Last summer I had the privilege to spend some weeks in Latvia again. The country is situated in the center of the Baltics in Northeastern Europe. The population is concentrated mainly in the capital, Riga, and in other larger cities, while the countryside still maintains a lot of charm and beauty which is already gone elsewhere in Europe. Some impressions.
Amid the Atlantic Ocean, between the land masses of North America and Europe, there are some sprinkled islands of volcanic origin called the Azores. If you want to find them on a map, you probably need a pair of glasses. While they seem to disappear in the vast blue surrounding them, the inhabitants have withstood the forces of the ocean for many hundreds of years already, mainly living off agriculture carried out on the island’s rich volcanic soil. Products from the Azores, like milk and cheese, are well known for their quality in mainland Portugal, where the nine islands belong politically. Also, there is some tourism. Since 2015, Ryan Air has been operating flights to the islands from Lisbon and Porto. We seized the opportunity with a friend and took a flight to the main island of São Miguel. We traveled the island primarily by bike and public busses. Cruising through green landscapes, passing by cattle, visiting small villages, and meeting friendly people. Always on the canvas of a vast, endless ocean.
This post is part of the so-called “Greek Series”, consisting of photographs I shot while backpacking Greece in September 2013. You’ll find a basic introduction to the series here and a list of all previous posts over here.
Without any doubt, Greece is a colourful country, and I myself am very fond of powerful colors in photographs. But interestingly sometimes the absence of color brings focus and a certain sharpness to pictures.
This post is part of the so-called “Greek Series,” consisting of photographs shot while backpacking Greece in September 2013. You’ll find a basic introduction to the series here and a list of all previous posts here.
Nafplio is a port city in the western part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Today, the former capital of Greece is primarily a vacation destination for tourists from Athens due to its proximity and good ferry connections. People from Athens escape here for weekend trips to shop and enjoy themselves. It is a touristy place with shopping boulevards and many luxury brand stores. Greece’s economic crisis was not very obvious, and we saw a lot less graffiti and poverty than in other urban areas. Though the city as we saw it didn’t represent the living reality of most Greek people, it was a good place for going out and having a good time in general. There are two castles/fortresses to see here, one on the top of the hill behind the city with a great landscape view over the buildings and the sea and a small fortress on an artificial island within the bay itself.
Impressions were collected in late November around Prater and Donaucity.
This is one kind of “The Viennese Central Cemetery Part 2,5,” or the outtake. Two shots I really liked but which didn’t fit into. In the second picture, you see the fabulous Karl-Borromäus church in the center of the cemetery. Plus, another shot from Vienna’s streets captures autumn’s colors.
Michael Hoffman Photography 