32.3078° N 64.7505° W

Rum swizzle, Dark & Stormy, Pink Sand - what could I be talking about? That’s right - I am talking about Bermuda!

Flying to the Caribbean or anywhere South can be somewhat of a trek depending on where you fly to, but Bermuda is only a short flight away (1 hour and 45 minutes!) and getting there is a breeze. Fresh off the island from our wonderful trip, first time to Bermuda, I’ve decided to share some quick thoughts and (more importantly) photos. Here are my (random) thoughts about the trip/island…

Bermuda caught me a bit by surprise. Why? It’s very close to New York, it’s very clean, locals are very friendly and helpful, public transportation is easy to use, and prices are somewhat comparable to New York. [I am comparing our trip to Bermuda to prior trips to different islands in the Caribbean and hence my statements. I think a large contributor is the 60/40 rule in Bermuda. Just my thoughts in a few words] This was our first trip to this beautiful island, but it won’t be our last.

Public transportation - The bus system in Bermuda is easy to use, very easy to use! There’s even a bus stop right outside the airport terminal and you could in theory take a local bus to your hotel. Also, going from one end of the island (Dockyard - cruise ship terminal) to the other end (St. George’s) is easy. Get a bus token, hop on the 7 or 8 bus to Hamilton (tell them you are transferring), and then transfer in Hamilton to the 10 or 11 bus to St. George’s. Alternatively, you can take the ferry to either Hamilton or St. George’s from the Dockyard.

Hotel recommendations/observations (if you are not doing a cruise):

• Fairmont Southampton (stayed here the entire trip)

  • Large rooms with beautiful views - east facing rooms = sunrise, west facing rooms = sunset

  • Private beach club and literally in walking distance from horseshoe bay beach (read pink sand)

  • Lots of restaurants on premise

  • Free ferry to Hamilton and return

  • Easy to take the bus from hotel to Dockyard, Hamilton or St. Georges (walking distance to #7 and #8 bus stops)

  • Golf course

  • Hotel and rooms are a bit dated (popcorn ceiling); however, hotel and rooms are very clean

  • Seems to be the hotel for families with kids

  • Pool a bit too small for size of hotel

• Fairmont Princess & Beach Club (didn’t stay here, but went for dinner at Marcus’ and walked around the hotel a bit)

  • Right in Hamilton by the marina

  • Nice pool

  • Amazing art collection inside the hotel (KAWS, Banksy etc.)

  • Long trip to the beach club (20 minutes, ~11.7km)

  • Close to Hamilton restaurants, shops and sights

Food recommendations:

• Marcus’ Bermuda at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club - try the jerk chicken and homemade hot sauce, also have a drink at the bar, staff is super friendly

• Waterlot Inn at the Fairmont Southampton - start upstairs with a drink while you wait for your table (hint: old fashioned with rum) try the caesar salad, it’s prepared right at the table

• Ocean Club at the Fairmont Southampton - stunning view of sunset (sun sets in west, view from there is to east, so you’ll get the sun reflection, see first photo)

• Frog & Onion Pub at the Dockyard - bangers & mash!

• Wahoo's Waterside Bistro & Patio (didn’t get to eat there this time around, but next time for sure)

Enough words - enjoy the photos below!

Southampton

Hamilton

St. George’s

Texas on Ektachrome

A totally random collection of photos that I made on a recent trip to Texas (Houston, Dallas and Austin).

All photos were made on the new Ektachrome film, most of them in bright daylight without a ND filter. Film developed at Bleeker Digital Solutions here in NYC and scanned at home. I also finally calibrated my scanner for Ektachrome, makes scanning a breeze.

NEWLK 5.0

It's been a while, five months to be exact, since my last blog entry. I somehow got caught up in work and completely neglected my blog and photography.  Perfect opportunity to restart and share photos from my recent trip up to Cape Cod / Nantucket, participating in Ray's NEWLK #5.0.  Ray's photowalks are always a lot of fun and great opportunity to catch-up with old friends, and to form new friendships.  This edition of NEWLK was no different.  The weather didn't play along; however, we didn't let the weather ruin our fun.

It was my mom's first time this far up north in New England, so we did a little detour on the way back and spent two extra days in Boston.

All photos taken with the Leica MP and Kodak Tri-X 400. Film developed and scanned by Richard Photolab.

Make sure to also check out:

• Against the Grain - Episode 005 

• Today with Thomas - Episode 22 and Episode 23

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Nantucket

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Cape Cod

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Boston

Berlin Reloaded

As you may recall, a year ago I went to Berlin as part of my annual Christmas trip. Smitten with the city I decided to go back to Berlin this past Christmas (2016).

I've been to Berlin countless times. I remember visiting Berlin as a small boy, back when it was still divided into East and West. I stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate and tortured my parents with endless questions, trying to understand why we couldn't walk through the gate to the other side and why heavily armed police was guarding it.

Years later, in my teenage years and the heydays of techno, I went back every summer to attend one of the world's largest techno parades (search for Love Parade). Luckily only a few photos of that time exists and it was before the days of digital cameras and social media. 

Some parts of Berlin have changed dramatically and for the better, but similar to New York it is the odd/unique parts of the city that I am most attracted to and enjoy visiting.

The benefit of visiting a city or place that I've been to before is that there is no pressure to go sightseeing and work down a list of major tourist attractions. I can be spontaneous and just wander around, something I did on this trip. Below are a few photos from my recent visit to Berlin. For reference I have included details where to find these spots.

All photos were developed by MeinFilmLab in Germany. 

Street Art

Friedrichstrasse 

Central-Kino, Rosenthalerstrasse 39

Hackesche Hoefe

Rosenthalerstrasse 40-41

Sophienkirche

Grosse Hamburger Strasse 29-30

This church is located in the Eastern part of Berlin. We stumbled upon this little gem while heading for dinner at Shiso Burger, a hip burger place that a friend of ours recommended and that is located in Auguststrasse a few feet away. Berlin has quite a few churches; however, this particular church was the one where on September 13, 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. held a second sermon during his short trip to East Berlin. 

A great summary of Dr. King's visit to Berlin is available here.

Friedrichstadt-Palast

Friedrichstrasse 107

Berlin by Night

Brandenburg Gate

Reichstag

Kanzleramt

Thanksgiving à Paris

“Whoever does not visit Paris regularly will never really be elegant.”

— Honoré de Balzac

A few photos from my Thanksgiving getaway to Paris. All photos made with the Leica MP and Hasselblad Xpan on Kodak Tri-x. Filmed developed and scanned at home.

Harzer Schmallspurbahnen

“Warum in die Ferne schweifen? Sieh, das Gute liegt so nah.”

— Based on "Erinnerung" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

When I was a teenager and talked about my upcoming travel plans, my grandmother sometimes responded with the above words. A rough translation is "Why look into the distance? See, the good is so close" (thanks Google translator). The words are based on a poem by Goethe called "Erinnerung". Recently, when I went on a day-trip during my visit to Germany, the words popped up in my mind and left me with a smile.

I grew up in a small village on the outskirts of Halle (Saale), a city in the southern part of Saxony-Anhalt. Halle is primarily known for being the native town of Georg Friedrich Haendel, a famous baroque composer, and salt harvesting in its early days. Close to Halle, a short drive away, is a mountain range called Harz, Northern Germany's highest mountain range. The highest peak/elevation of the Harz mountain range is called Brocken (~3,747 ft).

Both the Harz mountain range and Brocken are great places for hiking and family trips. I recall going on family trips multiple times during my childhood, both with my parents as well as other family members. The part that I liked the most about vacationing there were the day-trips aboard the Harzer Schmallspurbahnen (Harz Narrow Gauge Railway), a steam train network stretching through parts of the Harz mountain range. This past December, when I went home to Germany and the village I grew up in, I couldn't resist going on a day-trip to the Harz mountain range and jump aboard the steam train for a trip up to the peak of the Brocken.

Our trip aboard the steam train started in Wernigerode, a small town in the Harz foothills. We arrived early in the moring, around 8 am, at the train station. In the distance we could already hear the steam train slowly approaching that station. Needless to say, I must have stood there with the biggest grin and my eyes wide open. The trip from Wernigerode to the peak of the Brocken took about 2 hours.

Slowly the steam locomotive made its way up the mountain to the peak, passing small villages and through the forest. Along the route the steam train made frequent stops for servicing and re-fill of the water tanks; a great opportunity to take photos. When we arrived at the peak of the mountain, it was wrapped in fog and high winds made it challenging to walk around. We had planned on exploring the views from the peak, but we headed straight for shelter at a small restaurant instead. After a short lunch break we boarded the train for our return trip back to Wernigerode.

The trip aboard the steam train brought back many childhood memories, and years later it was still the same fun and excitement to ride aboard the train.

Below are a few impressions (photos). All black and white photos were taken with the Leica MP and Zeiss Sonnar 1,5/50 lens on Kodak Tri-x 400 film. All color photos were taken with the Hasselblad 500C and Zeiss 2,8/80 lens on Fuji Pro400H. All photos were developed and scanned by Mein Film Lab.

Hamburg

For me, no visit to Germany is complete without a visit to Hamburg. Whilst I was not born in Hamburg, it is my favorite city in Germany and one of the few places that I make absolutely sure I stop by whenever I fly back home to Germany. When asked by friends or strangers which places to visit in Germany, Hamburg is at the top of my list of recommendations.

Hamburg, or Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg as it is officially named, is a port city that is located in the northern part of Germany, close to the North Sea and by the River Elbe. The city has a vast network of canals, an old historic warehouse district (Speicherstadt) that has been designated as a world heritage site, and an enormous industrial port along with a beautiful harbor promenade. Hamburg is also known for its Reeperbahn district, Europe's largest red-light district, but also the home to many great bars, pubs, clubs, restaurants and galleries. It's the place where the Beatles played for an extended time in Germany in the 60's. 

I had previously posted photos made during my visit to Berlin last December, and in this post I am sharing a few photos I made during my four-day visit to Hamburg around New Year's Eve. I took full advantage of my visit and explored the streets of Hamburg with my camera every day. I even got up early on New Year's Day and explored the empty (hung-over) streets of this beautiful city. My mom was my brave travel companion and co-explorer. The temperature in Berlin was mild, almost spring-like, but in Hamburg it was frigid. It was so frigid that we had to stop at one of the souvenir shops and buy a fashionable "Schietwetter" (translated "shit weather") hat for my mom, which she proudly shows off in one of the photos below. However, the frigid temperatures during the day or night were no hurdle and I even ventured out in the middle of the night to capture the beautifully illuminated warehouse district.

All black and white photos were made with the Leica MP and Zeiss Sonnar 1,5/50, or Leica M-A and Summicron 2/35, on Kodak Tri-X 400 film. All color photos were made with the Hasselblad 500c and Zeiss Planar 2,8/80 on Fuji Pro 400H. All photos were processed and scanned by MeinFilmLab in Germany. One of my photos was also featured on the MeinFilmLab selected works in January.

Hamburg by Night

Chi-city

My last trip to London was only three weeks in the rear-view mirror before it was time again to pack my bags and head to Chicago for a long weekend getaway. On my London trip I managed to meet up with my friends Dan and Cara for a quick lunch and a stroll along the Thames river on a rare sunny spring day. We only had a short time together, but luckily the reason for my Chicago trip was to meet up with them again during their visit to the US. Another friend of ours, Greg, joined us as well.

Dan, Greg and I have been friends since the first October weekend back in 2001. The reason I remember the day so vividly is because it was the weekend the three of us, among hundreds of other young and eager students, arrived at our dormitories at university in England. I vividly remember pulling up in my car at university, getting my room info and keys from the porter's office, and then heading to my block and being greeted by these two fellows. We've been friends ever since, through thick and thin, and I am grateful for calling these two my friends. Whenever and wherever we have a chance to meet we try to. We pick up right were we left off the last time.       

This time we picked Chicago for our get-together. Unfortunately, Chicago has been in the news a lot because of the weekly violence. Not a week passes without new headlines about the killings and even the New York Times recently ran an article titled "Pleading for Peace in Chicago Amid Fears of a Bloody Summer". During our visit there was no shortage of gun violence and deaths in parts of the city, even a friend of Greg's woke up to her car wrecked Sunday morning because of a police pursuit. Personally I hope Chicago is able to get it under control, because it truly is a beautiful city with wonderful people as we experienced during our stay.

This was my fourth visit to Chicago, so I had no specific agenda and followed the lead of my friends. We stayed at a spacious Airbnb apartment in Logan Square, one of Chicago's neighborhoods in the northwest side and a short car ride from the city center.

On our first day we ventured into the city early in the morning to partake in a 90-minute architecture boat cruise. Chicago is legendary for its architecture and there was no shortage of old and new buildings to admire. I am a fan of art deco and got my fair share of buildings to look at. The afternoon we spent walking around the city center and explored parts of the Magnificent Mile, finished a round of mini-golf at Millennium Park, and stopped by the Buckingham Fountain (title scene Married... with Children).

Exploring Chicago's Logan Square and Bucktown neighborhoods, as well as North Avenue Beach was the theme of Day 2. In total we must have walked 10+ miles that day and we finished our day with a delicious BBQ at Chicago Q.

On our last day we stayed local in Logan Square. I had a late afternoon flight back to New York to catch and didn't want to stress over long queues at O'Hare airport. Late morning Dan, Greg and I went for nice brunch at one of the cafes close by. We just sat there, talked about memories of university life, laughed, and schemed our next get-together somewhere on this globe; a perfect finale to a great weekend. 

All photos were made with the Leica MP and Summicron 2/50 on Kodak Tri-X 400. Film was rated at 200. Photos were developed at home using Kodak Xtol developer (no pulling or pushing), and scanned using the Nexlab Pakon (non-plus).

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Londinium MMXVI

“There’s nowhere else like London. Nothing at all, anywhere.”

— Dame Vivienne Westwood

London has always had a special place in my heart. I first visited London years (decades) ago in seventh grade during my stay in a small southern town called Christchurch, while attending a three-week intensive English course. I remember being in awe during my first visit. Years later I would return to England to study at Lancaster University and I began my career in London itself in the Covent Garden area. London was then my "home base" for three and a half years before I moved to the New York City metropolitan area.

Needless to say, a lot of my friends from uni still live there or close by. It's been a while since I last had visited London, so it did not taking a lot of convincing when I recently had the chance to go there again for pleasure for a long weekend, and airfares were cheap.

I had no particular plans or agenda, beside visiting with friends, so I took advantage of the gorgeous sunny weather and set off to explore some old stomping grounds of mine. I spent the last couple of months locked in the office, so I was "thirsting" to grab my camera and walk around to clear my head. I ended up walking about eight miles in total one day and took some photos along the way. I wish I could have met more friends during my stay

All photos developed and scanned at home. Color photos were taken with the Leica MP and Summicron 2/50 on expired Kodak Portra 400 NC. All black and white photos were taken with the Hasselblad Xpan and 45mm lens on Kodak TMax 400.

Berlin

“All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’.”

— President John F. Kennedy - June 26, 1963

One of my goals for 2016, a new years resolution so to speak, is to get better at blogging and capturing, in words and photos, what I've seen and experienced on my travels. It will take some time, but hopefully you will see a change for the better by the end of the year. To achieve that goal I've decided to take a small black notebook and fountain pen with me on my travels, to take notes throughout the day so I wont forget the small details that made the trip or day special.

My most recent trip was my 2 1/2 weeks trip to Germany for Christmas and New Years. I left on December 18th and flew from JFK via Heathrow to Frankfurt. After a painful and long layover at Heathrow I arrived in Frankfurt. I rented a car and drove up to my mom's place, close to Hanover, to stay for a couple of days before heading to Berlin for a short three day trip on December 23rd.

The drive from Hanover to Berlin was pleasant and uneventful, and I had my share of fun on the Autobahn and pushing the rental car to its limit. I left around 1pm and arrived at the hotel in Berlin late afternoon. After unpacking I spent the evening enjoying a nice snack and a few drinks at the hotel. A bit tired from the drive I decided to take it easy and only walked around for a few minutes that night, enjoying the beautifully lit Christmas tree by the Brandenburg Gate. I snapped a couple of photos before catching an early nights sleep in order to rise early in the morning for some sightseeing.

December 24, 2015 - Christmas Day

I set my alarm for 8 am, right before sunrise. I decided to skip breakfast at the hotel and instead opted for a quick Latte and Pain au Chocolat across the street at Starbucks. I was too eager and excited to get out and explore the streets of Berlin with my cameras. I have to admit, it felt a bit strange to order at Starbucks in German and I almost pulled out my phone to pay with the app. I didn't even take the time to sit down and enjoy my breakfast. With the coffee cup and a small paper bag with my food in my hand I left the store, ready to explore Berlin.

Luckily the hotel, Adlon, is very central and only a few feet away from the Brandenburg Gate, as well as other attractions. The night before I had carefully planned my day and the different sights I wanted to visit. On my list I had the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, Strasse unter den Linden, Checkpoint Charlie, and Museumsinsel. It was enough sights for a nice little three hour walk. 

I could not have asked for a better day and weather to explore Berlin. Even though it was December, the weather was mild and I walked around the city experiencing a beautiful sunrise and perfect light for photography. The streets were empty, at times spooky, and I didn't have to mind any tourist groups. It seemed as if even locals took the morning off because I barely ran into people on the streets. One by one I worked myself through the list of sights I had planned on visiting.

Around noon I arrived back at the hotel and went for a quick stroll to the memorial of the murdered Jews of Europe. The memorial is located right behind the hotel. It's a "sea" of thousands of concrete slabs. I took my time to take it all in and tried capture the sheer magnitude with my camera.

A little after 1pm I took off for a nice leisurely afternoon walk along the "Strasse under den Linden". Our target was the "Berliner Fernsehturm" (TV tower). I still remember when I was a child, standing in long a queue for hours just to get up there and catch a glimpse of the city from high up. How times have changed, I only waited for ten minutes and then we were on our way up. The view was breathtaking. I decided not to take any photos and just enjoy the view. After about 30 minutes I went back down and then headed back to the hotel.

Later in the evening I had a nice family Christmas dinner at "The Grand", a German-French cuisine restaurant close to Alexanderplatz. Luckily the concierge at the Adlon helped out the night before securing a reservation. Service was a bit slow given the amount of people having dinner there that night, however, spending all year in a city where everything is fast paced, New York, I didn't mind at all.

December 25, 2015

The last day in Berlin was all about soaking up some history and culture in the morning. I got up really early, packed all the bags, and after a quick in-room breakfast headed to the Neues Museum (Museumsinsel) to see the Nefertiti bust. You are not allowed to take photos of the bust itself, but I was able to capture a few around the museum. The entire Museumsinsel is filled with different exhibitions and to enjoy it all you certainly need more than just a morning.

When I got back to the hotel early afternoon from the museum visit the car was waiting for us in front of the hotel, all nicely packed and ready to go. A last look around the Pariser Platz and the Brandenburg Gate and then I was off to visit my dad and the village I grew up in.

Stay tuned for more...

All photos developed and scanned by MeinFilmLab. Black&White photos are Kodak Tri-X, colour photos are FujiPro400H.

Shhhh... please do not disturb!

It never fails, right after Labor Day temperatures drop in the tri-state area. Gone are the warm and cozy days of summer. The drop is not extreme, but enough to remind you that the cold fall and winter days are fast approaching, waiting around the corner. The same applies to traffic, gone are the days of easy commutes into NYC. The streets are jammed again with stressed drivers, school buses, and stop-and-go traffic due to stalled cars, construction or accidents. Leaving only ten minutes later than usual makes all the difference. Luckily sunshine, endless beaches, sanity and relaxation are only a short flight away.

I decided to hop on a plane at JFK on a Thursday morning for a four-day getaway at the Ritz Carlton, Grand Cayman. Four hours later I was greeted with cocktails at check-in, and after a few minutes of formalities I wads off to soak up the sun and relax. 

Somehow I missed to get away all summer. Work and other projects did their best to keep me bound to the NYC area for the most part of the summer and limited to short trips. To avoid any distraction whatsoever I decided to try my best to completely unplug from the digital world. I left my blackberry, iPhone, iPad and laptop at home. Armed with only a book, my trusted Leica M3 and a couple rolls of Kodak Portra 400 I was ready for some "Shhhh... please do not disturb" time.

The four days that I was out there and during the trip I did notice though how much hotels, airlines and restaurants try to ensure that you can stay connected non-stop. Free or paid WiFi seems to be available everywhere nowadays, even on the beach. What is sad though is that I also noticed multiples couples, young and old, at dinner tables that were glued to their smartphone screens instead of having a conversation with each other, or just taking in the Caribbean atmosphere and scenery. Somehow we need to learn to unplug from the digital world once in a while.

The photos were taken (or made, whatever you prefer) over the course of four days. I didn't venture too far away from the hotel, so all of them are in close proximity. All photos were taken with the Leica M3, Leica Summicron 2/50 Rigid and Kodak Portra 400. The film was rated at 200, and developed at home using the Tetenal C-41 presskit and scanned using the Pakon. 

Sit back, relax and enjoy!

A Day Trip to Great Captain Island

If you live in the New York City tri-state area (New York, Connecticut, New Jersey) and work in the city, or any large metropolitan area, then you are most likely familiar with the ritual of mass exodus from the big city on a Friday afternoon before a three day weekend. Especially, if it is the last three day weekend right before the end of summer and before kids head back to school.

Not sure who came up with the quote for insanity, some credit Einstein, but doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is something that comes to mind when you are stuck on an overcrowded train, or in the car in stop-and-go traffic on a Friday. So to avoid insanity on a sunny Friday afternoon before this year’s Labor Day weekend I decided to do something for my sanity instead, and stay at home and take a day trip out to Great Captain Island.

Great Captain Island is a small, ~17 acres, and beautiful island right off the coast of Greenwich, Connecticut on the Long Island Sound. It’s a sanctuary because there are no cars or stores, just pure nature and it is entirely surrounded by water. I am not sure how popular and crowed it is on the weekends, but today not more than 20 people were on the island.

To get here took quite a bit of effort and expense, but it is well worth it. The island is only accessible via ferry service from Greenwich harbor. The ferry service is seasonal and is dependent on the low/high tide schedule of the Long Island Sound. I was lucky enough that the island was accessible today.

The ferry ride costs $11 per person and tickets can be bought at the harbor/ferry. Parking by the harbor is $25 per day. However, first you need to head to the Greenwich town hall to get a park day pass (if you are not a Greenwich resident). The day pass is about $6. In fact, access to all of Greenwich's beaches is restricted to Greenwich residents and their guest, or require a day pass. So in total it costs about $42. Bring a couple of more people and at least the parking gets cheaper.

Random side note…
This is somewhat still foreign to me (a German who has lived in the U.S. for 15+ years), because in Germany or rest of Europe beaches and lakes are accessible by the public, and there are not as many restrictions. In the summer season (roughly Memorial Day through Labor Day) each city in Connecticut requires you to buy a day pass to access the beach which costs $6 per person or $25 per car. Good luck, and deep pockets, if you want to tour all of Connecticut’s beaches.

To make the most of your trip it is best to head out on the first ferry and take the last one off the island. The ferry runs about every 30 minutes to and from the island. The ferry schedule is posted online, as well as at the harbor and on the island itself. It is also possible (best to check and confirm details) to camp and spend the night on the island.

All photos were taken with the Leica M-A, Leica Summicron 2/35 and Kodak Portra 400. Film developed (c41 press kit) and scanned (pakon) at home.

Roadtrip

Inspired by Johnny Patience's Death Valley blog post back in April I jumped on the opportunity of a short trip to Las Vegas at the end of July. I am not into gambling at all, so I planned a couple of short roadtrips to places "relatively" close to Las Vegas. In total I only spent, hold your breath, a full $1 on gambling. I figured, rather than blowing my money at the casino it would be more fun to rent a car and head out to explore nature and some of the state parks. Las Vegas for me is a "been there, done that, don't need to do it again" place. I can see why people like it, but it is not for me.

I arrived in Las Vegas late Tuesday night and picked up my rental car early Wednesday morning at our hotel (Aria). On day 1, Wednesday, I ventured out to Death Valley. As part of the trip I stopped by Rhyolite Ghost Town, Badwater Basin, Artitst's Drive and the Amargosa Opera House. In total I drove about 300 miles and was on the road all day. The distance may seem excessive, but the drive was quite nice and there is lots of nature to see along the way. I spent every day of the week working in New York City, so it was quite a nice change in scenery.

The only mishap I had happen to me on day 1 was that my Hasseblad gave up after my stop at the Badwater Basin. The heat, 120 degrees, must have been too much. I bought a couple of screwdrivers later in the day and was able to fix it. However, it meant that I was only able to capture half the day in colour (Kodak Portra 400). Before I was able to fix it I also bought a couple of 35mm colour film as backup. It's getting more and more difficult to find film on the road.

On day 2, Thursday, I started my journey early in the day and first stopped at the Hoover Dam. I spent about an hour there and then continued towards the Grand Canyon South Rim. It's about a 4 1/2 hour straight drive from Las Vegas to the South Rim. Rather than heading straight to the South Rim I also took a detour along Route 66 from Kingman to Seligman. I arrived at the South Rim late in the afternoon and spent the night close by in Tuscyan, Arizona. 

On day 3 I explored the Grand Canyon early in the morning and went on a helicopter ride exploring the East side of the Grand Canyon, before heading back to Las Vegas. 

The photos that follow were taken with the Leica M-A / Summicron 35 and Hasselblad 500c / Carl Zeiss 80. All photos were developed (Kodak XTol and Tetenal C-41 press kit developer) and scanned at home (Kodak Pakon and Epson V600). The photos were taken on Kodak Tri-X 400, Kodak Ultramax 400, Kodak Portra 400 and Kodak Portra 800. I am comfortable with developing and scanning black and white photos, however, I still have to get the hang of scanning and developing color.

Day 1 // Rhyolite Ghost Town and Death Valley

Days 2 and 3 // Hoover Dam, Route 66 and Grand Canyon

Oetztal Alps

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Eight long years, that’s how long it has been since my last snowboarding trip. Eight years ago I lived in Amsterdam and flew down to Switzerland for a long weekend for some snowboarding fun. I lived in Zurich the year before, so knew the area quite well. On one of the morning runs down the hill I had a pretty bad fall and injured my left leg. I kept going for the rest of the day which turned out not to be smart and ended in the emergency room. Fast forward a couple more years, to about 2008, and I slipped in front of the house on ice and broke the same leg/ankle in three different places. Needless to say, it took quite some time to heal and some more time before I could put real pressure on my ankle again and do things such as cycling or running.

Fast forward to the beginning of 2015 and I was itching to go snowboarding again. There’s only a limited amount of snowboarding movies and videos one can watch laying on the couch before you feel the urge to book a plane ticket and head to the mountains. I picked up skateboarding/longboarding two summers ago, but even that wasn’t enough.

I’ve been to ski resorts in Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia and France in the past, but never in the USA or Canada. I called a couple of friends of mine begging to go on a snowboarding trip to Colorado, Canada or some other ski resort here in the USA/Canada, but all of them either had a no plans to go or had already gone in December. Going by yourself quite honestly sucks, so I was disappointed that I may not go again this season. Luckily my mom called me and told me that she had a trip planned to Hochsoelden in Austria. It didn’t take a lot to convince her and after a couple of calls we found a place for me to stay, and a couple of clicks and I had a plane ticket booked.

Hochsoelden is located in the Oetztal Alps, roughly 2090 meters above sea level. It’s about 3 hours by car from Munich airport, which I flew into directly from New York. The best part, Hochsoelden is located right in the ski resort and you have access to about 33 lifts/gondolas, 150km of ski slopes, a glacier, and peaks as high as 3,340 meters. Luckily the weather was gorgeous as well throughout the week and the snow conditions were awesome. There was enough snow to do one of the longest runs, 15km, from the peak all the way down to the valley (Soelden).

Even before my trip started I was excited about taking photos in Austria of the Alps. I decided to take my Hasselblad with me and a couple rolls of Kodak Portra 400 and Fuji Pro 400H. The majority of the photos below are Kodak Portra 400. But enough of the talk, below are the photos I took on the trip. All were scanned/developed by Richard PhotoLab in California. Enjoy!

Technology has a evolved quite a bit, even on the ski slopes. You can actually go online after your ski trip, type in your ski-pass number and get a recap of your entire trip.