May You Never

Driving along country lanes in the 

State of Lower Saxony, Germany.

November 2010.

It had been my plan to have finished my presentation by now, but the weather was great, and there's no doubt that I was made for sunny days... Long story short: I had to get in my car and hit the road. With the move to Hamburg coming up, I will probably be too busy to take many pictures over the coming weeks, and once I'll be based in Hamburg, I'll spend a lot of time exploring the architecture instead of driving around the countryside.

Blog post title taken from this wonderful song by the late John Martyn.

There's one more song I'd like to recommend today, Steel On Steel by J. Tilman.

Have a nice day.

- Dom

Johnny Rooke

It's snowing... it's alright though, because it's Saturday and I don't have to go anywhere - I'll be spending the rest of the evening as well as most of tomorrow working on a presentation which is due next week. It's a lot of stress, but then again, working hard makes hungry and I love good food.

Title taken from this great song by Elliott Brood, which is featured in an epic 8-minute short film I discovered earlier today.

Lüneburg, Germany.

November 2010.

The previous winter lasted from December 2009 until February 2010... this one will be even longer and much colder, the forecasters say. If in turn the next summer's going to be hotter than the last, I shall head east to the Black Sea... I stumbled across some very convincing pictures... there's not only lots of partying going on but some beautiful beaches and mountains too - the foothills of the Caucasus are nearby. 

This is the last weekend I'm living at my mum's house in Lüneburg - I'm moving back to Hamburg next Saturday. I had previously lived alone in Hamburg from June 2008 until April 2009 after my move from England to Germany, but after my mum bought a house in Germany I asked if I could move in there because my flat had been rather expensive. Lüneburg is an hour away from Hamburg though, which means I spend two hours a day commuting, on account of the university being in Hamburg.

Have a nice weekend!


- Dom

Cruel Crazy Beautiful World

Hamburg, Germany.

November 2010.

Abandoned, and soon to be demolished.

I love abandoned buildings and industrial landscapes.

If there were a soundtrack composed for driving or walking around these places, this would be it.

Title taken from the song and album of the same name by Johnny Clegg & Savuka, released in 1989. It was their most succesful album, and to this day, it's one of the greatest South African records of all time. Long before Paul Simon recorded his masterpiece "Graceland", Johnny Clegg, who's also an anthropologist and dancer, had been mixing African township music with Western pop music, combining English verses with Zulu choruses. Johnny Clegg has got a new album out, with concert dates scheduled for next year. 

Happy Birthday to my fellow photographer and good friend Brooke!

Have a nice weekend y'all.


- Dom

Never Let Go

Hamburg, Germany.

November 2010.

I'll lose everything

But I won't let go off your hand

You can send me to hell

But I won't let go off your hand

I'll fall from your grace

But I'll never let go off your hand

(Tom Waits - Never Let Go)

For more new photographs taken in Hamburg this weekend, click here.

Have a nice evening.

- Dom

Echoes

No-one showed us to the land

And no-one knows the wheres and whys

But something stirs and something tries

And starts to climb towards the light

(Pink Floyd - Echoes)

Hamburg's new Elbphilharmonie concert hall under construction. An estimated cost of more than 500 million Euros means it's already been six times as expensive as the Sydney Opera House - and it won't open before 2012.
500 seconds; F/22; ISO 50.

Most of the giant Port of Hamburg is situated along the south bank of the river Elbe. It's the source of the yellowish light, which in turn is the reason why Hamburg's nights are starless. Most of the container terminals and shipyards are in operation 24/7. My favourite part of Hamburg's harbour is the Speicherstadt on the north bank though.

My English teacher Mrs. Avenell loved the quote "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." Still, I love statistics. And facts. Hamburg has more than 2,500 bridges - that's more than Amsterdam, London, and Venice combined, making it the city with the most bridges in the world.

Goodnight, and have a nice weekend!

- Dom

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Ernst Thälmann.

Berlin, Germany.

May 2010.

Thälmann was the leader of the Communist Party of Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic. Arrested by the Gestapo in 1933, he was held in solitary confinement until being executed in Buchenwald on Hitler's orders in 1944.

And the battle's just begun

There's many lost, but tell me who has won

The trench is dug within our hearts

And mothers, children, brothers, sisters

Torn apart

(U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday)

Back to the bright side of life... I found two great articles on the National Geographic website today (which I visit daily). Click on the links to find out more:

1st article - 2nd article

And because I like to recommend other photographers whose work I enjoy, there's another link for you to click on.

I wanted to take new pictures of old buildings today - it rained too much - I will try again this weekend.

Have a nice weekend.


- Dom

Part Of You, Part Of Me

I look at you

your whole life stands before you

I look at me

and I'm running out of time

Time has brought us here

to share these moments

To look for something

we may never find

(Glenn Frey)

Berlin, Germany.

February 2010.

The photo above is a long exposure; I had set the white balance to "sunlight". That's what helped to intensify the orange / yellow colour of the building and the lights. The architecture always reminded me of some scenes from the film Blade Runner.

Goodnight.


- Dom

Fuel To The Fire

Good morning!
It's been a while since my last post...

Lüneburg, Germany.

November 2010.
20 seconds, F/22, ISO 50.

It's mid-November and the weather's been miserable most of the time. It was blowing a gale yesterday; the temperature must've been close to zero. I counted only one or two beautiful days since my last blog post.

University has kept me busy, but I'm not going to complain about anything - after an entire summer spent working in the field, it's great to be able to sit back and just listen to the lecturers. 

There's a lot of interesting courses and workshops this semester, such as anthropology, an international research project, and surveying (a course on weekends) - this Saturday, I got to operate a Leica total station. 

I'm never too busy to listen to my guitar heroes though. Apart from the good old music in my record collection, I've been listening to so many new bands that have been recommended to me lately.

After my Scotland trip in December, I might disassemble my bike and give it a new paint job. I'll probably have to sand it before I paint it. Now I'm talking about a racing bicycle, not a motorcycle (unfortunately).

Travel-wise, 2011 should be an interesting year for me. I'm still planning to visit Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. One of my buddies and I might go on a road trip through Belgium and France, and probably Italy, too. Last but not least, I intend to visit London with a girl friend of mine for the first time since my move to Germany in 2008.

Have a nice weekend!


- Dom