Hallstatt
The lovely, picturesque village of Hallstatt, Austria - such a beauty!
One of the most beautiful little villages I have ever visited, Hallstatt sits aside this gorgeous lake and is surrounded by towering mountains. It’s a photographic dream come true for me to stand there and take some shots. I’ve wanted to visit for years and finally was able to do so when we were in Germany last year. Hallstatt is in Austria, sort of south of Salzburg - roughly an hour+ drive away. It was well worth it though and I’m quite happy how this long exposure turned out as well!
Hallstatt
The stunning beauty of Hallstatt, Austria…
Such a quaint and yet very beautiful little town, Hallstatt Austria really impresses! Despite it's relatively small size, it packs quite a punch visually. We spent most of a day there, and of course I shot it from every angle I could find. I even got snowed on during my evening shoot, but who cares? When you are somewhere like this, you just love the views so much that almost nothing can stop you from standing out there and shooting!
Hallstatt is just beautiful
A view over the lovely and beautiful town of Hallstatt, Austria…
I'm not sure what more I can say about Hallstatt, Austria...
I had wanted to visit Hallstatt for years and when I was in Salzburg, Austria last year I finally had the chance. We rented a car for the day and took off. It was about 2 hours of driving if I recall correctly, but so worth it! I finally got to stand here and fire some shots! In fact, I stood here a few times throughout the day, taking shots and then wandering back into town, only to return later for more shots. What can I say? That's what I do.
Snow over Hallstatt
A light snow began falling while I was shooting in Hallstatt, Austria...
It snowed on me while I was shooting in Hallstatt, Austria.
This amazing little town captured my heart. It's incredibly photogenic, and when it started snowing on my it only added to my love of the place. Living in central Texas, I rarely get to see snow, so I still enjoy it. In this case, I felt like it added to the scene in an interesting way.
Two views of Hallstatt
Two photos from Hallstatt, Austria today...such an inspiring little town, and so beautiful!
As i wrote in this previous post, Hallstatt Austria is a gorgeous little town. Though I was only there for 8 hours or so, I took a TON of photos. It was a bucket-list sort of place for me, which means I was in full-scale military mode, firing shots and moving, firing again and moving again, etc. I did slow down for a few breaks though. You always have to refuel!
This first shot is of the town from a dock at one end. After parking the car, we wandered up to town and literally just ran into this view. The second shot is from the same spot, just facing out towards the lake. It's a monstrous lake, actually, and being surrounded by these amazing mountains just makes it even more beautiful!
A moody look at Hallstatt
The beautiful village of Hallstatt, Austria under moody and menacing skies (that dumped some snow on me).
Oh, this town! So awesome!
I have wanted to visit Hallstatt, Austria for many years. I had seen countless photos of it online, and knew that I just had to get there. When we were in Germany back in April, we made a 4 day stop in Salzburg, Austria before heading on to Prague. This was my chance!
Everyone agreed we should visit, so we rented a car and spent the day there. It was amazing. It actually started snowing on me while I was shooting that evening! For a guy from Texas, that is a novelty. I loved it.
This is the classic view of the town from an elevated road, and it's a wonderful spot from which to view the town. I was here a couple of times that day, but this evening session was the most fun. Interestingly, I had it entirely to myself except for a few minutes when another guy showed up and took a few shots. Yep, all mine. So awesome!
A lovely view in Salzburg
I accidentally found the view I was looking for in Salzburg...
This is a pretty classic view of Salzburg, Austria
While I do like to find my own views when I travel, I can't pass up a photo opp, even if it's been done to death. Classic view are classic for a reason - they are usually pretty awesome. In this case, I went looking for this one.
I could sort of tell where it was shot from, although it's actually a little further away from the castle than you might think by looking at the photo. This is from Mirabell Palace and Gardens, which is actually across the river and a ways back from the castle you see in the distance.
Though I wanted to find this view, I stumbled upon it accidentally. I was walking from my hotel to town and stopping along the way to shoot. When I got to Mirabell, I decided to explore it a bit, and found the view I was looking for. A happy accident!
A quick stop at the Plansee
A beautiful alpine lake that I came across by accident in Austria!
A beautiful lake in Austria that I lucked into!
When we were in Germany, we spent a week hitting some of the awesome spots near Fussen, including Oberammergau. After there, instead of driving back home the way we came, we decided to head over the border to Austria and circle back around to Fussen that way.
Win!
It ended up being not just a shorter drive but a more beautiful one as well. We came across the Plansee, which is this beautiful alpine lake. Of course, I had to swerve into a little spot as soon as I rounded the bend and saw it. This is not the sort of thing I ever come across, so as you can imagine I was pretty excited about it!
St. Michael's Church, Vienna
I just don't get tired of shooting all the beautiful churches that I come across in Europe. I found this one in Vienna, Austria by accident - sometimes I get lucky! I'll take it!
Another beautiful church in Europe - seems all the best ones are over there!
When I go to a town in Europe, I plan our my photo targets in advance, so as to maximize my time there. It has helped me on numerous visits to different cities. If you don't plan ahead, you miss great stuff, or get bogged down somewhere and forget to move on to the next bit of awesomeness.
But, I haven't always been like that. I used to just show up and wander around without doing a whole lot of homework. I did some, but I wasn't thorough. In retrospect, I am sure I missed a lot of cool things. Guess that means I need to revisit some places - darn! :-)
Today's photos from Vienna, Austria are a perfect example of what I could have (and frankly, should have) missed when I was there well over 2 years ago. (Yes, I have a lot of photos from previous trips that I just haven't gotten to yet. I figure that gives me plenty to work on when I am NOT traveling).
This is St. Michael's Church in Vienna, Austria, and I only got the photos here by dumb luck, basically. I was actually walking over to another church that WAS on my list (St. Stephen's Cathedral - and it's a doozy!) and due to the location of my hotel, I walked right by here. I loved the scene, and snapped it.
I then made a mental note to return later (since it was basically sunrise when I shot the exterior) and try for the interior. As you can see, I was able to get in later that day, and it's rather beautiful. And so there's a lesson for ya - always do extensive research before arriving somewhere - because there's a lot of awesomeness out there folks!
Morning in Vienna
Vienna is a beautiful town - have you been?
I have been to Vienna, Austria a couple of times in my life. Once as a kid, which I barely remember and once a year or so back, which I definitely remember because I shot like crazy there! In my limited experience, it's a very beautiful town. I wandered around a LOT (even though I was only there about 18 hours or so) and took many shots. It's just what I do. :-)
My best results were on the morning of my departure. I got up early and wandered the streets during sunrise. Luckily, I was close in to all the key sites, so even though I didn't have enough time to shoot them all, at least I was able to get street scenes like this one with very little people in them. That's one of my favorite reasons for shooting sunrise in distant cities (or any city for that matter).
This is the Graben, which is one of the famous streets in the historic city center of Vienna. It's all pedestrian and full of shops and restaurants, so while not a totally authentic, cultural experience, it's still a beautiful walk, especially when you can get it mostly empty. I walked along here the night before to find dinner (and take a few shots, of course), and it was CROWDED.
Vienna is definitely a place to see, assuming you are nearby. I would love to get back someday. Fingers crossed on that one. :-)
Blue hour on the Graben
The Graben is a large pedestrian thoroughfare in the historic center of Vienna, Austria. As you can probably imagine (and as you can see in this photo), it gets very crowded around the dinner hour. I was only in Vienna for one night, so I made sure to get out and photograph the place as much as possible.
I went out photo-walking as I made my way to find dinner. I strolled along, shooting this and that. I feel no hurry to eat when I find such lovely light and perfect subject matter. The light only lasts for a little while, and I can get food anytime. You see, I just love European streets, even when they are crowded. I thought the blue hour light was really beautiful, and I liked the shapes in the building, how they curve into the distance, and the criss-cross pattern on the ground.
So, I just set up right in the middle of the crowd and fired away. I didn’t want to remove the person on the left that ghosted his way through the shot – I thought it fit the scene.A fountain in Vienna
As you have probably read here before, I love to wander on back streets in cities - there are always interesting things to point a camera at. I was somewhere in the historic part of Vienna, Austria and doing that wandering thing. I came across this fountain which was tucked into a courtyard, so of course I just walked in there like I belonged there. Though that behavior has backfired on me in the past, this time I was alone and able to grab this shot.
Things like this are one of the reasons I enjoy going to Europe. Little fountains tucked into courtyards - you just don't find that much here in the US.
St. Peter's Church, Vienna
St. Peter's Church in Vienna, Austria is amazingly beautiful on the inside. The outside, as you can see, doesn't really let you know that. I'm not saying the outside is ugly - far from it - but it is sort of non-descript, it blends in well with its surroundings and it's tucked just off their main pedestrian thoroughfare, the Graben.
In other words, it's not obvious. I don't really expect big, blinking neon signs saying "kick ass photo opps here" or "Jim, please pay attention" but you know what I mean. Anyways, I obviously found it, which is a good thing.
I had heard about this church's interior from my friend Pete Talke and of course had also seen pics of the inside, but really had no idea what to expect on the outside. I walked past it the first time.
But thankfully my little map helped me figure out that I needed to double back, so I did and since it was early morning, I was able to fire these brackets uninterrupted.
Morning on the Graben
There is nothing quite like wandering a European street early in the morning. I find all European streets beautiful in some way or another, even when they are crowded. But when you get up early and have it all to yourself, it's an entirely new type of beauty to me.
Gone are the masses and along with them, the noise. It's quiet - almost eerily so. The shops are closed. The cafes are quiet, not yet ready for all those caffeine-seeking customers to arrive. It even seems like the wind is still. In short, it's a perfect time to be standing there, camera on tripod, with just the ritual clicking of brackets firing into the void. It's awesome.
This one was captured on the Graben, which is one of the most famous streets in Vienna, Austria's historic city center. And it was just me. :)
Strolling on the Graben
I have a lot of photos to work on from Vienna, and just recently realized that I have only shared one thus far - so time for that to change! I got up early on my only morning there - partly because I had a plane to catch, and partly because there were a few spots I wanted to shoot. Since my hotel was inside the Ringstrasse, it put me in close proximity to those spots, and I got up early to grab my brackets. The Graben is one of the most famous streets in central Vienna, and there are some great shots to be had here, especially when the rest of the town is asleep. This is one of them - just a simple shot down the street, admiring the mix of old and new. I love empty European streets. Love them.
Technicals: Nikon D700, 14-24 wide angle lens (at 24mm), 7 exposures at f/13
Software: Photomatix to create the HDR, then filters applied in Color Efex Pro, and minor corrections in Aperture
I have also been doing some HDR "before & after" comparisons, and thought I would share what this photo would look like straight out of camera, at a 0 exposure. Let me know if this is the kind of stuff you enjoy seeing! I plan to share more of these. I find it interesting - hope you do!
