Water Tower in New York City

This picture is taken from the Brooklyn Bridge, towards a water tower, using a telephoto lense. I thought the background with a glass facade made an eminent framing.

Exposure program - Aperture Priority
F-stop f/11
Exposure time - 1/200
Focal length 275mm
ISO-speed - ISO-400
Date taken - 09.08.2008

Landing.. Landing..... Ouch

Someone threw some food to these birds and with only 5 degrees fahrenheit in the air, they took advantage of this little treat. A food frenzy. One second everything was normal. The next second they were coming in from all directions. I guess this would be the situation at airports if the air traffic controllers really went on strike.

Exposure program - Aperture Priority
F-stop - f/4
Exposure time - 1/200 sec
ISO- 400
Focal length 70mm
Date Dec 3, 2010

Nidelva ved Nedre Leirfossen, Trondheim in -15 celcius / 5 fahrenheit

Birds out of Focus

I should actually call this "The Best of the Worst", because I do like this picture even though it's not in focus. My wife had been taking pictures of these ducks for a while when I arrived. She had already got her shots from this distance and was moving in. Before I was aware of what was happening, the ducks were on the move. I hadn't even got around to play with the camera settings yet.

Exposure Program - Aperture Priority
F-stop 5
Exposure time 1/40 sec
ISO - 400
Focal length 50mm
Date - Nov 29, 2010

Nidelva ved Nedre Leirfossen, Trondheim in -15 celcius / 5 fahrenheit

Chains

One good thing about having a dog is that you sometimes end up stopping the car at places you otherwise would have driven past. At one of our pit stops, we ended up at a small harbor which seemed to have been deserted for decades. It was a mecca for odd things to take pictures off.

Even though there is nothing wrong with the original, I did play around with Photoshop to bring out the color just a bit. I also just had to try this one in b/w.. and I really don't know which one I like the best.

Exposure program - Normal
F-stop 6.3
Exposure time 1/200
ISO - 400
Focal length 70mm
Date September 7, 2010

Hitra, half an hour's drive from the cabin.

Little Italy, New York, USA

This photograph was taken in Little Italy in Manhattan. The setting was sooo Italian and a little further down the block was an old Chevrolet from the sixties, all shiny and ready for action, playing loud Italian music from the car stereo. The man looked the part and it's one the portraits I am most satisfyed with.

Exposure program - Normal
f-stop f/5.6
Exposure time 1/250
ISO - 400
Focal length 300mm
Date - October 3, 2008

Unknown Bug

We have been invaded by a special bug at work. I tried searching the internet to find its name and origin, but no luck so far. Even though these guys are not welcome in a Nursing Home, they make for a great motiv for macro pictures.

Exposure program - Normal
F-stop - f/1/6.3
Exposure 1/60
ISO- 400
Focal length 60mm
Date - August 21, 2010

An Evening Stroll in "Gamlebyen"

I played in the Norwegian Chess Championship in Fredrikstad this year. And we lived very close to "Gamlebyen" while we stayed there. And the tournament was held only 5 minutes away. So there was no reason whatsover not to observe this historic place. An one more little tidbit. For centuries, "Gamelbyen" has been a military town / fortress.. and in the early 1980's, this was were I had my recruitment period.

Walking along the outside perimeter one late evening, these benches were whispering to me to have their picture taken. As I did, my wife jumped up on one, and I ended up with my first real tries at silhouette pictures.

Picture #1 Exposure Program - Aperture Priority
F-stop f/4
Exposure Time 1/30 sec
ISO-400
Focal Length 70mm
Date, July 8, 2010

Picture #2 Exposure Program - Aperture Priority
F-stop f/4
Exposure Time 1/25 sec
ISO-400
Focal Length 70mm
Date, July 8, 2010

Water Wheel

I saw this water wheel in Fredrikstad. Off course, I ended up with 8 almost identical pictures. The only difference was the water pattern. I honestly can't say which is better, but I favor this one. Maybe because the water is evenly spread.

Exposure program - Normal

F-stop f/6.3

ISO-400
Focal length 300 mm
Date July 10, 2009

Bird in the middle (Corvus cornix)

I had to climb a little, to get this bird inside the little sunspot on this cold day in May. And then I had to wait until his buddy flew away. He was sitting a little further up and had the dark cloudy sky as background. Even though the distance between the bird and myself was quite far, I decided to use the flash, gambling that I might get a glimpse of his eye. And I did.

Exposure Program - Normal(Automatic)
F-stop, f/5.6
Exposure 1/60
ISO-400
Focal length 300

I used my wifes camera for this shot, a Canon 450D

Side Canals in Venice

This canal in Venice fascinated me, because there were no gondols or other boats present. At nighttime it gave me an eerie feeling of doom. There is a church tower on the left hand side all the way in the background, if you look closely.

Exposure Program - Manual

F-stop f/11

Exposure 10 sec

ISO-400

Focal length 32

Date 13 September 2007

Venetian Arsenal in Venice

I waited patiently for almost an hour for these two people on the bridge to finish their conversation, so I could take this nighttime picture of the Venetian Arsenal. But their conversation seemed neverending. Not having any knowledge of the Italian language, I had no idea if the conversation was nearing its end. Looking at the pictures on my harddrive now, it seems like the picture were the two men are standing in conversation is the one that makes the picture come alive.

Exposure program - Manual
F-stop f/32
Exposure time 10 sec
Focal length 38mm
Date September 12, 2007

Here is a link to the Venetian Arsenal.

A Windy Day at Orient Point

We lived on Long Island in New York in 2008. We found a beautiful beach at Orient Point which is as far out on the North Fork as you can get. My wife fell in love with some small white stones which dominated the beach and we spent many days during the year picking these stones. They are to be part of our new bathroom in Norway.

It was a windy day in September. The dog, as always, came along. And, as he is part of the family, this picture comes under the label "Family Moments".

Picture #1 - Aperture Priority
F-stop f/8
Exposure time 1/500
ISO-400
Focal length 50mm
Date 20.09.2008

Shipping those stones to Norway cost more than our plane tickets.
Here is a link to Orient Point.

Dual concentration

Trees are always a fascination. But when you are 4 years old, you just don't reach up. But there is always some help around. I think that father and son already found out that the moon is not reachable, but a branch from an old tree is definately a second best. And for me behind the camera it was certainly a family moment to capture.

Picture #1 Exposure Program - Action Program
F-stop f/4.5
Exposure time 1/800
ISO-400
Focal length 120
Date: April 25, 2010

Erik was a very proud young boy when holding tightly around the branch with both hands. Maybe not so tough when his father took a few steps away, but he did reach the ground safely again.

Erik, 4 years

In 1969 I used to run around the house. I can't quite remember why, but at that age I probably had a very good reason to. 40 years later, there was suddenly a new kid running around our house. I didn't ask why. As a grownup I didn't really care. What I did, was run into the house, bring out the camera, and see if there were any magic moments to capture.

Picture #1 Exposure Program | Action Program
F-stop f/5.6
Exposure time 1/400sec
ISO-400
Focal Length 240mm

Thank you Per, for not having enough energy to keep up with your son, using our backyard for a pitstop. But the coke in good company is always a pleasure.

Piazza San Marco in Venice

I like the emptiness, with the modern round tables in their plain form and the chairs with their steel support dominating the bottom half of the picture, while the top is filled with culture and history that we can only imagine through tourist brochures and books. Just standing there alone on the otherwise crowded square was an experience worth waiting for.

Picture #1 Exposure Program Manual
F-stop f/16
Exposure time 10sec
ISO-400
Focal length 21mm
Date September 13th 2007

Our Northern Italy trip was our honeymoon. We only had one tripod, so we decided that the night shots would be mine, while my wife took the early morning shots. On the left hand side we see part of the Campanile and the Clock Tower. In the middle, St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace on the right hand side. For those, very familiar with Venize, I can mention that I am standing at the Piazzetta, with a view towards the Piazza San Marco.

Here is a link to the Piazza San Marco in Venice.

Cruiseship in Flåm

This picture was taken on July 13th 2009 on our way from Bergen. We had just passed Flåm on highway E16 when we saw this cruiseship. It was so unreal, because when we first saw her, I was not aware that we were driving next to a fjord. So for me, it was like seing this huge ship standing stranded on a farmers field between huge mountains.

Taking the picture with the old red boathouse on the lefthand side gave the picture a good contrast between old and new which I liked. It was also raining, and in afterthought, I wish I had been able to somehow hold the camera nearer the waters edge while taking the picture.

Picture #1 Automatic
F-stop f/9
Exposure time 1/200
ISO-400
Focal length 18mm

This picture has on April 15th 2010, been entered into the National Geographic Channel Photo Competition with a theme over Norwegian Nature.

Martin, 4 years

We were at our cabin in Snillfjorden together with some friends and their child this Easter.  I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take some pictures of the four year old. The camera was in "Landscape Mode", which I forgot to turn off. This gave me many pictures with a long shutter speed and with a "Trashcan" destination.

Picture #1 Exposure Program - Landscape Mode

F-stop f/9

Exposure time 1/100

ISO-100

Focal length 35mm

Picture #2 Exposure Program - Landscape Mode
F-stop f/5.6
Exposure time 1/100
ISO-100
Focal length 70mm

Bryggen

These pictures were taken on July 11th 2009. I was at the time participating in the Norwegian Chess Championship in Bergen, and had ample time to photograph these fascinating buildings. Bryggen (Norwegian for the Wharf), also known as Tyskebryggen (the German Wharf) is a series of Hanseatic commercial buildings lining the eastern side of the fjord coming into Bergen, Norway. Bryggen has since 1979 been on the UNESCO list for World Cultural Heritage sites.

Picture #1 Automatic

F-stop f/10

Exposure time 1/500

ISO-400

Focal length 35

Picture #2 Automatic

F-stop f/11

Exposure time 1/500
ISO-400
Focal length 35

These two pictures are almost identical. Picture 2 is cropped a little. On the left of the buildings you could see the old city fortress. From this angle I found the combination of the two disturbing.

Here is a link to Bryggen.

Statsraad Lehmkuhl

These pictures of The Statsraad Lehmkuhl were taken on July 12th 2009.  She is about to dock at her home port in Bergen. She is a three-masted barque rigged sail training vessel. I have seen her a few times before, but never while holding a camera.

I liked the generation gap between the two ships, the identical white paint and the windows which almost look like some kind of perforation going through the picture. Usually I would prefer a blue sky, since I am never around when there is one, but in this particular picture, I think a blue sky would distract to much away from the ships and what I want others to see.

Picture #1 Automatic

F-stop f/6.3

Exposure time 1/320

ISO-800

Focal length 300

Picture #2 Automatic

F-stop f/6.3

Exposure time 1/160

ISO-800

Focal length 70

Here is the link to the homepage for The Statsraad Lehmkuhl. You can choose between the languages Norwegian and English.

 And here is what Wikipedia has to say. You can choose a preferred language further down on the page.

Reindeer in Bøverdalen

These pictures were taken on July 14th 2009. On our way down from Galdhøpiggen, Norway's highest mountain at 2.469m (8.100ft), my wife and I saw these reindeer. I guess the area could be called Bøverdalen. My wife spotted them first and got the good close-ups, while I had to wait until the next turn in the road. The reindeer were moving away from me and there was no time to plan the photography.

Picture #1 Automatic
F-stop f/11
Exposure time 1/500
ISO-200
Focal length 300

Picture #2 Automatic
F-stop f/11
Exposure time 1/500
ISO-200
Focal length 300


Here is a link to Galdhøpiggen, which is also the highest mountain in Scandinavia and Northern Europe.

The Coastal Express Richard With

These pictures where taken on January 8, 2010, which was one of the coldest days this winter. We are seeing "Richard With", the Norwegian Coastal Express, which we refer to as Hurtigruten. It is passing the old harbor fortress Munkholmen.

With -18 degrees celsius (-4 degrees fahrenheit), this makes for great pictures where water is concerned. Unfortunately the camera itself was not to fond of the cold. It lastet only 10 minutes before it stopped working. The hot air from the car heater didn't really help either. As for myself, my hands were numb and my knuckles white.

Picture #1 Automatic
F-stop f/8
Exposure time 1/500
ISO-400
Focal length 300

Picture #2 Automatic
F-stop f/7,1
Exposure time 1/400
ISO-400
Focal length 300

Picture #3 Automatic

F-stop f/8

Exposure time 1/400

ISO-400

Focal lenth 300

Considering the weather conditions for both my camera and myself, it was put on automatic. The only thing I really regret is completely forgetting to choose both JPEG and RAW format and not just JPEG.

"Bildene er tatt mellom Ila og Trolla med utsikt mot Munkholmen."

Link to the Norwegian Coastal Express

Link to Munkholmen

This blog is now linked to the website Bloggurat.

This blog is now linked to the map section of Bloggurat.