Last Wednesday I went to see Christoph Chevallier at his work place. Christoph is my brother Basti’s former college room mate who went on to become an arborist. When these guys cut down a tree, they don’t just take out the chainsaw and saw it off. They strap on their harnesses, climb up into the tree and start taking it down branch by branch. It was cool to watch it, and I also got a shot out of it that I like.
Arborist Christoph Chevallier, of Freising, Germany, climbs on a maple tree to prepare it for felling at a construction site in Pasing by Munich, Wednesday, October 12, 2011.
October 15, 2011
Tonight, Amanda and August invited Taylor, Eve and me over to carve pumpkins. I had never done it before, so it was kind of exciting. I picked a skull pattern and actually succeeded in carving it out. Hooray! Here are some shots I took over there:
The one with the skulls on the top left is mine…
October 27, 2010
David Rees invited Calin and me to spend Friday afternoon with him and his family at their cabin in northern Boone County. Calin and I had helped him redo the roof last year and David wanted us to get some time out there without a hammer in our hands. It was a gorgeous, warm fall day and we had an amazing time just hanging out under the oak trees and by the lake fishing. I lost five lures on underwater logs, but I also caught two beautiful bass. Together with the one Calin caught, this should be enough for a nice fish fry sometime soon.
David had prepared some lunch – sandwiches and an amazing soup that he had cooked for 36 hours…
Calin is getting ready to fish…
…but then decides to take a nap instead.
Trying to pick up service at the cabin…
October 10, 2010
Last week I went to Los Angeles with the other POYi graduate coordinators as part of my assistantship with Pictures of the Year International to help arrange the Awards and Education program at the Annenberg Space for Photography. We had a fabulous time there and it was a great opportunity to meet and chat with some of the most accomplished photojournalists of our time. After the daily programs, we usually hung out in the hotel lobby and grabbed a few drinks with photographers from all over the world. I truly believe there’s nothing more fun than a bunch of equally obsessed photo nerds perched together in the same place with a lot of beer. Thanks Craig Walker, Tomas van Houtryve, Paul Hansen, Tim Rasmussen and all the others who were there for an amazing week!
After our work was done, we had a day to relax and explore L.A. and decided to go to the Getty Center. Situated on a hill between Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, the Center is one of the most impressive works of architecture I’ve ever seen. The breathtaking views, beautiful gardens and the spectacular all-white stone buildings all work perfectly together. Unfortunately, I’m not a very gifted architecture photographer and the shots I have of the museum aren’t really worth showing here. But to get an impression of the place, check out some of the pictures here.
After touring the museum, we took a break on the grass in the courtyard. Calin used the opportunity to roll himself down the hill so that he could tell people at home that he rolled down Mr. Getty’s very own lawn. It didn’t take long until the rest of us followed suit, and soon we were all tumbling down the hill in every possible position.
After the Getty, we went to the Hollywood Bowl to see a string of live concerts. One of the performing bands was the legendary Buena Vista Social Club. It was an amazing experience to hear them live. I didn’t even know that they were still playing, with Ibrahim Ferrer and Compay Segundo – two of the major figures of the Buena Vista Social Club – no longer alive. But here they were, and they sounded as great as ever…
My longest lens was a 90mm, so I really didn’t get a good shot of the actual members of the band, but I still like the feel of this one.
The British band Goldfrapp was the headliner of the evening, although I still don’t understand why. Nothing against Goldfrapp, but they definitely don’t compare to the Buena Vista Social Club. But, of course, that’s just my opinion…
June 29, 2010