Zeiss Infinity Tour - Berlin

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Berlin - A Diverse Capital

The Berlin stop of the Infinity Tour wasn’t my first visit to the German capital. I’d held a couple of workshops there in the past. It is, however, almost guaranteed that you’ll discover new buildings, street art or new local grocery stores every time you visit the city – not just because of its size, but first and foremost because of the constant state of flux.

Some say that Berlin is whatever you want it to be. Be it the business, entrepreneurial and fashion aspects, or – by way of contrast – the laid-back, creative inhabitants roaming the city in a famous neighborhoods like Kreuzberg or Tempelhof-Schöneberg. Everything is there – you just have to discover it for yourself. And a gritty fashion boutique might have become a five star hotel the next time you pass it.

During the workshop, I met Peter who lives in Berlin. We had the chance to discuss not only photography, but also his definition of infinity. He stated that infinity allows you to be creative without boundaries – a challenge all of us face as photographers. Photography force you to realize your vision and be creative with your subject within a limited timeframe.

Although the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag and the TV Tower are some of the popular key landmarks you'll find on most Berlin postcards, I chose the Jacob-and-Wilhelm-Grimm-Library as my infinity spotlight for Berlin. If you pass by the building late in the afternoon, the scenery is simple spectacular as the building is submerged in the setting sun. The library within the building looks like a place of infinite wisdom, as exemplified by the depth of the room. I was told that it houses around 2.5 million books, some of which are more than 100 years old – I find that very impressive!

Zeiss Infinity Tour - Iceland

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Iceland, The Land Of Ice & Fire

A country of extreme contrasts situated in the far north of Europe, the small island nation fascinates with its impressive landscapes. Where else can you discover large glaciers, active volcanoes, northern lights and nearly 24-hours of sunlight in summer? 

This has been my fourth trip to Iceland during the last three years. It is a destination totally different from any country I have visited before. It is a trip you really have to get ready for and when I say getting ready I mean it in a different way. It’s not only about booking your flight, hotel and packing your bag.

It started off with my clothes. What to wear in Iceland, was the big question before my first trip. I went on a shopping trip to the mall in Dubai, a city where the sun shines 365 days a year without a real winter. Yet, I was surprised to bump into other shoppers that were looking for the very same thing I was looking for. Iceland was becoming en-vogue. The one and only tip I can give to people who are traveling to Iceland is to wear layers, it actually helps to keep you warm and you can always discard one layer if you feel hot. I once read, there’s no bad weather, but bad clothing and that’s definitely right for Iceland. One more thing: if you hate to get wet, don’t even bother doing a trip to Iceland.

My biggest challenge whenever I travel is fitting my gear in one backpack that I can take with me on a plane. I know as a photographer you want to experiment and try all possible equipment, but with all the restrictions on the planes you must focus and decide which are your priority lenses and what other equipment that you should have on you. It took me at least two trips to Iceland to decide.

For the equipment, I recommend a wide-angle lens and of course the ZEISS Milvus 2.8/15 is on the top of my list. I must admit that 80% of my images were shot with this lens. ND filters are recommended and as much batteries as you can afford – due to the cold weather they need to be recharged more frequently.

And take the steadiest tripod you can get and I really mean that, during this trip I lost my camera in frequents of second, when I gave my back to the tripod. Always keep an eye on the camera fixed on the steady tripod!

Don’t expect luxury accommodation, especially if you are traveling from one location to the other. Of course, Reykjavik offers many options for accommodation, but once you are on the road, the hotels become more like guesthouses. But nevertheless, the people are very friendly, helpful, flexible and open to visitors. Maybe the Icelandic way of life influenced one of my workshop participants. As I asked her how she feels about the meaning of infinity, Sabah described it as a platform for happiness and dreams to live, laugh and love ad infinitum – a definition I really like.

I just noticed I used the word planning several times, however in Iceland you often must have a plan B, C or even D. Of course, you plan your route, you know which locations you are visiting, but in no time a storm can make you change all plans. So, in other words you are exposed to nature. But that’s exactly why landscape photographers will fall in love with the stunning Icelandic nature has to offer, whether it’s a waterfall, ice formations, glaciers, volcano or chasing the Northern lights – the best time to catch them is from mid-September to mid-April. I found the stranded melting ice blocks on the beach as a very fitting analogy for the tour’s theme of infinity: The transient relicts of gigantic icebergs are shining in the sun and shrinking until they’re dissolved back into the ocean. Resembling the true process of nature’s infinite circle.

Last but not least after a hardcore photography trip with very little sleep, you can only reward yourself with a visit to the Blue Lagoon.

Zeiss Infinity Tour - South Africa

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Cape Town - The Mother City

Located in the Western Cape province in South Africa, the city's name is derived from the world famous and steep Cape of Good Hope cliffs. Cape Town’s history and natural beauty attracts more foreign visitors than ever before. With over 3700 hours of sun, rich cultural diversity and a breathtaking natural landscape, it offers unique locations for landscape and portrait photography.

For my third stop on the ZEISS Infinity Tour, I’m going to introduce you to an African city rather than a country. 
I was invited to conduct a workshop in Cape Town, the primate city of the Western Cape province in South Africa. It was a quite short trip, and I only had four days to explore this fantastic location situated on the shore of Table Bay.

I was fascinated by how modern Cape Town is: this pulsating, vibrant city has a vivid urban flair surrounded by beautiful ocean scenery. Of course, as a landscape photographer, I was quite keen to capture with my lens the many memorable perspectives this city offers. Any landscape photographer who has visited Cape Town will mention the world-famous Table Mountain and Signal Hill as unique highlights. 

Table Mountain, the natural landmark overlooking the city, offers an epic view of the metropolis below and was chosen as one of the new 7 wonders of nature in 2012. 
As for Signal Hill, when you look at it together with the Lion’s Head, people claim that it looks like a sphinx.

For the practical part of our workshop, we decided to shoot Table Mountain and Lion’s Head from Signal Hill. I decided to use the ZEISS Milvus 15mm lens, which is generally my go-to lens for most of my landscape images. And I must admit that we were quite lucky in terms of timing.

Just one day earlier, there had been a thunderstorm. For a photographer, there is nothing better than the time before, after and sometimes even during the storm. I had a good view from my balcony the night of the storm and was able to capture the lightning as it spread like roots through the clouds

The second morning, we witnessed the sun piercing through the vanishing storm clouds, creating amazing sunset scenery. It is worth mentioning that in South Africa there’s a huge community of photographers. Some of the participants who attended my workshop traveled from neighboring countries, but the majority came from South Africa. I asked Leslie for her view of infinity, and she brought yet another perspective to my attention. For her, timelessness best encapsulates her understanding of infinity. I suspect this comes from the rich and moving history of Cape Town where she’s a resident.

There is a huge art scene and a lot of galleries, and I guess this has a lot to do with the diverse cultures found in South Africa in general. You should definitely plan to visit the various boutiques and galleries for inspiration when you visit!

I will definitely visit Cape Town again and will certainly stay for longer next time. But before I end this blog, I would like to add something I just learned: I didn’t know that there are penguins in South Africa! A visit to Boulder’s Beach might be interesting to see these little creatures and take some nice shots - not only of the penguins, but also of the beautiful scenery during a sunrise.

During the workshop in Cape Town, we had an awesome support from Singer Photography at all level, they provided all type of Zeiss lenses to the participants for testing. I was using all the time my favorite Zeiss Milvus ultra wide angle, 15mm on Nikon mount.

Zeiss Infinity Tour - Prague

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Prague – The City of a Hundred Spires

The magical, historic capital of the Czech Republic is located at the foot of a beautiful castle and is nestled along the Vltava River with its numerous historic bridges. Ancient chapels, hidden gardens and cobbled lanes turn every walk through the city into an urban adventure.

Another amazing stop on the ZEISS Infinity Tour was the historic city of Prague, which is one of the most beautiful and charming cities in the world for me. What I like most about Prague are its two faces. On the one hand, you have the wonderful historic core with its world-famous Charles Bridge and the Vyšehrad fortress, surrounded by the baroque buildings in the embassy quarter.

You can stride alongside the Vltava River, roam through parks or visit different museums. On the other hand, you can find a wide variety of trendy boutiques and modern art on almost every corner – Or you can simply immerse yourself in the vivid nightlife. What initially seems like opposing forces is actually a fascinating mélange and a dream for either a portraitist or photographer whose focus is architecture. You should know that the center of Prague features many buildings that date back to the 13th century – incredible! The city's beauty and long history draws a lot of tourists from around the world, many of whom pour in on the weekends especially.

In Prague, there is always something new to discover, and that turns a walk through the city into an adventure in its own right. You wander through cobbled lanes, along numerous gold-tipped church and cathedral towers and over numerous bridges. The famous Charles Bridge is a must-see and is only accessible by foot. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes!

I have been fascinated by architecture for a long time, both as someone who studied interior design and as a professional photographer. I really wanted to capture the wonderfully restored baroque buildings in Prague. This is why I was so pleased to give a cityscape workshop when I was in the city this past spring. My wonderful participants and I were always searching for the best spot to take photos of the ancient bridges and buildings mirrored in the Vltava River.

So we decided to walk up one of the hills near the riverside. Here we found an amazing view looking out over the city as the sunset bathed the scenery in a warm glow – a beautiful memory. During the workshop, I had the chance to have an inspiring chat with Nina, a cheerful young photographer from Croatia. I really liked her idea of infinity as a never-ending circle of life – a wonderful thought reflected in the water flowing down the Vltava River, the very substance of our own lives.

During my visit to Prague, i was using Zeiss Milvus 15mm and Zeiss Milvus 135mm