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contemplations Germany inspiration morning coffee talk Photography street photography

Morning Coffee Talk~24/365

Good Morning,

It’s cloudy here in North West Germany with clouds threatening to rain, and all feels ready to make a pause. Families are doing their last minute shopping and preparing for dinners at home with cozy lights, Christmas trees and gifts that get opened this evening. You can feel and see the excitement of children in their eyes.

It feels like a very good time to hit a reset button and settle into a contemplative place in oneself. For my daughter, it has always been the highlight (of several highlights) of the year and she counted the days till it finally arrived and the ceremony began.

I wish you all a healthy and peaceful Christmas and a gentle journey inwards if that is your aim.

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Germany Photography

From the peaceful German countryside ~

How good it feels to escape for a day or two. To be with nature and away from the normal. Breaking habitual living makes all fresh again.

Wishing you all a peaceful end of the week!

Day 88 of 365~

 

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CHINA Photography shanghai street photography Uncategorized

Ancient Tradition and Pretty Lanterns~ Shanghai

lantern-festival-shanghai-4

lantern-festival-shanghai-6lantern-festival-shanghai-3lantern-festival-shanghai-23d2524ff-2db2-4a3c-b38f-9be696ad0c23Lanterns adorned with ancient poems, lights in the sky, colorful decorations, bright smiles, ever-growing crowds; this is the lantern festival in Shanghai’s Yu Gardens. Every year I keep going back simply to be with the joy of this special happening, celebrating the start of Chinese spring under a big full moon. How dull would life be without ceremony…

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Photography Uncategorized

Warm Wishes to you all Along the Way

We are a few hours away from the onset of the New Year here in Germany. It has been a testing year, a learning experience and a good platform for what is to come next. I feel a strong sense of hope thinking of 2016 and a renewed feeling of inspiration. Thank you for having been there, my family, my friends, my fellow photographers, my much admired artist community, and everyone who has taken part in this journey here with me. You make my world brighter!

A lot of exciting things planned for 2016 artistically. More soon…

call of the wild~ Germany
Call to the wild~ Germany

travelers~ Germany
Travelers~ Germany

the magician~ Germany
The magician~ Germany

to touch a star~ Germany
The magic of Christmas~ Germany

German understatedness~_
German delicate gradation

byblos lights~ Lebanon
A few steps away~ Byblos

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Germany parenting Photography Uncategorized

To Long For Belonging

She longs for the place~ Germany
She longs for Germany

a walk in the forest~ Germany
A walk in the forest with cousins

Land has this mysterious way of pulling at your soul, of beckoning you home, and for our young daughter, this land is Germany.

The longer we expatriate in China, the mightier that tug. She dreams of the family, the colors, the fresh air, the sounds and smells of a land she feels a strong belonging to despite the fact that she only lived there the first 2 years of her life. But our planet is strange that way, isn’t it?

Her dream will come true, at least for a few weeks starting tomorrow as we head west and our lungs rejoice!

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Photography

A Brief Date with the Sun~ Krabi

High hopes at the low tide

The fish stage~ Krabi

Paint my twilight blue~ Krabi

Ode to a setting sun~ Krabi

certain secrets she could only relay to the low tide~ Krabi

sketched by the summer wind~ Krabi

Sometimes life feels like we are charging forward at high speed with a hybrid car till we start stalling and running out of power, doesn’t it?

What better recharging station than the beach?

Sun, sand, the elements, peace, quiet, color, inspiration…

I am thankful for a much needed pause in the journey.

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art children life Photography

when the imagination runs free~ we love Halloween

Every year our little family waits for Halloween to step out of the ordinary into a little something extraordinary; because life is just that; extraordinary; until we forget. I find so much joy in planning events since my daughter was born 9 years ago and together we plot and plan and create. Last year we had the idea to create Halloween characters with her and her friends making studio portraits with them in costume and this year we will do that again. Here are a few of our favorite portraits from last year.

clarissa
clarissa

cora
cora

the blue vampire
the blue vampire

ginger
ginger

hans
hans

lady tamiko
lady tamiko

ralph
ralph

raya
raya

sybill
sybill

sybill
sybill

tara
tara

jora
jora

waia
waia

ginger
ginger

Categories
Boracay inspiration life Photography

Day 17~ August 17th~ Boracay

driven

If you had to fly almost all day to reach your holiday destination, then drive in a bus for more than 2 hours, followed by a rough ferry ride and finally climb in a rickshaw to reach your hotel, what would be the first thing you think of doing upon arrival?

Normally adults would want to check in, shower, have a drink, sit by the pool, relax…

Not children. Children drop everything and just run to the sea ignoring the tiredness, the late hour and the complaints of adults. They discard their shoes, dig their heels and hands in the sand and splash in the water giggling joyfully. The funny thing is that we build so many things as adults upon ourselves that forbid us from being so naturally responsive and free. Children are just doing the most appropriate thing in response to meeting the sea after such a long journey.

Categories
life Photography

Day Three Hundred Thirty Eight, December 26, 2011

arrived in winter wonderland

La Chapelle d-Abondance, a tiny village, population 700 something, located in the region of Rhône-Alpes in France was our home for 4 cozy nights. Nothing like a snow covered small village to bring all dreams of winter wonderland into reality. The soft snow, the smell of burning wood and roasting marshmallows, the powder sugar covered trees, and the glowing of lights at dusk after a day on the glorious slopes. And on top of that add great company of family and friends to contemplate the coming of a new year… a lot to be thankful for.

Happy New Year my friends!

Categories
life Photography

Day Three Hundred Thirty Six, December 24, 2011

cousins

For Lea, Christmas is all about cousins. The highlight of her whole holiday time away from China is spending time with her cousins (and she has quite a few!). It is about being silly, naughty, conspiring, playing games, sleepovers, trips to the forest, eating chocolate and simply enjoying every second of that time. It is delightful to watch this state of overwhelming joy take over her little world, and to realize that happiness is so simple to attain when all what you want is as simple as being in the proximity of loved ones.