Posted in people, Photography, Portraits, Travel, tagged Canon SX50, carriages, fiaker, fiaker driver, Vienna Austria on April 30, 2016| 3 Comments »
I am usually averse to photographing unknown people in public, but the drivers of the fiakers, the two-horse carriages that offer short tours in Vienna, are such a colorful group of characters that I couldn’t resist grabbing a few shots from a distance.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Travel, wildlife, tagged Canon SX50, Cygnus olor, Donau-Auen National Park, Mute Swan, swan, Vienna Austria on April 29, 2016| 2 Comments »
During my two walks through the Donau-Auen National Park in Vienna, Austria I encountered Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) in several locations swimming about and foraging for food. Their beauty and grace was remarkable and their white feathers were dazzling—it is easy to see why they have inspired music and ballet. Through the reeds I also spotted a female swan sitting on a nest. I would love to have seen baby swans, but I guess it’s still a bit too early.
As I was doing a little research, I was a bit surprised to learn that Mute Swans are not native to North America—they are an introduced species. I grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts and my earliest memories of swans are the pedal-powered swan boats in the Boston Public Garden. According to Wikipedia, those swan boats have been in operation since 1877.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Travel, tagged Canon SX50, Donau-Auen National Park, green-eyed moth, moth, Vienna Austria on April 28, 2016| 2 Comments »
At this time of the year I love to try to photograph insects, but during my brief visit to Vienna, Austria the weather has been cool, windy, and sometimes rainy. The only insect that I was able to capture was this green-eyed moth that I spotted at the Donau-Auen National Park. I did a quick internet search,so far but have not been able to identify this insect.
When I am on business trips, I generally don’t travel with my Canon 50D DSLR and multiple lenses. I had been using a Canon PowerShot A620, a 2005 vintage 7.1 megapixel point-and-shoot camera. However, a while back I purchased a Canon SX50, a super zoom camera, to use as my new travel camera and I have used this trip to Vienna to test it out. I knew that it would be pretty good for long range shots, and have featured some images of birds this week that I photographed with the SX50.
What would it do, though, with smaller subjects? Would it be able to capture details? When I examined this image of the small green-eyed moth, I was pleased to see that the camera did a pretty good job in rendering details, such as the antennae and the eye.
I am still playing around with the different settings of the camera in an attempt to maximize the quality of the images it delivers, but my initial impressions are quite favorable.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Travel, Urban, wildlife, tagged Canon SX50, House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, Vienna Austria, Volksgarten on April 28, 2016| 1 Comment »
The locals must have thought I was a bit crazy as I maneuvered about taking photos of some House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) in the Volksgarten, one of the many beautiful public parks in Vienna, Austria. After all, House Sparrows are among the most ordinary-looking and common birds in the city.
Most of the time the sparrows were in constant motion, but a couple of them perched for short periods of time and I was able to capture a few images of the female and male House Sparrows that highlight their beauty.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Nature, Photography, Travel, wildlife, tagged Canon SX50, Donau-Auen National Park, Eurasian Coot, Fulica atra, Vienna Austria on April 27, 2016| Leave a Comment »
When I saw this bird bobbing its head as it moved forward in the waters at the Donau-Auen National Park in Vienna, Austria, I knew immediately that it had to be a coot. From certain angles, it looked just like an American Coot (Fulica americana), a species that I have seen regularly this spring. When it turned its head, however, I noted that it had a white shield on its forehead that its American counterparts lack. After a little research, I learned that this is a Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra).
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, Travel, wildlife, tagged Black Woodpecker, Canon SX50, Donau-Auen National Park, Dryocopus martius, Vienna Austria, woodpecker on April 26, 2016| 13 Comments »
Perhaps the coolest bird that I managed to spot during my recent walk through part of the Donau-Auen National Park in Vienna, Austria was a Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius). The woodpecker was pecking away at a log on the ground, which allowed me to capture some relatively close shots of this large woodpecker.
I had never seen a woodpecker like this one, but it was not hard to find an identification on-line, give the size and coloration of the bird. According to Wilkipedia, the Black Woodpecker is “closely related to and shares the same ecological niche in Europe as the Pileated Woodpecker of North America.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Travel, tagged Anser anser, Canon SX50, Donau-Auen National Park, gray goose, greylag goose, Vienna Austria on April 25, 2016| 4 Comments »
I had some free time yesterday and walked about in the Donau-Auen National Park here in Vienna. Some of the birds that I saw behaved the same as familiar species, but had a different appearance, like this goose, which I think is a Greylag Goose (Anser anser).
I spotted this goose from a distance and zoomed in and got a few shots. Despite the fact that I was a considerable distance from it, the goose could sense my presence and took off at a moment when I was looking through the viewfinder, permitting me to capture an action shot that almost filled the frame.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged Anas platyrhynchos, Canon SX50, mallard, mallard duck, Vienna Austria, Volksgarten on April 24, 2016| 1 Comment »
It was dreary and overcast when I arrived yesterday afternoon in Vienna, Austria for a short trip, but my spirits were lifted when I spotted two adorable ducklings swimming in a fountain in a public garden.
There were two sets of Mallard duck adults (Anas platyrhynchos), so I wasn’t sure which ones were the parents, but is was clear that the ducklings had lots of supervision and protection. There was a wooden ramp leading out of the fountain and a couple of floating wooden platforms to make the surroundings a bit more comfortable for the ducks.
The limited light and the speed of the ducks made photography a bit of a challenge, but I did manage to get a couple of snapshots of these urban wildlife creatures.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Art, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon A620, love, street art on January 16, 2016| 4 Comments »
I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit Brussels, Belgium at least twice a year in recent years. I’ve seen many of the primary tourist attractions, but what I enjoy most is wandering through the narrow, cobblestoned streets in the center of the city, where the details of the human and architectural landscape endlessly fascinate me.
One of my favorite elements is a storm drain cover on a side street near the Grand-Place. All of the other drain covers are simple metal grates, but this one is more elaborate and beautiful, depicting a man and a woman in mid-embrace.
How did this grate come to be placed here? Is it merely art or is it an extravagant expression of love? I’m romantic by nature and like to imagine that it is a public proclamation of the eternal love of this couple, a visual invitation to stop for a moment and celebrate the power of that love.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Architecture, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon A620, Grand-Place on January 15, 2016| 1 Comment »
I had some free time today and hoped to spend some time wandering in Brussels, but it rained all day, occasionally changing to freezing rain, so I didn’t take any photos. As I get ready to conclude this brief trip to Brussels, I thought I’d include a few photos of some of the beautiful buildings that I have seen here in the center of the city.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Architecture, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon A620, Grand-Place, night photography, nighttime photography, town hall on January 14, 2016| 4 Comments »
We finally had a clear night here in Brussels and I had a chance to walk around a bit and capture some shots of the Town Hall in the Grand-Place, the historical central square of the city.
I love the look of nighttime shots, find it a bit of a challenge to take them handheld with a point-and-shoot camera. I braced my camera against a variety of objects and even used my stocking hat as a cushion in trying to gain a more stable shooting position.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Architecture, Christmas, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon A620, Christmas, Grand-Place on January 13, 2016| 4 Comments »
The Christmas season is gradually coming to an end in Brussels. Yesterday, for example, I noted that they had removed the large Christmas tree from the central city square, leaving a large hole in the cobblestones and a pile of discarded debris.
Beautiful decorations, however, still remain in a covered shopping arcade and in some of the streets.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Humor, Photography, Travel, tagged brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon A620, mannekin pis on January 12, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Whenever I visit Brussels, I always visit the statue of the Mannekin Pis, the little boy who is one of the best known symbols of the city. On holidays and on some special days, the statue is dressed in various costumes and I am always curious to see if there is a new outfit. On this occasion, there was no costume, only a bouquet of flowers.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Architecture, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon A620, early morning light, Grand-Place on January 11, 2016| 6 Comments »
I arrived in Brussels early in the morning, when it was still dark. After checking into my hotel, I decided to take a short stroll to the Grand-Place, the wonderful historical square in the center of the city.
The sunlight was just starting to penetrate into one end of the square, which itself is a rarity in the winter, when, judging from my own experience, the skies are normally gray and the sun disappears for days at a time. I love the way that the light made the gold decorations on the buildings simply sparkle.
It was a beautiful way to start this short business trip
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Art, Landscape, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged boat, Canon A620, Danube Canal, Vienna, Vienna Austria, yellow boat on December 18, 2015| 4 Comments »
As I was walking along the Danube Canal in Vienna, a small yellow boat caught my eye. Bright colors, of course, almost always attract our attention, but there is something that I really like about the way that this boat fits into its surroundings.
You can see some of the graffiti that I have featured in recent postings, as well as some undecorated areas of the walls that separate the higher street level from the much lower canal. I am not sure what that yellow structure is used for, but it is an almost perfect color match for the boat. Initially I was disappointed when I saw that there was a cyclist entering into the frame in the upper left, but I changed my mind and now think it adds some additional interest to the shot.
This is not an image that would be easily associated with Vienna, but I like the “artsy” feel of the urban landscape that I was able to capture.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged Canon A620, Vienna, Vienna Austria on December 17, 2015| 10 Comments »
Vienna, Austria is a traditional old world city in many ways, but it has its quirky elements too. Here are a few of them that I spotted during my most recent trip.
Posted in Christmas, Photography, Travel, tagged Canon A620, Christmas, Christmas 2015, Christmas market, Rathaus, Vienna, Vienna Austria on December 16, 2015| 3 Comments »
The lights at the Christmas Market at the Rathaus (City Hall) in Vienna, Austria really put me in the mood for Christmas. I’m finishing up my work in Vienna and will be back in Northern Virginia in a couple of days.
Merry Christmas (in German)
Vienna Christmas Market
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Architecture, Christmas, Photography, Travel, tagged Canon A620, Christmas, Christmas 2015, Christmas market, Rathaus, Vienna, Vienna Austria on December 14, 2015| 4 Comments »
At this time of the year there are Christmas markets all over Vienna. One of the largest and busiest is located in the square in front of the Rathhaus (City Hall), an elaborate building in the center of the city.
Most of the times that I have visited this market in the past have been at night. Each time I had to fight my way through jostling crowds of people as I was overwhelmed by the sights and smells of the market.
Last week, I had the chance to walk through the market early in the day before it had opened. I noticed there there were statues overlooking the market booths. The statues, which I suspect are historical figures, are probably permanently in place. I’m sure that it was my imagination, but the statues seemed to be making an assessment of activity that was taking place below their feet.
I love the look of the Rathaus and am also including a few views of this wonderful piece of architecture.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Art, Nature, Photography, Travel, Urban, wildlife, tagged Canon A620, graffiti, Vienna, Vienna Austria, wildlife art, wildlife graffiti on December 14, 2015| 8 Comments »
Where do you find wildlife when you are in an urban area like Vienna, Austria, which I am visiting for work this week? I had some free time this past weekend and I took a long walk along the Donaukanal (Danube Canal). The natural landscape along the canal was not very inspiring, but I couldn’t help but notice the colorful graffiti everywhere. Much of this “art” was poorly done and consisted on tags that had been crudely executed by some individual or group, sometimes defacing a much more beautiful piece.
I came across several wildlife-themed pieces that were really well done that I wanted to share. Some of the wildlife depicted is realistic, while other creatures are more fanciful.
Osprey
Osprey close-up
Owl
Graceful bird
Fox
Tiger
Imaginary bird
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged aircraft, Canon 24-105mm lens, Canon 50D, Georgetown, helicopter, MV-22 Osprey, Osprey, Washington D.C., White House on September 17, 2015| 7 Comments »
As I stood at the waterfront in Georgetown last Friday, I heard a rumble approaching. Was it an aircraft? Was it a helicopter? Suddenly a loud, slow aircraft appeared low in the sky above the Potomac River. It was probably the strangest looking aircraft that I had ever seen.
I had read about the MV-22 Osprey, but had never seen one. The Osprey combines the functionality of a helicopter with that of an aircraft and has tilt rotors that allow it to perform vertical takeoffs and landings.
This Marine Corps aircraft was at the tail end of a small flight of helicopters that was heading toward the White House. Perhaps it was providing additional security, given that it was September 11 when I took the photos, or may have merely been transporting part of the President’s entourage.
The first two photos show the Osprey in flight. I was pleased to be able to get these shots despite the fact that I had only a 24-105mm lens on my camera at the time. The third shot is of one of the other helicopters in the group. The “white top” helicopters are usually associated with the Marine Corps detachment that supports the President. The final shot shows a couple of the presidential helicopters as they fly toward the White House.
I thought about cloning out the small jet in the first photo, but decided that I like the way that it almost looks like the Osprey is stalking the jet.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Architecture, people, Photography, Travel, tagged belgium, brussels, Canon A620 on September 9, 2015| 7 Comments »
As I conclude another brief trip to Brussels, I thought I’d include a number of the photos that I managed to snap while walking in the streets of the central part of the city. As is typical of this time of the year, the weather was often gray with intermittent light rain, but I did manage to see some interesting sights.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Architecture, Art, Photography, Travel, Urban on September 8, 2015| 7 Comments »
How do you capture the beauty of a city? Do you look up directly at the monuments and impressive buildings or do you look down and perhaps catch an indirect reflection of the unique character of the environment?
I took this shot on one of the cobblestoned side streets that lead to the Grand-Place in Brussels. I like the simple, graphic way in which the image gives you a sense of the beauty of this ancient city square, while also showing a little of the gritty, littered urban landscape that seems typical in Brussels.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Architecture, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged beer festival, belgium, brussels, Canon A620, Grand-Place, Waterloo beer on September 7, 2015| 4 Comments »
While briefly in Brussels on business, I was able to take advantage of a beer festival held at the Grand-Place, the historical central square of the city. Booths were set up in the center of the square and there was an extensive variety of beers to taste. I initially visited the square in the post dawn hours, when workers were cleaning up the area after Saturday night’s festivities and then returned with friends on Sunday afternoon to sample some of the beers.
View of the Grand-Place and some of the booths
Beer weekend
“Proud of our beers”
Troll beer
“The Beer of Bravery” Previously “Beer of Victory,” but sales in France were low.
It’s a family affair…
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Travel, tagged birds in flight, brown pelican, Canon 24-105mm, Canon 50D, dawn, Norfolk, Norfolk Virginia, Pelecanus occidentalis on January 19, 2015| 1 Comment »
Walking along the waterfront of Norfolk, Virginia as the sun was beginning to rise, I noticed a pair of larger birds approaching that were definitely not gulls. I am not sure what kind of birds they are, but the shape of the bill suggests to me that they might be Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis).
There was just enough light to partially illuminate the underside of the wings and the sky was divided into areas of pastel blue and pink. The flyover of these two birds was a great way to start the day.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Photography, Travel, tagged battleship, Canon A620, Norfolk, Norfolk Virginia, USS Wisconsin on January 18, 2015| 5 Comments »
I have heard references to the color “battleship gray” many times, but until yesterday I had never seen an actual battleship. The USS Wisconsin is now berthed in Norfolk, Virginia as a museum ship and I observed it the last two mornings as I made a predawn walk along the waterfront, unable to sleep thanks to jet lag.
This morning started out pretty gray and the ship almost blended into the grayish sky and water, which, I suppose, is why ships are painted that color.
Today I will drive back to Northern Virginia and my blog will soon return to its more typical wildlife photos—I have no trips on the horizon for at least a few months.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Landscape, Photography, Travel, tagged Canon A620, Norfolk, Norfolk Virginia, sunrise on January 17, 2015| 7 Comments »
A few hours after my return from Brussels yesterday, I got in my car and drove for a bit over three hours to Norfolk, Virginia for a wedding. Even though I was up until almost 3:00 in the morning chatting with the groom (my stepson) and his best man, I woke up a few hours later and decided to walk along the waterfront.
The sun rose with some beautiful colors, a kind of a symbol of the new life just beginning for the happy couple. In a few more hours the ceremony will take place and we will all be celebrating their love for one another.
I couldn’t be happier.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Art, Humor, Photography, Travel, tagged belgium, brussels, Canon A620, looking down on January 16, 2015| 9 Comments »
Whenever I am walking through beautiful cities in Europe, I spend a lot of time with my eyes pointed upward, marveling at the amazing architecture. I’ve learned the hard way, though, that it is also important to look downward in order to avoid potentially unpleasant situations.
Dogs seem to be welcomed in many places in Europe and it is not rare for me to see them on public transportation and even in restaurants. Unfortunately, the dogs have to periodically answer the call of nature and not all owners seem to fulfill their civic responsibility to clean up after their dogs.
I ran across this sign in one section of pavement here in Brussels near the Bourse (Stock Exchange). I am sometimes confused by signs without words and often hesitate when confronted by symbols on public bathroom doors representing genders. In this case, I think it means that dogs should do their business elsewhere, though I suppose it could also be a warning that there are guard dogs present or that dogs should not even be in that area.
One other reason to look down from time to time is that there are sometimes beautiful things to be seen, like this artistic grate in one of the streets near the Grand-Place, the main square of Brussels. I don’t know the background of this little piece of art, but I am always happy to rediscover it each time that I return to Brussels.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Architecture, Art, Photography, Travel, Urban, Winter, tagged belgium, brussels, Canon A620, Grand-Place, nightime photography on January 15, 2015| 5 Comments »
The skies finally cleared a little and yesterday evening I had a chance to take a walk in the Grand-Place, Brussel’s central square, one of my favorite locations in this city. The cobblestone pavement was still wet, helping to create nice reflections in some of the shots and the crowds were somewhat sparse, so I was able to get relatively unobstructed shots of some of the buildings that surround the square..
As is usually the case when I am traveling for work, I used my old Canon A620 point-and-shoot camera and used a variety of railings, posts, and other objects to steady myself for these nighttime photos.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Architecture, Art, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged belgium, brussels, Canon A620, Grand-Place, town hall on January 13, 2015| 4 Comments »
I am back in the beautiful city Brussels, Belgium for a short work trip and so far my opportunities to take photos have been limited. I am struck by the limited number of daylight hours and it’s been cloudy, windy, and occasionally rainy.
I hope to get some new images, but in the mean time decided to post one from my trip here almost exactly a year ago. It is a night shot of the main tower of the Town Hall, the tallest building in the famous Grand-Place, the central square of Brussels. If you are interested in the history of the Grand-Place, check out this Wikipedia article.
The weather may not improve much—this is what I consider to be typical European winter weather, but I’ll be out and about a bit later today trying to capture some of the sights of Brussels.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Christmas, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged Canon A620, Christmas, Christmas 2014, Christmas lights, street lights, Vienna, Vienna Austria on December 20, 2014| 9 Comments »
On my final night in Vienna, I took a long, leisurely stroll through the pedestrian district in the city’s center, enjoying the magical atmosphere created by all of the different Christmas lights that adorned the streets.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Christmas, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged Canon A620, Christmas, Christmas 2014, Christmas market, Sankta Lucia, Vienna on December 18, 2014| 7 Comments »
Although Vienna is best known for the classical music of composers like Mozart and Strauss, there is music everywhere at Christmas time, from the carols of a brass ensemble at a Christmas market to the softer sounds of a Swedish choir celebrating Sankta Lucia.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 