Wednesday 31st March 2010

After a short break yesterday, here is yet another painted garage door in Troisdorf !!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f5.6 : 1/125" : 30mm : ISO 200: 31.03.2010 15:07:53)

Tuesday 30th March 2010

A view of the pedestrian precinct in Troisdorf ....

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f5 : 1/100" : 24mm : ISO 200: 30.03.2010 15:04:48)


.... as seen through the waterfalls !!!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f5 : 1/100" : 18mm : ISO 200: 30.03.2010 15:03:29)

Monday 29th March 2010

I'm beginning to think that Troisdorf warrants an entry in the Guinness Book Of Records for the highest number of painted houses and garages per capita !! I have also realised how blind one is when driving around normally, since I have only spotting these since I started looking for items to photograph every lunchbreak !!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f5.6 : 1/125" : 26mm : ISO 200: 29.03.2010 15:19:34)

Sunday 28th March 2010

On the outskirts of Bonn, they have built a new roundabout ....

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f7.1 : 1/200" : 18mm : ISO 200: 28.03.2010 12:03:36)


.... maybe because it is Palm Sunday today, but these look like giant painted Easter eggs to me ....

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f6.3 : 1/160" : 32mm : ISO 200: 28.03.2010 12:02:11)


.... so does this mean that I have won the easter egg treasure hunt ??

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f7.1 : 1/200" : 32mm : ISO 200: 28.03.2010 12:02:38)


(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f7.1 : 1/200" : 36mm : ISO 200: 28.03.2010 12:03:10)

Saturday 27th March 2010

In the village of Hausen (7 km from my house) is the "Bed and Breakfast Fischer" - it is very difficult to get a photograph of this building without walking through the neighbours' gardens !!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f5.6 : 1/125" : 18mm : ISO 200: 27.03.2010 17:40:28)


Built in 1793, it offers one double and one single bedroom for the guests.

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f5.6 : 1/125" : 18mm : ISO 200: 27.03.2010 17:36:44)



(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f5.6 : 1/125" : 32mm : ISO 200: 27.03.2010 17:33:47)

Friday 26th March 2010

It rained all day today, so I wasn't interested in getting soaked whilst looking for a photograph during my lunchbreak; I decided to drive through the centre of Cologne after work en route to the monthly Mustang Club dinner meeting and take a photograph somewhere there instead. I came across a fairground on the Wiener Platz, but just as I set up my camera on the tripod, all the lights were turned off and everyone packed up for the night - I just managed to get one shot in time !!
I would have thought that 7:30 pm on a Friday evening would have offered good business for a fairground ?!?!

(Nikon D5000 : Sigma VR 18-200mm f3.5-f6.3 : f16 : 5" : 98mm : ISO 200: 26.03.2010 19:25:50)

Thursday 25th March 2010

Guess what I found at lunchtime today ?? Another painted garage door in Troisdorf !!!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f5.6 : 1/100" : 50mm : ISO 200: 25.03.2010 14:52:46)

Wednesday 24th March 2010

A quick search for yet another painted house in Troisdorf at lunchtime today revealed this painted garage door !! (by H.W. Nolden)

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f5 : 1/100" : 24mm : ISO 200: 24.03.2010 16:02:48)

Tuesday 23rd March 2010

This is the second painted house that I found yesterday. The sign reads "Hope, Love, No War, Hope and Love drive the World, War destroys it".

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f6.3 : 1/160" : 22mm : ISO 200: 23.03.2010 15:01:19)


The artist is Roland Wuest, 2006.

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f6.3 : 1/160" : 20mm : ISO 200: 23.03.2010 15:00:00)


The house next door needs to be painted next !!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f7.1 : 1/200" : 26mm : ISO 200: 23.03.2010 15:02:53)

Monday 22nd March 2010

Just when I thought that I was going to have to go to the DIY supermarket and buy a load of brushes and tins of different coloured paints to continue the theme here, another two painted houses in Troisdorf jumped out in front of me today. This is next to the front door of the first one ....

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f10 : 1/400" : 52mm : ISO 200: 22.03.2010 15:30:34)



.... and this is on the adjoining garage wall.
The other painted building will have to wait until tomorrow !!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f8 : 1/250" : 45mm : ISO 200: 22.03.2010 15:30:03)

Sunday 21st March 2010

Today is the first day of spring, so the snow has been replaced by rain.

(Nikon D5000 : Sigma VR 18-200mm f3.5-f6.3 : f7.1 : 1/200" : 24mm : ISO 200: 21.03.2010 16:02:32)


I decided to go to the Motor Show today .... no, not in London, Tokyo or Frankfurt, but in Neuwied (about 30 km south of my house). And surprisingly, I didn't go there to look at cars (because there were only new shopping trolleys, no classic sports cars for sale) ....

(Nikon D5000 : Sigma VR 18-200mm f3.5-f6.3 : f5.6 : 1/180" : 18mm : ISO 800: 21.03.2010 17:39:36)


.... but for the (free) live music .... including this lady who sung excellent cover versions of artists like Cher ....

(Nikon D5000 : Sigma VR 18-200mm f3.5-f6.3 : f6 : 1/60" : 135mm : ISO 800: 21.03.2010 16:10:51)


.... and an excellent rock'n'roll band, "Bobbin' Baboons".

(Nikon D5000 : Sigma VR 18-200mm f3.5-f6.3 : f5 : 1/100" : 22mm : ISO 200: 21.03.2010 16:41:15)


These guys not only sounded good, they were obviously having a lot of fun whilst entertaining their audience !!

(Nikon D5000 : Sigma VR 18-200mm f3.5-f6.3 : f5.6 : 1/125" : 29mm : ISO 800: 21.03.2010 16:49:50)


(Nikon D5000 : Sigma VR 18-200mm f3.5-f6.3 : f6.3 : 1/160" : 36mm : ISO 800: 21.03.2010 17:06:30)


(Nikon D5000 : Sigma VR 18-200mm f3.5-f6.3 : f6.3 : 1/160" : 22mm : ISO 800: 21.03.2010 17:06:43)

Saturday 20th March 2010

I had arranged for potential tenants to view my flat for rent at 12:00 noon, 2:00 pm, 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm today. The 2:00 pm couple finally arrived at 3:25 pm (with no apology or explanation for being so late), the other people never showed up or even phoned me !! Hence I couldn't leave the house to look for my photograph today until after dark, and just as I had finished taking a picture of a Ferrari in a car showroom in Neuwied, this couple walked past me. They kindly agreed to let me take their photograph - they had just won first prize in the Senior section of the Neuwied City Dancing Championship tournament !!! Congratulations !!!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f4.2 : 1/60" : 26mm : ISO 800: 20.03.2010 21:22:44)


They also invited me to go to the local pub, to meet up with some of the other dance contestants in their team !!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f4 : 1/60" : 20mm : ISO 800: 20.03.2010 21:33:50)

Friday 19th March 2010

Unbelievably, I found yet another painted house in Troisdorf (that I had never noticed before !!). On the side wall of the garage, there are these penguins ....

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f5.3 : 1/80" : 46mm : ISO 200: 19.03.2010 14:18:45)


.... and Disney characters on the side wall of the terrace !!
What would have made a better photograph was the way that I was balancing on top of a dustbin to try and get a better view of this wall !!

(Nikon D5000 : Sigma VR 18-200mm f3.5-f6.3 : f6 : 1/80" : 155mm : ISO 200: 19.03.2010 14:22:32)

Thursday 18th March 2010

I had intended to take a photograph of the Town Hall in Troisdorf today, since the sun was shining in a bright blue sky. However, when I was looking for a parking space nearby, I noticed this painted building - which I have driven past (literally) hundreds of times but never spotted before !!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f5.6 : 1/125" : 18mm : ISO 200: 18.03.2010 15:36:12)

Wednesday 17th March 2010

This is the catholic church in Fernthal, about 5 km from my house. I am always surprised how big this church is, considering that it is located in a tiny village !!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f3.8 : 1/20" : 20mm : ISO 200: 17.03.2010 18:06:39)



(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f3.5 : 1/40" : 18mm : ISO 200: 17.03.2010 18:04:03)

Tuesday 16th March 2010

I didn't have time to look for any interesting subjects at lunchime today, so decided to photograph the remains of this Jeep at a local breakers yard.

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f5.6 : 1/50" : 55mm : ISO 200: 16.03.2010 15:15:00)


As I parked the car to take that photograph, I saw this extremely rare left-hand-drive Rover Vitesse that looked to be in surprisingly good condition - although the only parts that I want from it (the high-ratio 5 speed manual gearbox, the cylinder heads with larger valves and the uprated fuel injection system) are all hidden well out-of-sight !!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f5.6 : 1/50" : 18mm : ISO 200: 16.03.2010 15:16:43)

Monday 15th March 2010

I went back to the painted garage door in Troisdorf that I first noticed a couple of weeks ago, and there was nothing parked in front of it today, so here it is ....

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f4.2 : 1/60" : 26mm : ISO 200: 15.03.2010 15:40:27)

Sunday 14th March 2010

Another day, another airport - today Frankfurt !!
This is the spaceship in the children's play area in the waiting lounge - I wanna have a go !!!

(Nikon D5000 : Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 : f4 : 1/15" : 10mm : ISO 280: 14.03.2010 14:13:29)


Looking at the boy on the left, maybe this isn't as much fun as I anticipated !!!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f3.8 : 1/15" : 20mm : ISO 640: 14.03.2010 14:12:02)

Saturday 13th March 2010

I didn't manage to take a picture today until we got to Berlin-Schoenefeld airport for the return flight to Cologne/Bonn with German Wings, so here is their version of the Berlin bear !!!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f4 : 1/60" : 22mm : ISO 640: 13.03.2010 18:36:17)

Friday 12th March 2010

I spent most of today walking around and taking photographs of the whole world .... all within the confines of the exhibition halls of the ITB (International Tourism Trade Exhibition) in Berlin. ITB is the largest such exhibition in the world, and the trouble that some companies / countries go to on their stands is breathtaking !!
On this stand, a photographer was offering to take your portrait photograph with a middle-eastern background ....

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f5.6 : 1/60" : 18mm : ISO 800: 12.03.2010 14:23:24)


.... and I loved his improvised flash arrangement - both reflective umbrellas were camouflaged with a woven cloth covering and this one was tied to the out-of-service flash head with rope; and the active Dynasun flash bulbs were fitted into an E14 socket clipped onto the dead flash head !!!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f5.6 : 1/60" : 20mm : ISO 800: 12.03.2010 14:24:28)

Thursday 11th March 2010

I spent the day working on my web site and trying to figure out how to key watermarks onto pictures with Photoshop (instead of as I usually do with Paint Shop Pro 7), so I didn't get out of the hotel today and took this photograph of the flowers in the room instead !!

(Nikon D5000 : Sigma VR 18-200mm f3.5-f6.3 : f5.6 : 1/60" : 36mm : ISO 800 : 11.03.2010 17:13:57)

Wednesday 10th March 2010

I purchased an Eye-Fi Pro 4GB SD card last week for Euro 148. According to the manufacturers web site, this SD storage card also has a built in wireless transmitter, so that as soon as a picture is taken, it will transfer it automatically via any open wireless network either into my laptop or PC, or upload it directly onto my Facebook page; it is also supposed to save the location that the photograph was taken with geo-tagging, so that you can check in the future (for example on Google Earth) exactly where that photograph was taken (very useful for my goldfish memory). So much for the theory, which sounds too good to be true ....
.... and in practice, it is too good to be true. The geo-tagging simply doesn't work at all. I initially thought that it was because (according to the geo-tagging web site listed in the Eye-Fi handbook) I live in an area of weak reception (and most of the locations that I have already visited and plan to visit are also in areas of weak reception - annoyingly, this information isn't supplied to you before purchase !!); but after three days in Berlin (the capital of Germany), geo-tagging still doesn't work !! The upload to Facebook (once a network connection has been found) doesn't work either.
The wireless transfer of the photographs from the Eye-Fi SD card in my camera to my laptop does work well at home (via my wireless router), taking almost exactly 30 seconds per 12GB RAW data file - perfectly acceptable, so that by the time I have finished a portrait session, most or all of the photographs would already be uploaded into my laptop and ready for viewing / selection. However, I cannot get the Eye-Fi card in my camera to see the ad hoc network connection to my laptop WITHOUT my wireless router, so I cannot use this upload facility when I am away from home with just the laptop (which is exactly when I need it most, to avoid having the camera tied to the laptop via a short USB cable !!!)
The icing on the cake is the above photograph - it was meant to be of a painted bear statue in Berlin, but the data on the Eye-Fi SD card is corrupt, rendering the picture useless. Luckily I only took that photograph for this blog, and not a paying client !!!
Maybe I have been supplied with a faulty Eye-Fi Pro card from amazon.co.uk, but until this has been resolved, I would strongly advise you to steer well clear of this expensive non-functioning gimmick.

(Nikon D5000 : Sigma VR 18-200mm f3.5-f6.3 : f4.5 : 1/20" : 44mm : ISO 200 : 10.03.2010 17:34:48)



After that rant, here is a picture of the Bauhaus museum that the Eye-Fi Pro 4GB SD card managed to save without corruption !!!

(Nikon D5000 : Sigma VR 18-200mm f3.5-f6.3 : f11 : 1/125" : 44mm : ISO 800 : 10.03.2010 17:25:24)

Tuesday 9th March 2010

After an early start to get to Cologne/Bonn airport for our flight with German Wings, we had a relaxing day in Berlin. This is the roof of the Sony Centre.

Nikon D5000 : Sigma VR 18-200mm f3.5-f6.3 : f8 : 1/250" : 18mm : ISO 200 : 09.03.2010 15:37:41)

Monday 8th March 2010

We went shopping in Koblenz today. On the way there, we passed the "Erotic Store Strawberry Mouth" in its sloping building ....

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f8 : 1/250" : 22mm : ISO 200: 08.03.2010 16:32:12)


.... and this metal bird !!!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f4.8 : 1/200" : 24mm : ISO 200: 08.03.2010 17:08:35)

Sunday 7th March 2010

After church, we stopped off at Burg Dattenberg (near Linz) - this is the remains of the 12 metre high tower, built in the early 13th century.

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f8 : 1/250" : 18mm : ISO 200: 07.03.2010 11:42:11)


This is the main building of Burg Dattenberg. The villa was completely restored and converted into a hotel in 2003.

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f13 : 1/200" : 26mm : ISO 200: 07.03.2010 11:39:17)

Saturday 6th March 2010

We had a heavy snowstorm overnight, leaving 15 cm of fresh powder snow covering everything this morning !!

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f9.5 : 1/200" : 18mm : ISO 200: 06.03.2010 16:21:27)



Another view from near my house.

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f6.7 : 1/180" : 28mm : ISO 200: 06.03.2010 16:33:40)


This is the Maria Chapel just outside Hausen.

(Nikon D5000 : Nikkor VR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 : f8 : 1/250" : 18mm : ISO 200: 06.03.2010 16:46:58)