Beißen Gedanken: WP

20140503

WP

When it comes to photography, much attention is paid to those who excel at capturing the intricacies of the human form. The work of landscape photographers, then, is often brushed to the side. Unlike with human models, nature photographers are not able to direct their subjects’ behavior; rather, they must adapt their own behavior to it. Such realities render the genre quite difficult and yet that much more rewarding. The following photographers deserve credit for allowing us to perceive all that is around us in a different way, prompting us to admire the beauty in the topography and sky we have become blindly accustomed to.

Kilian Schoenberger

Source: Kilian Schoenberger

Kilian Schoenberger is a 28 year-old German landscape photographer whose artistic visions are not hindered by the fact that he is colorblind. His work has recently been compared to the landscapes that could have served as backdrop to the Brothers Grimm fairy tales; moody and mystical, with an air of otherworldliness – which he hopes will inspire people to simply relax.

As Schönberger says, “I think there is a deep longing for tranquil naturalness among people in our technology-driven environment. Therefore, I don’t want to show just portrayals of natural scenes. I want to create visually accessible places where the visitor can virtually put his mind to rest. Possibly this is the real benefit of my work – resting places for the eyes in an overstimulated world”.

Source: Kilian Schoenberger

Source: Kilian Schoenberger

Source: Kilian Schoenberger

Mikko Lagerstedt

Source: Flickr

Born in Finland, the talented Mikko Lagerstedt began his photography career in 2008, and is completely self-taught. When it comes to capturing his simple yet grand (in terms of scale) compositions, Lagerstedt picks a natural subject that encapsulates his feelings at the time of the photo. Such vast, atmospheric moods may stem from the loss of his best friend, an event that would change the way anyone would look at the world.

Source: Flickr

Source: Flickr

Source: Flickr

Erika Larsen

Source: Erika Larsen

With photos featured in both National Geographic and Reader’s Digest, Erika Larsen is no stranger to what some refer to as “immersion photography”. When Larsen decided to commit herself to photo documenting the people and lifestyles of the Sami people – who reside in Northern Scandinavia and Northern Russia – she became one family’s live-in housekeeper for two years. While Larsen dabbles in several different photographical arenas, the landscapes she photographed while fully immersed in this Scandinavian culture are representative of a true-to-life moment capture, unlike some of the more stylized approaches of her peers.

Source: Erika Larsen

Source: Erika Larsen

Source: Erika Larsen

Source: Erika Larsen

Nature Photographers: Hengki Koentjoro

Source: Flickr

Hengki Koentjoro believes black and white photography is the best way in which to express himself. Born in Central Java, Indonesia, and attending the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California, Hengki currently resides in Jakarta with his wife and three kids, and works part-time as a videographer editing nature documentaries, as well as pursuing his other passion. “Photography can never be separated from the aspects of making the common things unusual, welcoming the unexpected, indulging and embracing ourselves with the joy of photography.” Hengki says. His joy shines through in his subjects and compositions.

Source: Flickr

Source: Flickr

Source: Flickr

Source: Flickr

Nature Photographers: Ben Canales

Source: The Star Trail

A self-professed “time-lapse junkie”, Ben Canales also splits his time between photography and videography, his main focus being capturing the night sky –and more specifically- the stars. This particular brand has its own name: Astrophotography. On his website, he explains his penchant for the darkened veil above us: “I take these pictures first for the joy of it, but second to bring back the experience to friends, family and others that don’t have the opportunity to get out from the city.”

Source: The Star Trail

Source: The Star Trail

Source: The Star Trail

Source: The Star Trail

Deyrulzafaran Monastery - Mardin - Turkey

Dayro d-Mor Hananyo (Syriac: ܕܝܪܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܚܢܢܝܐ; The Monastery of St. Ananias, Kurdish: Dêra Zehferanê, Turkish: Deyrulzafaran Manastırı) is an important Syriac Orthodox monastery.

The monastery is located in the region known as Tur Abdin and is five kilometers east of Mardin in Turkey.

It is usually better known by its nickname, the 'Saffron Monastery which is derived from the warm colour of its stone.

Dayro d-Mor Hananyo was founded in 493 by Mor Shlemon on the site of a sun worship temple that was converted into a citadel by the Romans.

After the Romans withdrew from the fortress, Mor Shlemon transformed it into a monastery. In 793 the monastery was renovated after a period of decline,

by the Bishop of Mardin and Kfartuta, Mor Hananyo, who gave the monastery its current name.

The monastery was later abandoned and re-founded by the bishop of Mardin, John, who carried out important renovations before he died at the monastery on the 12th of July 1165.

From 1160 until 1932 it was the official seat of the patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church, afterwards it was moved to Damascus.

The monastery has 365 rooms - one for each day of the year.

Deyrulzafaran Monastery-Mardin

Göbekli Tepe - Göbekli Hill - Şanliurfa

Göbekli Tepe,"Potbelly Hill" is an archaeological site at the top of a mountain ridge in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, northeast of the town of Şanlıurfa.

It has been excavated by a German archaeological team that has been under the direction of Klaus Schmidt since 1996.

The tell includes two phases of ritual use dating back to the 10th-8th millennium BC. During the first phase (Pre-Pottery Neolithic A),

circles of massive T-shaped stone pillars were erected. More than 200 pillars in about 20 circles are currently known through geophysical surveys.

Each pillar has a height of up to 6 m (20 ft) and a weight of up to 20 tons. They are fitted into sockets that were hewn out of the bedrock.

In the second phase (Pre-pottery Neolithic B), the erected pillars are smaller and stood in rectangular rooms with floors of polished lime.

The site was abandoned after the PPNB-period. Younger structures date to classical times.

The function of the structures is not yet clear. The most common opinion, shared by excavator Klaus Schmidt, is that they are early neolithic sanctuaries.