Photography
Example Pictures: Perspective versus Focal Length
A lot of people wrongfully associate perspective with focal length and suggest that a change or different choice of focal length alters the perspective, “compresses” it or “distorts” it. This of course is rubbish as perspective is defined only by the distance of the lens to the subjects in the image. Often the term “lens perspective“ is used incorrectly which in itself is a manifestation of ignorance to what perspective is and how it is altered. Focal length only determines the angle of view and the magnification of the image. In other words, if you set up your camera at one location – or viewpoint – and shoot the same scene with different focal lengths, that scene will be rendered with an identical perspective for any focal length, no matter how short or long. Expanding on that thought, effects such as perspective distortion and perspective compression cannot be associated with specific focal lengths but are only the result of a specific viewpoint choice.… →
Stories
Public Viewing
In case you haven’t noticed, soccer is a huge thing in Germany. Immensely huge. While at home, various clubs attract specific clientele – St. Pauli for example is much more attractive to the “social underbelly” than Bayern Munich is which tends to attract well situated followers. When it comes to the big international tournaments, soccer becomes the great equalizer and Germans from all walks of life unite behind Schwarz-Rot-Gold. One of the best places to do so is at the many places where public viewing is offered. On Hamburg’s Heiligengeistfeld, a wide open space framed by the St. Pauli stadium, a huge WWII anti-aircraft bunker and Planten en Blomen, the city has set up a public viewing space. I went there to experience and photograph the round of 16 game Germany versus Algeria.… →
Gallery
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London Festival of Photography Feedback
Last year, I participated in the International Street Photography Award 2012 of the London Festival of Photography. The entries I submitted are a mix of black and white images (all digital), circling on the theme of commuting. Most images were taken either at dark evenings or at night or within areas with little available light.… →
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Hamburg’s impressive photography summer
It has taken a long time until photography became a recognized genre in the art world and beyond. Transforming from craft to art, photography is now a permanent part of many world class museums. For this summer, Hamburg offers some excellent exhibitions that are photography based or related.… →
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Xishuangbanna in pictures
Many believe the Chinese province offering the most diverse China experience is Yunnan. In fact, I share this belief as I’ve had the chance to travel Yunnan twice over the last years. One Yunnan region especially exotic is Xishuangbanna, located all the way in the south of Yunnan, bordered by Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.… →
About Leave That Couch!
Get your bottom off the couch. Travel the world. Or just explore your city. Take a million images and share them with the world. Life is too short to just sit around.
Blog
Leica T – First thoughts
Leica took its sweet time to release a modern, mirrorless system camera. Dubbed the Leica T, available in black and silver, it resembles a design we have seen from Sony in its NEX cameras. The camera will be manufactured and assembled in a dedicated plant in Germany, while the native lenses for the new T mount will only be Leica branded but in fact be manufactured and assembled by Panasonic in Japan [Update: the lenses are not manufactured by Panasonic, they are manufactured in Japan by a third party, not Leica].… →
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Hints
The Audio CD is alive – and well?
The human being is a lazy entity, always striving for the path of the lowest resistance. Businesses try to get the better of us by making use of this wisdom. They lock us into proprietary formats when we download movies and music via their paid services and we like to think that the services we use today will remain available forever in the future, making the same assumptions about the devices we use to consume those proprietary formats.… →
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Books
Alain De Botton – The Art of Travel
When someone says travel guide, most people will think of Lonely Planet, National Geographic, or other well known travel guides. Alain de Botton’s “The Art of Travel” is an utterly different approach to structure and present a guide for travelers.… →
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Gadgets
Leica T – First thoughts
Leica took its sweet time to release a modern, mirrorless system camera. Dubbed the Leica T, available in black and silver, it resembles a design we have seen from Sony in its NEX cameras. The camera will be manufactured and assembled in a dedicated plant in Germany, while the native lenses for the new T mount will only be Leica branded but in fact be manufactured and assembled by Panasonic in Japan [Update: the lenses are not manufactured by Panasonic, they are manufactured in Japan by a third party, not Leica].… →
More in Gadgets
Hamburg
Public Viewing
In case you haven’t noticed, soccer is a huge thing in Germany. Immensely huge. While at home, various clubs attract specific clientele – St. Pauli for example is much more attractive to the “social underbelly” than Bayern Munich is which tends to attract well situated followers.… →