To go or not to go?

That’s the question. Just a few days ago I told you, I’d love to attend the Boudoir Divas Paris Workshop, but it was sold out. Now they added a second week!!! That means I could go! They still have some seats left. I just need to make the decision, if I want to attend it.

It was all so much easier before. It was sold, I couldn’t change a thing. Fine. But now? Now I need a magic eight ball to helpe me decide! I am so sure, it will be worth every single penny spent. But – and it’s a big but – can I afford it at this point in my life? I mean, I could get the money, but isn’t it better spend any other way?

On the other hand, what else could be better to really jumpstart your dream than attending such an awesome workshop? But still, it’s a lot of money now. Oh man, these decisions!

On the pther hand I LOVE PARIS! I haven’t been there in four years, I should definitely go again and I could stay for a few more days and enjoy the Louvre and all the nice gardens. And April means the weather is already better, which is so good for strolling around the streets of Paris. Oh, heaven!

Magic eight ball, what do you have to say??? Help!!! NOW!!

Good news in bad 2010

For almost six weeks my dad is in hospital now. It was a constant “down” since then. He didn’t have a stroke, he didn’t have a epileptic seizure. He was diagnosed with cancer. He has lung cancer with tumors and metastasis in brain, liver and kidneys. He hasn’t taken care of himself, so his condition wasn’t good. There was no chance for a surgery and a way too big field was infected, so there was no possibility for radiation.So he got chemotherapy.

Then two weeks ago, he had a clot and needed emergency surgery. When they opened his head they also removed the tumor. They think they got it all and he survived the surgery, which is good. Since then he’s in an incredibly good condition again. He is able to move his arms and legs again, his left side had a temporary paralysis. He’s getting rehab and is able to sit on the table again, and read and write.

Of course he’s not healthy and the chance is almost zero that he’ll ever will. But wonders happen, right? Sometimes they happen. And all I ask for is a small wonder that gives my dad some more time to really live. What he’s done in the past years was existing, but not living. That’s so sad. I wish for a few months, years for him to be able to see the worlds beauties and to explore that life is worth living.

I love you, dad.

Workshops…

Why is it that the most interesting workshops are all in the US? Or Mexico? Or Paris? But just not right here next to me. I think that’s a real shame. And I hate it.

This is just one reason why I wished to live somewhere cooler. Like California or New York City. I mean that even sounds way prettier than Duisburg, don’t you think? I do too. So no shame to admit it.

If I lived in the States, Mexico or Paris (and money wasn’t a concern) I would book myself right into the following four workshops:

• Jasmine Star - THE Workshop The link is to her most recent workshop in Australia. Just look at the pics and you see, that she totally rocked it. I love her blog, as simple as that. I wish she was my real life friend, cause she seems to be so amazing.
• Jessica Claire – JC/OC workshop Not only is she one of the most amazing photographers, but she was also one of the prettiest brides last year. She had such an awesome wedding, so unique, so vintage, so wonderful. She put a lot of effort in it and it was worth it. The pictures were amazing. In her workshop she helps people to learn from her mistakes. She teamed up with a lot of vendors who provide rad decoration and flowers to her workshops, so the attendees can also learn how important it is to have an eye for details.
• Jose Villa – Mexico workshop This is by far the most interesting location. Look at the gorgeous hacienda! It has such a romantic, rustic feeling to it, which I just love. People from all over the world attend his workshops and for a reason. This guy is such a talented photographer, it’s almost unbelievable.
• The Boudoir Divas – Paris workshop Boudoir and Paris are a match made in heaven. And those girls are so funny, dorky and just plain lovely, it is incredible. Paris isn’t too far from Germany, I know. But there wokshop for 2010 is already sold out.

So these are the workshops I dream to attend one day. Do you have some to share?

Thoughts on writing and traveling

Dear Diary,

last Friday I sat down on my desk, burned pictures on CD, printed the CD covers, printed three articles, put everything in a big envelope, licked stamps and finally send them away! I am very proud of myself, cause I just got started with trying to get published. I even mailed them!

Now I just need to go on… Sooner or later I am sure I will be successful. Cross your fingers for me.

This picture is from my first trip to Chile. It’s the Lauca national park. It’s 4500 meters in altitude. It was a one day trip and I started at sea level in Arica. Even though I chewed coca leaves against altitude sickness it didn’t work. I felt very dizzy when we arrived this lake. I couldn’t really focus anymore. I just pointed my point-and-shoot in several directions and clicked. I couldn’t even grasp the beauty of my surrounding anymore.

When I was back at home, I checked the pics and this little gem was on the SD card. I definitely have to say: Man, I wished I was there! I really can’t remember that it was so beautiful there! The colors, the light, the sky. Love it. It’s my favourite picture of that journey. And I am very sad that I took it accidentally and can’t say, that I planned the shot carefully.

Next time, I am sure I will be back in Chile, I’ll make sure that I can breath in all the awesome landscenery.

But if I am thinking about this… Maybe I was dizzy because of the coca leaves and not because of the altitude. Well, never mind. Next time.

A very new feeling

For the last nine years I worked in the same company. I had a save job, there was no need to change anything. I wasn’t too happy the last years, but it was save and I didn’t need to learn something new. I could just stay in my normal way without any need to adjust to a new situation. In the end I think this was part of the problem, because I couldn’t grow in any way or shape. What’s been comfortable once was also the sign of stagnancy. Never good.

Everything in my life changed in the last one and a half year. I finished university, I traveled for six months in Latin America, I re-started my passion for photography and writing, I learned Portuguese… (Even though I am not saying I can speak any noticable amount of words) But the job stayed the same. It felt wrong, because it was part of my university life and that was over.

Since October I have a new job and everything changed. The feeling of being content with your job is so new and it feels amazing. I love that I love my job. I know this sounds weird or maybe arrogant even, but that’s just the way it is. It’s definitely not my dream job, but it is a job I truly enjoy. I’ve never could say that about the old job. I liked the people I worked with, the atmosphere, but the job was rather dull. Yes, in the end I was only writing, which I adore, but if you have to do something, the fascination wears off easily.

I have a lot to do and sometimes it is a little stressy, but it’s good stress. The kind that make you appreciate your situation and not hate it. The job gives me plenty of time to spend it with the things I love, photographing and writing. Maybe I will be able to achieve my goals this year, while having a job that pays good money and gives me the safety I need to take the new steps. And save it is. Because for one week now, my contract is unlimited! Yay! Crack the champagne!

Writing ideas

This week I started to write again. It feels so normal to not down my thoughts and ideas again. I have a lot of ideas to write.

Currently I am writing my travel report. It takes some time, especially because I hadn’t have the will to write in the last few months. It was all such a chaos that I just couldn’t. Due to my dad’s illness it it harder to write than it used to be, but I think I just need to re-start and than everything will fall into place.

I finished two articles some time ago and send them in, but nothing happened. So I’ll try again to get a magazine to publish them. They are about Brazil and Panama.

I am also writing an article about my favourite country of the journey apart from Brazil: Colombia. I am almost done and will send it away as well.

Some other ideas are to write about the different parts of my six months journey. The more time I spend at one place, the more ideas for articles I do have. I was just a week in Honduras, so I couldn’t experience that much, which means there is just one idea. But I spend a month in Ecuador and have four ideas. I spend two months in Chile and have six ideas.

I hope I find the serenity to go for my goals in the next time even though my life is out of order at the moment and I am truly at the edge of reason. Just a big mess.

1000 places to see before you die I

There is this book “1000 places to see before you die” by Patricia Schultz. It’s a New York Times bestseller, so I am sure everyone heard of it before. I think it is a great idea to have a list with all the places in the world worth visiting. I am just not very fond of Patricias list. I think she put a lot of emphasis on Europa and North America. Let’s face it, it’s the easiest point to start. It’s easy to travel in North America and Europe, everyone knows about the highlights and a place like Europe has loads of cultural highlights. But does that mean that the other parts of the world don’t have any?

The Middle East has 20 pages, Africa 50, Latin America 70. I don’t think this is a representative list. It’s just an easy list. I don’t think she’s a traveler herself, because then she would have pride in showing spots away from the beaten path. And more over the book focuses mostly on very expensive spots on this earth, nothing that someone with a small budget could afford.

That’s why I am deciding to write my own list. I will write it on the go and add everytime to it, when I visit a new great place on this beautiful earth. Here are my first 10 tips with no claim to be complete:

Part I: Europe – Germany

1. Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord (it’s my home town, of course it’s first!)
2. Gasometer Oberhausen
3. Museum Folkwang Essen
4. Dome of Cologne
5. Eifel National Park
6. Neuschwanstein Castle
7. Berlin Wall
8. Cologne Carnival
9. Chocolate Museum Cologne
10. Arena auf Schalke

No claim to be complete. If possible I add the english links.

Bring back the fun!

The second post in the series of bringing the fun of photography back is about the Polaroid PoGo.

You might remember there was an instant camera called Polaroid. It was THE instant camera. But some time ago the company stopped the production of films, so the cameras are useless. There is the Impossible Project though, that wants to bring back the film in 2010. Which means, I’ll be able to use my camera soon again and maybe the films will be a little less pricy. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for this.

But for the time being, there is the Polaroid PoGo, a little printer the size of a cigarette box, well a little larger. With a new technology called ZINK (Zero Ink) it can print on a special kind of paper without ink. The photos are the size of a credit card and are stickers. You can put them everywhere. The paper is € 18 for 70 sheets, which means 25 Cents a print, which is WAY less than the instant camera.

The pictures aren’t of professional quality, true, but instant camera photos didn’t look like gallery wraps either. They are for fun and they bring a lot of fun. You can print from your cell phone or attach your digital camera via USB to the printer. And you can take it with you everywhere. You can recharge the battery and then you have power for 15 prints. It’s just a cool little gimmick that’s so much fun! I totally love it!

Here’s a pic right from my cell phone:

Photography books

I know I should have written about my photography books before christmas so it might have been a recommendation for a gift or two, but I am late. Usually I am very punctual, but I neglected the blog far too long, so I need to talk about it now.

I read all of the above books and I found all of them very helpful.

Chris Bucher – Lighting

Kevin Kubota – Digital Photography Boot Camp

Bryan Peterson – Understanding exposure

David duChemin – Within the frame (one of the best books ever!)

Dave Sanders – Fast track photographer

Freeman Patterson – Photography of natural things

Freeman Patterson – Photography for the joy of it

Bryan Peterson – Learning to see creatively

Erin Manning – Portrait and candid photography

David duChemin – Visionmongers

Scott Kelby – The Digital photography book 1 and 2

I for myself can learn very good from books. I also love to attend workshops and courses and think they are very helpful too, but I also like learning for myself, in my own speed. That’s why I love books as my teachers.

Staple of books 2.0

Hello, my name is Anne and I am addicted to books. It’s true, I can’t deny it. I am a book-crazy, a bookworm. I am the girl you never liked at school because she had her nose always in a book. Far from the fact – of course – that I always had my nose in the book because I was an outsider and wanted to dream myself away for not facing the bitter reality.

My friends know that I love books and so it’s always an easy present for me. But I also buy books for myself. Now I have a new staple of books to read. Here it is:

Some of the books I found at Jasmine Stars website. She’s a bookworm as well and has written about her favourite books quite often. Some others were recommendations of friends and some were presents.

Dave Eggers – What is the what

Anne Lamott – Bird by bird

Peter Cameron – Someday this pain will be useful to you (pic shows the german version)

Thomas Mann – Buddenbrooks (I watched the movie, but haven’t read it yet)

David Sedaris – Naked

J. R. Moehringer – The tender bar

Audrey Niffenegger: The time traveler’s wife

Daniel Alarcon – Lost City Radio

Vikas Swarup – Q and A

This is my lecture for the next weeks. What’s yours?