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Evening Stroll with the K-30

This evening’s weather didn’t produce the fascinating golden light which we’ve been used to recently, but nevertheless it it was pleasant enough for an after dinner stroll.

I’m still feeling my way around the K-30’s numerous settings and was delighted to capture the water mill movement despite the low light. Unfortunately the nights are drawing in at an alarming rate and the third photo was shot at quarter past nine and it was already dark. On the camera’s programme wheel there are two programmable ‘User’ settings which I find very useful. I have now set User1 to shoot Black & White with all the fine adjustments and yellow filter according to my taste and so a mere twiddle of the wheel finds me in B&W mode without having to fiddle about in the menu.

Drinking fountain – Pentax K-30; Developed with GIMP
Drinking fountain – Pentax K-30; Developed with GIMP
Water Mill – Pentax K-30; Developed with GIMP
Water Mill – Pentax K-30; Developed with GIMP
Evening – Pentax K-30; Developed with GIMP
Evening – Pentax K-30; Developed with GIMP
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Woodland Light

I was taking a stroll in the woods this morning as the sun was beginning to break through the early morning mist.

Woodland Light: Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/4.9; 1/25s;
ISO 100 – Developed by Gimp
Woodland Light: Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/4; 1/100s;
ISO 100 – Developed by Gimp
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Day Off

Ascension Day is a national holiday. It always falls on a Thursday, but is to all intents and purposes a Sunday. We had a lazy day, but did manage an excursion towards late afternoon and, oh wonder, a few pictures!

Old and very old: Panasonic DMC-LX2; f5.6; 1/400s; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP
Lamps: Panasonic DMC-LX2; f4.5; 1/200s; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP
Corridor: Panasonic DMC-LX2; f2.8; 1/5s; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP
Alps: Panasonic DMC-LX2; f6.3; 1/400s; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP
Similar Alps: Panasonic DMC-LX2; f5.6; 1/500s; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP
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Hairy buds

Helped on by the warm sunshine, definite Springy feelings have been making their presence felt this weekend.

Sauntering around the village on Saturday I was greeted by folk I haven’t seen in months. Neighbours were spotted pottering about in their gardens and I actually took the car for its biannual excursion to the car wash.

First a good wash: Sony-Ericsson W995 mobile phone.
Then under the dryer: Sony-Ericsson W995 mobile phone.
Then a final pollish: Sony-Ericsson W995 mobile phone.

Wise old weather prophets are forecasting cold weather for the coming week, and the village elders are suggesting that we haven’t seen the last of the snow, so I hope these buds are hairy enough to survive the next cold spell.

Hairy buds: Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/2.8; 1/5s; ISO 400; Developed with GIMP

 

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29th February

While the media presented us with the usual images of new born babies and chatted to various teenagers who have only ever celebrated four birthdays, I thought I’d bring the world a further ‘Day in the life of….’ article. Alas I failed miserably. My camera sat patiently in its case all day, and despite the brilliant spring weather didn’t actually see daylight at all.

As luck would have it, we decided to go for a quick drink on the way home, in a bar overlooking the town. This spontaneous excursion at least enabled me to take a couple of blog pictures. OK, I agree it’s not exactly New York, but it was pleasant enough up there.

Both Photos, taken with the Panasonic DMC-LX2, are ‘straight out of the camera’ and taken using the ‘Night Scenery’ setting… not very professional perhaps, but easy:-)  Unfortunately the view from the bar was not optimal. Tripod stayed at home this evening so I had to sit the camera on a table, thus pointing it straight out over the town instead of angling it down a bit to where things looked a bit more ummmm, towny

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A bit chilly

In the last posting I mentioned that it was a bit cool. It seems that cold air from Siberia is wafting its way over Europe causing our daytime temperatures to hover around -10°C, and considerably colder by moonlight. I’m pleased to say that my heating, despite its age, is still doing its best, and our water is still runny….   unlike this fountain near the station in Zurich.

Hard Water: Sony-Ericsson W995 mobile phone.
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Shopping

This may well sound as if I’m getting on in years… well perhaps I am, but it happens to most of us I’m afraid!  Many of my contemporaries fill newspapers with reader’s letters, moaning about the young, the railways, traffic jams…  you name it and it will get moaned about!  But what about shopping….?

According to various smiling shop managers, we the customer demand longer opening hours, and we are all thrilled to bits that shops are open all the time before and after Christmas. Yes they can’t even wait for Boxing Day to pass us by! I often ask myself what people actually do with all that food they buy… they’re never at home to eat any of it!!

Well despite all the commerce, there is nothing quite as inviting as a festively decorated, bustling shopping street at this wintry time of the year I suppose. I had to wait until the shops were shut for this picture… there were otherwise simply too many happy shoppers pushing and shoving their way home.

After Hours on Christmas Eve: Panasonic DMC-LX2; f8; 1s; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP
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Short pause

It’s been quite a while since I last posted anything on this blog, and the reasons are many fold.

First of all I’ve been spending far too many enjoyable hours playing about with new laptop and PC 🙂

see the Hardware page on http://www.harding.ch/computer/compi-index.html

Then of course there was……

Work: I’ve either been leaving early in the morning or getting home late in the evening. Both seem to form a natural barrier against taking any sort of reasonable pictures.

The time of the year: During the summer months I tend to browse through Photo magazines on the way to work, and soak up motivation by the pagefull. But during the darker time of the year I’m seen standing on platforms and sitting in trains with my head buried deeply in a paperback – In case anyone’s interested, I’m about halfway through Ken Follett’s ‘Fall of Giants’ as always, a jolly good read!

Social ‘duties’: and last but not least, various Christmas markets, decorated shops and cosy bars all seem to compete for a slice of my time.

Perhaps I need a nice new camera to get me back on track? 😉

Sony-Ericsson W995 mobile phone: Wakey Wakey Rise and Shine! - too tired to take pictures.
Sony-Ericsson W995 mobile phone: It's 'that' time of the year again 🙂

 

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Autumn Sunshine

Sunday morning and quite a damp, misty village greeted me and the dog as we enjoyed our after breakfast stroll. Not that I’m complaining, because I quite like damp misty autumnal days, but since Europe seems to be enjoying an Indian summer I didn’t want to be left out. To bask in sunshine before lunch there seemed to be only one option: head for higher ground. So having thrown a few sandwiches in the rucksack that’s what we did. Others seemed to have a similar idea because we weren’t completely alone on the alp, but that didn’t bother us too much. For those interested in the weather, the sun was shining when we got home too.

Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/5.6; 1/400; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/6.6; 1/200; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/6.3; 1/400; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP
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City Light

My last posting saw me getting all excited about autumnal light. But it’s not just a case of the low sun casting its golden light over browning woods and exaggerating the texture of grassy fields. Strolling through the city on the way home the other night I noticed that department stores were casting their own particular light over the advancing dusk.

Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/3.2; 1/25; ISO 200. Developed with GIMP