Monat: Juni 2020

Helianthus annuus

,
Chris Renk

Day 86 of my 365 Photo Challenge.

Another day of flowers.

This time I concentrated on the common sunflower.

Sunflowers are very photosynthetic; a large plant binds the carbon dioxide present in a room of 100 cubic meters per day. So sunflowers are very useful for the climate on our planet.

The wild sunflower was spread initially from North to Central America. Archaeological findings show that the sunflower was cultivated in the Mississippi region and also in Mexico City around 2500 BC.

Historical records show that the Incas worshipped the sunflower as an image of their god.

So it seems to me, very sublime and with a considerable portion of aesthetics equipped.

I don’t think it will be the last picture of a sunflower I took for my Photo Challenge.

How about you? Have you already photographed a sunflower this year?

Have fun with your photo projects!

Silybum marianum

,
Chris Renk

Day 85 of my 365 Photo Challenge.

It’s already 85 days since I started my 365 Photo Challenge and I don’t regret it in any way.

The only thing that annoys me is that I didn’t start it earlier.

Even though it requires a high degree of self-discipline, grabbing the camera after a hard day at work to search for an adequate photo subject, to capture it in a picture and to post it afterwards.

Meanwhile, this has become routine for me, and I wouldn’t want to miss it anymore!

Now to today’s picture. This one I also took near my house and portrayed the beauty of the milk thistle.

Because of measures protecting bees and insects, there are now large fields, which were sown, especially for them with a variety of flowers and plants.

A dream for us photographers. So why wander into the distance, when paradise is just around the corner.

I took the photo against the light of the setting suns, which filigree illuminated the contours of the milk thistle and lifted it from the background.

For the photo, I used my 70-200 mm Nikkor lens again. I had my tripod at hand, but in the end, I abandoned it for better composition and shooting angle.

Have fun exploring the picture!

Leptophyes punctatissima

,
Chris Renk

Day 84 of my 365 Photo Challenge.

Since the main focus of today was on sports, I had only a little time for taking pictures.

Therefore I decided to go to a field only 400m away from my house to look for motives.

It is always fascinating how close nature is to you. You just have to open your eyes and look for it!

My first motives were poppy flowers when I noticed a movement not 20cm in front of me in the high grass.

When looking closely, I discovered this spotted grasshopper, which moved from leaf to leaf. It was not easy to get a free view of the grasshopper in the thick grass.

Happy as always, the grasshopper took a break, and I could take my time to find the optimal composition.

I made the photo with my Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR II, which as always delivered a lovely bokeh.

For my first grasshopper a surprisingly good photo, without appearing to be too arousing!

Have fun watching the grasshopper!

Cosmos bipinnatus

,
Chris Renk

Day 83 of my 365 Photo Challenge.

Today I decided, after a long time, to use a flower as motive again.

After there was a small rain shower in the morning, I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the Cosmea covered with small drops.

Cosmea also called a jewellery basket, belongs with its filigree flowers to one of the most beautiful summer bloomers.

For this photo, I used my Nikkor 50mm f1.4 to separate the flower from the busy background.

It was not easy to find the right white balance because the green of the background and the pink of the flower was in sharp contrast to each other.

I hope to have hit this correctly. What do you think?

I am walking, I am walking!

,
Chris Renk

Day 82 of my 365 Photo Challenge.

Although I was very busy at work this week, I managed to keep up my 365 Photo Challenge.

Besides, I was asked at short notice to do a photo assignment in Munich today. Directly afterwards, I took advantage of the excellent weather for a trip to our local lake to photograph the little swan chicks again.

Today it was especially exciting to look at them. Tensely I watched walking attempts while searching for food.

It was not easy to choose the best of many photos. Each one is a hit on its own, but unfortunately, I can only post one picture for today.

I used again with my Nikkor 200-500mm f5.6 VR and waived to use a tripod.

With the vibration reduction, it is straightforward to create very sharp pictures, even in severe lighting conditions.

I do not regret in any way my decision to buy this lens.

Also this time I wish you a lot of fun while looking at the cute chicks.

Schleifmuehlklamm Waterfall

, ,
Chris Renk

Day 81 of my 365 Photo Challenge.

Today’s picture portrays a waterfall, which is located in the Schleifmuehlklamm near Unterammergau.

The access to the waterfall was challenging because it was located at a very inaccessible place in the gorge. So I had to climb several hundred meters through the riverbed to reach the waterfall.

Fortunately, the water level in the gorge was not too high, and so I could reach the waterfall with partly dry feet.

First I tried to photograph the waterfall with a 14-24mm lens, but due to the light conditions inside the gorge and the trees above, I decided to use my 24-70mm Nikon lens.

For this waterfall, I also refrained from using filters, as the current exposure time was long enough anyway.

Have fun watching!

Misty Morning at the Lake

,
Chris Renk

Day 80 of my 365 Photo Challenge.

Although it is already summer, you still encounter fog in the area of the Ammersee.
The picture was taken in the area of the promenade of Dießen at the Ammersee.

There are still very few people around the shore in the early morning, which contributes to the diffused atmosphere.

The photo was taken with a 24-70mm lens, which I mounted with the camera on a tripod.

What I liked most was the reflection of the boats in the water, which had a smooth surface due to little or no wind.

For the white balance, I again used the automatic of the camera.

I think the result is impressive!

Little water cascade

,
Chris Renk

Day 79 of my 365 Photo Challenge.

After the day’s temperature increased noticeably, I used the proximity of a gorge to cool down a bit.

I came across this small water cascade that had formed on one of the sidewalls of the gorge. Due to the rainfalls of the last days, it carried a lot of water. I couldn’t get around taking a picture of it.

This time again, I did not use a polarizing filter to capture the flow of the cascade.

I hope the view of the picture gives you a little bit of cooling!

Anyway, the excursion brought enough cooling!

Aruncus dioicus Fernald

,
Chris Renk

Day 78 of my 365 Photo Challenge.

Despite the bad weather, I took the opportunity for a trip to the foothills of the Alps. This time I visited a remote and little known gorge near the Ammersee.

It is lovely to be all alone. No tourists, no would-be alpinists who do everything just for a posting on Instagram or Facebook.

Just to be in nature, to let the noises affect you and to watch the animals and insects at their goings-on.

Today’s photo portrays the beauty of the Bride’s-feather, a plant from the rose family. This plant is actually only found in the wild in North America. In Europe, it is mostly cultivated as a garden plant. Wild-growing specimens are usually runaways that spread locally via pollen flight.

I immediately noticed the Bride’s-feathers because of their white flowers, which seemed to me like fairy hair in contrast to the dark environment within the wet canyon.

I hope you feel the same way? If not, tell me what you see in it!

Am I not cute?

,
Chris Renk

Day 77 of my 365 Photo Challenge.

Today I used the excellent weather for a trip to our local lake to see if the little swan chicks have hatched yet. I had already reported about the swan couple in several posts.

During my visit today I was pleased to find out that a total of 3 swan chicks have hatched. The little ones were already busy on their feet and were feeding.

In contrast to the swans at the Ammersee, this swan family showed no shyness towards me.

On the contrary, I seemed to belong to them somehow. So I was able to sit down nearby and watch the little chicks in peace and quiet and to take some pictures from time to time.

In the end, the little ones even started to eat the grass between my legs.

Of course, I always kept an eye on the parents, just in case of a sudden change of mood to be able to go on distance.

I hope you have fun looking at the picture!