*clouded

Overcast days felt like a blessing this summer.

A welcome relief from the intensity of the heat,

and more energy for exploring new lovely places in nature.

☙

*on summer paths

On summer paths 

I wander without a sound.

The emptier my mind,

the fuller my heart.

Butterfly wings

are moving with the waves of the wind,

so softly and light,

no resistance to life.

Sheeplike clouds

cover the bluest of blues

while I'm resting my head

in this chamomile bed.

{Claudia Voglhuber}

☙

*ink doodles

Every now and then, I like to play with ink. It helps me overcome the perfectionist tendencies that often hold me back in art. I simply use a brush (or a pen) and ink, without sketching with pencil first, so I have to accept all the flaws as they are.

Yet, aside from photography, I’m not able to engage in any creative pursuit consistently. With photography, I feel less pressure – perhaps because I never intended to make a living from it. It has always accompanied me, through both good times and moments when life seems to fall apart. I will never stop feeling enthusiastic about photography. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I find comfort in looking at a pile of collected images that awaken a cozy feeling in me and help me feel lighter instantly.

There is so much beauty to discover in this world. Through my eyes, through aesthetic images, I can experience immense joy. I feel deeply thankful for the way my inherent nature allows me to perceive and appreciate it.

☙

*a long forgotten past

Have you seen the movie Elisa & Marcela? It’s about two girls who were in love around 1900 in Spain, and one of them assumed a male identity so she could marry her lover and be with her. (It’s based on a true story.) What intrigued me wasn’t so much the story itself, but the way it was filmed – in black and white, so beautifully captured. When I first saw my developed black-and-white film, it instantly reminded me of this movie.

☙

*warm brick walls

This old, abandoned farmhouse in my neighborhood was the ideal place to play with the old black-and-white film. I love the brick walls and old wooden window frames with the already broken glasses where wild wasps build their nests inside. And the changing seasons also change the feel and impression of the building continuously. I hope they will not demolish this for decades untouched house. I made many pictures around this place over the years and I still don't get bored to let it shine in a new light in my photography work.

I had a weird dream tonight. One of my school teachers who had treated me badly back then cried tears of regret and those tears were dripping into my face – I could even taste the saltiness while they where running over my mouth. My dream life is very active right now. A few nights ago I was flying above a raging, dark sea next to a big steamboat. The wind was blowing strongly, but I was not in fear. Though I knew that I must not doubt, because the moment you doubt, you immediately sink down when you fly in a dream.

☙

*Ilford HP5

Some time ago, I finally used an old black-and-white film that I had been postponing for years. I even loaded it into my camera unintentionally and only realized it after I had already taken several pictures. Since it was 36 years expired and hadn’t been stored properly, I doubted that anything usable would come out. But to my surprise, the pictures turned out in a very aesthetically pleasing way, almost as if they had been taken a hundred years ago! I’m in love! I’m so glad for my happy accident, and it has made me eager for more experiments!

☙

*golden fields

In the meantime, most of the fields have already been threshed, only the sunflower fields still hold their heads bravely toward the sun, and the corn ripens at its own pace. In the early mornings, mist rises over the woods again, giving me a vague sense of autumnal days – a silent longing in my heart for the introverted season already. Perhaps it’s because the last few weeks have been hard on me, and I haven’t been able to live a proper summer life. But God is kind to us, so everything is in His order, and we too are able to ripen – like those golden summer fields.

☙

*forest scents

Summer in the forest. The air is filled with the most pleasant scents:

Dry mosses and needles, fine grasses, soft tree resin and all sorts of lichen. Picking a blueberry now and then on my strolls, surrounded by the humming noise of horseflies and other jittery insects.

❦

*The ocean

The ocean

Ever changing,

soft and silent,

then soughing and singing

to the seagulls call.

A little poem

flies away with the wind.

The waves are listening

while I'm sitting so still.

The seawater on my feet

so cleansing and strong.

It runs down my skin

like a natural song.

I give up all dreams

and hopes of the past.

I remember so humbly:

The ocean is vast.

{Claudia Voglhuber}

~

*Island Cres

Exactly one month ago, we had our summer vacation on the Croatian island Cres. We have been there in 2015 already, but this time we explored it with our camper van. The weather was exceptional hot during the first days, and we were able to stay in the water for ages, because the sea felt as warm as a bathtub. As always, we explored hidden paths, and I searched for little treasures on the beach – I found this weird-looking wooden creature and lots of sea glass. In the evenings, the stones were still filled with the warmth of the day, and it was so lovely to sit on them, just watching the sun go down and the gentle waves rolling over the shore.

☙