After 2015 has reached its inevitable end, it’s this time of the year when you reflect on your work as a photographer and browse through the images of the 365 days gone by. If my photographic New Year’s resolution this past year was to shoot less, I would certainly have accomplished this goal, but all kidding aside, here are my 5 favorite images released this year, not particularly taken in 2015.

Nightfall Neret

Neret (the Catalan word for the rusty-leaved alpenrose – ‘rhododendron ferrugineum’) blooming above Gran Estany d’Amitges during one of the best sunset displays I was fortunate to witness in the mountains.Aigüestortes NP, Pyrenees, Spain

Light Bath

The emerging leaves of maples, beeches and alders are glowing in the late afternoon sunlight and offer a great backdrop for trunks such as this Oregon pine/Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) in the immediate foreground.Ore Mountains, Germany

Higher Calling

Much more than just pixels. Read WHY.Lago di Landro, Dolomites, Italy

Dazzling Dancers

Colorful grasses appear to dancing in the wind high up on a ridge in the Czech part of the Ore Mountains, surrounded by old birches who have seen a fair share of precipitation, wind and ice.Ore Mountains, Czech Republic

Congealed

An intimate view of the impressive basaltic columns that make up the Devils Postpile National Monument in the Sierra Nevada of California. The polygonal structure, which is said to be some odd 100,000 years old, formed when a huge pool of lava cooled evenly and slowly. Similar structures can be found around the globe in areas with high volcanic activity in the past.Devil’s Postpile National Monument, Ca, USA

As usual a few days late, but here’s to a great, stress-free, healthy and prosperous 2016! Cheers.

Another year in the books – and what a year that was. I was able to pick up where 2010 ended, photographically-speaking; and make up for the missed opportunities in 2011. Now, with the last days of the old year winding down, it’s time to reflect on the past journeys, the people that made it special and the glorious sunsets (and sunrises) I was fortunate to witness along the way and how could this better be done than with some images. Sit back and enjoy the show! (Images are in chronological order as they were shot throughout the year.)

Leave Only Footprints

Erzgebirge, Germany

Doomsday Caldera

Hirtstein, Erzgebirge, Germany

Els Elcantats Rising

Aigüestortes National Park, Pyrenees, Spain

Light Guardian

Aigüestortes National Park, Pyrenees, Spain

Seeking Solitude

Aigüestortes National Park, Pyrenees, Spain

Dawn of a New Day

Manarola, Cinque Terre National Park, Italy

Ethereal Gorge

Partnach Gorge, Bavaria, Germany

Silent Awakening

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany

The Last Goodbye

Erzgebirge, Germany

Thank you for all the patience in the first half of the year when this blog got neglected, for the continued support and the wonderful emails I receive. Here’s to a wonderful Holiday Season to you all out there!

David

You have a photographer friend and have yet to find THE perfect holiday gift? Take it from a photographer, any of the following would make my Christmas Day and the best part is, they all fit into standard-sized Christmas stockings and won’t stretch your budget like a lot of photography-related items do (Think 50k medium format camera).

Give the Gift of Knowledge

Photography is all about vision, timing and constant improvement to stay on top of your game. There are plenty of helpful books, ebooks and classes out there that can help you or your photographer friend narrowing the odds of getting the photographs desired. Ebooks are a great way to get started for often times as few as 10 bucks. Amongst the most influential for me and nature photography in general, are the ebooks from Guy Tal (http://guytalbooks.com/), whose writing is as compelling as his shooting. Another possibility of broadening your processing horizon is to experience hands-on Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom classes from Aperture Academy (http://www.apertureacademy.com/course-schedule.php). Great for advanced amateurs who are getting great shots in the field but missing the “Oooomph” the digital darkroom can deliver. There is nothing wrong with knowing your midtone luminosity mask from your red channel saturation mask. Speaking of which, the Photoshop actions of Tony Kuyper would make an equally great gift for the Photoshop-“challenged”. The complete set comes at as little as $20. (http://goodlight.us/specialoffers.html)

The Photographer’s Ephemeris

With the advancement of smartphones, there came a plethora of apps targeted at photographers and whether you are a fan of iPhonography and Droidography or not, there actually are a few gems out there that make landscape photography a lot easier. One of these apps is The Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE). An app I find myself using all the time when planning a shot, long before I venture out, to make myself clear what I get myself into, light-wise; or in the field, when plans change due to unforeseeable weather patterns (thanks, weather guys!). Either way, TPE offers the full package of sunrise and sunset, moonrise and moonset times, directions of sun and moon for every place in the world and much more useful features. It comes in at $8.99 and is available for iOS and Android here: http://photoephemeris.com/buy-download

Gloves

Yes, you’ve read that right. Christmas time also means snow and cold weather in the northern hemisphere and warm hands on an outdoor shoot are as essential as a working camera. There is nothing worse than trying to operate your camera in the snow with freezing finger tips and you don’t want to miss the shot of your buddy’s first 360 because your hands were cold. I like my Marmot XT Gloves to keep my hands and fingers warm even in the lousiest shooting conditions. They are warm, yet thin enough to have me push the most essential buttons on my camera. Often times, the warmest gloves are useless as they are too bulky and restrict your movability quite a bit. The XTs are a perfect combination of warmth and usability for me. Get them following the link for around 60 bucks: http://www.bergfreunde.de/marmot-xt-glove-kletterhandschuh/

Lens Travel Mugs

Coffee – where art thou? Frankly, I couldn’t get anything done without a cup of freshly brewed coffee first thing in the morning and when it comes to cups and mugs, I like to enjoy my Italian roast in style. Such as with a Canon lens cup (Nikon versions are equally available). The 70-200mm travel mug makes a great conversation opener in the field and deserves the “oohs” and “aahs” it is getting, while the 24-105mm version is perfect to sit on your desk for a late afternoon coffee break. Expect to shell out around 20 dollars for either version. You can get them on Amazon or various online resellers. (70-200mm on Amazon.com)

F-Stop Watch

Nothing screams photography nerd more boldly than the F-Stop Watch, other than maybe a lens cap tattooed to one’s forehead. It’s a cleverly designed accessory that will grab the attention right away. No deal breaker at $35, if you get it here: http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/f-stop-watch/

2013 Wall Calendar

Alright, I reckon those were more than 5 in total, so it won’t hurt to have another idea handpicked and delivered to your screen, would it? I didn’t think so, either; so here it goes. Remember the time when your friend told you how much shooting that one place or the other would mean? Inspiration and incentive alike, a calendar featuring your friend’s favorite places would make a great Christmas gift under the tree and 365 days on the wall. Disclaimer: Self-promotion ahead!

You can get my “Element of Life” calender here, featuring 12 stunning pieces from my portfolio, all “anchored” around the water theme. Now on sale for the next two weeks on Red Bubble, before the price will go up the final week before Christmas. http://www.redbubble.com/people/davidrichter/calendars/9481417-element-of-life
Or maybe this skiing one for your buddy? http://www.bergfreunde.de/tmms-verlag-powder-2013-kalender/

Happy Holiday (Shopping) Season!

David

I have been very busy these last few weeks, making photographs of the amazing display of fall colors this year here in Germany. Unlike last year, I have been able to toss together a wall calender for the upcoming year – yes, I know, it’s hard to believe Christmas is only a mere 2 months away. Rather than randomly selecting images of my work, I went ahead and gathered 12 frames around the general theme of “Water”, hence the title of the calender: “Element of Life”.

It has a bit of everything for the H2O aficionado. High alpine lakes, waterfalls, coastlines in the US and Italy, old sheds in front of the Karwendel massif in Bavaria, Germany and more. Above you’ll find two sample spreads of some of my best selling images included in this calender and below, a selection of all 12 photographs in the calender.

The wall calender is approximately 11.7 x 16.5 inches and printed on 200gsm paper with a satin finish. I decided to make it available through Red Bubble, which has experience in calender printing for many, many years and is known for its high-quality service and beautiful printed products. I prefer to go this route, rather than printing and shipping the calenders myself; as I want to make sure this calender’s turnaround time is low, making it ship timely, all while keeping shipping costs low.

That said, it is available through Red Bubble for $29.90 or 22.99 Euro, respectively.

Besides making a perfect wall decoration for your home or the bland walls of your office, this calender would also make a great Holiday gift for your friends who might enjoy hiking, fishing, camping or maybe just honor skillfully crafted photography. 😉 Your turn!

(A last side note, new images will be released soon.)

I recently returned from a wonderful 8-day backpacking trip into the Spanish Pyrenees, one of western Europe’s last mountain paradises and let me tell you, it was fantastic. My focus of this trip was to cover as much miles as possible in the heart of the Aigüestortes and Estany Sant Maurici National Park and the surrounding Saboredo basin, above Port de la Ratera. The landscapes I encountered reminded me much of those of the Eastern Sierra, although not as high or filled with meadows full of wildflowers but compared to the Alps, it was quiet, relaxing and very much enjoyable throughout.

My trip started out with a flight from Munich to Barcelona, two backpacks and a 17-hour layover in Barcelona to catch the bus to Lleida the next morning — a day which turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year. When I set foot into the bus that should bring me to the drop-off at the foot of the steep and winding road to Espot, the city just outside the eastern entrance to the park; the thermometer showed a cozy 45 degrees Celsius (113F).

Arriving just after 9 in the evening, I settled to spend the first night in one of the campgrounds around Espot. I chose to set my tent at Camping La Mola which turned out to be an affordable deluxe camping experience. Little did I know when I approached the friendly staff that the campground not only offered bathrooms and showers often time not found as nice in hotels; it comes with pool, tennis court, soccer field and a small store that made a backpacker’s heart open up. I especially enjoyed the selection of fruits, Salchichón and the fresh bread, which provided a great energy kick for the trails to tackle later on.

The National Park Aigüestortes y Sant Maurici itself is a mere two hours of very moderate GR11 trail walking (The long distance trail which crosses the Pyrenees east to west from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.) nested above Espot. From the entrance to the park to my first night high in the mountains in 2012, however, it was another four and a half hour hike in the cruel heat of a cloudless day up steep switchbacks and over loose rock trails up to the Refugi D’Amitges, enjoying the views over the Sant Maurici valley and lake on the way and replenishing energy with a trail snack at the Fountain of the Marmots. Camping and off-trail hiking is not permitted and fined immediately (as I was told) within the National Park and the surrounding zone of protection, so the refuges provide shelter and a place to sleep for the night. Reservations have to be made beforehand as the 70 bunk-bed capacity fills quickly over the summer months.

Exploring the area around the refuge, I quickly realized why “Aigüestortes” translates to “winding waters” — dozens of lakes and tarns fill the gaps between the granite boulders and reflect the towering peaks while little streams meander through the meadows and rush down the cliffs.

I was blessed with beautiful weather throughout the trip with temperatures ranging from low 70’s (~24C) in the afternoon to 36 degrees (2C) at night at elevations of 2,400m to 2,700m (roughly 8k to 9k ft.); which made hiking a very enjoyable undertaking.

More images from the trip will have to wait for my return, as I am getting ready for a road trip with Aperture Academy instructor Brian Rueb; which will lead us to the Cinque Terre region and Venice in Italy, the Austrian and German Alps and possibly a few other places. So stay tuned and happy shooting!