Author: Tobias M. Schiel

Abstract arts lover, Jazz enthusiast, mystery buff, compulsive reader - and how do I get it all into pictures? Photography has been a good way over the last couple of years.1. .

Project 03 | Understanding Art

Tobias M. Schiel4 Comments

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Making pictures helps me understand history and memory as well as architecture or nature or the aesthetics of a movie. In contrast to scientific understanding, I would like to call the insight I find using photographs aesthetic understanding. The goal may well be beyond language.

Now this idea seems to be supported by a rather new book about visiting museums. Among other things, the author suggests we make photos of the works we see: “Taking pictures is also a way of connecting to and participating in the art, as it unleashes our excitement and involvement. Taking a clever picture can lead to more meaningful interaction with art. […] Challenge yourself, not by attempting to capture the artwork itself, but your experience of it.” (Johan Idema, How To Visit a Museum. Tips for a Truly Awarding Visit. Amsterdam: BIS, 2014)

For this month’s project, the challenge is to make clever photos of a work of art, capturing your experience of it. If the museums you visit are too restrictive about photographing the exhibits, try to find an artwork that is displayed in public – I am sure there will be plenty of them once you start looking.
Since the projects I have in mind for this year are not simple, I decided to switch to a bi-monthly rhythm, giving us all more time to come up with ideas (or time to post more pictures).

The pictures in this post were taken at an art school where I happened to visit a students’ exhibition a couple of weeks ago. The works were on display in the studios, giving the exhibition an atmosphere of authenticity and immediacy, making the visitors part of it all.

A Walk in the Forest

Tobias M. Schiel7 Comments

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holz-04While I’d had in mind to post these pictures in my own ‘elements‘ gallery – demonstrating that I am more at home with wood than with glass – I realized that today’s pictures also show what we saw on our walk in the nearby Stadtwald (“city forest”). So I decided to share these in the context of Jo’s Monday Walks. And so everybody can see where we were, I included the bottom picture.

[Although I am not into tech talk, I would have been grateful for this kind of information when I was trying to make up my mind about using Sony’s Alpha 6000 camera with Nikon AIS lenses – so here we go: The first picture was made with aforementioned camera and a Nikkor 85/2 AIS, the rest of them with my favourite lens, the Nikkor 28/2.8 AIS. They seem to quite work well with the camera. Though focusing manually can be a hassle  with the small EVF, it is also fun.]

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The Changing Seasons: Early February Mornings

Tobias M. Schiel2 Comments

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A contribution for Cardinal Guzman’s Monthly Photo Challenge: “Find a location near your home, take somewhere between 5-20 photos and post them in a gallery in your blog. Continue to do this every month. For my project I’ve chosen the general area ‘downtown Oslo’, but if you like to, you can choose a more specific area like a park or a building. It doesn’t even have to be a city. If you live on the countryside, there’s probably plenty of locations to choose from nearby: a field with some trees, a beach, a mountain, or just a simple dirt road? It can be whatever. Just keep the project going throughout the year. Try to shoot every month, so that in the end of the year, you’ll have a nice and diverse set of photos in your portfolio. The idea is to capture all the changes: the seasons, the weather, different times of the day, some night photography perhaps?”

The pictures were made earlier this week; after I showed the general setting of one of my favourite places in the corresponding January post, I decided this time to get closer to what fascinates me.

February Project | The Elements. Glass

Tobias M. Schiel4 Comments

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Glass-3Despite appearance, these are straight photographs. They show a distorting mirror reflecting an interior. The blue part in the first picture for example is my photo backpack. These mirror images are my own contribution to this month’s photo challenge: I chose glass as the ‘element’ I want to tackle. (In case you’d like to participate, you can also leave your comment here.)

February Project | The Elements

Tobias M. Schiel2 Comments

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Long term projects and assignments (to myself) are part of my photographic practice. There are often two or three topics or themes I want to tackle when I go out to photograph; some take the form of picture series. I would like to share a couple of “assignments”, partly because I think you could enjoy them too, partly because I am curious about the solutions you might come up with. Every month will be dedicated to a little project, an idea, or an assignment (call it what you like), giving you ample time to “work” on it.

Once you feel you are done, post your results and leave a link to your post here – and do not forget to link to my original post so that other visitors might participate (it works just the same way as the Daily Post’s weekly photo challenges, only on a monthly basis). So here we go with this month’s idea:

Water, Wood, Stone – I find myself drawn to those few “elements”, and I often try to show these things in themselves. For this month’s project, I decided to do a series of pictures showing a particular “element.” (Note: The pictures in this post are re-posts – there shall be new material, of course!)

To contribute, think of your favourite materials (or surfaces) and showcase them in a series. If you like to add a little extra spice, try to figure if your “element” could better be visualized in colour or in black and white. Have fun!

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A Walcheren Walk

Tobias M. Schiel4 Comments

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A Monday walk in early January took us south-east from Zoutelande. We did not quite reach Dishoek though on account of the icy wind. The breakwaters lent themselves to trying some abstract photography though, before we found a bit of shelter in the dunes on our way back (along with some WW II bunkers which were photographed with black and white film and will be part of my “Fragments of a Language of Terror”).

The Changing Seasons: January Hues and Blues

Tobias M. Schiel8 Comments

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These pictures were taken on my way to work, roughly between 8.15 and 8.30 a.m., on January 12, 13, and 15. They show two of my favourite places: One is just behind the parliament of the federal state of Hesse, with a contemporary facade on one side and some very old structures on the other (I liked the modernist building better these mornings). The other one sports beautiful rows of plane trees and two war memorials, a frumpy obelisk and a wonderfully corroded horse.

I am amazed at how different the light was due to the weather conditions. I also realize that these days, I was lucky to walk to (and from) work during the Magic Hour; I now know why it’s also called Blue Hour. Last, ot least: The red shine on the church towers was gone within seconds!

These pictures are my contribution for Cardinal Guzman’s Monthly Photo Challenge: “Find a location near your home, take somewhere between 5-20 photos and post them in a gallery in your blog. Continue to do this every month. For my project I’ve chosen the general area ‘downtown Oslo’, but if you like to, you can choose a more specific area like a park or a building. It doesn’t even have to be a city. If you live on the countryside, there’s probably plenty of locations to choose from nearby: a field with some trees, a beach, a mountain, or just a simple dirt road? It can be whatever. Just keep the project going throughout the year. Try to shoot every month, so that in the end of the year, you’ll have a nice and diverse set of photos in your portfolio. The idea is to capture all the changes: the seasons, the weather, different times of the day, some night photography perhaps?”

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January Project | Favourite Flick. Part Three

Tobias M. Schiel8 Comments

FA015FA02FA017FA019FA020FA018FA000Part three of this month’s project in which you can participate: Details can be found on the “2015 Projects” page and here, along with a complete presentation of the series – a series inspired by the movie Fallen Angels.

I am also entering this for this week’s photo challenge as the idea was to “find the shadows. You can choose a literal interpretation and shoot an actual shadow, or you can play with the light and dark, and create a moody scene, or capture your subject in a rich and interesting way.”

Ah … and sorry for the belated Santas. I found them so funny I did not have the heart to discard them.

January Project | Favourite Flick. Part One

Tobias M. Schiel8 Comments

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I was watching Fallen Angels, admiring the photography when I had the idea to make a series of photographs to capture the aesthetics and the atmosphere of the movie: It should be fun to hint at narrative when I usually avoid it, and it might be a possibility to make good use of colour while I usually work in black and white. Going through these ideas I also thought that if these assignments are fun for me, they might be fun for you, too. So I decided to give it a try: While I usually just post pictures, let me now also share the ideas that lead to making the pictures – and see if you would like to work on the same project and come up with your own solution:

1. Think of a movie you consider most appealing visually. Watch it again, if you can.
2. Figure out the photographic style of this movie (as determined by light, colours, picture composition, etc.).
3. Make a series of photos that convey the spirit of the movie you picked.

To participate, come up with an idea that corresponds with the given topic, make your pictures, choose those you’d like to ‘exhibit’, post them and link to that post in the comments section here (ideally, you also weave a link to this challenge into your post).

I will post sequels to this post during January – reminding you the challenge is still on – and in the end link to your responses on the “2015 Projects” page.