The first evening of the year 2017 gave a magical sight: the sharp sickle of the waxing moon’s crescent aligned with Venus and Mars at around 7 pm. In addition one could see structures on the dark side of the moon, which are usually merge with the dark night sky and are not visible. Perhaps the sky was brighter tonight due to light being reflected by dust particles in the air from last night’s fireworks. The photos were taken at around 7 pm in Dresden Dölzschen.
The photo series shows impressions captured during New Year’s Eve, December 31st, 2014. They are taken on the way back home, after attending a concert at the church in Dresden Plauen. I was weakened by a cold. The resulting photographs reflect the way I felt and perceived my surroundings: a blurred smokey vision, the floating and flickering lights of street lamps, objects like trees and details of bark and textures are focused only in parts. In this state, it was important to me to also photograph the chestnut tree, where I had been doing rituals and giving food offerings to crossroad spirits.
This series addresses the condition of the forests and the interaction between man and the sylvan realm. The extraction of resin from live trees is a central motif in this series. In the past the trees were cut in order to collect their resin. The cuts in the bark of the trees are called “Lachten” in German. They form a symmetrical pattern on the stems of the trees. Several such trees create a surreal and bizarre looking scenery, in which the wounded trees occur almost extra-terrestrial. Besides this, the forest is a place that we visit to find peace and clarity. A walk in the woods is proven to strengthen the immune system. I enjoy searching for resin and other treasures among the trees and gather strength when spending time in the woods. The photos in this series are meant to capture the fascination and the alien as well as familiar feeling that I connect with the forest theme.
Update: Photographic exhibition Tree Lights | Way Home and Forestland | Lachten is still on display at the Londoner English Pub in Gotha.
Visiting a sunflower field, before venturing on to gather wild herbs and rowan berries. I recharge and absorb the warmth of the evening sun. The temps have dropped to a chilling 12 °C. Going deeper into the sunflower field, a bee, stiffened from the cold, is stuck to a huge sunflower head. I wonder if it will make it through the night. It would wake up to plenty of food though. A few seconds later the sun has vanished and the sky is ablaze…
Every year, dozens of bees and bumblebees are collecting nectar and pollen on our white lavender. Now is that time again. The above photo was a lucky shot. My lens is not really suited for macro photography. But in this image all the details of the insect are clearly visible, whereas the surrounding has a nice bokeh effect, created by motion blur and depth of field. So here we go, another bee joins the “flower devils” photo series.
Flowers photographed in the dim evening light, May ’16
Male Fern Frond Unfurling, April ’16
A common carder bee (Bombus pascuorum), on the green flower of stinking hellebore (Helleborus foetidus), photographed one evening in April ’14
Mystical sight this morning at 5 am, the ghostly February moon, surrounded by a huge orange halo, setting behind our neighbour’s Linden tree…
Lunar Eclipse, 28 September 2015
