Harold Davis's Blog, page 102

Village Blacksmith

In this photo, the village blacksmith is showing the superiority of his handmade bespoke horseshoe (the one on his left) compared to a store-bought horseshoe (shown on his right). I was privileged to follow him into the courtyard, where he used the new horseshoes he’d made to shod a horse. The subsequent photos in my sequence document how he does it.

Village Blacksmith © Harold Davis

Two Views of Corvin Castle

Corvin Castle, in the city of Hunedoara in Romania, is one of Europe’s largest castles. Originally from the 1400s, it has been partially destroyed and rebuilt a number of times, most recently in the 1800s. The first view is a multi-exposure composite with my Nikon D810, and the view at the bottom is captured and processed using my iPhone. 

Corvin Castle © Harold Davis

 

Corvin Castle (iPhone) © Harold Davis

Something Old and Something New

The ruined castle is Cetatea Trascaului, near Coltesti in Hungarian-speaking Transylvania (Romania).

Ruined Castle, Transylvania © Harold Davis

The image that looks like something out of science fiction (below) was captured at the bottom of a deep salt mine near Turda, Romania. The theory is that salt impregnated air is good for respiratory illnesses. First excavated hundreds of year ago, a tourist complex complete with a ferris wheel, ping pong tables, and a lake one can row around has been built within the deep reaches of the mine to take advantage of the health effects—and to provide respite on a hot summer’s day.

Turda Salt Mine © Harold Davis

Daniel the Guide

This is Daniel, my guide to all things Romanian. He is mugging it up at the Hotel Castel Dracula. Even though he hates the whole Dracula schtick as phony and not really anything to do with Romania. Should I be worried? 

Daniel the Guide © Harold Davis

Sunrise in Rural Romania

Got up early this morning. Actually, got up and out before it was morning and things were still inky black with darkness. The point was to photograph sunrise in rural Romania. So here’s a photo of sunrise in rural Romania. In case you are wondering, the fence in the image is used to dry hay that is piled against it.

Sunrise in Rural Romania © Harold Davis

Daniel Les

This is Daniel Les, a well-known Romanian potter whose studio we visited in Baia Sprie, Maramures, Romania. You can see the hands of the potter at his craft by clicking here.

Daniel Les © Harold Davis

Woman with Bucket

This woman runs a watermill that uses water power and wood-fired steam to power grinding flour, carding wool, and more. Her husband has an adjacent cherry brandy still.

Woman with Bucket © Harold Davis

Alone

This fellow is ninety years old. He lives by himself. He makes wooden rakes and pitchforks for his living, and sells them in the village because they are “better than new-fangled” metal implements. He was happy to have his picture taken, and to talk with us as long as we wanted to stay.

Alone © Harold Davis

Shot with the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 wide open at f/1.4.

Making a Pot

Today I photographed a potter in rural Romania. He was making pots using local clay. As I watched, the pots formed nicely on his wheel, then he finished them with his hands.

Making a Pot © Harold Davis

Fireworks in Budapest

In Budapest, Hungary over the weekend they were celebrating Hungarian National Day with a massive fireworks display. This was photographed across the Danube River, with the Houses of Parliament on the right.

Fireworks in Budapest © Harold Davis