Where The Lines Lead

When you think about it, lines have a lot to do with photography. They can focus an image, they can create an interesting perspective, but also they can help in framing an image. Like in the first image in this post, the lines of the window that are in focus, anchor the whole image and let the clouds that are moving by in a blur, be what they are. In fact, that small portion of focused window, allows the whole rest of the image to be blurry, which otherwise wouldn't work.

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Lines in a self portrait.

Happy start into the weekend, everyone!

The Passage on Nevsky Avenue in Saint Petersburg, Russia c.1900

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The Winter Sky over Sarajevo

There is so much to gaze upon during the winter season. While most are cocooned in their homes, waiting for spring, others, myself included, feel the need to venture out and see what the season has to offer. The images in this post were taken during different times, from many locations in the region where I live, but they have one thing in common: winter skies.

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Winter skies can be fresh, crisp and clear, with the soft light blue punctured by icy sun rays that somehow never bring the heat to the earth.

On the other side, winter skies are messy, busy and eventful with lots of movement and a blue sky veiled by a soft white cloud bank and proud puffy clouds dotted over it.

Lastly, winter skies are damp and still. The complete opposite of  the first type. No blue sky, no sun. Just a mysterious white cloud bank, that engulfs the landscape and swallows the sun, which is trying to peak from underneath.

From blue to white, from clear to full, winter skies have their charm and specific look. Right now we are enjoying a mixture of all, white heavy winter weather in the morning, and bright skies during the day. Thank you all for stopping by!

Vintage fashion

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When the Snow came to Mostar

In February of 2012 a massive snow storm hit my city. It started innocently enough with some light snowfall, but by the time the third day of continuous snow was approaching, huge mountains of snow were covering our front yard. I shared those images previously on this blog, but in this post I wanted to add a couple of others I didn't post back then.

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A view from my window. The snow piling up. Heavy at the bottom, with fresh snow piling on.

You can see the mountains of snow I was talking about previously. It took a whole day of shoveling just to get to the street in front of our house.

Here are a couple of images that I posted previously. This is what the city looked like during the snow. As I am writing this, snow has started to fall again in most of the country, and I wonder what the outcome will be like this time.

Any snowfalls in your neck of the woods? If yes, is it light or massive?

Escaped bear during the Paris flood tries to get closer to curious Parisians 1910

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Golden Sunset Clouds

The north of the country has finally seen fresh snowfall. And while I plan to venture out and get those shot, this weekend I'm still home bound. In the absence of a far away travel, the sky above the local landscapes had to suffice. Harsh winds from the north (that brought the snow), are left here, and the air is very cold and crisp.

I took the following images during various stages of sunset, from the golden peak to the cold afterglow. I hope you will enjoy them.

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Cold are the nights and days now, and winter has finally arrived. That's why we must cherish every bit of sunlight we get during these weeks to come. I hope you are enjoying the rest of your weekend.

Barbra Streisand

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Barbra Joan Streisand (born Barbara Joan Streisand, April 24, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter, author, actress, writer, film producer, and director. 

The Great Outdoors (12 Photo Panorama)

During my recent trip to the local mountains, and I also made a panorama, that I have been holding on to. It was a huge undertaking, because it consists of 12 Photos, that I shot RAW, and edited back in Photoshop. I hope you will like it, a lot of work went into it.

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even larger version here

For a Tutorial on creating Panoramas yourself, click here.

Have a happy start into the upcoming weekend.

A Dream of Summer

I often escape through images to sunny times during winter. When the days are short and dark, seeing blue hues of the sea, and the setting sun on the ocean is calming and inviting. I hope you will enjoy these.

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Do you like to view summer images during winter and the other way around?

Shirley Temple

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Shirley Temple Black (born Temple; April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) ) is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, and former U.S. ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia. She began her film career in 1932 at the age of three, and in 1934, found international fame in Bright Eyes, a feature film designed specifically for her talents. She received a special Juvenile Academy Award in February 1935 for her outstanding contribution as a juvenile performer to motion pictures during 1934, and film hits such as Curly Top and Heidi followed year after year during the mid-to-late 1930s. Licensed merchandise that capitalized on her wholesome image included dolls, dishes, and clothing. Her box office popularity waned as she reached adolescence, and she left the film industry in her teens. She appeared in a few films of varying quality in her mid-to-late teens, and retired completely from films in 1950 at the age of 22. She was the top box-office draw four years in a row (1935–38) in a Motion Picture Herald poll.

A Bundle of Joy

There is this thing with parents and dog owners, that always makes them show images of their loved ones. Being a proud dog owner, as much as I try to resist the urge to share too much, sometimes i just fail. To be honest, most of the images I have are of my dog Beni, and I could easily fill a whole new blog with images from him. 

On the other hand I want to celebrate the fact that I have him in my life. Dogs give us so much and ask for very little in return. They are there for us in ways no other living being ever will be. It's the calm they provide, the energy they share and instincts they have.

I think animals in general are great photo subjects, and you can learn a lot about portrait photography when taking pictures of them.

We are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures that we could very well be ourselves if we weren't compressed by the heavy rules of life.  They fight for honor at the first challenge, are brave just because they are, and they do not, for all their great instincts, appear to know about death. Being such wonderfully uncomplicated beings, they need us to do their worrying.

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The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.  ~ Samuel Butler, Notebooks, 1912

Wedding portrait of Reynaldo Morales and Isabel Hernandez 1930

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Little Alexei

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Alexei Nikolaevich (12 August 1904  – 17 July 1918) of the House of Romanov, was the Tsesarevich and heir apparent to the throne of the Russian Empire. 

Rustic Landscape Images

I feel like the time has come to return to brighter days. And since that is not possible with images taken right now, I suggest that for this post we travel back to early spring last year. This week's theme at the Friday My Town Shoot Out is Rustic Details, and these landscape images are full of them. This location is a 20 minute drive away from Mostar.

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There is also something else about this place. It is believed that an old Illyrian tribe, called Daorsi, lived here. You can find remnants of the walls all over the hills. The Daorsi lived in the valley of the Neretva River between 300 BC and 50 BC.

Bathing beauties in the Gilded Age 1898

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