Guided Munich Photo Tours

Snowboard Carving Video

Dave — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 12:49:36 +0000

If you’re curious what your photo-guide is up to in the cold winter months, look no further! Here’s a raceboarding video from Carving Masters on May 1st, 2010. Sölden is a ski resort with a glacier, about 3 hours away from Munich. The video was shot, stabilized, and edited by Dave.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For those intrigued by the photographic possibilities of snow, consider taking a Guided Munich photo tour class in the winter! Crisp and cold days can provide very clear skies for great photos. And a blanket of snow (or some flakes in the air) set the perfect scene for Christmas Market photos during the month of December.

Thanks to the carvers from Frozen Backside who appear in this video! And of course, thanks to my old band Electric Bacon – I hope you all like the song.

Night Photo from Oct. 4th Photo Walk

Dave — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 09:47:36 +0000

Here’s a fantastic shot by a client from Oct. 4th, taken using a Canon 500D.

We learned about photography in the dark, and this shot has everything! There are trails from headlights, tail lights, brake lights, and even a bike light. I love the traffic signal with all lights appearing active due to the long exposure! And the car standing still for half the exposure takes the cake… you can see the headlight and brake light trails from the same car when it was moving.

Thanks to my client for letting me use this photo. It was a really enjoyable photo walk!

Oktoberfest 2010 coming up!

Dave — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 11:40:55 +0000

Okay, it’s almost time for Oktoberfest. Just a few days left before my guests arrive! Here are a few nice shots when walking around the Wies’n and Munich with my friend Kevin. Here’s Schottenhamel with a circular polarizer (CPL filter).

At a small Hacker-Pschorr Biergarten next to the Theresienwiese…

35mm f/2 lens.

Finally, Kevin tried a Nackensteak-Semmel at the Bayern-Markt, Orleansplatz. Right near both of our old stomping grounds in Haidhausen! Mmm… Love the f/2, though you can see from the upper left that the background bokeh is just neutral. Nothing fantastic. An optimal portrait lens would have a more even blur on the dark/light circles.

Hope to see some of you at Oktoberfest!

Delicious Latte Macchiato

Dave — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 10:52:09 +0000

My favorite coffee is the Latte Macchiato: served in a glass with a layer of coffee floating between milk and foam. I’ve made plenty of these tasty coffee treats at home in Munich.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I took a series of photos while making the video. Now that I think of it, I’ll have to post those eventually. It was tough to edit out the flashes on video… took me a while to remove 2-3 video frames at a time for 40 or so strobe flashes.

For my tips on making a great Latte, see my blog post on Dave’s Photo & Travelblogue!

Munich Photo Walk Aug. 18th

Dave — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:01:32 +0000

I went on a photo walk with a pretty experienced client last week (admin of Dublin Information), and came up with some really good tips for him. Here are a few of the photos, taken with a Canon EOS 500D and two zoom lenses.

This first one is an example of using depth of field to emphasize the subject – in this case, some tasty summer cherries. Look at that nice bokeh! I especially like the blur effect as the eyes follow the long board making up the lower edge of the fruit stand.

Street signs are a great way to remember details about a city you’ve visited. This one would really bring back memories of walking along Kaufingerstraße, Munich’s pedestrian-zone shopping street. Nice composition helps make up for the cloudy day.

Finally, a great interior photo of the low-light Asamkirche, showing the value of a mini tripod.
Most churches don’t allow flash, and the flash wouldn’t illuminate such a big space anyway! You need some better techniques than “Auto” mode + flash to get this shot.

Thanks to my client for letting me use these photos on the site. Keep on shooting!

Olympiaturm At Night

Dave — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:17:37 +0000

Here’s a 3-shot bracketed HDR of the Olympiaturm. You can see a lot more detail and color than with a single exposure.

Olympiapark Sunset 2

Dave — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:12:00 +0000

A sunset closeup at Olympiapark. Created with a bracketed series, HDR processed.

Olympiapark Sunset 1

Dave — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:06:59 +0000

The sun goes down over Olympiapark. A bracketed series, HDR processed.

Oktoberfest 2010 Dates & Tours

Dave — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:31:18 +0000

It’s just about that time again: when Germans and tourists alike don Lederhosen and Dirndls and flock to the Wies’n for Oktoberfest! (or, as many foreigners misspell it, Octoberfest). Here’s a snap with a pocket camera: low light and background blur give a very interesting effect on these two friends of mine!

Oktoberfest 2010 Dates: September 18th until October 4th. Better hurry up and book your plane tickets for Munich…

Here are Guided Munich’s top recommendations of what to do while you’re in Bavaria! Well, that’s besides trying our Munich Photo Tour, hehe.

Top Ten Things To Do in Munich (in no particular order)

Visit the Wies’n – the official Oktoberfest grounds!
Climb up Zugspitze if you’re in tip-top shape, or ride the gondola to get there
Visit the Austrian Alps on a day trip
Check out crazy King Ludwig’s unfinished Neuschwanstein Castle (upon which Disney’s Magic Kingdom castle is based!)
Drive (and then ferry) to crazy King Ludwig’s other unfinished castle, Herrenchiemsee on Lake Chiemsee
Go to the Deutsches Museum, a massive Science Museum in downtown Munich
Visit the BMW Museum and check out the entire history of this iconic car brand
Relax in the Englischer Garten in the north half of Munich, and have a beer at the Seehaus or Chinese Tower Biergartens
For an insider Biergarten tip, try Hirschau just north of the Mittlerer Ring – tough to reach, but great jazz music weekend afternoons!
Climb one of Munich’s many towers for a great view – the Olympiaturm offers panoramas of BMW, parks, and a distant downtown view

If you’re interested in photography, do give our guided tour of Munich a try – photo lessons and the best vantage points, all in one afternoon. There’s a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, or your money back.

Now, here’s something to whet your appetite – roast half chicken, or Halbes Hendl:

And a final taste of Oktoberfest – the Steckerlfish. Yep, it’s charcoal-roasted fish on a big stick. Mmm.

Hope to see you here at Oktoberfest in 2010!

German Privacy Laws

Dave — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:45:17 +0000

One interesting point about Germany: It’s been said they have some of the world’s most strict laws protecting the individual’s privacy. Some say these regulations go too far and limit “normal” use of photos taken in public places. All we know is, (he’s called the Stig) you should be careful how you use your Germany photos.

Just so you’re aware, here are some discussions I’ve found (in English) giving details about the restrictions. If you plan to put any photos online in a public place, you should follow these to avoid someone contacting you to ask, “Please take my photo down!” Note that I couldn’t find anything in German that I was able to understand, and I suspect the official legal documents are even unreadable to a native speaker.

Photo.net – Photography in Germany (go to the “People” section under “Responses”)

Street Photography Watercooler article (more specific to shots of single persons)

From what I interpret:

It’s not illegal to take pictures of people. Only to publish those pictures without their consent. (but on this item I am not clear!)
Publishing single-person zoom shots on sites like Facebook, Flickr, or Picasa is a violation of the subject’s privacy.
Shooting “single persons” is worse than shooting people who happen to be in a scene; the above Altes Rathaus shot is an example of a scene. I could never photograph or reproduce it without having at least a few people in there. Therefore my personal decision is, blur out the people who happen to be recognizable in the scene.
Exceptions where you are allowed to publish: a public figure (in a non-embarrassing pose); people who cannot be recognized (e.g. spectators at a sporting event). My personal decision is that public performers (e.g. Eisbach surfers and street performers) are placing themselves as a public figure. Of course I also only display nice photos of them, anyway.
You may not make suggestions about or by the people in the photos, for example a caption under the waving politician saying “I endorse Pampers baby diapers!”

So, to make it short: be careful what you do with pictures of people taken in Germany. Honestly, chances are no one will complain and ask you to take them down. But there is a small risk of a “cease-and-desist” order or court action! If you do publish pictures with recognizable people, make sure you don’t put up anything embarrassing that could lead to a big lawsuit.

The Fine Print: this advice is not to be taken as legal, professional, or official advice. I make no guarantees or promises about its validity.

If anyone has some further links to more concrete advice (in an understandable format), I’ll be happy to add them here!