Longest post ever
Actually, this won't be a long post in terms of writing, but it will be long in terms of scrolling because I feel like posting some old pictures. A lot of old pictures. Specifically, a bunch of my favorite pictures from our time overseas. I've been thinking more about photography for a lot of reasons: jealousy from seeing pictures taken by friends with much nicer cameras than ours, Mädchen's constant demands to look at pictures (especially of herself) on the computer, seeing some beautiful pictures posted recently on an expat blog, and thinking about how we can start making our house look more like home (after a year-and-a-half back in the States, we still haven't painted or hung everything on the walls, and the basement still has plenty of unpacked boxes).
So all of that got me to thinking about the pictures we took overseas that I'm happiest with and would think about hanging on our walls sometime. They're not necessarily pictures of our favorite places (although in some cases they are), but rather pictures that I'm either really happy with how they turned out, or ones that have particular meaning. Why just from our time overseas and not since? Partly because of the memories (pictures of travels would be inherently more interesting than pictures from around here), but also because I feel like most of the time here I'm more focused on trying to get halfway decent pictures of Mädchen than trying to take inherently interesting photos. (It doesn't help that the batteries on our nicer camera are constantly dying, so even on those rare occasions when I might have the motivation to try to get creative, I usually don't have the camera.) Unfortunately it's not in our budget at the moment, but I'd love to someday have a really nice digital SLR camera and take the time to really work on developing a better eye for interesting shots.
Anyway, if you have the patience to do a lot of scrolling, here are three years worth of favorite photos (click to enlarge) that I've given thought to framing and hanging in our house:
Grady on the train to Wengen, May 2004. Not only was he actually sitting still, but he looked genuinely happy to see the Alps. It was the first time I took him on the train by myself. It was also not long after Gretchen went home to take care of her Mom for an extended period of time, and I know it made them both smile.
Waterfall, Lauterbrunnen, May 2004. Taken on the same trip as the previous shot. I liked how the light caught the water and the leaves, and I liked how the trees helped frame the waterfall.
Vanuatu market, October 2004. The flowers almost matched the color of the market worker's muu-muu (which almost every local woman seemed to be wearing).
Trail sign, Kandersteg, December 2004. These signs are everywhere you go in Switzerland, and come in handy year-round because a little snow isn't enough to keep the Swiss from going hiking.
Matterhorn, Zermatt, January 2005. Growing up, I always thought the Matterhorn was a ride at Disneyland. Little did I know that someday I'd ski down to a restaurant to eat outdoors with this view.
Tsukiji Fish Market 4:30am tuna auction, Tokyo, March 2005. I liked how it captured not just the fish, but the swirl of action by the market workers and buyers.
San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy, April 2005. So old, but the open shutter (and maybe the blue sky) gave it life. Very Italy to me.
Mercat de la Boqueria, Barcelona, Spain, May 2005. Such a colorful and chaotic place, yet the fruits and vegetables were so neatly stacked.
Tapas, Barcelona, Spain, May 2005. After Gretchen's Mom died, we traveled with this little stuffed sheep (named Little Guy) that had comforted her Mom in her last months, and took pictures with him everywhere we went as a way of having her Mom--who would loved to have heard our stories--share in our experiences.
Cow, Rigi, June 2005. Gretchen took this one, unfortunately with a really old, low-megapixel camera. Even though I probably take 80%+ of our photos, Gretchen probably has a more natural eye for beautiful shots.
Cows, Adelboden, June 2005. We took self-portraits everywhere we went, and this is one of my favorites, partly because it actually turned out, but also because it was one of the most quintessentially Swiss experiences we had (watching the cows march from the valley up to the high meadows for the summer--a line of cows are marching behind us along the base of the small hill).
Thunersee, Beatenberg, July 2005. This is another one of Gretchen's. While I was making a presentation at a training course in the mountains, she went for a hike and got this photo between rain showers.
Sheep, Wengen, July 2005. We were sitting in our hotel room after a chilly day of hiking and heard a bunch of bells ringing. When we went out to the balcony to see what it was, we saw it was a family herding their sheep through the (car-free) town to another pasture. I just wish we had a better zoom on our camera.
Jungfrau, Wengen, July 2005. After several days of overcast and drizzle, we were afraid we were going to go the whole weekend without actually seeing the famous Alpine peaks above Wengen (which Gretchen had never actually seen). Then, as we were sitting outside having a glass of wine on our last evening there, the clouds suddenly started to part and the Jungfrau began to emerge out of the dusk.
Fjærland, Norway, September 2005. Technically Gretchen's photo, although I get an assist because I was driving (we took it from the car). We were driving up to see a glacier when we noticed these cows trying to stay out of the rain by waiting at the restrooms. When we returned, they were gone but had left quite a pile in front of the doors (I guess their hooves had trouble with the doorknobs).
Balestrand, Norway, September 2005. The fjord was beautiful in its own right (the fjords in general were stunning), but then we got lucky when a rainbow appeared as well.
Baby Charolais cow, Burgundy, France, October 2005. Another of Gretchen's cow shots. Most of the Charolais cows were massive and intimidating, but this little guy looked like he just wanted to be Gretchen's friend. (This was the same trip where Gretchen took a pregnancy test that came back negative, so she happily joined me in sampling the wines and unpasteurized cheeses of Burgundy in great abundance, only to get home and find out she actually was pregnant. Oops.)
Fish market, Dakar, Senegal, November 2005. On my two trips to Africa I spent most of my time working and didn't get to see much, but this was one of the times I was able to sneak away. Needless to say, I stuck out like a sore thumb at this market, but the sights and sounds and smells were fascinating.
Monk, Bangkok, Thailand, December 2005. We were riding on a water taxi on the Chao Phraya River when I noticed a monk standing next to me looking across the river at Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn), so I surreptitiously grabbed the camera and got this quick shot.
Jungfrau, Wengen, January 2006. Another trip to Wengen without being able to see the Alps, in this case because of a big windstorm that shut down the railways and ski lifts (and, as we found out the next day when we went skiing, blew all the fresh snow off the slopes and left an icy crust in its place). At some point the winds shifted and the clouds parted, and the mountains appeared in a burst of light.
Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo, Egypt, February 2006. I liked the moon above the minaret. I also liked that the sky was blue, because the rest of the time I was there the city was choked by a sandstorm.
Fasnacht, Basel, March 2006. Gretchen stumbled upon this small group marching with their fifes (one of the most godawful sounds imaginable, by the way) through one of the narrow alleyways in the Basel Altstadt.
Dinner at Säge, Flüh, March 2006. The Big Finn actually took this with our camera (we were out to dinner with he and Mrs. TBF), and it's one of my favorites of the two of us. Gretchen was about six months pregnant and glowing, we were at our favorite restaurant with good friends, we were happy and I think it shows. (This one is already in a small frame in our house, and Mädchen really has fun looking at it.)
About two minutes after Mädchen's birth, Basel, June 2006. Gretchen wasn't in much of a mood for photos after 12+ hours of labor (I can't imagine why), but we were really happy with how this one turned out.
Bethesdaspital, Basel, June 2006. Teeny, tiny, crinkly little fingers.
Post-lunch stroll, Dornach, July 2006. I defy you to find anyone who stacks wood as orderly as the Swiss.
From our backyard, Basel, July 2006. Every spring and summer the songbirds in our neighborhood put on a show every morning and evening. One bird's favorite spot was the streetlight behind our house, and we were lucky to catch him before sunset one evening.
Sports Club, Bottmingen, July 2006. Thrown over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I think this was around the time it was sinking in that I was, indeed, actually a Dad.
Train home from Bern, July 2006. A nice mother-daughter moment coming back from getting Mädchen's passport on her one-month birthday.
Lake Geneva, Lausanne, August 2006. Got lucky when the flag unfurled at just the right moment.
Sitting at home, Basel, August 2006. We were always planning another trip, even after Mädchen came along.
La Giralda, Sevilla, Spain, September 2006. I wish I could take credit for the vivid colors, but we didn't have filters/tripod/etc.--just happened to catch it at just the right time of the evening.
Canal, Amsterdam, September 2006. Nothing necessarily that special, but a very typical scene Gretchen captured from one of our very favorite cities.
Kurbis Fest, Basel, September 2006. If you live in Switzerland long enough, you end up with no shortage of cow photos.
Field near our house, Basel, November 2006. Green fields, fall colors, blue sky.
Living room, Basel, December 2006. Family photo, featuring Grady, by Gretchen.
St. Mark's Basilica, Venice, Italy, December 2006. Somehow the colors came out and it wasn't too blurry despite not using a flash or tripod.
Zurich Hauptbahnhof, January 2007. Changing trains on the way home from Arosa. I like how they're still while the world races around them.
Hotel room, Berlin, Germany, February 2007. Mädchen smiles a lot, but usually stops the instant we get the camera out. Not only did we get her smiling, but she was also enjoying sitting by herself and watching out the window--in retrospect, a time when she was really becoming her own little person.
Dining room, Basel, February 2007. Beginning to discover solid (as opposed to mushy) food in the form of Cheerios.
So all of that got me to thinking about the pictures we took overseas that I'm happiest with and would think about hanging on our walls sometime. They're not necessarily pictures of our favorite places (although in some cases they are), but rather pictures that I'm either really happy with how they turned out, or ones that have particular meaning. Why just from our time overseas and not since? Partly because of the memories (pictures of travels would be inherently more interesting than pictures from around here), but also because I feel like most of the time here I'm more focused on trying to get halfway decent pictures of Mädchen than trying to take inherently interesting photos. (It doesn't help that the batteries on our nicer camera are constantly dying, so even on those rare occasions when I might have the motivation to try to get creative, I usually don't have the camera.) Unfortunately it's not in our budget at the moment, but I'd love to someday have a really nice digital SLR camera and take the time to really work on developing a better eye for interesting shots.
Anyway, if you have the patience to do a lot of scrolling, here are three years worth of favorite photos (click to enlarge) that I've given thought to framing and hanging in our house:
Grady on the train to Wengen, May 2004. Not only was he actually sitting still, but he looked genuinely happy to see the Alps. It was the first time I took him on the train by myself. It was also not long after Gretchen went home to take care of her Mom for an extended period of time, and I know it made them both smile.
Waterfall, Lauterbrunnen, May 2004. Taken on the same trip as the previous shot. I liked how the light caught the water and the leaves, and I liked how the trees helped frame the waterfall.
Vanuatu market, October 2004. The flowers almost matched the color of the market worker's muu-muu (which almost every local woman seemed to be wearing).
Trail sign, Kandersteg, December 2004. These signs are everywhere you go in Switzerland, and come in handy year-round because a little snow isn't enough to keep the Swiss from going hiking.
Matterhorn, Zermatt, January 2005. Growing up, I always thought the Matterhorn was a ride at Disneyland. Little did I know that someday I'd ski down to a restaurant to eat outdoors with this view.
Tsukiji Fish Market 4:30am tuna auction, Tokyo, March 2005. I liked how it captured not just the fish, but the swirl of action by the market workers and buyers.
San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy, April 2005. So old, but the open shutter (and maybe the blue sky) gave it life. Very Italy to me.
Mercat de la Boqueria, Barcelona, Spain, May 2005. Such a colorful and chaotic place, yet the fruits and vegetables were so neatly stacked.
Tapas, Barcelona, Spain, May 2005. After Gretchen's Mom died, we traveled with this little stuffed sheep (named Little Guy) that had comforted her Mom in her last months, and took pictures with him everywhere we went as a way of having her Mom--who would loved to have heard our stories--share in our experiences.
Cow, Rigi, June 2005. Gretchen took this one, unfortunately with a really old, low-megapixel camera. Even though I probably take 80%+ of our photos, Gretchen probably has a more natural eye for beautiful shots.
Cows, Adelboden, June 2005. We took self-portraits everywhere we went, and this is one of my favorites, partly because it actually turned out, but also because it was one of the most quintessentially Swiss experiences we had (watching the cows march from the valley up to the high meadows for the summer--a line of cows are marching behind us along the base of the small hill).
Thunersee, Beatenberg, July 2005. This is another one of Gretchen's. While I was making a presentation at a training course in the mountains, she went for a hike and got this photo between rain showers.
Sheep, Wengen, July 2005. We were sitting in our hotel room after a chilly day of hiking and heard a bunch of bells ringing. When we went out to the balcony to see what it was, we saw it was a family herding their sheep through the (car-free) town to another pasture. I just wish we had a better zoom on our camera.
Jungfrau, Wengen, July 2005. After several days of overcast and drizzle, we were afraid we were going to go the whole weekend without actually seeing the famous Alpine peaks above Wengen (which Gretchen had never actually seen). Then, as we were sitting outside having a glass of wine on our last evening there, the clouds suddenly started to part and the Jungfrau began to emerge out of the dusk.
Fjærland, Norway, September 2005. Technically Gretchen's photo, although I get an assist because I was driving (we took it from the car). We were driving up to see a glacier when we noticed these cows trying to stay out of the rain by waiting at the restrooms. When we returned, they were gone but had left quite a pile in front of the doors (I guess their hooves had trouble with the doorknobs).
Balestrand, Norway, September 2005. The fjord was beautiful in its own right (the fjords in general were stunning), but then we got lucky when a rainbow appeared as well.
Baby Charolais cow, Burgundy, France, October 2005. Another of Gretchen's cow shots. Most of the Charolais cows were massive and intimidating, but this little guy looked like he just wanted to be Gretchen's friend. (This was the same trip where Gretchen took a pregnancy test that came back negative, so she happily joined me in sampling the wines and unpasteurized cheeses of Burgundy in great abundance, only to get home and find out she actually was pregnant. Oops.)
Fish market, Dakar, Senegal, November 2005. On my two trips to Africa I spent most of my time working and didn't get to see much, but this was one of the times I was able to sneak away. Needless to say, I stuck out like a sore thumb at this market, but the sights and sounds and smells were fascinating.
Monk, Bangkok, Thailand, December 2005. We were riding on a water taxi on the Chao Phraya River when I noticed a monk standing next to me looking across the river at Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn), so I surreptitiously grabbed the camera and got this quick shot.
Jungfrau, Wengen, January 2006. Another trip to Wengen without being able to see the Alps, in this case because of a big windstorm that shut down the railways and ski lifts (and, as we found out the next day when we went skiing, blew all the fresh snow off the slopes and left an icy crust in its place). At some point the winds shifted and the clouds parted, and the mountains appeared in a burst of light.
Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo, Egypt, February 2006. I liked the moon above the minaret. I also liked that the sky was blue, because the rest of the time I was there the city was choked by a sandstorm.
Fasnacht, Basel, March 2006. Gretchen stumbled upon this small group marching with their fifes (one of the most godawful sounds imaginable, by the way) through one of the narrow alleyways in the Basel Altstadt.
Dinner at Säge, Flüh, March 2006. The Big Finn actually took this with our camera (we were out to dinner with he and Mrs. TBF), and it's one of my favorites of the two of us. Gretchen was about six months pregnant and glowing, we were at our favorite restaurant with good friends, we were happy and I think it shows. (This one is already in a small frame in our house, and Mädchen really has fun looking at it.)
About two minutes after Mädchen's birth, Basel, June 2006. Gretchen wasn't in much of a mood for photos after 12+ hours of labor (I can't imagine why), but we were really happy with how this one turned out.
Bethesdaspital, Basel, June 2006. Teeny, tiny, crinkly little fingers.
Post-lunch stroll, Dornach, July 2006. I defy you to find anyone who stacks wood as orderly as the Swiss.
From our backyard, Basel, July 2006. Every spring and summer the songbirds in our neighborhood put on a show every morning and evening. One bird's favorite spot was the streetlight behind our house, and we were lucky to catch him before sunset one evening.
Sports Club, Bottmingen, July 2006. Thrown over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I think this was around the time it was sinking in that I was, indeed, actually a Dad.
Train home from Bern, July 2006. A nice mother-daughter moment coming back from getting Mädchen's passport on her one-month birthday.
Lake Geneva, Lausanne, August 2006. Got lucky when the flag unfurled at just the right moment.
Sitting at home, Basel, August 2006. We were always planning another trip, even after Mädchen came along.
La Giralda, Sevilla, Spain, September 2006. I wish I could take credit for the vivid colors, but we didn't have filters/tripod/etc.--just happened to catch it at just the right time of the evening.
Canal, Amsterdam, September 2006. Nothing necessarily that special, but a very typical scene Gretchen captured from one of our very favorite cities.
Kurbis Fest, Basel, September 2006. If you live in Switzerland long enough, you end up with no shortage of cow photos.
Field near our house, Basel, November 2006. Green fields, fall colors, blue sky.
Living room, Basel, December 2006. Family photo, featuring Grady, by Gretchen.
St. Mark's Basilica, Venice, Italy, December 2006. Somehow the colors came out and it wasn't too blurry despite not using a flash or tripod.
Zurich Hauptbahnhof, January 2007. Changing trains on the way home from Arosa. I like how they're still while the world races around them.
Hotel room, Berlin, Germany, February 2007. Mädchen smiles a lot, but usually stops the instant we get the camera out. Not only did we get her smiling, but she was also enjoying sitting by herself and watching out the window--in retrospect, a time when she was really becoming her own little person.
Dining room, Basel, February 2007. Beginning to discover solid (as opposed to mushy) food in the form of Cheerios.
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