Rainy May in Color

May was April, spring, winter, summer all in one month. I think the pictures below are a good testimony to May`s capricious attitude. From a photographic point of view one must celebrate the rapid succession of seasons.

A Vaud May in Black and White

Below a gallery of black and white images of local sights. The weather was varied and this offered great opportunities to capture landscapes with dramatic cloud covers and lights. A color version of some of the images will follow soon.

Hellenic impressions

This is my first completed cyanotype project. The result comes close to what I originally envisioned in terms of format, tone, and visual consistency across the series. Some individual prints still contain small imperfections, but these can be corrected in subsequent prints. The essential outcome … Continue readingHellenic impressions

Cyanotype meets antiquity

My long awaited dark room is coming along fine. I progressed far enough to start producing some large test-prints. My first project is in the works and I thought I would share an update here. Eventually it will be nine or ten toned cyanotype prints, … Continue readingCyanotype meets antiquity

Ferry Travel Sights

Snapshots from the ferry journey taking me from Rhodes to Karpathos. Its just a short four hour ride, with two stops in between. Still, depending on the time of departure and arrival the travelers are treated to sunrise or sunset on the open sea, weather … Continue readingFerry Travel Sights

Oldtown Rhodes in Winter

From April to October old town Rhodes is packed with tourists and the industry catering them. In the core winter months you can still have the old town to yourself. All the stores, stalls and restaurants are shut down, the entire tourism industry lies dormant. … Continue readingOldtown Rhodes in Winter

Is this digital pictorialism?

Karpathos island has a fascinating geological history which can be appreciated with the naked eye. Steep mountains rise high above the sea and remain wind swept most of the time. In particular the northern half retains a rough and wild appearance. I was lucky enough … Continue readingIs this digital pictorialism?

Olymbos II

It was an informative evening at Nikos Cafe. As it turned out his father, Filippas Filippakis, was an a photographer and his son Nikos is a historian at heart. He preserved the images of his father documenting life in Olymbos and in the US Diaspora. … Continue readingOlymbos II

Olymbos

Karpathos, a rugged, mountainous island somewhere between Rhodes and Crete, has the reputation of having preserved tradition more than other Greek islands. Its steep cliffs, mountains and remote location have certainly done their best to prevent any major build out of the infrastructure needed to … Continue readingOlymbos

Patience is key

Got up to witness sunrise over Turkey. Clouds still covered the sky but there was a silver, or in this case, red lining on the horizon. Looking at the somewhat lose cloud cover I decided to sit it out and wait for better light. The … Continue readingPatience is key

Island life

First a fun experiment, using a digital back on a view camera. Its complicated, would summarize the experience, but the result has a startling, painterly quality. Compare this to a view of the same location through a modern lens and the difference becomes quickly apparent. … Continue readingIsland life

Another dog walk

Not much to say, except that new snow fall made the walk a worthwhile photographic excursion. A monochrome camera with red-filter turned this sunny afternoon into a dramatic landscape. This said here is the walks production. Thats it for this day.

Japan

6 days in Tokyo In many ways it is a modern metropolis yet it maintains many Japanese attitudes. A clean city without garbage cans, a busy but quiet city, a crowded city with no security issues, in short Japanese attitudes, engrained over generations, make themselves … Continue readingJapan

Minimalism in Snow and Fog

Fog and snow do a wonderful job isolating trees resulting in rather minimalist, quiet and contemplative scenes. Their Zen like quality reminded me of Chinese landscape paintings. Reason enough to reactivate my old name stamp from my days in Taiwan.

Post Cards from Les Avants

Once again the forecast was way off. The warming promised to us turned out to be much delayed and instead the snow turned harsh and will stay around for a while. The sun came out and turned the whole village and valley into a living … Continue readingPost Cards from Les Avants

A winter walk

Another day, another snow and more fog. Perfect conditions to get great shots of subjects isolated by white. The mood reminded me of Michael Kenna`s winter images from Hokkaido. Something to aspire to. My dog figured skis are not necessary for a good time in … Continue readingA winter walk

Winters first showing

First snow, just about a foot or so. I am afraid for my four legged friend it was not so much a walk as it was one hour of jumping and disappearing in the snow again. An exhausting exercise to be sure but endless fun … Continue readingWinters first showing

Praise to the phone

Its omni presence is hard to beat. Even though I love my camera equipment it is not always readily available. Yesterday nature sent me another beautiful and at the same time painful reminder to bring my equipment all the time and everywhere. The dog walk … Continue readingPraise to the phone

An Athens Weekend

Below mostly Roman sculptures from Athens ancient agora and the National Archaeological Museum Athens. Looking carefully at the features and expressions stamped into marble these faces come alive and look amazingly contemporary.  Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius, who ruled from AD 138 to 161. is the third … Continue readingAn Athens Weekend

Accidentally Abstract

Presumably the artists of the classical period were the first to capture our emotional experience of a life caught between Chaos (disorder) and Kosmos (order). Looking at the remains of their works it is ironic to see how, over a long enough time horizon, chaos … Continue readingAccidentally Abstract

Symi in fall

No fall colors here but to make up for it, warm waters and a tourist season winding down. The boats from Rhodes to Symi are less frequent now and slowly the island prepares for its annual hibernation. By the end of this month only a … Continue readingSymi in fall

Travel not Tourism

Every sci-fi lover dreams of a future when tourists beam from home straight to their pool side lounge chair. Pesky lines, tight and uncomfortable seats, delays and other vagrancies of travel obliterated by progress! Gone would be the days when the twists and turns of … Continue readingTravel not Tourism

Rainy days in Les Avants

As I write a week of uninterrupted rain, fog and cold is coming to an end. Not the most pleasent environment to go out but luckily the dog kicks me and out I go. Destination, our mountain creek which makes its way down from the … Continue readingRainy days in Les Avants

Cape au Moine

Fridays walk turned into a real hike of 16km and 1km altitude, lasting for 5 hours. The high point was the visit to the Cape au Moine, a little peak in the neighbourhood. Along the way weather kept moving in an out. But no complaints … Continue readingCape au Moine

Le Cases to Panachaux

Starting from home in Les Avants, a short train ride of two stops, five minutes, through the tunnel of Jaman take me to the Le Cases station, a tiny station in the middle of the woods in the canton of Fribourg. After a mere five … Continue readingLe Cases to Panachaux

Vallée d’Anzeindaz

On a hot day I was hoping to escape the heat by gaining some altitude. I succeeded only partially, 2000m was not quite enough but it helped. Starting from Solalex it is a pretty walk up the valley to the refuge Giacomini. This time around … Continue readingVallée d’Anzeindaz

Val-d’Illiez

A morning trip up the Illiez valley on a day when the clouds moved quickly proved quite rewarding. Unfortunately this means constantly changing light conditions and proved to be a challenge for the cameras auto white balance. Usually I could trust it blindly but not … Continue readingVal-d’Illiez

Lac de l`Hongrin

The short excursion today took me into the surroundings of the Lake Hongrin water reservoir. I had seen it many times before but only from afar and so far I never made it down into the valley and to the lake. Today`s short drive was … Continue readingLac de l`Hongrin

Fun with focus stacking

Below four images, each one is the result of stacking up to 7 images, taking from each the part that is in focus. This is one of the digital wonders. In analog days there was no equivalent. The best one could do was to use … Continue readingFun with focus stacking

Oh the pain

Once again, I managed to lose my way—and in doing so, stumbled upon a hidden valley in the neighborhood. It came at a cost: a three-hour descent over wet rocks and slippery ground left my thighs sore and aching. Still, the photos below prove it … Continue readingOh the pain

Post cards form the Rhone valley

After the storm comes the calm or in this case sunshine.

Col du Grand St-Bernard

Over the past few days, a massive weather system swept across Western Europe. It stretched from Corsica, just south of the French Riviera, all the way to Denmark. Today, it finally began to weaken. Changes like this often bring the promise of dramatic mountain scenery, … Continue readingCol du Grand St-Bernard

5 images , 5 lessons & RIP Salgado

Last week, the world of photography lost one of its greats: Sebastião Ribeiro Salgado (1944–2025). Like many others, I was in awe of the man—his presence, his character, and his remarkable body of work. When I heard of his passing, one particular photograph of his … Continue reading5 images , 5 lessons & RIP Salgado

Border land, Torgon

The weather forecast had promised a change—typically welcome news for photography—but things turned out differently. Relying on that forecast, I set out early, crossing the Rhône Valley and following the road up to Torgon. Arriving at 7 a.m. proved worthwhile; I had the entire area … Continue readingBorder land, Torgon

So I did look up and this is what I saw …

I spent the last evening sitting in the tall grass near home, watching the light and clouds repaint our valley again and again. The sunlight played across the landscape like moving spotlights, constantly reshaping the view. Each moment brought a new version of the same … Continue readingSo I did look up and this is what I saw …

Cloudscapes

For quite a while until yesterday our weather was grey, wet and dark. Alas over the past two days the clouds started to break up without giving way to dull blue sky. Time for me to visit my favorite evening spot the Col de Jama … Continue readingCloudscapes

Rain, rain and more rain

Its wet and that is predicted to not change. No reason to stay at home, give the camera a serious weather test. It survived and the few pictures from the short excursion are out. That is it for today.

Symi Island

my home away from home. Symi is a small island, a mere 58 sq km (22 sq mi), and a population of two to three thousand permanent residents. Like Rhodes it is at the far end of Europe, located closer to Turkey than other Greek … Continue readingSymi Island

Gorges du Chauderon

The first time I walked the Gorges du Chauderon, it was a pleasant downhill stroll from my house to Montreux. As it turned out, I had the trail almost entirely to myself — just me and a dog. It’s always an incredible walk, whether in … Continue readingGorges du Chauderon

Solarlex in the fog

Now that snow is in full retreat Solarlex can be walked again. A dreary, wet and foggy day meant that only a handful of people bothered taking the otherwise rather popular walk. To m y great surprise one of the restaurants up there at Solarlex … Continue readingSolarlex in the fog

Spring walk to Chalet de la Planiaz

The day started wet, cold and grey confirming the forecast and my worst fears. But weather forecasts are still not perfect. By ten in the morning the sun began to peak through the cloud cover and soon the clouds broke up. For the next five … Continue readingSpring walk to Chalet de la Planiaz

Winters retreat

Now that the snow retreats I took my first walk up to the Col de Jaman. It was a beautiful, albeit not spectacular, day for photography. The mountain pass is still covered in snow, one or the other skier is still using the last days … Continue readingWinters retreat

Lake Lauenen

Ten minutes south of Gstaad, in a col du sac, lies the village of Lauenen and a little above it its lake. You immediately notice the impressive wall creating the dead end. Four peaks, Spitzhorn (2807m), Geltenhorn (3062m) , Wildhorn (3284m) and Niesehorn (2776m) form … Continue readingLake Lauenen

Morocco in Black & White

When straying from the touristic hot spots Morocco offers very different scenes, moods and subjects which are a clear reminder of the country`s status as a developing nation. Progress has been stable but not without challenges. Population growth has come to a virtual stand still … Continue readingMorocco in Black & White

Change of venue, Morocco

A first afternoon rediscovering the Souks of the Marrakesh Medina, after some twenty or more years. It was a pleasant surprise to see that the Medina survived tourism and earthquakes largely unharmed. Yes, the traces of both are undeniable, but it still has charm. Below … Continue readingChange of venue, Morocco

Another evening in the valley

Little time, just enough to rush out and capture the light and clouds this late afternoon. After a week of grey, wet and home bound days it was a joy to sit outside, freeze a little and enjoy the changing colors.

Four legs good, two legs bad

It was to supposed to be a one hour walk, but turned into a fruitful four hour excursion. Lumber work cut me of in the middle of my trail, but on a day like this I could not possibly return. Fog, clouds and the occasional … Continue readingFour legs good, two legs bad

Les Pleiades

Today it was only a short walk. Starting from Parking de Pautex one has several options to explore the backyard of the Pleiades.

Christmas 2024

This year good old winter arrived a day before Christmas. His timing was impeccable.The temperatures dropped well below zero and close to two feet of pure powder snow sculpted and decorated the valley. I could not take full advantage of it, last minute preparation for … Continue readingChristmas 2024

Fog and horizonal light

Almost December and the sun barely rises above the horizon. Combine this with a thin layer of fog and you get wonderful light effects with bursts of light streaming horizontally through the forest. On other occasions the fog, because it was a thin layer, allowed … Continue readingFog and horizonal light

Lac de Taney

(All images below are in full format and can be opened in a separate window just right click the image and select the appropriate option. In the newly opened window you can magnify and zoom in.) From Vouvry in the Rhone Valley I drove up … Continue readingLac de Taney

A Paris Weekend

On the occasion of the 2024 Paris Photo fair I had a morning to myself and used it to walk the center of Paris before the city awoke. This particular morning was dull and overcast. The result was a sequence of Paris images devoid of … Continue readingA Paris Weekend

Solalex to Refuge Giacomini

Solalex is the name of a ‘Refuge’, restaurant and hotel, in a charming valley of the Alps Vaudaise, above Gryon. The mountain chain called Les Diableretes, a spectacular sequence of rock faces, makes the north side of the valley. To the south you have the … Continue readingSolalex to Refuge Giacomini

July 29, Rochers de Naye

Again a long break since my last post. Travel, visitors, furniture arriving, it all got in the way of photography. So I am rusty and my efforts were troubled by multiple mishaps, a sensor cleaner that only messed up my camera sensor, next I forgot … Continue readingJuly 29, Rochers de Naye

May 17 an evening at home

After a few rainy days, the sun emerged, and as is typical, the shift in weather brought about breathtaking late afternoon and evening scenes in our valley of Les Avants. While most photos shared here are in black and white, today, the inclusion of color … Continue readingMay 17 an evening at home

April and winter is back

Did I say in my prior post “last snow”? Hardly so. It is a short, two stop train ride from Les Avants to Les Cases. Les Cases is just that, a train stop and nothing more, located in the middle of the mountains. However it … Continue readingApril and winter is back

Evening in the valley

It isn’t quite Easter yet but thanks to global warming spring arrives early. Globally February was the warmest on record and Switzerland was no exception. So this is what it looks like from my window when winter makes yet another desperate attempt, trying to keep … Continue readingEvening in the valley

Winter walk at Col de Jaman

It has been far too long since I last had the chance to take a leisurely walk with my camera. Towards the end of January, it seemed as though winter had been canceled, possibly due to global warming. Consequently, ski enthusiasts are forced to gather … Continue readingWinter walk at Col de Jaman

Winter sunset in the mountains

A perfect Sunday, had it not been for home duties. All I could do was to take a quick photo out of my bedroom window, late in the day, as the last rays of day illimuniated the Rochere de Naye one last time.

Winter tree

Just one image from today, our front yard trees, during heavy snow fall.

Sometimes its hard to resist color

Its been a while since I had the chance to take the camera out. But now that I am slowly arriving in my new home I was able to sneak in a few images of my new surroundings. It didn’t help that we had about … Continue readingSometimes its hard to resist color

A walk above Tzoumaz

Leaving the Rhone valley at Riddes I headed up to Tzoumaz. The village, its population and its lifts are still dormant, waiting for winter to return when when snow attracts skiers in large numbers. So it comes as no surprise that I had the entire … Continue readingA walk above Tzoumaz

A walk above Gryon

An afternoon stroll from Gryon to Refuge de Solalex. The clouds kept moving and the light kept coming and going sending deep shadows across the land, a dream for photography. Presumably the food served at Solalex is great but I cannot confirm it yet giving … Continue readingA walk above Gryon