Time goes by, some pleasant and some very sad things happened in the last months. All of us have to look foreward. Ironically, this blog shows just moments of the past, that’s the nature of a picture. In the last time, I’ve thought much about what’s the reason to capture a moment or why not. What is harrisonburg-webdesign.com my personal intention to take a picture of a situation? Is it because it touch my sense or just why it is maybe looking interesting to the audience? Do I photograph for myself or for the people who say they like my pictures? What is making me driven? Hard to answer that, but I’m very concentrated now to analyse every situation I want to capture and asking myself why I do this, intuitive I think. I won’t say more now, let’s start with the latest entry.

Not enough space? Bern is a city of bicycles.

Rolf at my workplace.

That’s maybe something for my german friends, I don’t get it. The people on the right side trapped in the frame at this moment, wish they didn’t but I made the shot anyway.

The last picture I’ve made of Roger. Damn… feel empty without him.

Saw this on the way home from shopping.

Unfortunately you can’t see the sparks which the workers made.

In Solothurn with Sandrine. It was a very nice Sunday.

Cool bag.

Someone lost his folding rule.

Headline: Dirk Bach is dead. That’s autumn I think…

Nice to see someone is awaiting you after a long and boring working day :-)

I was running out of film, so i decided to buy a package of TriX. While I was standing there and waited for appliance, I’ve realized this scene and just thought “someone have to capture it”.

At the “Turnhalle” for a beer. He saw two pretty girls beneath us.

At the annual Kirmes with Andy and Joel.

Saturday morning, met up with some guys for taking pictures. Traditional coffe first.

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

Left the builder, right the tester :-) It takes about 60 hours to make one of these horns.

First frost that morning.

Got a Thumps Up for the Leica, just tested it here. It’s a great helping tool!

Met Eliane for a little shooting. She’s a photographer too, check out her impressiveportrait-series >>Lebensbilder<<

My M7 go to Solms now for service because the digital readout is broken. So I will be 2 or 3 months without my camera.

I think this is the last post in this year. Wish you all great christmas days and we will see us in 2013. Hopefully.

Finalmente, the rest of Italy. Digital color for once. Check out the previous part here: Gambatesa August 2012

Aperitif and preparation for the wedding

The stressed guy :-)

Everytime I’m get asked if I would shooting a wedding, I answer no, never. This here are just some shots while I was damn sick. There were a committed photographer and I won’t do his job, I was a guest. But now I regrett that I didn’t took more pictures.

A short trip with my family to the land of my uncle Santino.

A workers life.

Between the olive trees.

DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!

A little crime…

My aunt Zia Matilda, chief crazy horse :-)

The last night in Gambatesa. Hope we come back next year.

On Thursday 13th, I bought the Blue Oyster Cult album with the song Don’t Fear The Reaper. On Friday 14th in the morning, my best friend Roger died. His heart just stopped beating.

What can I say, he was one of the best guys I’ve ever known. We known us about 13 years. We shared many mind about life and photography. We laughed much together and sometimes we also cried together. We stood side by side on the coinstar franchise Coinstar Money Transfer, Information About Hsbc suc. 3077 paraiso street and took our pictures. Sandrine and me, we are still shocked. His parents, Marcel and Judith and his stister Anita are heartbroken. His girlfriend Caroline and her little son Jan are lost in theirs deep and endless sadness. And many, many sad friends.

And I lost a brother.

I will never forget him, he was taking pictures with the same fire in his soul like me. And my heart isn’t empty, because I have so much good memories. He had so many peolpe who loved him, and at all I know, he had a good life. You just gone too early, Rodge.

Rest In Peace my friend.

First of all, I want to thank all you guys who visit my blog. I appreciate the conversation with you and it’s an enrichment and inspiration to study your work as well.

First some Rollei shots. I have to say that I had some problems with developing medium format in the last time. Got this strange dark cloudy stains on the edge of the frames everytime, that mades me dissatisfied. Tried out some tricks but they didn’t work as well, so I was reserved shooting with the Rollei. But now I believe I have the problem under control, no stains this time.

Maybe I should use the Rollei just for portrait and not for this crap, I guess.

Waiting for exit.

If you ever asked yourself why I’m taking so much pictures at trainstations, this is my daily way to work. I’m not so happy with that fact, but better than nothing I guess because I’m sitting 8 hours and a half in front of a screen in the office. IT IS SO FRUSTRATING!!!

Nice couple, looks like for her and him :-)

Sandrine tried to cool down with a cold bottle of water.

Seems to be a good plan on this hot days.

Waiting for Rodge. Wasting some time and film.

In Fribourg with Rodge. I don’t know exactly why we go to the “Welschland”, over the “Röschtigraben” so often. But it is different.

On the way to Locarno for a little photographic job. This one I made at the trainstation of Lucerne through a dirty trainwindow.

Filmfestival of Locarno was at the same day.

Some pics from the job I worked on.

Someone crushed this traffic light. I’m asking myself how they do that.

Meet Christina, the one and only.

At the “Tramdepot” in Bern.

They make excellent beer and…

beef tartare.

She asked me where she can take a look on my pictures. I know I gave her a card when they was fresh printed, but she’s lost it. No problem, have still enough of them.

There are many of these cellar in the oldtown of bern and she became curious, especially for this one.

Finished the roll.

This is a very familial thing. It was the wedding of my cousin Michele in Gambatesa, Italy. So my mother and my sisters drove down with the car, Sandrine and me flew a week later. When I was a kid, we drove down every year in summer schoolvacation. But after the divorce of my parents, it wasn’t so easy to get down anymore. Anyway, it was my first visit after five years, and to my surprise, nothing has changed there. But my point of view and sense for the people and the village have changed a lot.

On the way to Zurich.

We had to sleep that night in a hotel near the airport because the flight was early in the next morning.

Rome, what a hells kitchen. I didn’t take much pictures there because the humidity was around 100%, just afraid to get fungus in the lens or something else.

The first night in Italy I became so sick. I was looking like a zombie and of course, on this day was the wedding. Carmen, preparing for the wedding of her brother Michele.

My mom :-)

He was talking with my mother about his job in the army. Stationed in Lebanon.

Michele, the last two minutes before the big show begins.

Wish you two a great time!

On the way to the huge party. Never seen windparks so close, the whole mountain was full of it. But the resident villages will not have any of the power they produce. Politics.

As I sayd, I was so sick that I could’t handle my camera. A shame, missed many great moments, I really regret it. But there was a photographer of course, won’t do his job. Close family to Micheles side.

Come on, doesn’t he look like Al Pacino?

Carmen and her boyfriend Francesco, maybe the next wedding. Shot f2.8 at lowlight, you can see the problem.

Testing al dente :-)

Zia Anna’s job everyday, cutting the bread.

Zia Anna compare her hands with Sandrines. She mades her compliments because she don’t use nail polish. What a thankful moment for the camera.

There are watertanks or, like here, solarpannels on the rooftops.

I decided to make more portrait and documentation than street. so my most recited phrase in this week was “posso fare una fotografia?” -can I make a picture?- the results are stunning. The people of Gambatesa are so unique. They’re like actors and the village is the stage.

One of the rare moments I can make a picture of my mother. She hates it to be photographed.

She becomes curious, so I could made this beautiful shot.

Franco took us up in his garden. His BIG garden. Look at his face how proud he is :-)

Top view from the garden, the lake in the back.

Cracking the nut.

Some old radiators.

Love the dark edges at f1.4.

This was a very interesting situation. He was sitting at the wall on his walking frame. I asked him if I can make a picture of him. He negate, but then he started to talk about his life. Unfortunately, I didn’t understand all, but he was in war, marine I guess. I’ve just listened intently, then he asked me about my name. So I told him my mother is from Gambatesa, she’s here for vacation. At this point, he stands up and sayd: “so, now you can make a picture of me”. When I look at this pic now, I ask myself why I didn’t made a spot shot with the Rollei, but that wouldn’t be the same because it will just show an old man. But on this frame with some distance, it gives him respect and holds the place of his life.

My sister Ramona, chilling under the ventilator.

Maybe too much personal.

Zia Anna, 94 years old. Vital like a teenager.

In the garage of Franco’s sanitary storage. Incredible how much light cames on a ISO100 Film, I’ve never thought that because it was so dark. Fuji Neopan.

Carmen is checking her emails for orders. She have a little shop or bakery, don’t know what’s the right definition, she makes handmade pasta, very delicious!

In a bar, drinking some special coffee. Gelati is the only weapon against this heat.

In Carmens pasta-bakery.

The very special alleys of Gambatesa.

Zio Michele

Yeah, very cool to be the only man in company with three beautiful women :-)

Newstime. The turn on/off of this television sounds like Super Mario.

Sandrine and my sister Joanna.

Making salsa.

Caffè & Biscotti.

The killers…

Italy was definitely a new expirience in case of interacting with people for taking pictures of them. It is a big difference between there and here in switzerland, because the people of Gambatesa were very pleased when I asked for a photo. In switzerland, most of the people are afraid of misusage the pics of them or something, that makes it difficult. This are maybe the best pictures I’ve ever made, so I want to hold up this line now.

This is a post of hanging chairs, horses and dogs.

That shit second…

Take notice of this hanging chair for later!

I think f/1.4 is too bright.

There must be the DeLorean Timemachine parked in.

A little walk with Sandrine outside for fresh air.

Need a stove?

The tree in the garden of my mother. Look like a heart.

The sun lighted shadow of a street light. Ironic.

Went to St. Ursanne with Rodge, but I hadn’t any inspiration.

Icebreaking spyder?

On the way to Porrentruy.

I have to work on my timing. More left would be great.

Lowridaaaaa… back in Bern.

The 5th wheel.

Let’s have a beer.

Rosengarten in Bern. Everytime a good place for some pics.

That shit second…

Let the beer go his way…

On the way to Aarau for the bureau. I didn’t made pictures there because I hadn’t the time and the hands full of documents. But I will go back again, there are some interesting places.

Back in Bern in the early morning. 1 hour before annual works outing.

Where did he go?

Do you remember the hanging chair above? Take this. Now, take notice of black and white.

A really cool guy.

That I call confidence.

Some shots out of the carriage’s back.

Do you remember the black & the white hanging chairs above? Here we got a black and a white dog. Crazy, not?

Just by the way: a white and a black cap.

In Zofingen with Rodge.

What?

Honestly, I made this one with a DSLR. In the catholic church at the confirmation of my little sister.

White chairs on a black ground.

Finally someone that use the space.

The parallax of a rangefinder camera is a problem on short distance for the art work. I had extra leave out the waste bin on the left side from the frame but it was too close, now it’s on the shot.

A very quick shot while I’m walked to the train, couldn’t stop because I had many busy people in my back.

Lovely.

Wild…

Styled…

Much better with the new haircut :-) It’s interesting how many times some subjetcs are repeating itself. But it wasn’t that extreme like actual. As I sayd in the last post, I’ve tried to get closer. But for now I have to work on my timing.

Between the streets, there are some abandoned places with a special attraction. I made a short excursion to them and try to catch the depressing atmosphere. In the woods or on an old junkyard, the decision between color and b/w film let me change the filmholders from the Mamiya a few times.

Naturally, there are not much people around this places, so I had enough time to walk around undisturbed. Watching closely and listening intently, an own surreal world come true. You can dive in it, stay for a while and when you go home, you cross the border to the “normal” world with a feeling that you just had a strange dream.

Like the storys of Edgar Allan Poe, the place get’s in you and stay in your mind. And sometimes, when you visit it again, it awaits you with a subtly smile.

An old fishfarm. Color pics are made with Kodak Portra 400.

Great plus of the Mamiya: you can change the filmpack. Which one is your favorite?

Old industry.

Back to the streets.

Photomarket in Burgdorf.

The caves near Burgdorf.

I just said that I would never take a sit on that creepy one…

…and what he did?

A waterfall of trees.

Public society.

Sometimes, it’s a dangerous job.

Sandrine and me visited a live performance of “The hair-raising cases of Philip Maloney”, a radio play. If you understand the german language, you have to know it. The dialogues between private investigator Maloney and the confused Policemen are legendary.

Waiting for the train after the show.

Grand prix des bureaux.

Put away the vegetable market.

On the way to Locarno.

Poor weather. It was raining all the time.

Anyway, I took the Rollei with colorfilm, because I know Locarno a bit and I wanted to play with the colors.

The funicular up to Madonna del Sasso.

If you walk down on the right side of the monastery, you can see the stations of the cross in this white shrines. I didn’t took a pic of the church, because they do restauration work, not very exciting.

This is my “I’m so concentrated that my blood pressure is blasting my head away” face.

We want to have the breakfast for one time in the hotelroom. Just for the fun of it.

Quick little lizard.

At all, I was waiting about an hour to made a pic of this tree. This was the only satisfying moment.

Hello friendo…

Good night.

I think I made some cool shots. Sure, not all subjects are thrilling. But otherwise, I just can catch what I see. I try to getting closer next time.

New year, new gear. I did a couple of photography jobs, so I’ve earnd some extra money. First I tried to get an used Nikon Coolscan 5000 ED on ebay. No chance, my limit was broken one hour before the auction ends. So I bought a new Coolscan V ED with Silverfast from a shop in Germany. Now I can work incredible faster and become a beautiful better image quality. Here are the pictures I made with the 35mm Summilux and scanned with the new Nikon, a great combination I think.

It was a windy day at the Lake of Lucerne.

We were out for a walk. Much better density in this picture.

“Just stop taking pictures and come to bed with me”

Marc

Some shots with Rodge in Solothurn.

Sale! Sale! Sale!

Rodge and his new baby :-)

It’s funny to support him with his new camera, because I have no idea what I’m talking about :-)

Street in Basel, one week later.

Hypnotic interactive.

iPhoneiac.

I have to say that I made many pics of him in this post. One way, I want to exercise my portrait skills, on the other way I like to document the reunions with my friends or family. There are also great moments to catch.

They never attack alone.

I have to work on my perspectives.

The pic that Rodge made of this bridge

A neighbors cat. She really likes us.

Damn cold days. Want to take some pics in the office.

We had some “unamusing” work to do. Trash the fiscal year of 2000.

No, I’m not just took pictures. She’s not had to do all alone :-)

I told her that I saw the movie “Milk” with Sean Penn. She sayd “yeah, Sean Penn was the best James Bond for all time”. I had to laugh out loud :-)

A special place in my memories from my childhood. It’s a subway in Olten, a city my family and me were visiting on sundays to take a walk.

My little sister Joanna. Okay, she’s not little anymore. Going shopping for shoes.

I met Rodge at the trainstation in Lucerne for taking pictures. As usual, we first get a coffee before we start shooting.

The morning sun.

Lake Lucerne. The same one as the first pic in this post, just on an other side.

They drink hot tea. It’s still creepy cold without sunshine.

Feeding the seagulls, a national sport.

Grab the cat!

The sun in the afternoon.

A couple of pairs.

Crazy mask

Poor guy, totally overstrained.

Actually, I don’t know at what they stare.

Time runs.

Good luck guys.

Anka

I’m so satisfied with my new scanner. The old one just made a lot of problems. The quality was “belowground” and I had to invest a whole day to scan a full film. Now I make it in 2 hours. I just need some time to figure out the best settings. Should I re-scan all my negs?

I guess that I recovered some courage, or ambition, to make more exciting pictures than in the last time. That’s a step forward. But it’s still a long way to reach the results I imagine. I wish I have more time for taking pictures. Next time I try to get closer and more in front to the subject. And I have to go more down to the ground with my point of view, Mr. Lang :-)