Silent Observations

A woman sits in the doorway of her house in a Nubian village on the banks of the Nile in Upper Egypt. Wearing a light-colored traditional dress and headscarf, she holds a glass in her hands and enjoys a moment of silent observations. The photograph was made using the available late afternoon light, with sunlight falling across her face and clothing while the interior behind her remains in shadow. Shooting in monochrome was the easy choice to emphasize the contrast between light and dark, drawing attention to her expression and the everyday scene of village life.

Taken with my Nikon Zf and the Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR, image specs 1/800 sec @f/6.3 and ISO 2000, 200mm focal length

More of my photography can be seen on my blog “Streets of Nuremberg“

The Guardian

Black And White Photography, Marcus, Photography

A photograph I actually took today. In an ancient Egyptian temple in the city of Edfu, located on the west bank of the Nile between Luxor and Aswan. The temple, 2250 years old and dedicated to the falcon god Horus, is considered one of the best-preserved temples in the entire country. Light shafts were falling into the interior of the temple, illuminating the hieroglyphs on the wall as well as the guardian who poses for the visiting photographer.

Taken with my Nikon Zf and the Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR, an awesome combo for travel photography, image specs 1/500 sec @f/6.3 and ISO 6400, 45mm focal length

More of my photography can be seen on my blog “Streets of Nuremberg“

Beached

Black And White Photography, Marcus, Photography

There are scenes that, when you see them, just scream “monochrome”. Like this one on the beach of the little town of Noli on the Ligurian coast in Italy. Photograph taken with the Nikon Zf and the awesome Voigtländer Nokton 40mm f/1.2.
Jpg out of camera.

More of my photography can be seen on my blog “Streets of Nuremberg“

Full Moon

Black And White Photography, Marcus, Photography

There are those moments when you just feel you have to take the shot. Like on this full moon night in Genoa last week. I woke up from the full moon blazing through our bedroom window. So I grabbed the iPhone 14 Pro and clicked. In the middle of the night. Another perfect moment for monochrome photography

More of my photography can be seen on my photography blog “Streets of Nuremberg“

Illusions

Black And White Photography, Marcus, Photography

Another street photograph for this post. The world is not always what it seems, neither is it black&white (what a pity 😉). It seems this guy sitting the Hamburg’s PHOXXI House of Photography is watching the effects of a torrential rain showers unfolding in the streets outside. During our trip to Hamburg last weekend I was blessed to see the exhibition of the iconic Mexican-American photographer Philip Montgomery, who is known for his photojournalistic work in which he portrays the society of the United States in iconic black-and-white images. On this semi transparent curtain in front of the Streets of Hamburg run projections of his images taking in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Not only is Philip a truly awesome monochrome documentary shooter, but he definitely seems to have his heart in the right place.

More of my photography can be seen on my blog “Streets of Nuremberg“

Smiling

Black And White Photography, Marcus, Photography

There is no country like Uzbekistan for Street Photography. You point a camera at people and the start smiling. Like this bridesmaid flashing me a gorgeous smile while the brides fixes her vail for the next set of her wedding photography session near Samarkand’s Registan Square. Taken with my Nikon Zf and the Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR, an awesome combo for travel photography.

More of my photography can be seen on my blog “Streets of Nuremberg“

Flamenco

Black And White Photography, Marcus, Photography

Capturing street photography in monochrome removes the distraction of color as a compositional element, allowing the viewer to focus on the raw interplay of light, gesture, and form. In black and white, the stories and faces of the street are distilled to their essence—human emotion, fleeting movement, and the subtle truths of everyday life.

More of my photography can be seen on my blog “Streets of Nuremberg“

The Bridge

Black And White Photography, Marcus, Photography

Last weekend I finally returned to the Oregon coast, more than six years after my last visit. A black & white photographer’s paradise, for sure. The Astoria-Megler Bridge, taking US 101 across the Columbia River, the last bridge before the river runs into the Pacific Ocean. The gloomy weather definitely helped in taking this long exposure monochrome image, smoothing out motion in water and clouds.

More of my photography can be seen on my blog “Streets of Nuremberg“

Father and Son

Black And White Photography, Marcus, Photography

When roaming the streets doing Street Photography, my camera is always set to a high contrast monochrome profile. Not that I couldn’t convert the RAW files to black & white later on. But I love to see the scene and my composition in monochrome when I look through the viewfinder. And even when the eyes are “hunting” for stories of the streets to capture, I have black & white in mind. When I saw those two doing father and son things while sitting in a street café after nightfall, I saw the light and knew it would give me the perfect monochrome shot. Image specs were 1/13 sec @ f/5.6 and ISO 1600. Focal length was a 240mm full frame equivalent. Shot on an Olympus OM-D E-M1.

More of my photography can be seen on my blog “Streets of Nuremberg“

Mountain View

Black And White Photography, Marcus, Photography

Ansel Adams is for monochrome landscape photographers the same as Henri Cartier-Bresson is for black and white street shooters. For me, both legends are inspirational masters of their craft. While Ansel Adams captured the beauty of American National Parks in all their monochrome glory, similar places in Europe are much harder to find. But when doing a winter hike in the Weisspriachtal (in Austria’s Lungau region) along the banks of the Lonka river, I felt very much reminded of Ansel’s photographs. Capured with an Olympus PEN-F, image specs 1/400 sec @ f/10, ISO200 and 28mm focal length.

More of my photography can be seen on my blog “Streets of Nuremberg“