Ephemeral Diamonds

While I was waiting, I looked around and saw this diamond covered car next to mine ;-)

Silver.. err.. blue lining

Is it going to rain? Snow? Nothing!

Here I "blue-ed" the photo a little to bring out the "end-of-the-world" effect more strongly.

Unchained

I had an instruction leaf for a simple necklace I planned on making as a (side) christmas present for my mother but unfortunately, I didn't take it before leaving for my parents' place. As I still had a vague idea, I drew pictures and tried, and then tried some more but to no satisfying end. I was about to sacrifice one of my own when I saw a picture of something similar, made out of eyepins and I think semi-precious stones. Eyepins I had, as well as Czech crystals in several colours. So I gave it a try and this is what I ended up with. I like it and on my mum who is always a bit more tanned than me, the silver wire in combination with the aqua coloured crystals looked superb.

Merry Christmas!

It's melting now!

I watched the snow melt and drops falling from the roof onto these branches ...

PS: I apologise that the photos are not of the usual quality - I have only Gimp at my disposal right, a software that is certainly good but that I am not familiar with yet.

Schnee, Schnee, Schnee...

No matter what time or year, my childhood or theirs - sleighing will always be the same. Children and their little sleighs on the hill behind my parents' house.

Have you been good or bad?

I was wonderding why self made presents are somewhat unpopular. Maybe because many of them have that "Mommy, look what I made"-feel to them. If you want someone to really enjoy the gifts you're giving, they should look/feel/taste professional as well. Which I hope my chocolates do.. one package for mum, one for dad, one for M., one for J&D, one for M&K, one for A,W,A&E - and if you've been good one for you, too :-)

Good day, sunshine

This is what yesterday's morning looked like, seen through the skylight. The night before, I could practically watch the thermometer drop, from about 0°C down to -9°C. Now it is -11°C and they just announced more snow!

Metel'

I was finishing the last three batches of chocolates today when it started snowing heavily. So I had to decide whether to take a picture of the snow storm or to prevent the chocolate I was just melting from burning. When given a choice, I would - of course - always take that photo, risking to ruin a contact lens or a bar of chocolate (which luckily I didn't). You decide if it was worth it...

The photo was taken with a slow shutterspeed in order to make it look even stormier and not to show the single snowflakes. Falling snowflakes on a photo in my opinion always look like dirt.


Btw, metel' is the Russian word for blizzard.

Happy Birthday!

They say it's your birthday....

And I know you're gonna sing this one today :-)

Father and Son

On a sunny pre-summer day in June. It happened to be the father's birthday when the four of us - the son has a mother, too, of course - went for a walk. I'm posting this picture now because tomorrow will be the son's birthday - no wishes yet, he'll have to wait some more.

The soundtrack to the picture is almost too obvious :-)

First love, first kiss...

first snowflake...

Today, it was snowing for the first time this season, few flakes, cold little ones that didn't even make it to the ground (so obviously, the picture is from last winter) but walking through the falling snow makes up for not having summer anymore.
If I lived in a country without a real winter, I would come home for a few weeks every year, in January or February probably. Or for christmas. I wonder how christmas feels when it's warm...

A chocolatey tale

I'm making chocolates and truffles again, as a christmas present for family and friends. It's fun and messy, at the end, my whole kitchen will be covered in chocolate, nuts and cream :D

This is a picture from last year, one of the final stages (just before wrapping) of the Kir Royal and Kulfi chocolates, the latter one my own invention.

They do the...

... walk of life ;-)

Why always birds? Because it's not insect season and except for a few cats and dogs, the city isn't big on wildlife. Besides I somewhat hesitate to go to the zoo (except for the Leipzig one maybe) - so it's birds, cats and dogs for now.

Happy 3rd Advent!

Süßer die Glocken nie klingen (a rather unusual version of the song ;-) ) - even though there is no snow yet this year...

Alles Lüge

Es ist wahr, daß das Jahr über 300 Tage
in nur 52 Wochen schafft.
Es ist wahr, es ist wahr, daß das Ausland
viel mehr Ausländer als Deutsche hat.
Es ist wahr, daß die Sonne nicht um die Erde,
und der Mond nicht um den Fußball kreist.
[...]
Das ist wahr, das ist wahr,
aber sonst, aber sonst:
Alles Lüge, alles Lüge, alles Lüge...


It is true that one year can do more than 300 days
in just 52 weeks.
It is true that abroad there are
way more foreigners than Germans.
It is true that the sun doesn't orbit 'round the earth
and the moon not around a football.
[...]
That is true, that is true,
but otherwise, but otherwise:
All just lies, all just lies, all just lies...

Purity

This is one photo of my first and so far only (I know surprisingly few blondes) high key series, taken during the portrait course I attended in March. It shows I., one of my classmates whose make up I did as well.

The great thing about high key photos is that all blemishes and unevennesses disappear and all you can see is smooth skin.

Ready for take-off

A hundred little parachutes that are getting ready...

My bathroom, my art

I saw this sculpture on the castle area in Bad Homburg and a similar one nearby. Makes you think.. or smile.. or whatever ;-)

In einem unbekannten Land

Why do I always get important photo equipment late? I got my Canon in late August last year, summer was almost over. And this year, I bought my macro lens in November only, too late for any insects.

So this photo was taken with the normal 55-250mm zoom lens. Not tack sharp and detailed as it would have been with the macro lens (and as it will be next year) but not bad I'd say.
I proudly present: Maja.

Somewhere over the rainbow

On a hazy summer day, I saw these two rainbows (the upper one is a bit faint) from my window, stretching out over the city. Thinking about summer...

Lizard?

This is the picture of a reptile with glass eyes.. or is it?

The heart and the soul

When my mother's computer had to be opened (appendicitis I think was the reason), I couldn't pass the opportunity to take a picture.
However, it was quite dark in there, the flash would have caused ugly reflections and I didn't have my tripod with me. So the original photo was rather dark, a fact that I tried to fix in Paint Shop Pro.

Play it again, Monsieur Sax

Here we can see Adolphe Sax, inventor of the Saxophon, taking a little rest on a bench of his hometown Dinant, in the Wallonian part of Belgium.

The photo was desaturated and tinted in sepia.

Scarabé

That's what the manufacturer of these bugle beads calls their colour. I think it's the exact same shade as my birdy's tail.
Anyway, I took this photo using my new macro lens and of course a tripod and am very pleased with the way the bokeh turned out :-)

And oh yea, I made the necklace myself.

A very special tree

That is a tree in the park near my place and apparently, it grows quite peculiar fruits ;-)
My second successful multiplicity picture, this one being my first.

My friend C., an ever so patient model of mine, the best one a would-be-photographer can have. I can even chase her up trees and ladders (and that with her fear of heights), she never gets tired and even suggests more adventurous setups whenever I come up with an idea.

Birdy birdy...

Why do I always catch creatures, birds as well as plants, that I can't identify? The explanation might be as sad as it is simple: I just don't know many.

Anyway, I like the feather colours in this bird's (magpie? blackbird?) tail, they're exactly the same bluish black as the necklace I made the other day and that I will show you soon.