Wedding Portraits - Tomek and Marzena
This was a fun portrait shoot that took us all over the city. Tomek and Marzena wanted some shots that were a little different than the traditional, posed wedding photos. Of course, we made some traditional shots too, but we focused more on some fun poses and situations throughout Kraków.
Monochro-Mountains
There's no predicting mountain weather, it can change so quickly. The Tatra Mountains near Zakopane, Poland are no exception. What to do when the weather doesn't cooperate? No need to put the camera away! There are always good shots to be found. Since the cloudy skies and fresh snow cover made the views naturally monochromatic, I decided to work with it and go for a black and white treatment. Not much beats hiking through deep snow in the mountains with a camera and tripod!
Kraków Wedding Photos
Congratulations Rafał and Natalia! This was another first for us, a wedding shoot in Europe! What a great place Kraków is for wedding photos. Nothing like what we have back home in New England. I really like the custom here in Poland where the formal wedding photos are made a week, or in our case, a couple months, after the actual wedding day. This is nice because everyone is much more relaxed and there is plenty of time to make some nice shots at multiple locations without keeping the hungry wedding guests waiting. In Kraków, it's very common to see a bride and groom along with their photographer posing throughout the Market Square and other parts of the city on any day of the week.
For tourists and visitors from other countries, especially the US, this is something special to see. When Martina and I were photographing Rafał and Natalia, I turned around to see a group of 5 or 6 people taking their own photos of us!
Photos From Poznań
Not much to say, just some photos from our trip last week to Poznań, a city in north western Poland.
Twilight - Performed by Paweł Sawicki
I have never filmed a music video before, so I offered to practice on my super talented guitarist friend, Paweł Sawicki. We shot several scenes throughout Kraków of him playing Twilight, by Kotaro Oshio. I used a camera mounted external microphone to pick up the audio and in post production, synced the clips with Paweł's studio recording. Enjoy!
Up on Wawel Hill
This is the view as you travel up one of the paths that lead to Wawel Castle. The sun was low, the balloon was high. My wife says it reminds her of a scene from a Bond movie.
Kraków at Night
Last night I headed out to make some long exposures. They ranged from 6 - 15 seconds. Here are a few of my favorites from the night.
Żubrówka - The Taste of Poland
This bottle comes straight from Poland. I set it up in my back yard for a quick photo shoot before I cracked open the bottle.
Żubrówka is a dry, herb flavored vodka. The vodka is infused with a special grass that grows in the Białowieża forest in Poland to give it it's characteristic taste and yellowish color. The bottle also contains a blade of the grass that a bison may or may not have peed on. That doesn't bother me, it's pretty delicious.
Żubrówka has been made since the 16th century. While a form of Żubrówka can be found at select liquor stores in the US, it is not the same as the Polish version. Importing it was banned in 1978 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms because the grass contains a toxic compound.
Żubrówka is traditionally served chilled and mixed with apple juice, a drink known in Poland as tatanka or szarlotka. Add lime and mint for a Polish mojito.
Real Football, Krakow Style - VIDEO
Besides learn Polish, the only thing I really wanted to do during my time here in Krakow was to see a football match. That wish came true last Saturday night. There are 2 rival teams here in Krakow. Cracovia and Wisła. I didn't know much about either team. I mostly follow the English, Spanish, and German leagues. Wisła finished on top of the Ekstraklasa last year and a lot of our friends here support them so that led my decision on which team was to get a new fan. As most European countries, Poland takes their football pretty seriously and so do the stadiums. At least at Wisła's stadium here in Krakow, you can not even purchase a ticket unless you first obtain a club card which has your photo and ID number on it. Even the tickets come printed with your name and the stadium turnstile will not let you in unless you scan a valid club card. I'm not sure if this is a safety precaution or what. The hooligans are pretty tough too. No alcohol is served at the stadium, police in full riot gear are all over the place, and the home and away fans are kept apart by fences and separate entrances and exits.
Interestingly, as serious fans they are, you never see anyone in the city wearing their teams colors. In fact, even on game night, it wasn't until we got close to the stadium that people started to put on their Wisła jerseys and scarves. Right after the game everyone quickly changed back. It's pretty sad that you can't even wear your teams jersey in public without the fear of getting beat up or knifed by supporters of the "other" team. It happens!
Anyways, we avoided injury and watched a great game. Rafał stood in line to get us our tickets and the 4 of us met him, Bartek, Beata, and Milena at the stadium, only a short walk from our apartment. The game ended 1-0 in Wisła's favor due to a penalty kick. The caliber of play was excellent, especially compared to the MLS games we have in the States and the fans were great! Click on the photo below to play a video I made of the action.
Wednesday night Wisła plays for a spot in the Champions League, a first for them in a very long time. We wish them well, Go Wisła!
Danboard Rocks Out With Morrissey
This little cardboard box is pretty excited tonight! What, you don't know who Morrissey is?! Take a listen here. Who would have thought he would be able to see Morrissey live in Poland? Best part is, the venue is a small, standing room only club. Danboard hates those giant arena shows. Hopefully he will remember his camera!
Uwaga!
I thought this sign was kind of funny. I guess I wouldn't be laughing if I was the one colliding with the tram though. I probably don't have to worry about it actually. I haven't been behind the wheel for 2 months now! It's really nice to be able to walk everywhere and take the occasional public transportation which is very good here in Krakow.
Krakow Street Performers - Video
Got a new video for you today! There are so many street performers here in Krakow. Here is just a sampling of some of the interesting ones. Click on the picture below to watch the video.
Published!
I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I'm just pretty excited! One of my photos was just published in the July issue of the Krakow Post. Here is the original photo. They pick one or two photos each month to be published and then then an overall winner is selected at the end of the year. While I am excited to see it in print, I also wouldn't be surprised if only 2 people submitted photos. It's kind of interesting that it took moving to Poland for a few months to get something published. Maybe they have lower standards here!
Medieval Life in Krakow
Last weekend in Krakow, set before the backdrop of Wawel castle, was the medieval fair called Jarmark Swiętojański. It was interesting to see what life was like in medieval Poland. On display was a blacksmith shop, beer making, printing, armory and weapons, cooking displays, sewing, salt refining, jewelry, wood carving , and more. Of special interest was the horse shows. Riders were displaying ancient skills such as archery, jousting, and swordsmanship. These guys were pretty good! They managed to pick up small rings with the tip of their lance, hit targets, and splatter eggs with their swords, all on a moving horse. The show ended with a real joust competition in full armor. Lances shattered as they hit their opponent, sending large wood splinters in all directions. I'm surprised nobody got seriously hurt!
"Don't Ya Want a Fanta, Fanta"
My wife has wanted a Fanta shot for a long time now. Finally in Poland we found glass Fanta bottles. 6 bottles and lots of natural light made for some interesting shots.
Danboard Visits Poland
The rumors are true, Danboard is in Poland. He was a little shy to come out in public at first because he speaks very little Polish. I let him borrow some of my books and he is progressing very well with the language. He is now comfortable mingling with the locals and he can even order a coffee with milk in Polish. He really loves Krakow and looks forward to checking out more of the sights. You can view more of his adventures here.
Naleśniki and a Drunken Bum
So, the other night everyone had plans except for me. Don't worry, I wasn't sad. I had a nice night by myself to take some photos. I started my "date" with a delicious plate of Naleśniki at an outdoor cafe in the Main Square while I waited for the sun to go down. Naleśniki are similar to crepes. They come with a variety of fillings like fruit or cheese. Mine were stuffed with apples and covered with chocolate sauce, powdered sugar, and whipped cream. Since I had to sacrifice a lot of space and weight in my suitcase for my tripod, I thought I better start making use of it with some long exposure night shots.
This is when I met my new "friend". He came up to me and asked what I was doing. I thought it was pretty obvious, but maybe not to someone with beer goggles as thick as his. I chatted for a few minutes with the extremely close talking drunk. Occasionally he braced himself on my shoulder. He told me that he was a law student and had 2 more years left until he graduated. The fact that he had only 3 teeth, dirty clothes, and liquor breath that could knock you over, kind of told me otherwise.
After his "spiel" came the punch line I was waiting for, "Do you have any money for food?". I gave him 2 złoty to get rid of him, but he said, "Only 2 złoty?!". "Sorry, that's all I have on me. If you don't want it give it back!", I replied. Of course he kept it and staggered away.
I have uploaded some new photos in addition to the ones below to the Krakow Gallery.
One Foot in Poland, the Other in Slovakia
Saturday we spent the day hiking in the Tatra mountains of Zakopane, southern Poland. The peaks are a little over 6,560 feet. The border of Poland and Slovakia runs along the ridge of the mountains. Along the trail are markers with an obvious "P" for Poland on one side, and "S" for Slovakia on the other. It's kind of cool to stand in 2 countries at the same time!
Hello from Krakow!
I can't believe we have been here for 3 weeks already! We are finally settling in to our home away from home for the next few months. Krakow is such a great city, and our apartment is close to everything, even our Polish language school is right across the street. This weekend we are heading south to the Tatra mountains in Zakopane.
