Wings For Wheels

Hamburg, Germany.

35mm film (cropped).

December 2009.

Now the season's over and I feel it getting cold

I wish I could take you to some sandy beach

where we'd never grow old

I'm no prince and I can't 
lay the stars at your feet

But I got this old car and
she's pretty tough to beat

(Bruce Springsteen - Wings For Wheels)

This evening, I published three blog posts featuring photographs from my archives. There are no more old pictures left that I know of and that I would want to upload, neither from the days when I still lived in England and used medium format film, nor from my trips to the United States, nor from my travels through France and the Netherlands, nor from the three years and four months I've been living in Germany now. All of my future blog posts will feature new photographs, unless I'll stumble across an old photo that has escaped my attention.

Goodnight.


- Dom

The Long Way Home

Berlin, Germany.

November 2009 / September 2009.

Blog post title taken from this song by Tom Waits.

No One Knows I'm Gone

Beelitz, Germany.

35mm film (cropped). 

February 2009.

Hell above and heaven below

All the trees are gone

The rain makes such a lovely sound

To those who're six feet underground

(Tom Waits)

Wind Of Change

Engine shed, Hamburg, Germany.

October 2011.

The abandoned engine shed is one of the places I keep coming back to. I love the way it changes through the seasons. At the moment, the leaves are falling from the trees, and nature is reclaiming the area. Some of the buildings are beginning to fall apart after years of neglect.


Let me share some links... Vespamore has lots of great photographs of vespas, motorcycles and cars... Bikeexif is an awesome motorcycle blog... these animal portraits by Morten Koldby are amazing... last but not least, I enjoyed Raphael Bourelly's photostream on Flickr.

Blog post title taken from this song.

Rock You Like A Hurricane

Volvo V40.

The Swedes know how to build great cars.

I'm very sorry I haven't been leaving many comments recently - I'm working really hard as a pizza delivery guy to raise enough money to buy a new car. 

That Volvo surely is a great car when you're going on a road trip with friends or taking the dog out for a walk in the woods, but most of the time, it's just too big. 

I bought the V40 seven months ago to replace my first car, a dark blue Corsa, which was too small.

Of course, when I say "new car", I'm not talking about a brand-new one, but rather another used vehicle. I decided that a dude like me needs a cool car, so the plan is to buy either a BMW E30 convertible or a fourth generation BMW 3 Series or any Saab coupe for old-school cruising.

Title taken from one of the best songs of all time, by the best German band of all time, the Scorpions - the best German solo artist being Herbert Grönemeyer (click the following links to listen: #1; #2; #3; #4; #5 - if you understand the lyrics, the last song is one of the saddest songs ever).

Baker Street

Hamburg, Germany.

October 2011.

Well, another crazy day

You'll drink the night away

And forget about everything

This city desert makes you feel so cold

It's got so many people but it's got no soul

And it's taking you so long

To find out you were wrong

When you thought it had everything

(Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street)

The famous Lido club.

Berlin, Germany.

May 2010.

After many rainy days and nights, tonight was too beautiful to stay home and go to bed early. I drove around town for a few hours, listening to music, stopping here and there to take pictures. 


One of my friends will be back in Berlin soon - after half a year in Warsaw. Either he'll spend a weekend in Hamburg or I'll have a reason to visit Berlin again. I haven't been there since May 2010. I love the architecture, the bars, the museums, the restaurants (I've had better apple strudel in Berlin than in Vienna). There's an authentic American Sixties Diner, the Berghain, and the Tacheles. Berlin is full of history and there's always something to do. Last but not least, it's were I've taken some of my favourite long exposures (#1; #2; #3).

Goodnight.

- Dom

Oxygene

Speicherstadt, Hamburg, Germany.

December 2010.

Somehow, the photograph above ended up unpublished until now.


Blog post title taken from the instrumental by Jean Michel Jarre.

Have a great week!


- Dom

I Can Never Be What You Want Me To Be

Rye, East Sussex, UK.

June 2011.

You know I love you but I am shaking inside

I know I'm not going to leave here alive

I have sailed this impossible ocean

I have sailed this crazy sea

I can never be what you want,

whatever you want me to be

There is a spirit rising against
what I have become

I have to come out and choose to stay
or make my run

(Johnny Clegg)

I love England. Rye has always been one of my favourite places in the country. We often went there and I have fond memories of walking my dog on Winchelsea Beach.

One of the best things about the European Union is the right to free movement and residence. I'd love to live and work in other European countries (Denmark and Sweden, that is). Canada and Iceland as well as Israel are countries outside the EU that I would love to live in. Ultimately, however, I may end up living somewhere in Cornwall or Devon. It might not happen before I'm retired, but it sure sounds like a nice thing to me.

Anyway, what I'm saying is that England is awesome, and those of you who haven't been there yet should forget about the negative things you've been hearing about in the news or reading about elsewhere, such as the recent riots, the teenage pregnancy rates (do you remember little Alfie and his scrubber girlfriend?), the knife attacks, the chavs, the pikeys, the scousers, and an awful lot more. Instead, visit the country and be free of prejudice, for there is so much beauty to be found everywhere.

Have a great day.

- Dom

Equinoxe

Rügen, Germany.

35mm film.

August 2010.

Those are the last pictures from the rolls of film I brought to the lab last week that I'm going to publish here. I'll get more film developed next month.

Blog post title taken from the album of the same name by Jean Michel Jarre. Click here and here to listen.

My Dual CS 731 Q record player (bought by my mum in 1980) died a while ago... a friend of mine wanted to sell two turntables... I bought one of them as a replacement... and the first record I played today was Jean Michel Jarre's "Equinoxe".

Have a lovely evening, and a nice weekend.


- Dom

When The System Has Fallen

Polaroid taken in the churchyard

opposite Petersham Nurseries.

Richmond, UK. 2007.

I know that you are tired and weary

Seen too much to believe any more

But we have to keep moving down that long road

If we want to reach that far shore

We're on our way home to find our freedom

And I'm on my way home to find you my friend

Where we can stand in the light of the people

And breathe life into the land again

(Johnny Clegg - When The System Has Fallen)

I've been interested in politics since my teens, especially when it comes to topics such as conflicts and wars, environmental issues and the problems of third world countries. 

I've been following the Arab Uprising since the first day. I'm conservative and I believe in all that we (the western world) stand for - values such as democracy, equal rights and freedom of speech. Freedom is the most important thing... freedom to do and talk about and think just what you please. 

Everyone should get a fair chance in life... if they fuck it up, it's their own fault... but if they never get one, that's just not right. 

This is the reason why I've been happy to see the people of many Arab countries rise against their regimes. The children of those people who have fought for liberty now have a brighter future ahead of them than their parents did.

On the 20nd of October, 2011, the former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi met his demise after 42 years in charge of the country. Libya, like Egypt and Tunisia, now has a chance at democracy, and I really hope they won't end up like just another banana republic with a military government. 

Goodnight.


- Dom

You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet

Both pictures taken at
Schaalsee, Zarrentin, Germany.

35mm. April 2011.

Click here to see

some digital pictures.

Alster Lake, Hamburg, Germany.

35mm. February 2011.

Barn, Lüneburg District, Germany.

35mm. Winter 2010/2011.

Blog post title taken from the song of the same name by Bachman Turner Overdrive.


I'm really satisfied with the quality of the 35mm photographs published in this blog post and the previous one... I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Have a nice day.

- Dom

Mississippi Queen

Schaalsee, Zarrentin, Germany.

35mm. April 2011.

Click here to see the

digital pictures.

Motel room near Bremen, Germany.

35mm. July 2011.

Click here to see the

digital picture.

Dark Dog energy drink and a

map on the hood of my Volvo.

Campsite near Sainte-Enimie, France.

35mm. September 2011.

I found these four (#1; #2; #3; #4) time-lapse films on Vimeo earlier today. There's lots of creative short films to be found on that website.

Blog post title taken from the song by Mountain.

Have a great day.

- Dom

One Thing Of Beauty

Roussillon, France.

September 2011.

Gimme just one thing of beauty

To last me for all of my years

Gimme just one thing of beauty

To wash away all of my tears

Gimme one thing of beauty

Since it all turns to ashes and dust

Gimme one thing of beauty

Yeah, the rest you can do what you must

(Marc Cohn - One Thing Of Beauty)

Have a great week.


- Dom

Quelqun'un m'a dit

Friars Lane, Richmond, UK.

Medium format. 2007.

I'm told that fate makes fun of us,

that it gives us nothing 

and promises everything

When happiness seems to be within our reach,

we reach out and find ourselves like fools.

Yet someone told me...

That you still loved me.

Someone told me

that you still loved me.

Well, could that be possible?

(Carla Bruni - Quelqun'un m'a dit)

Near the Marlborough, Richmond, UK.

Medium format. 2007.

The photographs were taken in England, but the title of this blog post is the title of a wonderful French song. Last month's trip around Southern France introduced me to some great music.

After beating both England and Wales (in the quarter final and semi final, respectively), the French national team will be facing the All Blacks in the final of this year's Rugby World Cup (23rd of October). 

Have a nice weekend.


- Dom

Walking In Memphis

Golden Gate Bridge

Joshua Tree N.P.

Las Vegas, Nevada

June 2009.

Neither did I take these pictures in Memphis nor anywhere else in the land of the delta blues, but that song by Marc Cohn has been stuck in my head for a couple days now, and indeed it is one heck of an awesome song. 

I did however bring some rolls of medium format film to the lab that I used in my Holga camera on a trip from Boston to New Orleans, and I did of course visit Graceland in Memphis and the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.

Anyway, I can pick the film up next week. However, it's impossible to say for sure what the pictures are going to look like - maybe there won't be nothing visible at all. None of those rolls have been stored in a fridge. Now I know that I should've done that. Back then I didn't know. Then they got lost in one of the boxes of developed films and prints - until I found them recently.

Have a nice day.


- Dom

The Worst Day Since Yesterday

Citroën 2CV.

Sainte-Enimie, France.

September 2011.

Click here to see a series of amazing pictures of aurora borealis. This photograph is one of the most stunning I've seen in a long time. I'm planning to head up north to see the aurora borealis this winter (sometime between December and February). Click here if you love beautiful photographs of beautiful animals. The following sites will introduce to a lot of amazing photography websites (#1; #2; #3).

I'll bring some 35mm film to the lab tomorrow. Recently, I also found a few more rolls of medium format film from a trip from Boston to New Orleans in the summer of 2007. I've posted some photographs from that trip over the last few years, but I always wondered where the other rolls had ended up. When you move a lot, some things get lost. I'm going to have them developed soon.

Also, I won't be able to take any new pictures for a few days. The sensor of the 5D Mark II needs cleaning. I'm going to get this done at a Calumet store.

Autumn has arrived in this part of Germany - it's raining a lot, the leaves are no longer green, and the supermarkets have already started selling chocolate santas and gingerbread. From other regions such as Bavaria, there have been reports of snowfall.

The worse the weather gets, the cosier it feels to sit down in my favourite Irish pub in Hamburg, Finnegan's Wake... it is also where I'll celebrate my birthday next week. 

Blog post title taken from the song by Flogging Molly.

Goodnight.


- Dom

Down To The River

Richmond, London, UK.

June 2011.

One of my favourite 

places in my old hometown.

Take me down

Down to the river

Down to the river

Hold my hand

Down to the river

Down to the river, Lord

(Ray LaMontagne - Down To The River)

Death Valley Queen

Chaos de Montpellier-le-Vieux, France.

September 2011.

Click here to see more pictures.

I remember you well from that town you did dwell

With the face of an angel in a dump hot as hell

So death valley queen, go marry your king

Or an old maid you'll end up for certain

(Flogging Molly)

Have a nice weekend!


- Dom

Shelter

Colmar, France.

September 2011.

It's been a rainy morning, so I spent a few hours listening to music, drinking tea, and editing more photographs taken in France. 

France is far too beautiful to spend even a single day of your holidays on the beach. I've never been the lazy kind of traveller and neither are my friends, so we spent the better part of six days on the road, and the other two days hiking. There's so much to see. Look at the gorgeous half-timber work in this picture. Another thing we liked about the towns and villages along the Route des Vins d'Alsace were the flowers... the French sure know how to decorate their houses.  

Blog post title taken from this wonderful song by Ray LaMontagne.

Ripple

1st picture: Castelbouc.

2nd picture: Sainte-Enimie.

The town of Sainte-Enimie is a popular stop along the road that winds through the Gorges du Tarn. There are no large supermarkets in the entire valley; there's only a tiny corner shop in Sainte-Enimie. In addition, a lot of canoeing and kayaking tours start in Sainte-Enimie.

The settlement of Castelbouc was one of the stops on our way out of the valley. On an epic twelve-hour-journey to Besançon (via Dijon, a town famous for its mustard), we passed through lots of picturesque villages. I was the only driver and we avoided the motorways, so this part of the trip was rather exhausting. 

After a good night's sleep, we were back on the road again for the last part of our trip. On the way back up to Hamburg, we passed through wine country and also visited the American Cemetery in Épinal.

Wine country. 

Somewhere between

Besançon and Épinal.

Épinal American Cemetery.

I used a Lensbaby 3G

for this picture.

I hope you enjoyed my photographs taken in France. 

There is a road,

no simple highway

Between the dawn and

the dark of night

And if you go

no one may follow

That path is for

your steps alone

Ripple in still water

When there is no pebble tossed

Nor wind to blow

(Grateful Dead - Ripple)

"Ripple", by the Grateful Dead, has always been one of my favourite folk songs. They also wrote and recorded one of my favourite songs of all time, "Sugar Magnolia".

Have a great day.

- Dom

Chimes Of Freedom

Saint-Chély-du-Tarn, France.

September 2011.

Far away from the cities and towns, where the radio crackles as it's trying to pick up a signal, we're spending three nights at a campsite deep down in the Gorges du Tarn.

We decide to go swimming in the Tarn. It's summer time but the water is cool. The sun is going down behind the granite rock of the valley. Her warm light makes our skin look the colour of gold. We're friends and we're exactly where we're supposed to be. There's no need to say anything. We just smile. 

We're smiling because we know that for the rest of our lives, these moments will remain in the depths of our memory. We'll grow old, we'll have wives and children, and one by one, we'll leave this world and our friends to catch up with us one day down the road.

For this particular moment in time though, we feel like we're young forever. And that is all that matters, all that used to matter, and all that ever will.

Through the mad mystic's hammering

of the wild ripping hail

The sky cracked its poems

in wonder

That the clinging of the church bells

blew far into the breeze

Leaving only bells of lightning

and its thunder

Striking for the gentle,

striking for the kind 

Striking for the guardians

and protectors of the mind

(Bob Dylan - Chimes Of Freedom)

Have a great week!


- Dom