New Year's Resolution

Fog at Kymijoki III / Nebel über dem Kymijoki, originally uploaded by Tilman..

I was not thinking I would do that, but with my photo mojo gone at the moment, maybe, more hopefully, this will be a way of getting myself focused and motivated during 2008. So here my resolutions for 2008:

1. Have my camera more often with me
I have to try to find a way of taking my camera with me wherever I go as much as I can.
2. Learn to use my equipment better
This is not only my cameras and lenses, but as well my flash.
3. Have a more effective work flow
Improve my usage of Lightroom and Photoshop.
4. Be more creative and learn to see
Trying new things and not only focusing on nature and landscape. I have to see if I have a chance to do some sports photography again and I would like to do some portrait and product photography.
5. Take some courses
I was thinking about taking at least one course just for the experience and fun and maybe even join a GAF (group of auto didactic photographers) group in the autumn.
6. Participate in some competitions
For the experience, fun and of course the challenge!
7. Have at least one photo trip somewhere abroad (outside of Switzerland and excl. Finland)
I'd like to go somewhere, where I have not been before and try to capture it, maybe combine it with taking a course.
8. Take my photo "business" to the next level
I already have registered a new domain name (still keep it a secret). I still have to register it with the commercial register and do all the administrative work and then will take it from there...
9. Blog more!
Yes, I really try to blog more and if I don't have a picture of myself to present, I hope I can show some from my contacts at Flickr.
10. Enjoy photography
Just appreciate the motivational side of photography, take pictures, get inspired by seeing pictures taken by others and enjoy 2008 from a photographic perspective!

Photo captured by D2Xs, 17-55AFS on Lexar digital film

2007 - A year has past

Frozen Mirror, originally uploaded by Tilman..

The year is almost over. Has it been a good one? Hard to tell, but I think I can complain.

From a photographic perspective, I wish I would have had more time to take pictures and I wish I would have a bit more variation in my pictures. Overall, even if there only have been few opportunities, I feel my image quality has improved. However I'm still not happy, but of course will I ever be? At the moment my mojo is a bit gone and I have to find some ways of motivating myself. I'm glad that I got a bit more active on Flickr and in addition found some other photographers that are willing to have a critical look at my pictures.

From a personal perspective, I definitely had my ups and downs and there has not really been any highlight(s) this year. I somehow got a bit more moody and I still don't know why. Hopefully, taking pictures can and will help me. Otherwise I'm happy the way things are. I probably would be a bit more happy if we could move back to Finland or maybe Sweden or Norway. I'm just more a scandinavian person. There is nothing really wrong with Switzerland, there actually a few reasons to be there, but when you are not really happy than it doesn't help so much. Frankly, just coming back from Stockholm and being in our cottage in Finland now, I think I have never been in that good spirits since moving to Switzerland than while I was living in Finland for 9 years and during this time I spend as well a lot of time in Sweden. Unfortunately as much as I want to, at the moment I have to be in Switzerland, but some day I'll be back up North.

I'm not yet wishing you a happy new year. There will be another post with my resolutions for 2008 tomorrow.

Photo captured by D2Xs, 17-55AFS on Lexar digital film

Where is the snow... (Part 2)

Where is the snow... (Part 2), originally uploaded by Tilman..

Yes, I'm now in Finland. I was not really expecting the winter wonderland that I was used to, but this...?

Where is the snow? The weather forecast is not promising either. It looks like it will be a green Christmas after all. Hopefully there will be at least some snow for New Year's...

Photo captured by D2Xs, 10.5mm on Lexar digital film

Joulu terveisin / Christmas Greetings

Joulu terveisin / Christmas Greetings, originally uploaded by Blickwechsel.

Getting closer to Christmas. I'm actually counting the days until we are going to Finland. Luckily the shops were open today in Bern, so we got a lot of the present shopping done and one big stress factor off.

I just wish there would be at least a bit of snow to get more into the Christmas spirit. Hopefully this will change next weekend.

Happy Holiday, Hyvää Joulua, God Jul!

Photos captured by D2Xs, 17-55AFS & 60 Micro on Lexar digital film

Where is the snow...?

Where is the snow...?, originally uploaded by Kleines Monster.

Yes, where is the snow?

We have the middle of December and have not really seen any snow this winter. Spending Christmas and New Year's in Finland might improve the situation. Although at the moment it seems to be the same gray and wet weather up in the north as in Switzerland.

I just have to keep the fingers crossed and count the days (7 to be precise) until I hopefully will be at the winter wonderland Finland.

Photo captured by D2Xs, 17-55AFS on Lexar digital film

Frustration

Birch trees - abstract / Birken - abstrakt, originally uploaded by Kleines Monster.

What is the reason of having a blog. In my case I was planning to use it as another way to present some of my pictures, maybe write something around the pictures. I was hoping that I can have at least 2 blog entries per week, knowing that I don't yet can focus on photography full time.

Now after almost one year of blogging there should have been quite some entries. However, as you see / read yourself, there are not quite as many. Maybe 2 entries per week was ambitious, but you need to have some goals. However there are not so many pictures to write about, Frustration No. 1, simply I did not have so much time to take pictures this year, Frustration No. 2, and therefore resulting in not too many blog entries, Frustration No. 3. Ok, there some entries with links to YouTube or even embedded videos and some other non photographic related entries, but I really wanted to have a relation between the entry and my pictures.

No, this will be now not my last entry of this blog. I really want and I will continue. I just have to hang in. A couple more weeks and I can take my Christmas break from my daytime job and recharge my batteries and take some time to refocus for 2008. And where else can I do this, people that know me will know the answer, than in FINLAND. It is an open secret that I would like to move back up north (9 years have been a long time), but for the time being my life is in Switzerland and there is nothing wrong with that.

Having said that it might be a bit quiet on the blog for the rest of year, beside the frustration I'm as well a bit exhausted. So recharging the batteries has at the moment the highest priority.

Nevertheless, on a positive note, I managed last week to get one of my dream lenses, a Nikkor AFS 17-55 f/2.8 IF-ED DX. I'm really looking forward to take it to its limits over Christmas and New Year in Finland. The results can be seen at the latest next year at this blog.

Photo captured by D200, 18-70AFS on Lexar digital film

Kymijoki

Kymejoki, originally uploaded by Kleines Monster.

Time for a new picture. Actually it already is from this summer. But since I reeeeeally did not have time for anything new yet.(I know I repeat myself and it gets boring). So I'm slowly working off my backlog. Actually I'm a bit disappointed with my shots from this summer's trip to Finland. My biggest critic (aka my wife) doesn't like this picture at all. Not Finnish enough. My second biggest critic (aka our little Monster) was slightly more positive. But then she might have been just nice to me to ensure that she gets her good night story (which she would have gotten anyway). Let's wait other people think.

Unfortunately there still is no light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to new pictures. My ordinary job is still very demanding until the end of the year, but next year definitely has to change. Can I promise that? No, not really, but I'm really hoping that it will change!

Photo captured by D200, 18-70AFS on Lexar digital film

Picture in the museum

Playing around on a Friday evening, originally uploaded by Kleines Monster.

Just playing around on a Friday evening. Don't really have anything to fill my blog properly nor time to take any pictures at the moment... :-(

Website update

I changed the layout of my website. There is probably still some tweaking to do, but for the moment I'm happy.

I like to travel...

What will be the next destination?


create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.
Cool that seems to work :-) So from now on, I can blog directly out of my Flickr account...

Time...

I don't know what happened, but time went by so fast. 3 weeks of constant traveling have taken its toll. I'm so busy at work with the upcoming product launch that there is not really any time to take pictures. I have not even worked with the pictures from this summer's Finland trip. I hope there will be more time over the weekend. At least I'm finally updating my website . Haven't done that in a while either...
Stay tuned, it only can get better... :-)

Photo captured by D200, 60 Micro on Lexar digital film

Greetings from San Diego

Working week is almost over, spending the weekend in SD is probably not too bad :-)
Just a bit of shopping and sightseeing...

Snakes in the mountain

Having spent last Saturday on an excursion with other nature photographers from Switzerland, we were lucky to see some aspic vipers in different color variations.

Difficult decision

Nikon finally made it today. D3 and D300 are no longer rumors...
Now it will be a difficult decision which camera to take as my second body. Well maybe the D200 has to go and then I go for the dream combo:
D3 - perfect for landscape, macro and people
D300 - for the rest
I guess it will be a dream for a while :-)

Fun for the weekend!

Check this link... :-)

Enjoy your weekend! Trevligt veckoslut!

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Your Birthdate: June 25

You excel at anything difficult or high tech. In other words, you're a total (brilliant) geek. It's difficult for you to find people worth spending time with. Which is probably why you'll take over the world with your evil robots! Your strength: Your unfailing logic Your weakness: Loving machines more than people Your power color: Tan Your power symbol: Pi Your power month: July

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Thanks Jeanine for the link!

Nyt myös suomeksi... :-)

Instruktioner...

Hälsningar från Svenskfinland!

So true...

Early days of digital photography

This picture was taken in September 2000 with a 2.3 megapixel point and shoot camera. A lot of things have changed since then. Still I like the picture and its quality (Jpeg out of the camera and no Photoshop)...

Something to think about...

"Cameras don't take photographs, people do" - John Hedgecoe said that.
"Expose for the highlights and let the shadows take care of themselves" - Ansel Adams said that.
"The camera is only a tool. The best saw in the world won't make you a better carpenter" - Peter Evans (a fellow Nikonian) said that.

My little corner of the world...

... not really, but still one of my favorite places!

Intensive photo weekend

Last weekend we had our annual member meeting of the nature photographers of Switzerland. We had plenty of excursions around the area of Schwarzwaldalp, Rosenlaui and Grosse Scheidegg. It was an intensive, but relaxing weekend in one of the most beautiful areas of Switzerland.

Finland rules...!

Flower macro

Yesterday I finally had some time in the evening to go out and take some pictures. The light was almost gone, but I try to make the most out of it. There were not so many keepers (or maybe I'm just really picky), but the one below I like the best. Luckily the weekend is coming soon...

Progression of a Photographer

1. You start out with very little knowledge
2. You start doing research and realize it is much more difficult than you imagined.
3. You begin to pick up knowledge, the technical side of things.
4. You begin to use the technical knowledge and it works.
5. You start to feel as if you are mastering the technical
6. You begin to feel you know a LOT.
7. You start posting images that you are proud of.
8. You KNOW your images are better than much of what you see.
9. Family and friends start to oooo and aaaahhh at your images
10. Pro's don't seem to acknowledge you.
11. You think it's jealousy.
12. You reach a valley in your photography. You are starting to notice that your images aren't quite what you thought they would be.
13. You start to notice that, in your images, the models hands, the composition, the depth...isn't quite what you wanted.
14. Even your very favorite photograph isn't as good as you once thought. "I should have . . . "
15. You are now completely dissatisfied with everything you have ever shot.
16. You begin to realize that your photography is NOTHING compared to the masters.
17. You begin to see the differences in your photography compared to what you see published.
18. Now you are beginning to learn.

So little time...

I wish I would have more time to take pictures. I guess you know the feeling. During the weeks there is hardly any time because of other commitments and during the weekends my 2 ladies want to have their attention... So this weekend was another great family weekend. We were invited to a barbecue, which turned out to be great (thanks Lisa, Peter, Sila & Nico!) and Sunday was just a lazy day for recharging the batteries.

Luckily there is some light at the end of the photography tunnel. The next 2 weekends I will spend with the board of the Nature Photographers of Switzerland (NFS), first we are having our monthly board meeting and the weekend after at our annual member meeting in Meiringen in the Bernese mountains.
Here is a sneak preview of what to expect. (photos by Alfred Hirsig)



In meantime, if I cannot take pictures myself, I got some inspiration from one the best fine art flower and nature photographer, Tony Sweet. Have a look at his website and you might as impressed as I am.

Inspiration

Not necessarily the type of pictures I like to take or that I can take (yes, I'm a bit jealous), but check out Tara Whitney's blog.
She is an amazing photographer and the pictures she takes are really inspiring.

Construction site with a view Part IV

Here is another picture of my annual project. In order to have some variation, this will be the last picture in the blog. However if you would like to know how the construction progresses, you can get an update from my website.

Construction site with a view Part III

Due to my recent trips I was not able to continue on a weekly basis. Here is finally a new view taken last Saturday and as you can see, work is progressing...

New Lifestyle...

a picture says more than thousand words...

Construction site with a view Part II

The weekly project continues... This picture was taken last Saturday, but unfortunately I was not able to put it up earlier due to some other commitments. The next update will first in 2 weeks, as I will be away. So it will be interesting for me as well to see how the construction site progresses.

Natural talent...

A former working colleague of mine was visting us the other day. Besides her career in the telecommunications, she has started as well a new career in photography. She is specializing in baby and children photography, maybe looking as well at wedding photography later on. Have a look at her website and her blog.
Here are some examples that she took from my models that I have at home. Well done Jeanine!

Construction site with a view Part One

This will be a project for the coming weeks and months. It shows the view from the balcony of our new place to the neighbouring construction site. With the pictures I will document the progress of the work. I will always try to take a picture on Saturdays at around 3:00 PM with my 10.5mm fisheye.

Infected by NAS...?

This is luckily a rather uncommon disease, but you can easily be infected by it. NAS simply stands for Nikon Acquisition Syndrome. Being a freelance photographer I had made up my mind already 20 years and the decision has been for Nikon.
Why? I honestly can't say. I loved the F3 and its fast motor drive, since it was suitable for my sports photography at that time. Could it have been any other manufacturer? Maybe, but I still have been very happy with my Nikon equipment and have never regretted this decision.
If you are already infected by NAS or you are on the way to it, then this is place to be :-)

Post No. 1

If you start a blog, you have to start somewhere, right? I titled my blog "A blog about my personal life, my photography and anything else I might have on my mind." I guess this set the frames, but leaves me as well enough room on what to put on it :-)
Having written that, let's get started.