USA

From the Chicago River, you get one of the best sightseeing tours in Chicago. When entering the excursion boat, try to choose a place where no elbows and heads hinder you with photo shooting. Soon you will experience skylines on both sides of the river. Be sure to have spare batteries with you for the many motifs you will experience.

Post processed with: Aurora 2019, Photoshop 2020

• Camera: ILCE-7R
• Aperture: ƒ/6.3
• Shutter speed: 1/200s
• Focal length: 55mm
• ISO: 100

It was already after 7:30 pm, the predicted time for the bats to start flying. I waited half an hour long and used the time to take sunset photos under the bridge. I saw only a handful of bats; however, very nice to watch. But the invasion with the launch of hundreds of thousands of bats has failed this day.

Post processed with: Photoshop 2019

• Camera: ILCE-7S
• Aperture: ƒ/5.6
• Shutter speed: 1/1500s
• Focal length: 46mm
• ISO: 640

The excitement of Las Vegas really turns out in the night. Lights and colors shine and the city gets its beautiful glow. I was standing on one of the bridges which span the two lanes of the strip. 

Post processed with: Photoshop 2019

• Camera: LEICA M (Typ 240)
• Shutter speed: 1/8s
• Focal length: 50mm
• ISO: 250

Chicago is the city where the aunt of my wife Karin lived. The family relocated to Baton Rouge and Cleveland then. Karin and I took the boat tour on the Chicago River, where I positioned myself to catch the best photos of the skyline. Don’t forget to set the high shutter speed, crucial when driving on a shaky boat. The tour guide was very entertaining, a joy to look at him when telling his stories. A tour to recommend, enjoyable, and great for shooting pictures.

Post processed with: Aurora 2019, Photoshop 2019

• Camera: ILCE-7R
• Aperture: ƒ/6.3
• Shutter speed: 1/1000s
• Focal length: 31mm
• ISO: 100

The rooftop bar at the Hilton in San Francisco is a top location. Full-size windows give you a view from the bottom of the floor to the roof where you can see the whole city in front of you. There you get the cosmopolitan feeling of megacities when looking at the sea of lights.

Post processed with: Photoshop 2019

• Camera: DSC-RX1R
• Aperture: ƒ/2.2
• Shutter speed: 1/80s
• Focal length: 35mm
• ISO: 6400

We were stopping at a crossroad in San Francisco. I used the waiting time for shooting a photo through the windshield. I was pleased from photographing out of the driving car windows and got some decent shots which surprised me with untypical compositions.

Post processed with: Photoshop 2019

• Camera: ILCE-7RM2
• Aperture: ƒ/5.6
• Shutter speed: 1/800s
• Focal length: 57mm
• ISO: 320

At the time of my visit to San Francisco, the Summer of Love Festival took place. Exactly where the hippie movement had its roots. Upper Haight Street turned into a freak show, dozens of street food and souvenir items filled the street sides. There was a smell of pot, live bands playing, people dancing on the street to “American Pie” by Don McLean. That was the year 1968 again.

Post processed with: Aurora 2019, Photoshop 2019

• Camera: ILCE-7RM2
• Aperture: ƒ/5.6
• Shutter speed: 1/800s
• Focal length: 35mm
• ISO: 320

After coming back from Sausalito, we decided to take the cable car for the drive to Market Street. Since there was a long line, I took the camera and did shots of the closer environment. This is one of the reasons, why a smartphone is not enough. If you cannot leave your place and are shooting photos, you have to use the zoom of your lens. For post-processing I added Orton Effect to get a dreamy look.

Post processed with: Aurora 2019, Photoshop 2019

• Camera: ILCE-7RM2
• Aperture: ƒ/16
• Shutter speed: 1/80s
• Focal length: 24mm
• ISO: 100

It was very hot, so I searched for a place in the shadow. The bridge was a safe place, covered by shadows from the skyscrapers. I could rest a bit and drink my ice-cold diet coke as the yellow boat approached, then I prepared my camera for shots from the Chicago River. I like the composition from the river which is meandering through the city.

Post processed with: Aurora 2019, Photoshop 2019

• Camera: ILCE-7R
• Aperture: ƒ/16
• Shutter speed: 1/60s
• Focal length: 15mm
• ISO: 100

How to differentiate from the thousands of Golden Gate Bridge – pictures? I had the luck and patience to see some shipping at the bridge. My friends had to wait a bit. I was eager for shooting the photo. Then we could continue with our goal, to cross the bridge with E-bikes and then drive to Sausalito.

Post processed with: Aurora 2019, Photoshop 2019