Posts in Category: Austria
A Rose by any other name…
The Hapsburgs…The Royal family of much of Europe at one time…evidently enjoyed roses. The place grounds at Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna are full of roses…flocks of huge rose bushes set in ornamental gravel, long rose trellis tunnels, islands of rose and stone in the lawns…roses, roses, everywhere. And red is the predominate color, though some of the plantings have more variety. (I am sure there is some history there that might illuminate the gardeners’ choices.)
One of the things I really like about the ZEISS Touit 12mm f2.8 is the ability to shoot very close to the subject, using the great depth of field and the wide angle perspective to to capture flowers, in particular, in a unique way against their backgrounds. I have used the technique here on roses hanging from one of the trellis tunnels.
Sony NEX 5T with ZEISS Touit 12mm f2.8. f4.5 @ 1/160th @ ISO 100. Processed in Snapseed on my tablet.
Reed Warbler
European Warblers are difficult birds for any American to identify. Nothing like our colorful birds of the same name (and, in fact, from a totally different genus). European warbers are all small, mostly brown, black, and white, and relatively elusive. Take this one for instance. I think it is a Reed Warbler…it is, after all, singing in the reeds…but it might be a displaced Marsh Warbler, or even a Savi’s Warbler. I do not have enough experience with European Warblers to say for sure…but I am going with Reed as the most likely. 🙂
It was taken in the Reed beds right in Neusiedl am See, within sight of our hotel, during the ZEISS VICTORY SF Experience Event.
Olympus OM-D E-M10 with 75-300mm zoom. 1200mm equivalent (600 optical plus digital tel-extenter). Processed in Snapseed on my tablet.
Fritillery in Flight
This is one of those chance shots that just happens when photographing butterflies. I could not have planned it. If this were taken in the US, this would be a Great Spangled Fritillery. This however was taken in a small Park in the Seewinkel region of Austria in a tub of cultivated flowers. It might be a Queen of Spain Fritillery. Those who know better, please correct me.
Olympus OM-D E-M10 with 75-300mm zoom. 600mm equivalent. Shutter preferred. Processed in Snapseed and Photo Editor by dev.macgyver on my tablet.
European Red Squirrel
We did not see a lot of wildlife other than birds during the ZEISS VICTORY SF Experience Event in Germany, Austria, and Hungary. Not surprising really, since it was a birding trip. We did see Roe Deer and Red Deer, Brown Hare, and this perky little Red Squirrel. The Squirrel appeared to want to join our group as we birded the grounds of Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. It came directly down a path toward us, and to within a few feet, before veering off to one side. Cute.
Olympus OM-D E-M10 with 75-300mm zoom. 600mm equivalent. Processed in Snapseed on my tablet.
By the way…I could not get WordPress to work on my tablet in Europe due to slow Internet connections. I am back and the regularly scheduled programing will resume 🙂