Austria

We were a group of four when visiting the pumpkin celebrity in the wine-village Retz in northern Lower Austria. The whole village is decorated, dozens of market stands are lined on the streets, and a music band is playing. The typical wine taverns invite for a short break; they are called “Heuriger” in Austria. You get simple food, mostly bread with cheese or salty ham, pickles, and horseradish. The wine is mainly from the surrounding area, often in biological quality.

Post processed with: Aurora, Photoshop

• Camera: Pixel 2 XL
• Aperture: ƒ/1.8
• Shutter speed: 1/354s
• Focal length: 4.459mm
• ISO: 50

One of my last photos I shot from the observation tower Pyramidenkogel in Carinthia. Fog patches were hovering between the mountains; the sun was glowing in the background, the latest signs before the blue hour was over.

Post processed with: Aurora, Photoshop

• Camera: ILCE-7S
• Aperture: ƒ/4
• Shutter speed: 1/60s
• Focal length: 70mm
• ISO: 100

I decided with my wife Karin to walk down the Schafberg mountain near St. Wolfgang. From 1783 meters down to the valley, we chose a way directly on the railroad line. Soon we got into dangerous terrain, because the line got so small, that there was nearly no escape from up-and down-coming trains. As you can see in the photo, we hid between to rocks. The walk got more and more risky on the narrow tracks, then we took a turn left and walked down between cow pastures.

Post processed with: Aurora, Photoshop

• Camera: X-T1
• Aperture: ƒ/6.4
• Shutter speed: 1/250s
• Focal length: 27.8999996185mm
• ISO: 200

Some friends, my brother and his girlfriend, my wife Karin and I visited the Castle Grafenegg in Lower Austria. For most of them, it was a typical Sunday afternoon trip. For a photographer it’s a journey, to take photos, find the best compositions and try to catch some pictures, which you can add to your photo collection. Most of the time, you are a bit behind the group, they don’t have the patience for waiting until you have taken your shots. 🙂 

Post processed with: Aurora 2019, Photoshop 2019

• Camera: ILCE-6000
• Aperture: ƒ/4
• Shutter speed: 1/4000s
• Focal length: 10mm
• ISO: 200

The Hohe Wand (“High Wall”) is a mountain chain with a height of about 1,132 meters. It’s a one hour drive from Vienna, therefore a popular destination. Many hang-gliders and para-sailers use it as a starting-ramp for their flights. Photographer’s get beautiful landscape shots. Be careful with the shooting in the range of the steep face; there is no fence or security-advice, it goes straight down hundreds of meters. 

Post processed with: Aurora, Photoshop

• Camera: SLT-A77V
• Aperture: ƒ/13
• Shutter speed: 1/125s
• Focal length: 85mm
• ISO: 100

The scenery of a typical Sunday afternoon autumn walk, yellow and orange leaves, some swans on a lake and a cloudy sky. First, my wife Karin, my daughter Cara and I took a pick-up train to the Laxenburg Lake. Then we walked around and had to take the ferry, to cross the lake. It was only about 30 meters distance; thus the price was only 60 cent per person. Funny, I have never seen such a little ferry with such a short distance to overcome.

Post processed with: Aurora, Photoshop

• Camera: DSC-RX1R
• Aperture: ƒ/4.5
• Shutter speed: 1/80s
• Focal length: 35mm
• ISO: 160

I arrived on top of mountain Schafsberg with the cogwheel railway. This area is well-known for heavy raining and dust, even in the summer months.  I was happy and surprised that the weather was beautiful this day. Nothing could stop me from my photo-adventure on the mountain-tops. My wife Karin dared to climb a steeper wall, only with sneakers on. I stayed at the bottom of the steeper part because my photo-equipment was hanging down and my heavier body-weight. However, I was high enough for shooting mountain-photos with raptors.

Post processed with: Aurora 2019, Photoshop 2019

• Camera: X-T1
• Aperture: ƒ/6.4
• Shutter speed: 1/500s
• Focal length: 23.299999237mm
• ISO: 200

On my brother’s birthday, we visited the Falkenstein Castle. It was founded about 1050 and is located in North-East of Austria, only a few miles away of the Czech Republic. The ravages of time gnawed on the castle and formed it to a ruin. However, it’s worth a visit, and I could shoot some beautiful photos in the castle’s garden.

Post processed with: Aurora, Photoshop

• Camera: DSC-RX1R
• Aperture: ƒ/6.3
• Shutter speed: 1/160s
• Focal length: 35mm
• ISO: 100

Once a year there is an event called “Long night of the museums” in Vienna. All museums are open from Saturday 6 pm to Sunday at 1 am. A neat idea compared to the early closing times, museums usually have. And the whole experience with one entry card for about € 12. I took my camera equipment and visited four different museums. I grabbed a wide angle lens and my Sigma 35mm Art lens with the low f-number 1.4 for the shots in the gloomy light. The first visit was at the Vienna Museum for Applied Art (MAK) which you can see on the photo. 

Post processed with: Aurora 2019, Photoshop

• Camera: ILCE-7S
• Aperture: ƒ/2.8
• Shutter speed: 1/15s
• Focal length: 14mm
• ISO: 160

With only 3,5 hours driving time to Carinthia from my hometown Vienna, I get many photo opportunities at the region of the Wörther See. Lovely villages and smooth hills surround the lake. You can catch moody photos with the unique atmosphere of lake, hills, and sunset with some people left on the beach drinking their last glass of Prosecco. 

Post processed with: Aurora 2019, Photoshop

• Camera: LEICA X VARIO (Typ 107)
• Aperture: ƒ/6.4
• Shutter speed: 1/1250s
• Focal length: 46mm
• ISO: 100