Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

No Lifeguard on Duty   1 comment

Our local beach at the end of the day, after everyone has left. I love it when we have it all to ourselves!

Clinton Beach

iphone Hipstamatic
film:Sussex
lens: Doris

Spartan Warriors   2 comments

My son and his buddy after finishing the Spartan Sprint in Washougal, WA. One hour and forty minutes of running, jumping, and crawling through mud! I did this race with them as a last hurrah before they go to college in a few weeks.

Spartan Race survivors

iphone
B&W conversion with Nik Silver Efex

Posted August 16, 2013 by Lutz Braum in Black&White, People, US

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Checking Email in the Wrong Place   1 comment

The sign is clearly telling her where to go…

And can you call it ‘Street Photography’ when you shoot indoors?

Woman checking email

Canon Powershot G12
ISO 200
f/4.5
1/6 sec

A Good Spot for Solitude   6 comments

“If you’re lonely when you’re alone, you’re in bad company.” – Jean-Paul Sartre

This bench overlooks our local beach and is my favorite spot to spend time alone.

Bench

Canon EOS 7D, 10-22mm lens
ISO 100
f/11
1/15 sec
Nik Color Efex vintage film filter

Posted August 11, 2013 by Lutz Braum in Landscapes, Panorama, US

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Goodbye Cashman’s   2 comments

Unfortunately this local hardware store in our town can’t compete with the big box stores and big chains. So sad.

Hardware store closing

This is the front of the store:

Clinton Hardware Store

New York’s Finest Taking a Break   Leave a comment

NYPD officers at Dunkin Donuts at JFK airport, enjoying a cup of coffee while keeping us safe.

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Shot with iPhone Hipstamatic

Best Antique Store in my World   4 comments

I’ve seen my share of antique stores in the US and Europe, and the Clinton Antique Center is at the top of MY list. Every time I walk in I lose myself for hours. The selection is excellent and changes quite frequently, so there are always new discoveries.

Cash Register

Click on any of these to see them in slide show view:

Canon 7D, 10-22mm lens
Edited with HDR Efex Pro

78 E. Main Street, Clinton, CT 06413
Google maps location

Posted July 27, 2013 by Lutz Braum in US

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Reflections of Flanders   2 comments

Shot these in Amsterdam and Bruges.

Reflection

 

Reflection

Reflection

Belgian Chocolate is the Best   4 comments

Many country claim to make great chocolate (Switzerland, Germany, Italy), but none have as much variety as Belgium. Here are just 3 of the dozens of chocolate shop windows I drooled over in Bruges.

Chocolate Shop

Chocolate Shop

Chocolate Shop

Posted July 17, 2013 by Lutz Braum in Europe, Travel

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This Bike Climbed Mt. Washington   Leave a comment

That’s what the bumper sticker says on the fuel tank. And it looks like this Harley Davidson has seen quite a bit of road in its lifetime. Photographed in Branford, CT.

Harley Davidson

iphone

Bruges at Night   5 comments

Bruges is even more scenic at night (especially after a rain shower, as all the tourists have retreated to their hotels):

AT-AT Walkers Attack Holland!   2 comments

Actually, these were locks that control the flow in one of the many canals in the Netherlands. But from afar, I was reminded of the AT-AT Walkers from Star Wars (original below):

Locks in Holland

IMG_8934

at-at walker

Night on Clinton Beach   4 comments

It was such a beautiful night after a day of 90 degrees that I went to the beach at midnight, only to finally look at my watch and realize I had spent 2 hours taking pictures and playing around with my flashlight.

Life guard chairs under the stars

Clinton Marina

Fun with my flashlight

Canon 7D
ISO 3200
f/9
30 sec

Amsterdam in Black and White   3 comments

Even in black and white, the city of Amsterdam is beautiful. Especially at night. Click on any one picture to see them in slideshow format.

Velomobile   2 comments

This guy won’t get wet when it rains in Amsterdam, but how he squeezes in there is a mystery to me. You can find out more at velomobiel.ne.

Velomobile closeup

He didn’t seem to command much attention among the other bike riders:Velomobile large

Canon 7D
ISO 125
f/11
1/80 sec

Dutch Graffiti   2 comments

Amsterdam had some cool graffiti, these are just a few examples. Click on any picture to see them in slideshow format.

Where in the World is Professor Calculus?   7 comments

Anyone willing to take a guess?

Professor Calculus

Canon 7D, 24-70mm lens
ISO 100
f/5
1/250 sec

Posted June 30, 2013 by Lutz Braum in Travel

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The Eye   4 comments

This film museum in Amsterdam opened in 2012, and is across the river from the Central Station. Great architecture!

Canon 7D
Google Location

Who Needs Strollers?   3 comments

I didn’t see any strollers in Amsterdam: Kids either walked with their parents or they were ferried around on bikes. And helmets? Didn’t see any of those, either. And pets of course got the same treatment. 🙂

Click on any image to see images in slide show format.

Amsterdam at Night   9 comments

I had the pleasure of having a professional photographer named Tom show me around Amsterdam at night, and teach me about night photography. I arranged it through Photo tours of Amsterdam, and was extremely happy with the tour, which lasted from 10:15pm (when it was still light out) until 1:45am. I can highly recommend it. Here are some samples from that night’s work. Click on any one picture to see them in slideshow format.

The World’s Capital of Cycling   1 comment

Amsterdam offered a great opportunity to practice panning, while enjoying the variety of bicycle riders. I’m not sure how romantic all this seems when it rains, but in the summer it is enchanting to see how everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) rides their bike. And no one bothers with helmets – how wonderfully nonchalant!

Click on any image to see them in slide show format.

My New Favorite Bakery   3 comments

This little bakery is called Hinkel and is in the ‘Altstadt’ (old town) of Düsseldorf, Germany, where I recently bought some delicious sweets. I wish I had enough room in my luggage to bring back some of that tasty bread. Here’s my last post on bakeries.

 

Hinkel Bakery

Hinkel Bread Assortment

German Bread

Canon 7D
Google Location

 

Posted June 23, 2013 by Lutz Braum in Europe, Travel

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Postcard from Bruges   2 comments

After a day of overcast skies, the sun finally managed to get through in the late afternoon, for a beautiful view of one of the many canals in this beautiful city.

Bruges Canal in Sunlight

Canon 7D
ISO 100
f/11
1/160 sec

Google Maps Location

The Cat Who Owns The Bar   Leave a comment

This cat certainly seemed to have the run of the house in the little Amsterdam bar I stopped in to inquire about the menu. Fortunately the weather was so nice that everyone sat outside, leaving her the interior.

Black Cat in a Bar

Canon 7D
ISO 320
F/2.8
1/100 sec

Posted June 18, 2013 by Lutz Braum in Animals, Europe, Travel

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Above the Clouds   6 comments

Some dramatic storm clouds were forming while I flew from Connecticut to Seattle:

Clouds from airplaneiphone, Hipstamatic

Clouds from aboveiphone, edited with Snapseed

Keep Children on a Leash at All Times   6 comments

Walking a child in Manhattan — much like walking a dog:

Small child on a leash

iphone, Hipstamatic

Indoor Clouds, part 2   2 comments

A quick trip to Boston only provided one photo opportunity, of puffy clouds reflecting in the John Hancock Building. This is part 2 of a series, the first entry coming from Oregon and posted earlier here.

Clouds reflecting in skyscraper

iphone, Hipstamatic
lens: Lucifer IV
film: Black Keys B+W

Vintage London   4 comments

Discovered some cool pictures my dad took when he was in London in the 1950s, so I had them scanned, then cleaned them up a little with Aperture, and thought I’d share them:

Trafalgar Square

 

 

 

Downtown London

 

 

 

Big Ben

 

Posted June 1, 2013 by Lutz Braum in Europe, Travel

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Fossils Making Out on the Beach   3 comments

I was lucky enough to catch the one day when Horseshoe Crabs come to our town beach to mate. There were at least 15 pairs of these ‘living fossils’ (so-called by Charles Darwin because they look just like their fossilized ancestors) horsing around (pardon the pun) in the shallow water.

 

Horseshoe crabs at sunset

Horseshoe crabs getting it on

Horseshoe crabs mating

Camera: Canon EOS 7D, 100mm macro lens

Posted May 31, 2013 by Lutz Braum in Animals, Macro, US

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Contemplating the Sunset   3 comments

Overlooking Hammonasset Beach, CT:

Sunset over Hammonasset Beach

Canon Powershot G12

Posted May 27, 2013 by Lutz Braum in Landscapes, US

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Early Morning at the Marina   Leave a comment

I came across this peaceful scene on a recent early morning while walking the dog:

Boats in misty morning weather

Canon EOS 7D, 70-200mm
ISO 100
f/7.1
1/200 sec

Summer time is Here!   3 comments

When the Clam Castle in Madison, CT is open, it must be summer time:

Clam Castle in Clinton, CT

Canon 7D
ISO 200
f/4
1/1600 sec
Location (Google Maps)

New York Vertigo   4 comments

You don’t have to stand on top of a building to feel dizzy in New York  — just looking at the angular and glass-clad office towers along 6th Avenue is enough:

6th Avenue Office Towers in New York

Canon Powershot G12
ISO 200
f/5.6
1/320 sec

Mystic Seaport Interiors   5 comments

Mystic Seaport in Connecticut presented great opportunities to practice indoor photography using HDR to capture all details:

View through window

 

camera: Canon 7D
location in google maps: http://goo.gl/maps/IdxBg

Sleeping Beauty’s Window   1 comment

Found this on the Seaside Sanatorium grounds in Waterford, CT:

Window overgrown with plants

Canon EOS 7D, 70-200mm
ISO 100
75mm
f/5.6
1/50 sec

Posted May 9, 2013 by Lutz Braum in Architecture, Travel, US

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Mystic Seaport Vistas   3 comments

A weekend visit to Mystic Seaport in Connecticut on a beautiful spring day:

Mystic Seaport Boat House

Evening Light   8 comments

The light is getting more and more beautiful in the evenings here in Connecticut. Soon the temperature will cooperate, too.

Clinton, CT

Clinton Beach at sunset

iphone, Hipstamatic
lens: John S
film: Ina 1935

Posted May 3, 2013 by Lutz Braum in Landscapes, US

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Hidden Places: Abandoned and Haunted Sanatorium   17 comments

Well, it’s creepy enough to be haunted, although I only saw signs of teenage transgressions (i.e. graffiti) when I visited the Seaside Sanatorium in Waterford, CT. It was built in the 1930s as a convalescent home for young children suffering from Tuberculosis, and shut down in the 1990s.

Abandoned Room

Abandoned Room

Here are a few more shots, in addition to the previous post. Click on any image to see them in slide show format.

“You Will Die”   9 comments

That’s the eerie graffiti I found in an old abandoned sanatorium on the Connecticut seaside. Which one do you like better: color or black&white?

Old Sanatorium Room in black and white

Old Sanatorium Room in color

Canon EOS 7D, 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5
ISO 100
10mm
f/4.5
1/4 sec

DC Impressions   Leave a comment

Covered a lot of territory in DC over the weekend, here are some miscellaneous impressions:

iphone & Hipstamatic app

Animal Portraits   1 comment

Some shots from a walk through the National Zoo in Washington, DC:

Seal

Silver-backed Gorilla

Prairie Dog

 

Jazz in Madison Park   2 comments

Sat in Madison Park yesterday before lunch, and enjoyed an impromptu trumpet concerto while enjoying the warm weather and the view of the Flatiron Building, one of my favorite buildings in the world.

Jazz in Madison Park, NYC

Jazz in front of the Flatiron Building

iphone, Hipstamatic app

 

Burned-out Factory   9 comments

I discovered an abandoned factory building in Bridgeport, CT, that offered some good opportunities for HDR photography and playing around with various filters.

Bridgeport, CT Factory

Here are a few more shots – click on any one of them to see them in slideshow format.

DC Monuments – Take Two   Leave a comment

I enjoyed the challenge of taking pictures of the memorials on Washington, DC’s Mall that are different from the millions of pictures taken there every day.

Washington Monument, from Lincoln Memorial

Washington Monument, from Lincoln Memorial

Click on any picture to start the slide show.

Cherry Blossom Season   2 comments

A brief trip to Washington, DC, gave me a chance to see the famous Cherry Blossom Season:

Jefferson Memorial and Cherry Blossoms

Jefferson Memorial

Cherry Blossoms in Washington

Cherry Blossoms and Washington Memorial

Martin Luther King Memorial

Moonrise over Mt. Rainier   Leave a comment

I was lucky to be flying to Seattle at the right time and sitting on the right side of the plane:

Mt Rainier Moonrise

Posted April 13, 2013 by Lutz Braum in Landscapes, US

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Scenes at an Airport   2 comments

Found a few interesting shots even in such humdrum environment as a small regional airport. These were taken in Eugene, OR:

Girl playing the violin at the airport

Airport garage

Airplane propeller

iphone Hipstamatic

Posted April 6, 2013 by Lutz Braum in Architecture, Black&White, People, US

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Last Rays of Sunshine on City Hall   5 comments

A lovely sunset lit up the newly restored cupola of Clinton City Hall last night. It finally feels like spring!!!

Clinton City Hall

Canon Powershot G12
ISO 200
f/5.6
1/30 sec

Posted March 30, 2013 by Lutz Braum in Architecture, US

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Magical Sunset   Leave a comment

I love how the clouds disperse the sun’s rays late in the afternoon on overcast days:

Sunset over Clinton Marina

Canon Powershot G12
ISO 100
f/8

Posted March 25, 2013 by Lutz Braum in Landscapes, Panorama, US

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Indoor Clouds   4 comments

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Posted March 23, 2013 by Lutz Braum in Architecture, Black&White, US

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