So You Bought a Camera and Went to Heidelberg…

35mm f/1.8, ISO 100, 1/4000 sec (Inverted Black & White)

So here we go…….

If it’s one thing that’s cool about where I’m working while in Germany, I must say it’s the warmth of the people and the sheer number of recommendations I’ve gotten for things to do and see. At the top of the list, however, was Heidelberg and the world’s largest ruined castle.

This was my first attempt at using my camera in a way that isn’t strictly for documentation. Everything was shot in a raw format and then post-processed through a combination of Lightroom, Photoshop and the Nik Collection.

35mm f/1.8, ISO 100, 1/1000 sec

This shot was taken very quickly as a large tour group was right behind me on the street. I was pleased when I had a look later…..

35mm f/1.8, ISO 100, 1/3 sec

I decided to be very touristy and take the tour of the castle. This is the world’s largest wine barrel. It held 220,000 liters of wine at one point (I guess that’s enough….). It’s probably one of the most photographed parts of the tour which is why I couldn’t get it free of people.

35mm f/3.2, ISO 100, 1/320 sec

This is a shot through one of the windows in the castle looking out onto the river.

35mm f/3.2, ISO 100, 1/1000 sec

If you move about 60 feet to the left of the previous window shot you get to this shot. I had to stand camera in hand for about 10 minutes until I could get a clear shot with no one standing in the window looking out over the town. Once, you take a look through you understand why I had to wait.

One thing I’ve noticed is that the towns tend to be centralized around a church most of the time. I was pumped I got the main church in town framed in through the window.

35mm f/1.8, ISO 100, 1/4000 sec

One of the things I’m most struck by so far on my trip is the sheer number of old churches and castles that you can stumble upon even in a medium-sized town. Trying to frame them in ever different ways doesn’t get old though….

35mm f/3.2, ISO 100, 1/1000 sec

This was a shot from the interior of the castle walls of one of the newer (that term is very relative in Europe I’m finding) buildings and is the only refurbished part of the castle now doubling as a museum. What’s tough to make out (and I think one of the coolest parts of the building) are the statues in-between the windows. Each one is from a significant event in the castle’s history. Most of them were the standard king/prince/ruler but the detail in the stonework was legit.