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What I did on Summer Vacation: Germany (Switzerland and France too) with a Fuji x100s

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I recently went to Germany to spend some time with good friends that have been visiting here in the US since the late 90s. They welcomed me, my family and friends into their home and showed all of us the things most tourists don’t see. We went to some cool places and great restaurants that focused on the local specialties. It was an amazing experience!

Photographically,  I brought my Fuji x100s camera, 2 regular film cameras and 2 Holga cameras. I thought I might shoot some film, and wanted to bring the film cameras in case I decided to get a different focal length than the fixed focal length (no zoom!) on the x100s. Turns out I could have skipped the other cameras, I only shot the Fuji! I viewed it as an exercise in working within the limits of a single camera, single lens project. It turns out that the single lens worked out fine. I zoomed with my feet or just skipped some shots that weren’t doable without a longer lens. Truthfully, I don’t think I missed anything that mattered, and, I also wasn’t carrying around 25 lbs of camera gear!

One of the challenges of being passionate about photography when traveling with a group that isn’t so obsessed,  is to not be a problem for the group! I tried to keep up, and not hold folks back. We went to many different cities and passed many cool things that if I was alone or with photographers I would have spent a lot more time shooting or hanging around to see what happened. With  those constraints, it’s important to get the shot and drive on. The Fuji kept up and wasn’t an issue. Using the electronic view finder and aperture mode, I was able to ride the exposure dial up and down, see the how the shot would look before I took it, click the shot and catch up to the group! lol

I did 1600 or so photos in ten days, went through them and did a first cut to about 650 photos that were decent enough for more attention. I’ll be showing a few from that group at a time, but surely not all 650!

Lately I’ve been interested in how people arrange their lives and their things. That’s the over riding theme in the photos I suppose. Here’s a start of photos from my trip.

 

I never saw so many flower boxes as I did in Europe. Almost all the homes had them! Loved all the colors and textures too!
I never saw so many flower boxes as I did in Europe. Almost all the homes had them! Loved all the colors and textures too!
We stopped in France at a little roadside stop and enjoyed the gorgeous weather, simple food and wine. It was amazing!
We stopped in France at a little roadside stop and enjoyed the gorgeous weather, simple food and wine. It was amazing!
I never saw so many bicycles in my life as I did in Germany. I liked the bench and windows, the bike was a bonus.
I never saw so many bicycles in my life as I did in Germany. I liked the bench and windows, the bike was a bonus.
We went across Lake Constance from Germany into Switzerland. I thought it was cool there were no border guards, though I would have liked to have my passport stamped.
We went across Lake Constance from Germany into Switzerland. I thought it was cool there were no border guards, though I would have liked to have my passport stamped.
We went on a ferry ride to see one of Crazy Ludwig's castles. I handed my camera to a lady and she did the photo, with flash. It came out great!
We went on a ferry ride to see one of Crazy Ludwig’s castles. I handed my camera to a lady and she did the photo, with flash. It came out great!
I liked the shapes, colors and textures.
I liked the shapes, colors and textures and the sideways mail slot.
Framed. I liked how this window sat in the field of the wall. Just cool shapes.
Framed. I liked how this window sat in the field of the wall. Just cool shapes.
I liked how these rectangles and shapes were arranged.
I liked how these rectangles and shapes were arranged.
OMG, I fell in love with Weissbiers while I was in Germany. American popular beers pretty much suck, they're too bitter. These just went down smooooth and cool and refreshing. No headaches later either!
OMG, I fell in love with Weissbiers while I was in Germany. American popular beers pretty much suck, they’re too bitter. These just went down smooooth and cool and refreshing. No headaches later either!
So, myself and 8000 other photographers have done this postcard shot of the Wagner Concert Hall in Bayreuth Germany. Oh well. I had to do my take on it too.
So, myself and 8000 other photographers have done this postcard shot of the Wagner Concert Hall in Bayreuth Germany. Oh well. I had to do my take on it too.
One of many castles we saw or visited. I liked how the rectangles were arranged and colored.
One of many castles we saw or visited. I liked how the rectangles were arranged and colored.

 

3 thoughts on “What I did on Summer Vacation: Germany (Switzerland and France too) with a Fuji x100s”

  1. Hi Dave – I loved the post and the photos & I envy you for your trip! 🙂
    Concerning cameras, I have pretty much come to the same conclusion – that it is better to have a small camera with you all the time than a bunch of cameras back in the hotel room, or wherever + with today’s luggage restrictions I find that having my tiny Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-TX10 with me virtually everywhere is a real asset, and I can make trips of several day’s duration using only my backpack. Unfortunately I dropped it a while ago and broke off a little corner piece, so it is no longer water proof. My Canon G10 is now my ‘big’ camera – I know I am bit behind the times. However, I found that when I had access to the Epson 9900 printer I could make wonderful 2×3.5 foot prints. I did not make them any bigger because my roll of paper was only 24 inches wide.

    1. Exactly Christian! All the cameras are good enough these days, we’re lucky that way. Now it comes down to being able to “see” the photo and make it happen. We can’t blame our equipment any more!

  2. Love, love, love! It looks like a great trip. Thanks for taking me with you, photographically speaking!

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