Winter

Fascinating landscape in southern Iceland.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM
Aperture: f/8
Exposure time: 1/100s
Focal length: 17mm
ISO Speed: 100
Processed with PS CS6

That is what we are…

Listen to this wonderful country duet here.

Baby, when I met you there was peace unknown
I set out to get you with a fine tooth comb
I was soft inside, there was somethin’ going on

You do something to me that I can’t explain
Hold me closer and I feel no pain
Every beat of my heart
We got somethin’ goin’ on

Tender love is blind
It requires a dedication
All this love we feel
Needs no conversation
We ride it together, ah-ah
Makin’ love with each other, ah-ah

Islands in the stream
That is what we are
No one in-between
How can we be wrong
Sail away with me to another world
And we rely on each other, ah-ah
From one lover to another, ah-ah

I can’t live without you if the love was gone
Everything is nothin’ if you got no one
And you did walk in tonight
Slowly loosen’ sight of the real thing

But that won’t happen to us and we got no doubt
Too deep in love and we got no way out
And the message is clear
This could be the year for the real thing

No more will you cry
Baby, I will hurt you never
We start and end as one, in love forever
We can ride it together, ah-ah
Makin’ love with each other, ah-ah

Islands in the stream
That is what we are
No one in-between
How can we be wrong
Sail away with me to another world
And we rely on each other, ah-ah
From one lover to another, ah-ah
______________________________________________________________________ ________

“Islands in the Stream” is the title of a song written by the Bee Gees and sung by American country music artists Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. It was released in August 1983 as the first single from Rogers’ album Eyes That See in the Dark and the second pop number-one for both Rogers and Parton (Rogers having been there with 1980′s “Lady” and Parton with 1981′s “9 to 5″). They went on to record a Christmas album together, and had an additional hit with their 1985 duet “Real Love”. The Gibbs originally wrote the song for Marvin Gaye in an R&B style, only later to change it for the Kenny Rogers album.
It also spent two weeks as the number one country song and in the year’s final countdown was the number one song of the year of 1983. In December of that year it was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping two million copies in the US. In Australia, the song was number one for one week in December 1983 and becoming one of the highest selling singles of 1984. In 2005, the song topped CMT’s poll of the best country duets of all time; Parton and Rogers reunited to perform the song on the CMT special.
[Source: Wikipedia]

Canon EOS 60D
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Aperture: f/16
Exposure time: 25s
Focal length: 40mm
ISO Speed: 100
Manfrotto Tripod 055XPROB with 410 Gear Head
Hoya ND8 and ND4 Filter
Processed with PS CS6 (Public Beta)

This is definitely the last Picture of the Series “Summer’s just around the Corner”.

I took this pic two days ago at the Marina in Faulensee (at Lake Thun, Canton of Bern, Switzerland) during heavy Snowfall. Summer (not even Spring) wasn’t in sight at all…

Enjoy!

Canon EOS 60D
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Aperture: f/22
Exposure time: 152s
Focal length: 45mm
ISO Speed: 100
Tripod Manfrotto 055XPROB
B+W 110 ND Filter
Processed with PS CS5 and Nik Software’s Silver Efex Pro 2

PS: Photoshopping was very hard in this case, due to a lot of snowflakes and Western union online water on the lens…

Musher Nicole in Action!

Taken last Sunday in Lenk im Simmental (Bernese Oberland, Switzerland) at the Swiss Mushing Championships. Nicole ranked 14th place in the Category “Sprint, 4 Dogs”, Congratulations!
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Musher is the technical term for the person who directs a sled dog team. He/she is on the slide and directs his/her own team called by commands that need to be implemented by the lead dog.

Mushing is a general term for a sport or transport method powered by dogs, and includes carting, pulka, scootering, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting, and weight pulling. More specifically, it implies the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled on snow or a rig on dry land. The term is thought to come from the French word marche, or go, run, the command to the team to commence pulling. “Mush!” is rarely used in modern parlance, however; “Hike!” is more common in English. Mushing can be utilitarian, recreational, or competitive.
Mushing as a sport is practiced worldwide, but primarily in North America and northern Europe. Racing associations such as the International Federation of Sleddog Sports (IFSS) and the International Sled Dog Racing Association (ISDRA) are working toward organizing the sport and in gaining Olympic recognition for mushing. It is the state sport of Alaska.
Although dogsled racing gets more publicity and is seen now as the primary form of mushing, recreational mushing thrives as an unorganized sport providing healthy outdoor form of winter exercise for families.
Mushing for utilitarian purposes includes anything from hauling wood or delivering milk or the mail to rural travel and equipment hauling. Dogs have been replaced by snowmobiles in many places, but some trappers and other isolated users have gone back to sled dogs, finding them safer and more dependable in extreme weather conditions.

Dog team members are given titles according to their position in the team relative to the sled. These include leaders or lead dogs, swing dogs, team dogs, and wheelers or wheel dogs.
Lead dogs steer the rest of the team and set the pace. Leaders may be single or double; the latter is more common now, though single leaders used to be more common during the mid-twentieth century. Sometimes a leader may be unhitched (a loose or free leader) to find the trail for the rest of the team, but the practice is uncommon and is not allowed at races. Qualities for a good lead dog are intelligence, initiative, common sense, and the ability to find a trail in bad conditions.
Swing dogs or point dogs are directly behind the leader (one dog if the team is in single hitch). They swing the rest of the team behind them in turns or curves on the trail. (Some mushers use the term swing dog to denote a team dog.)
Team dogs are those between the wheelers and the swing dogs, and add power to the team. A small team may not have dogs in this position. Alternatively, the term may be used to describe any dog in a dog team.
Wheel dogs are those nearest the sled, and a good wheeler must have a relatively calm temperament so as not to be startled by the sled moving just behind it. Strength, steadiness, and ability to help guide the sled around tight curves are qualities valued in “wheelers.”
[Source: Wikipedia]

Canon EOS 60D
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Aperture: f/4.5
Exposure time: 1/1600s
Focal length: 120mm
ISO Speed: 100
Processed with PS CS5

Taken in Gerolfingen at Lake Biel, Canton of Bern, Switzerland.

Canon EOS 60D
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Aperture: f/14
Exposure time: 240s
Focal length: 47mm
ISO Speed: 100
Processed with PS CS5