Mini Stories #3: Nature Photography Contest
In 2020 Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry organised the Nature Photography Contest. It was the very first photo competition I took part in. The goal was to explore and document the diversity on the campus in Martinsried. This research institute is surrounded by the city forest and fields full of plants and wild animals. Employees built bird tables and squirrels are their frequent guests too. The gardeners make sure that the meadows are not completely cut in summer to leave space for bees and butterflies. And it is not uncommon to meet goose families walking around the pond, which is also a home for fish, dragonflies and moorhens. However, it…
Inspired by nature – Garden Show Ingolstadt
House plants, pots with vegetables on balconies and uncut meadows full of bees – gardening trends that blossomed during the pandemic continue to grow. Visitors of the Regional Garden Show (Landesgartenshau) in Ingolstadt have a chance to explore the horticulture exhibition and collect inspirations for their own green oases. Bavaria has a 40-year-old tradition of organising this type of events. The mission is not only to entertain the guests with the latest trends but also to boost the attractiveness of the region by creating new urban space and inviting guests to admire it. Ingolstadt previously hosted the Garden Show in 1992 and until now, the Klenzepark at the banks of…
Macro photography ideas – Baltic Sea beach
White sand, green water and blue sky – Baltic Sea beaches are raw and cold. The subtle colour palette and a lot of empty space create perfect conditions to experiment with a simple, minimalistic photography style. The challenge is to find the object worth capturing and which isn’t too obvious. Typical photos from the Baltic Sea include sunsets, pier, beaches, shells and boats. What if your camera is already full of such photos and you experience the creative block? Try macro photography! In this post I share my ideas of objects worth shooting. Sand There is so much of it on the beach that we tend to ignore it. Sand…
Aflopark – to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow
Since the announcement of the opening of Aflopark in Pabianice, hateful comments have spread in local newspapers: “It is too expensive”, “Who does even need it?”, “My garden is bigger and nobody pays me to see it”. Citizens complain mostly about the money that was spent on this investment as well as the price of the tickets. They compare the collection with the ones in botanical gardens in Łódź, Rogów and even Wrocław and they don’t see the future of this park in bright colours. Are they right? Is Aflopark worth any hype? I decided to check this out myself. Since I don’t live in my home town anymore, any new attraction…
Mini Stories #2: Through the Looking Glass
Botanical photography is a beautiful combination of science, technology and art. I follow the work of many photographers in this field and in this post I would like to draw your attention to Samuel Zeller – a photographer based in Switzerland, who published a wonderful book “Botanical”. It is a collection of photos taken in botanical gardens across Europe. What is unique about his project is the new perspective. Most of the photos were taken outside of the green house, through the windows. The glass between the lens and the object adds a new dimension. His photographs are inspired by works of impressionists and sometimes it is hard to say…
Mini Stories #1: Magic mirror on the wall
It all started with a photo. A young woman was posing in front of the mirror and there were many more mirrors behind her on the wall. Initially, I thought it is a famous gallery, museum, or restaurant. The idea to visit such an unusual place was instantly born in my head. Unfortunately, she only mentioned that it was taken in Maxvorstadt or Schwabing (in Munich). I can’t even remember exactly. I tried to find this photo many times but it got lost in millions of others posted every day on Instagram. The mystery remained unsolved. On a cold Sunday in January, I was strolling along Schwabing. No city plan,…
Cochem – the golden hills of Apollo
The iconic photo from Cochem always shows the castle (Reichsburg) on top of the hill. It is surrounded by vineyards, which in autumn change from green to yellow and red. At the base of the hill, there are many colourful houses. Big cruise ships slowly go down the Mosel river. This tranquil scenery has been caught in thousands of photos. What is so special about this place? Why is everyone so hypnotised by Cochem? Cochem has all components of a fairy tale village: castle on a hill, narrow cobbled streets, medieval half-timbered houses, hidden staircases, workshops and wine. It is where childhood dreams about becoming a princess come true. I…
Mainz – the pink queen of the Rhine
Mainz is the largest city of Rhineland Palatinate, Gutenberg’s home-town and Germany’s wine capital. Some people call it a pink city. What is the reason for this? In this post, I will look at Mainz through rose-colored glasses to find out. Old Town Let’s start on one summer Sunday morning. Cobbles under my feet don’t make it easy to walk the streets of Old Town, especially in hills. The bells from church towers scare the pigeons. Apart from them, there is almost no one around. All shops are closed. Only cafes and restaurants have open doors and tables outside. Now there is only a queue in front of a bakery,…
Bieszczady – 4 easy hiking trails
It is another rainy night in Kalnica. The water drops hit the metal roof. It is so dark that there is no difference if your eyes are opened or closed. As every other evening, we think about the next trip, but with a storm expected next day it is hard to plan long hiking high in the mountains. Luckily we have plenty of alternatives, suitable for worse weather, for when we are tired or when we feel like cycling instead of walking. Below I present 4 easy hiking trails in Bieszczady. 1. From Kalnica to Dolzyca The first trail leads from Kalnica to Dolzyca. It is a biking path through…
Relaxing weekend at the Baltic Sea
Every now and then we all need a break. The best way to rest and forget about everyday issues is to go somewhere far from home. The farther we go the smaller our problems seem to be. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to take a few weeks off and fly to another continent. However, already just a weekend spent on recharging batteries can do wonders. What if we combine a short holiday with practicing mindfulness? It is not just a meditation, but trying to be present in the moment and live life more consciously. It helps to be more focused and ignore distractions. Such holidays, although short, will stay…
