This was my first trip to the beautiful Lake Como in Italy and I had expected the city of Bellagio to be the most picturesque. I was wrong — Varenna easily takes that crown. It reminds me of Scilla and the Cinque Terre region.
Shot with Sony A7R II + FE 28 mm f/2: f/8, 1/60 s, ISO 125.
We had an early morning flight to Italy last week and I was sound asleep, minding my own business, when my wife brutally shook me awake and told me to look out of the window. I checked the flight log and this photo was taken somewhere above or close to the city of Kleinarl in Austria but I am uncertain which exact city is visible in the photo.
Shot with Sony A7R II + FE 28 mm f/2: f/2, 1/60 s, ISO 1600.
We had just had something to eat and were getting ready to leave the beautiful city of Pizzo in the south of Italy, when we decided to go take a last look at the sunset before setting off for the airport. I had already stowed away my “big” camera and since there was a chilly wind, I did not want to bother going back to the car to get it. I did have my iPhone X on me though…
There was just something about the geometry, depth, gradients, and shadows that spoke to me — I really love this shot.
Shot with iPhone X @ 28 mm: f/1.8, 1/153 s, ISO 20.
Take a look at what the person below saw →
I received a few requests for my iPad wallpaper, so here it is in square format (3208×3208 px), preferably usable on smartphones and tablets. The photo above, on which it is based on, was shot in 2018, when our plane was circling above London, waiting for it’s turn to land.
Shot with Sony A7R II + Zeiss ZF 100 mm f/2 Makro-Planer T*: f/2, 1/60 s, ISO 250.
I was disappointed with The Weather Channel’s forecast for my recent UK trip — it was supposed to be clear skies, sun and warmth. This shot portrays exactly what I got instead — cloudy skies, no sun, and an extremely chilly wind. That prompted me to attach my ND filter and shoot a few long exposures, despite it being noon. This was my favourite one.
Shot with Sony A7R II + FE 28 mm f/2: f/11, 13 s, ISO 50.
I rarely get the chance to capture a nice shot during takeoff or landing — I’m usually lucky enough to be seated on the wrong side of the aeroplane, or the weather’s bad, or it’s pitch black, or the light is terrible. I made sure to pick the right seat this time but the weather and timing weren’t perfect — it was a bit misty (or smoggy) and just a bit too early in the day. Still, I tried to make the most of it.
As to what you can see in the shot… That’s the Thames in the middle, with the London Eye on the left of the frame. Big Ben and The Palace of Westminster are just on the other side of the river. That blob of light to the right of the London Eye is Waterloo Station. That black line crossing the Thames, more or less in the middle of the shot, is Millennium Bridge, which was destroyed by Death Eaters in one of the Harry Potter books/movies — it leads to St Paul’s Cathedral. The City of London is the part which is lit most north of the river and the rightmost bridge is Tower Bridge. That’s the one from the Sherlock Holmes movie, where it was still being built and where the villain met his demise (it’s often mistaken as London Bridge).
Shot with Sony A7R II + Zeiss ZF 100 mm f/2 Makro-Planer T*: f/2.8, 1/60 s, ISO 5000.
I went out shooting with the iPhone XS today and was not only surprised by this here peacock sneaking up on me, but also at the result of Portrait Mode and its bokeh. It has a much more natural, analogue look to it, reminiscent of what SLR lenses are capable of producing. It’s not there yet but I like what I see.
Shot with iPhone X @ 52 mm: f/2.4 (simulated f/1.4 by Portrait Mode), 1/122 s, ISO 32.
Scilla is a truly beautiful city. We spent two days there in 2017 and I still fondly recall the amazing views. I already posted a photo from our second day there — it was cold but sunny. The weather wasn’t as kind to us on our first visit however. It was raining heavily, the streets turned into small rivers, but the colour of the sea rewarded our perseverance. This panorama was stitched in Lightroom from a few (handheld) photos to get the field of view I wanted and was shot from Castello Ruffo (see photo below) — a small castle towering over both sides of the city.
Shot with Sony A7R II + FE 28 mm f/2: f/5.6, 1/60 s, ISO 160.
See a shot of Castello Ruffo below →
I was walking down Lower Thames Street the other day, on my way to a meeting, passing by The Walrus and The Carpenter, when I looked up Lovat Lane and saw 20 Fenchurch Street towering over me… I love contrasts like this one, between the old and the new, especially when they seem so natural.
Shot with iPhone X @ 28 mm: f/1.8, 1/100 s, ISO 25.
My 2011 trip to New York City was much too short, but I did cram a lot of sightseeing into those 3 or 4 days. While the weather was doing me no favours on my last day, when I went to see the Brooklyn Bridge, the foreboding atmosphere did make things interesting.
Shot with Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24 mm f/2.8G: f/8, 1/1000, ISO 200 @ 14 mm.
The trip to Mont Saint-Michel from Paris took longer than I expected — I planned to arrive an hour or so before sunset, to get some shots before checking into my hotel. Unfortunately, traffic was horrible and I was two hours late but had no complaints — the view was breathtaking.
Shot with Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50 mm f/1.4G: f/8, 15 s, ISO 200.
See Mont Saint-Michel at sunrise→
I love visiting Greece for a number of reasons — the excellent cuisine, austere landscapes, and not much commerce. This was my first trip to Corfu and I can genuinly recommend going there. It’s not overcrowded, nature likes to show-off often, and… did I mention the delicious food? Just get a car or scooter and drive up and down the whole island — it’s not that big.
Shot with Canon 50D + Canon EF 16-35 f/2.8L — f/8, 30 s, ISO 100 @ 35 mm.
Our trip to Norway in 2015 started in Bergen, where we took a one-day cruise down the surrounding fjords, where I took this shot. The towering magnificence of the fjord’s wall dwarfed the ship we were on and I was so awed, that I almost missed the sleek waterfall — just look at how tall the trees on top are. While it was fun and took half a day, do make sure to reserve a full day for the Norway in a Nutshell trip, which is even better.
Shot with Fuji X100T: f/8, 1/90 s, ISO 400.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was completed in 2007 and can hold over 41 thousand people at the same time. It truly is an amazing architectural sight to behold, so if you’re in or around Abu Dhabi (a layover perhaps — you’ll need at least 4 hours to get there and back in time for your next flight) make sure to visit it. This shot (here’s another) was taken on our way back from our trip to the Seychelles, and since we had close to 7 hours at our disposal…
I took this shot back in 2009 when visiting in Las Vegas for NAB from the top of Paris Las Vegas. It’s one of many shots, but this was the moment that I had been waiting for — the sky filled out beautifully with what was left of the sunset, while being pushed out by the impending night.
Shot with Canon 50D + Canon EF 16-35 f/2.8L — f/5.6, 1/10, ISO 800 @ 16 mm.
Royal Łazienki Park in Warsaw is not only one of the most beautiful parks in Europe, it is also home to many squirrels and peacocks.
Shot with Canon 10D + EF 70-200 mm f/2.8L IS: f/2.8, 1/125 s, ISO 100 @ 200 mm.
Taking this shot at sunrise turned out to be a bad idea. I quickly found that most of the beaches in the Seychelles have sand flies, to which I am slightly allergic. They’re mostly active at sunrise and sunset, and they seemed to have a taken a liking to my smell/blood, which meant that I returned with over 20 bites. The itching started a few hours later and it was torture — much worse than a typical european mosquito
Shot with Sony A7R II + FE 28 mm f/2: f/8, 1/400 s, ISO 100.
I took this photo on the day we arrived in Agra, a day before we went to see the fantastic Taj Mahal — we caught a taxi at the train station and asked him to take us to our hotel, which was around 1.5 km away from the aforementioned landmark. Unfortunately, the driver had no clue where our hotel was and as it turned out, it wasn’t where Google said it was. We found it half an hour later, not more than 300 metres from the Taj Mahal entrance gate, in an electric-vehicle-only zone. As we walked to check in to the hotel (calling it that is a stretch), I saw a rickshaw driver taking a nap under a tree — he struck my emotions, obviously exhausted from working in the heat of the day.
Shot with Nikon D700 + Nikkor 35 mm f/2D: f/2, 1/4000, ISO 200.
My winter trip to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp located in Oświęcim, Poland was a spontaneous one. It was also my first visit there and 13 years later I can still remember everything that I felt. Just a few minutes in, I was overcome by the depth of the tragic events that occurred there, as if the people felled on the grounds of the camp were still watching and making sure such events never take place in the world again. It was an acutely sobering experience.
Shot with Canon 10D + EF 24-70 mm f/2.8L: f/8, 1/640 s, ISO 100 @ 70 mm.
View more of my photos from Auschwitz →
We had the good fortune to be able to see the rock archways at Legzira Beach in Morocco before they collapsed in September 2016. This photo was taken in May 2015 and the weather was horrible on that day — windy and very chilly.
Shot with Fuji X100T: f/8, 1/680 s, ISO 400.
This photo was taken from the Castle of Bodrum, which has a fantastic view of the city, marina, and bay from its walls. Unfortunately, it closes early, so sunset shots are out of the question at the time of year this was taken (September, 2017). If you’re ever in Bodrum, make sure to spend a few hours touring the castle.
Shot with Sony A7R II + FE 28 mm f/2: f/8, 1/200 s, ISO 100.
When travelling around Calabria in December 2017, we happened upon the small city of Scilla, which stole my heart away. If you’re ever even remotely close to it, make sure to spend a day there. Don’t forget to have an espresso on the promenade!
Shot with Sony A7R II + Zeiss ZF 100 mm f/2 Makro-Planer T*: f/2, 1/160 s, ISO 100.
I took the iPhone X to Finland and got a few good shots from it, despite the extreme cold (it did not turn off in temperatures below -20° C). The one above is from our trip back to the airport in Rovaniemi, taken an hour or so after sunrise, with the 56 mm lens. I didn’t shoot RAW — this is a JPG straight from the iPhone with the Photos’ Vivid filter applied.
Shot with iPhone X @ 56 mm: f/2.4, 1/883 s, ISO 16.
I spent a few days in Lapland, Finland towards the end of 2017 — I believe this was the third time I was there now — and I still can’t get used to the fact that the sun barely rises above the horizon in the winter. If there was less cloud cover, it would light up the sky like in the shot above all day long (a few hours in this case).
Shot with Sony A7R II + FE 28 mm f/2: f/8, 1/60 s, ISO 250.
Despite knowing how trusting the squirrels in Royal Łazienki Park in Warsaw are, I’m still surprised every single time they decide to not wait for people to bend down to feed the and instead shorten the distance to their favourite delicacy.
Shot with Sony A7R II + Zeiss ZF 100 mm f/2 Makro-Planer T*: f/2, 1/160 s, ISO 1250.
The squirrels in the Royal Łazienki Park in Warsaw are probably the most adorable creatures I have ever seen. Since it’s winter, they’re currently collecting as many nuts as they can, storing them for later by burying them in the ground, and only eating a few. If you happen to have a few with you (they love hazelnuts in particular), you’re in luck — they will literally eat out of your hand.
Shot with Sony A7R II + Zeiss ZF 100 mm f/2 Makro-Planer T*: f/2, 1/100 s, ISO 200.
I published a technically flawed shot of the Santuario di Santa Maria dell’Isola a few weeks ago, but I just loved the storm in the background, with eight or nine lightning strikes visible (you have to zoom in). This photo was taken one and a half hours earlier, on the same day, before the storm began.
Shot with Sony A7R II + FE 28 mm f/2: f/8, 13 s, ISO 100.
We spent these last few days in Italy, travelling between Lamezia Terme, Tropea, and Scilla — the surprisingly poor (for Italy) but beautiful region of Calabria. The weather wasn’t perfect, but we did get a few sunny days. I also finally had one of my dreams come true — to be right next to a storm, but just far enough to be out of the rain.
Setting up, I never thought I’d get the shot of the storm that started brewing during our dinner in one of the many small restaurants in the old part of Tropea… It’s not perfect, unfortunately — the bright light shining on the island itself is blown — but at the time I was certain there would be enough latitude in the RAW files, to save that part. I was wrong — lesson learned.
Shot with Sony A7R II + FE 28 mm f/2: f/4.5, 30 s, ISO 100.
I took this shot while traveling in Norway, on the Flåmsbana between Myrdal and Flåm — a trip well worth taking. The trip itself, called Norway in a Nutshell, starts and ends in Bergen — it includes two train rides via Myrdal to Flåm, a cruise down two fiords to Gundvangen, a scenic bus trip back up to Voss, and another train back to Bergen. It’s not cheap, but make sure to save some money to get the tickets — the views are breathtaking.
Shot with Fuji X100T: f/2, 1/400 s, ISO 400.
You can download a full resolution wallpaper below →
