02/13/2020
My hometown Bielefeld can't come up with the really big architectural highlights, but there are still some buildings that are worth to be photographed. Actually, the right light is always crucial. That's why I like to photograph architecture early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
Here are some pictures of buildings that are not very beautiful in themselves, but have their own charm in the right light. I photographed with the Fujifilm X-Pro3 and the lenses Fujinon XF 2.8/ 16 mm R WR and Fujinon XF 2/ 35 mm R WR.
Office building at 'Lenkwerk'
Office building at 'Osningstraße' #1
Office building at 'Osningstraße' #2
Building complex 'Eastend Tower'
Building at the 'Wilhelm-Bertelsmann-Straße'
01/31/2020
A few days ago I took an aerial photo of the Bielefeld district Stieghorst. It is a housing estate built in the early 1970s on the 'Stralsunder Straße'. The architecture is typical for this period and corresponded to the current taste of the time. Today, very few people want to live in such houses and over the years the buildings have been neglected. Fortunately, renovation work has now begun, but this will certainly not make the estate a sought-after residential area. Photographically, the quarter is interesting because it represents a building type that was widespread in its time and early in the morning the twilight with the winter clouds makes the picture exciting.
The photos were taken with a DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone from a altitude of about 80 meters above the ground.
Residential complex in Bielefeld-Stieghorst #1
Residential complex in Bielefeld-Stieghorst #2
Residential complex in Bielefeld-Stieghorst #3
Residential complex in Bielefeld-Stieghorst #4
> Nature
01/27/2020
The 'Rieselfelder Windel' is a nature reserve in the southwest of Bielefeld in the district 'Senne' with small ponds and wetlands. Originally an industrial company of the textile industry discharged its waste water here. This is long gone and would not be allowed today. However, this has given rise to the present landscape, which would not exist here otherwise.
The photos on this page were taken on a Sunday evening in January. All with the Sony Alpha 7RIV, the Sony SEL 4/ 24-105 mm G OSS and the SEL 4/ 12-24 mm G lens.
Reflection in a pond
Reed in a pond
Evening in the nature reserve 'Rieselfelder Windel' #1
Evening in the nature reserve 'Rieselfelder Windel' #2
Evening in the nature reserve 'Rieselfelder Windel' #3
Evening in the nature reserve 'Rieselfelder Windel' #4
> Nature
01/21/2020
Since 1980 there has been a waste incineration plant in the Bielefeld district of Heepen. At the first moment, when looking for an interesting photo motif, one certainly does not think of such facilities. But the location in the northeast of the city makes it worthwhile, I thought. From the ground you can't get a good view of the complex, but from a higher point of view it looks quite different. The two photos were taken from a altitude of about 80 meters above ground level. For a short moment the January sun came out. I took the chance.
Sunset over a waste incineration plant #1
Sunset over a waste incineration plant #2
> Nature
01/19/2020
Not far from Bielefeld's main station is the site of the 'Stadtwerke Bielefeld' (Public utility company). There is also a high chimney, which towers above all other buildings in Bielefeld. Actually I was in the area to photograph something completely different. But that was not as possible as I had thought. But the chimney in the thick morning fog looked very interesting and I took the opportunity for this picture. It was taken with the Sony Alpha R7IV and the Zeiss Batis Distagon 2/ 40 mm CF. Because it was still very dark, it was only possible with a tripod. The shutter speed was two seconds.
The second photo I took from a car park very close by. Here, however, with a wide angle lens, the Zeiss Batis Distagon 2/ 25 mm.
Chimney in the morning fog
Parking with chimney
01/18/2020
There is actually not much more to say about the 'Sparrenburg'. It is the landmark of Bielefeld par excellence and I don't know how many times I have photographed there. This photo was taken just before sunrise on a January morning. At night the tower of the castle is illuminated. Here I took the photo at the foot of the castle wall and included a leafless tree in the picture to make the composition more interesting.
Walls at Sparrenburg Castle
01/04/2020
My last photos from the year 2019: On December 29th I let my drone ascend over the 'Nordpark' in Bielefeld early in the morning. It was cold and the distance view was really good. In the middle of the picture you can see the big chimney of the public utility company. The city center of Bielefeld is on the right side.
The first picture of the winter sunrise was taken around eight o'clock. The other two then each 15 minutes later. It was interesting to see how within half an hour the light mood changed and the colours became warmer and warmer.
I took the photos again with the DJI Mavic 2 Pro. The flight altitude was about 80 meters above the ground.
Winter sunrise over Bielefeld at eight o'clock
Winter sunrise over Bielefeld at a quarter past eight
Winter sunrise over Bielefeld at half past eight
> Nature
12/28/2019
For quite some time I had the intention to photograph the University of Applied Sciences and the University of Bielefeld from the air. In the past, this would not have been possible in one picture because the different buildings were too far apart. Since the new building of the University of Applied Sciences, which is not far away from the university, has been completed, this is possible. According to the weather forecast the conditions this morning should be good for my project and so it was. There is also a good and legal launch site for the drone and today around half past seven I could take some nice pictures.
I used the DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone. The photographs are composed of several single images. For this I used the different panorama modes of the drone, but I did not leave it to the drone to put the pictures together. Here Adobe Lightroom was used. The source material were DNG-RAWs.
University of Applied Sciences and University of Bielefeld #1
University of Applied Sciences and University of Bielefeld #2
University of Applied Sciences and University of Bielefeld #3
University of Applied Sciences and University of Bielefeld #4
University of Applied Sciences and University of Bielefeld #5
> Nature
12/27/2019
For some time now, stars made of plastic lit from inside have been very popular for Christmas. They are big, weatherproof, available in many colours and also quite beautiful. I have photographed some of them lately. Of course, this is only possible during the Christmas season, ...you would think. I have noticed, however, that more and more of the stars are hanging all year round. Stars actually always go! Here is a small selection.
Christmas star at the 'Altstädter Kirche'
Stars in trees
Star lights
Christmas rising (early stars from mid-November)
12/26/2019
The 'Kesselbrink' is a larger square in the centre of Bielefeld. It used to be the central bus station and there is a large parking garage underneath the square. The square wasn't very nice in the past but it was redesigned a few years ago. On the north side, the former German Federal Post Office erected a high-rise building in 1974, which at that time housed the telecommunications office. Today the 'Deutsche Telekom' does not need the building anymore. Basically, the high-rise building does not fit into the cityscape of Bielefeld and unfortunately it has also become somewhat run-down in recent years. Now the Bielefeld company 'Goldbeck' has taken over the building and is renovating it thoroughly. Someone came up with the idea of using the facade as a projection screen over the Christmas days and lighting it up with Christmas greetings. A really nice idea. The photos of the illuminated building were taken late in the afternoon on December 25, 2019 at about a quarter past five.
A few words about technical aspects of the photos: The pictures were taken with the Sony Alpha 7RIV and the Zeiss Batis 2.8/ 18 mm lens. At aperture 8 and an ISO setting of 400, a longer exposure time was necessary, so I had to use a tripod. The lens is already very good at aperture 2.8, but the stars in the lights only appear when you stop down a little bit.
Merry Christmas on 'Kesselbrink'
Fenced Christmas
