Winestraße, Steirmark

A wonderful landscape that has been labelled the "Toscana of Austria"
While the images were recorder in full color spectrum I felt that color was not giving justice to these scenes: there was some haze in the air and the light was a bit harsh in some.
Converting them to monochrome helped conveying the unique features that these hills offer



M.Zuiko 75mm f1.8  1/160sec

On the Southern border the Winestraße in places runs right on both sides: vehicles straddle Austria and Slovenia. Before the political relaxation of this region there would be no such liberal thing but now there is no longer anybody to make you sternly aware that you a crossing into "enemy" territory :-)


Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f3.5-5.6   1/500sec



adapted CanonTV-16 50mm f1.4  1/800sec



adapted CanonTV-16 50mm f1.4  1/320sec

Mushrooms in the forest

The excitement was palpable when I stumbled across a group of mushrooms that looked like "porcini" (Boletus Edulis). As a kid I used to roam in the forests near my house and find them occasionally; it was like hunting, the thrill of the find.


adapted Kodak Cine Anastigmat 63mm f2.7  1/60sec

It turns out that those mushrooms were not porcini but instead very bitter and not really edible, even if not toxic.
The real reward came from the variety of mushrooms that I stumbled across and instead of looking at them as dinner trophies I observed them with my camera


adapted vintage cine lens Kodak Anastigmat 63mm f2.7  1/60sec




adapted vintage cine lens Kodak Anastigmat 63mm f2.7  1/20sec




adapted vintage cine lens Kodak Anastigmat 63mm f2.7  1/160sec




M.Zuiko 14-42mm EZ    1/13sec



adapted vintage cine lens Kodak Anastigmat 63mm f2.7   1/125sec


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Publishing "verboten"

Different places around the world have different laws about photography.
In USA and Australia I am pretty much free to photograph what I want (within reason, of course) if my subject is in a public space; however, I can not freely walk into a private property and photograph to my heart content. I understand.

Recently I was in Europe, Austria specifically. I was made aware that photography in a public place is restricted. I have heard of copyright laws forbidding individuals photographing certain buildings (The Eiffel Tower apparently is one of them) but I didn't know I was not allowed to take pictures of people in the street. To be more exact: I am not allowed to publish those images, or print them for public display, without a written consent.
Of course I laugh at such pitiful laws that seem to have been written without much thought or consultation and currently totally unenforceable. To the millions of images taken by the public every day with mobile phones in the street I say: keep on snapping, exercise your right :-)


Salzburg, Austria.  Zuiko14-42mm EZ    f5.6

But to the concerned photographer (not me) that wants to stick to the right side of the law, what is there to do? Get a signed released from every person depicted in his/her images? yeah, right...
Then it occurred to me: how does the law apply to images published electronically?  the law does not say one can not take the photograph, it says about publication.
What if the publication is not in Austria? what if it is published for an international audience? what if the server to where those images are uploaded to sits outside Austria?

just saying...

The softer light

Living in Queensland I rarely get to experience the softer light that I remember growing up in Europe. The morning mists and the filtered sun through the forest's canopy are experienced but a few times  throughout the year.
When in Europe I admire the lifting fog and the clouds clinging to the hills after the rain.


M.Zuiko 45mm f3.5  1/2000sec

Walking in the forest towards high alpine lakes I was able to capture images that I often try but fail when in Queensland.


M.Zuiko 14-42mm  EZ   f3.5  1/80sec


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