Portfolio

When It Awakes

After spending several hours on top of the Rockefeller Centre, the sun finally went away and people started to turn on their lights. I had a clear vision as to what I wanted to create in my image- a vast concrete jungle with intense colours and the feeling of business. And that is exactly what I got! -Phillip

The Never-Sleeping Bamboo Forest

This is one of the most famous bamboo forests near Kyoto, Japan. Arashiyama Bamboo Grove looks absolutely stunning when you walk through or whenever you see it in pictures - however, there is one thing that comes with the fame: tourists. Like me, hundreds of people everyday make their way to the forest to take selfies and whatnot and it is a real challenge to get a picture of the place without anyone. A challenge that I failed, I might add, as you can see some people in the very centre. I visited the forest twice - the first time was around lunch time and there was no chance to take any great photo. Ok, so the next morning I woke up earlier and arrived at 7 AM - just to find 20 people just like me that already took camp at this very well photographed spot. This is as close as I ever came to having this place empty. - Phillip

The Forgotten Stairway

On a weekend trip through Utah, my buddy Luis and I have decided to visit a place called the Kanarra Creek Falls. We did hear that it is a pretty intense walk, where you will have to be prepared to get completely wet. Casting this aside, we went in normal street gear and begun a 1.5h walk through a forest. This forest path, however, was only the first step in a walk that would lead into a river. Having the waterfall in mind, we did not have any choice other than moving through this water (cold!) to reach the cave with the fall. Once we arrived, it felt like being in another world. The red rocks enclosed us fully, and the magic waterfall which presented itself to us created a scene straight out of any fantasy book. On the right, there was a tree that had been rebuild to be some sort of rudimentary stairs to climb on top of the fall. A rope on the site was all that one could use to get some sort of security when climbing the slippery steps. Great when you carry a tripod, camera bag, and camera! In the end, I managed not to through any of my equipment into the water – a fact I am still very proud of considering I climbed up that tree far too often to find the perfect spot for a picture. For the full processing of this image, have a look over at http://letsimage.com/2016/12/how-to-use-photoshop-to-enhance-your-nature-images.html -Phillip

Tokyos Lifeblood

Tokyo is a vibrant city. But finding places where you can see this from the top can be challenging - not because there are no options, but because there are so many that you have to choose from. Well, if you are looking, I strongly suggest the Rooftop Bar at Andaz Tokyo. If you bring a zoom lens, you can get great city scenes - but there is a drawback. So you see, this is a rather... expensive bar as it is a hotel bar. Thats not the actual problem though. The bar has window seats (awesome sofas right next to full scale windows) and seats that are, well, not at the window. If you want to sit next to the window, you pay (approx) 20 Euro per person. Thats just sitting, and then the drinks. Sounds like a lot, but we sat at a random seat without paying - I asked the staff if I can go to the window seats and take some pictures, which they were Ok with as long as I move should paying customers arrive. I did! Worth it for a beer to get some great shots of Tokyos nightlife. -Phillip

London's Fire Dancer

Today’s image comes from London, where I had the pleasure of staying for an extended weekend just some days ago. London, like most large cities, is a great place to stay, especially for photography purposes. There is always something going on for those willing to search for it! While I was walking through the city with some friends of mine, we ended up at a show from (what I call a) fire dancer. The man was incredible, and I spend a good 15 min there to observe his show. The finale was absolutely stunning – he spits fire into the air, but straight up! And he kept the flame up for several seconds, which impressed me even more. So while my friend Sasha recorded the whole thing with a GoPro (thanks for that Sasha!), I went into continues shooting mode on the camera and just held the shutter button, in the hope I get the moment. And so I did. I did pay him, of course! Read more about the creation of this image here: http://letsimage.com/2017/04/how-to-use-photoshop-cc-fire-dancer-beginner-tutorial.html -Phillip

Utahs Dream Skies

This one is from a road trip through Utah - any road you take can lead you to fantastic landscapes and scenes. This abandoned house was just on the side of the road, but makes you wonder who build such a cute little shed right at that place and then left it. The inside was completely destroyed, with nature having reclaimed most of the ground and parts of the walls. Interesting, slightly creepy, place, hehe. - Phillip

New York in a Frame

This image was totally unplanned. When I went to Central Park, I hoped to spend the evning on the rooftop of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - from where I have been told you can look over the trees in the Park and get an awesome view! So I rocked up at the museum just in time for sunset, went in... and they told me that the rooftop is closed in the winter. This was bad - so I decided to simply run back to the southern entrance of Central Park (that is about 1.8 km!) to get at least the rest of the sunset with what I remembered to be an awesome skyline. I made it just in time - the light in the buildings were already on, but this only added to the last light that I could see from the sunset and made it more interesting. In the end I was not too mad that I missed the sunset that I had planned. After all, I probably should have seen that when checking and researching haha. -Phillip

Hyper Bird

In Japan, you have the opportunity to visit so called owl cafes, which is exactly what it sounds like - you go in and have a coffee while being surrounded by owls (and some other birds). This little fella here is from Nara, a famous place in Japan that is crawling with deer in the city centre. When we finished checking out the local temples and had enough of taking photos of deer, we found an owl cafe on our way to the train station. The rule is simple - get in, get a coffee, and stay no more than 1 hour. There are also some birds that you cannot touch, either because they are on break or because they simply dont like it. Initially it feels odd to see so many birds chained to a relatively small area - especially considering there were some owls that were massive! However, we have been told the birds are very well kept after and before opening hours, and any sign of stress would have the bird brought to an open area right away for the remainder of the day. One may think whatever about keeping birds in a cafe like that - but it was an interesting experience for sure. When I was in the cafe, this bird here was on break, meaning no touching or getting too close. -Phillip

Autumn in Ireland

Autumn - one of the greatest times to own a camera. It is not just about the new places that you can visit to get some awesome colours in the vegetation, but you also have the chance to revisit places you have been to a hundred times to see them in a different light. This place is called Glendalough (Ireland) and I have been here so so many times! But - never when the trees changed colours. In fact, when I arrived I barely recognised the place! The weather was dull, light rain in the air and just a few people (usually you have a bazillion tourists there) but nevertheless some great colours in the trees that cover the mountains around the valley. The only downside was that I had to clean my lens every 1.5 min to remove little drops, and changing the lens was not the greatest idea I had... This was the day before storm Ophelia hit Ireland, which explains the calm water. -Phillip

The Tunnels of Fushimi Inari

Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head shrine of the kami Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto - and its one hell of a walk! There are hundreds of these red Tori gates alongside a small mountain and they make for awesome photos. The difficult part was to not have 1000 people in each photo - having said that, when you start the walk at the bottom of the path, having empty tunnels is virtually impossible. Most people give up after 20 min walk though as the walk gets tougher, so then its much easier. In fact, having the occasional person walking through makes for an even better scene, so I take it! Oh dont you worry, there are about 13424231 more photos to come from this place. Phillip

Alcazar - A Treasure In Seville

I have been to Spain many many times - but every time I go, the cities surprise me with places that I have never seen or even thought of before. If you watch Game of Thrones, then this place might be familiar to you. This unbelievable place is located in the very city centre of Seville, Spain, and apparently it was relatively unknown to tourists before GoT made it famous. Friends told me they would just stroll in over the day to hang out and enjoy the structure and the surrounding park. Now you queue for hours at times and it is crowded beyond belief. Well, this doesn't take away from the fact that this area is absolutely stunning - and if you can stand many fellow tourists, it is very much worth your time! -Phillip

A Walk Through Rainy Tokyo

I spent one evening at the famous Shinjuku Crossing, one of the busiest crossings in the world. Of course, it started to rain like there is no tomorrow - but other than most people, I have no problem with rain in cities at night at all. The reflections and vibrant colours really are something else! But back to the point, the rain was so mad! You can see it in the photo itself - in case you are wondering, I am cowering under a huge umbrella trying not to get drops on my lens. The scenario ended with me falling backwards and getting everything wet - worth it! -Phill

A Ride Through Venice

Driving through the canals of Venice... Sounds great, right? Well, unless you are 1.64 m tall and sit on the right side of the Gondola seats! Did you know that they have an intended imbalance, so that the right hand side of the boat is lower in the water then the left one? I had my camera stuff with me and lived in constant fear to fall over! The guide tried to explain it to me and said this is totally normal - but I swear, there was about one finger space before the water would have just flown into the boat. In any case, looking at beautiful scenes like this one, it was kinda worth it! -Phillip

Lovely Chaos

Ok, how awesome is this? This is one of my favourite streets in Tokyo, Japan, as part of the Golden Gai area. This area is very famous for its nightlife - and this street here tops it all for me. You have people of all ages moving from left to right, visiting one of the many tiny restaurants. They can literally only fit 4-6 people at a time. So a good way seems to be - sit down, have a small bite, move to the next bar, have a kibble and a drink there, and so on. When you reach the end of the street, you are absolutely full - and likely slightly drunk. If you wanna visit, the street is called Omoide Yokocho. -Phill

The Perfect House

Some of the places you find in Japan are simply incredible. I mean, look at this: An awesome massive house right next to a perfect tiny little river, in the middle of beautiful nature... and, though not in the picture, there are deer everywhere! I am ready to move in at any time! Phillip

Seville's Golden Palace

Just after New Year and coming back from New York and Germany, I spent some time in Seville, Spain. Now, the plan was to go out there 10h a day and explore the landscape and the city to get some great shots... Yeah, this did not really work out. See, living in Dublin, a beer costs somewhere between 5-7 Euro. In Seville? One Euro. ONE! So, relaxing was what I did instead of taking pictures more often than I wanted to, hehe. In any case, this is Plaza Espana in Seville, the main square that - if you go off-season like me- is nearly empty of tourists and therefore awesome for photos. The palace or whatever the building is called is simply stunning - I mean, just look at it! -Phillip

Irelands Otherworld

Right - so how is this a thing? Irelands Giants Causeway, located far up in the north, is one of the most amazing places I have ever seen! I had the 'luck' to arrive there just when a super storm approached the place - and I had the pleasure of waiting for a good hour until that rain then vanished. The good part: nearly no tourists stayed as long as I did, and the sunset was so amazing that I think I cried a little. I will so have to go back. -Phillip

Amalfi's Mountain Side

Amalfi is a little coast town in Italy - the one that gives the Amalfi coast its name. The awesome thing is that the place is surrounded by mountains, which creates absolutely fantastic scenes like this one. The not so great part is, that in order to get there, you really have to train your legs to make it through the small streets and the bazillion stairs! I found this spot here after I had crawled through the city for hours to get higher up - and I felt like this was the treat I had earned hard after sacrificing my legs, hehe. Phillip

The Professional Photographer

So this was actually a little funny - I spent some time at Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, when it started to rain badly. Now, the couple that you see in the image had booked a professional photographer for the evening that came prepared - he pulled out a couple of umbrellas right away and every time the light would turn green, all of them would run to the centre of the road. The couple then quickly changed into a hugging/kissing position and the photographer took about 4000 pictures. They repeated this for about 30 min, going back and forth. I was running around, too, but in the end decided to take a quick shot as well. On the left, you can actually see the arm of the photographer - as he completes the story of my image, I have decided not to crop him out or photoshop him away. Thanks to the couple and the photographer for the nice scene! -Phill

No Sexual Services

This is a pretty simple message - brought to you by this clothing shop in Tokyo. Nothing more to say, really. -Phillip

Douro Valleys Steps

Amazing, right? Douro Valley in Portugal is definitely worth a visit. We stopped at a random vineyard, found two dogs lying around, became best friends (as usual with dogs), and took them for a stroll down into the fields (no worries, the field was owned by that vineyard). I flew my drone for a while before taking the dogos back to the place where I found them resting. They just lied down again and we went our separate ways. Gotta love dogs! -Phillip

Waiting for the Rain

While exploring Tokyo, I found several nice viewpoints that made for a fantastic photo. By the time I found this one, clouds had come in - which made for this awesome dramatic backdrop. I am not sure what our friend here was waiting for, but I thank him for standing there in the right moment. -Phill

Walk on Water

This is a photo from last years trip to the Amalfi Coast in Italy. The waves on that day were super high and that pier here got flooded every 5 min. One of them caught me in the end and I spent the remainder of the day with wet feet, but it was definitely worth it!