So that was 2010. Picturetakingwise a good one. I have a new job which doesn't include photography of mayors shaking hands, so I use the camera in my free time to walk around and look at people and surroundings. That is surprisingly relaxing, like meditation, it helps getting your mind off things. Also, as some of you might have noticed, I have a new camera, a Leica M9. Financial ruin never felt so good.

The year starts in Italy. In February I got my camera, in March I went south to try it out and practise for the Mille Miglia. Now this one was taken in Parma, where I tried to get quicker with the manual focusing. This is tricky, but also you have to decide where and on what to set the focus. With my DSLR I would just have fired, and probably the autofocus would have decided for me. Very probably it would have decided on the couple in the background. Actually I like my decision more, to let them have their privacy in the blur.

Mille Miglia! There we go! This one I took before the start in the evening, it had just rained, now the sun came out again and the light reflected on the wet asphalt. And it is one of my absolute favourites.

So how did it work out at the Mille Miglia with the M9? Quite fine. The good thing is, even in the dark I did not struggle as much as I did with the Pentax K10. I wasn't yet initiated in the mysteries of hyperfocal focusing, but enough of my photos turned out fine and I had no problems in sending a bunch back to the newspaper. They even printed one of the nightshots. And the one with Mika Häkkinen. I was so proud. This one above was taken on the last day: Siena, after three days spent in clouds of carbon dioxide, on the campo.

Back in Germany. Summer. Heat. A playgound in the forest, and a lot of spraying water. One of the nicest places when it's really, really hot, and there are huge lawns around and people have picknicks. Pictures that practically take themselves.

Yes, there is some visible noise when you use the M9 above 800 Iso. This one was taken before I got Lightroom 3 which has a remarkable noise reduction tool. I now go up to 1600, and after post production everything looks fine. Of course a fast lens helps. This was taken on the Mainuferfest with a 50mm/f 1.4 Summilux, my favourite lens from the beginning. One day I want to have a 35 Summilux as well, but prices have practically exploded with the success of the M9. When I tell people I have bought the 50mm on ebay for 600 Euros, they either begin to cry or laugh hysterically. I wasn't particularly lucky, I was just early. And the lens gives beautiful light blobs. But I like this picture especially because of the boys' expressions, you can see their anticipation.

I have already told the story of the dancers, but of course I had to include one of those in here. It was a lesson in blending in and what to do in terms of self-deprecation to get a good photo. I'd do a lot.

My most successful photo so far. I take part in the street photography now project which gives an instruction every week, for which you have to go out, find something and upload it on flickr. It is a competition, but foremost it is an incentive to go out and shoot, bring home stuff, upload it and discuss. This one was instruction #4: "Document some evidence of human ingenuity that would otherwise go unnoticed. Do it without including any humans in the picture", given by Michael Wolf. I still look forward to every friday when the new instruction is published.

This one I just like. No particular reason. And just an example of what people frequently do while walking around.

Oh, right. He he. This one was taken at one of the famous publishers parties at Frankfurt Book Fair, or, to be precise, during the afterparty hangout at Frankfurter Hof. It was four o'clock in the morning, I just had my third Scotch (Scapa, 18 yrs, very good), we were sitting in the smoker's lounge and without much ado or even moving at all I took this picture. It reminds me of a Tarantino film still for some reason. Probably my favourite portrait this year. (Which doesn't say much, as I rarely do portraits.)

My favourite victims are the rich and not-so-beautiful people of the Taunus hills who crowd Frankfurt on Saturdays in pursuit of quality shopping time. Yes, they are ugly, botoxed, tasteless, flashy and I have to admit, I am utterly fascinated by their kind. I walk up and down Goethestraße as often as I can to catch them. This was taken in the market hall, where the poorer ones without cooks congregate to buy their truffles and handmade pasta. (I do as well, but not on saturdays. Saturdays I go shooting.)

This was taken at Stilblüten-Modemesse, where the independent labels show and sell their stuff in Frankfurt. One of the organisers is the Label Goyagoya, to whom I am faithfully devoted as a customer. They also dressed the staff and turned them into goyagirls. These are three (and a half) of them. And that is just another picture I like.

2010 said goodbye with loads of snow. I like it, snow is just so photogenic. Here it is falling down in front of the incoming train, just some white flocks. So with this photo I say goodbye as well for now. I chose it because it is a bit edgy, and I often think, my photos have to get a bit edgier too. Just more surralism, more absurdity, less boring for sure. That's my new year's resolution for 2011: Take more interesting photos, and photos that are more interesting as well.

I don't know what you think, but for me there is a visible development in the course of this year. But maybe it's just in my head. This was one of the reasons I wanted to have this blog, to not just upload, but to evaluate, edit, and ask myself questions. So where am I? Still on the way and not yet there. Still training and struggling to get better. Of course. I wanted to look for something as a distinctive style and to take photos that are more than just pretty. And although I still have a lot to work on, I have some ideas where this might be going. I could have taken most of these pictures with a DSLR as well, but I guess the rangefinder pointed me towards a certain direction. And got me thinking more. Which is a good thing.

... Comment

It’s lovely watching your images grow. And the umbrella girl is still one of the most beautiful I know. There is so much to find in that one, once you start looking.

Thx for her alone.