th floor for more than 4 years. I even got a telescope and had to endure the stereotypical accusations of looking in other peoples’ apartments which is in fact a topic I am not interested in at all.

But the interaction of city lights and the ever changing tropical sky never lost its fascination, and of course I never got a TV.

The interaction between the sun and our atmosphere often creates scenes of beauty. After all we live in the atmosphere as much as a fish lives in the sea and not on the sea floor. The  sky represents change. Especially here in Asia skies can be so colorful that a true representation looks like a kitsch postcard. But I don’t mind.

While driving around the in the Franconian countryside I came across a herd of very cute cows. As I learned later this breed is called “Charolais”. The cows are really a pleasure to work with: they are cute, curious and friendly, all together very cow-operative. Later on the farmer came to feed them and was a little intrigued by my efforts in the beginning. We had a good chat then.

I am a member of the FSV Gunzenhausen which is located at one of the most beautiful little airfields in Germany, right between the Altmühlsee and the Brombachsee reservoirs.

bigger map

Obviously flying is an attractive activity for a photographer but also the time I spent “on the ground” in Gunzenhausen (EDMH) gave me some great views. Some of them I put together in a Flying Club Gallery.

As opposed to a major airport here I can take my time sitting in the tower or standing on the runway. It is a beautiful place to hang out but when it comes to the choice of drinks (we have a small beer garden as well) I must always decide whether the last flight of the day is already behind me or not!

Most of the time I do not intend to produce black & white results and even when I do so I usually shoot in color and process the b&w result digitally.

It mitght be trivial but obviously b&w goes very well with “vintage” motives. My Black & White Gallery is a collection which has – as usual – a focus on great vehicles. Aircraft go well with clouds but that is of course trivial, too!

I just put a Panorama Gallery online. I am not really happy with the display format yet and will try to find a better solution soon.

I really wonder how most people view high resolution photos online. I always try to get the best out of the screen I am using but I have observed that most people just don’t bother to expand a picture from the size that is common to facebook and most online magazines.

Franconian Floods

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I just published a gallery of 1000 Miglia photos – my favorites from 2010. There is more to come!

For me this year was the first since 1998 for not visiting the 1000 Miglia in Person. That’s a pity and also a rather sentimental reason to enjoy the photos and memories of the 13 years in a row I was there.

Apart from the “unreachable” cars in the competition the 1000 Miglia is also a festival for “affordable” vintage cars driven by the spectators. I was always very keen to follow the 1000 Miglia in my E-Type but it is difficult to get the car prepared if you live in another corner of the world.

In 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2006 I was there with the mean and thirsty beast from Coventry, 2 seats strapped to a monumental 12-cylinder engine. 2007-2010 I went the “easy” way with the 996 Convertible  which also has its benefits.

The 1000 Miglia seems to be packed with rich people in supercars who cannot drive really well. On the twisty roads through Italy with the police closing both eyes – it is the 1000 Miglia after all – there is always plenty of opportunity to “race”.

Have a look at the Slideshow!

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