Amongst other things, I like to identify visual contrasts.  These can be occur in so many different ways – one of which is contrast in time – old vs new.  I felt that black and white was a good way to express this scene:  there was not much color, but in addition to thematic contrast, the contrast in intensity was strong and so were the lines.

Here is an example of an outdoor plaza where I wanted to place the emphasis on the architecture and not have the people as the main focal point.  The viewer’s attention should be mainly on the buildings while still conscious of human activity.

Wandering down a narrow street in Mainz, Germany, I found this beautiful green door framed in a rose colored stone.  I shot it with a cyclist zipping past allowing him to be blurred.  This keeps the attention on the door while placing it in the context of a busy city.  I felt that the yellow glow behind the door made it appear to be a welcoming place.  Looking at this picture a few months later, I now notice that the door frame was newly painted up to about the top of the window.  I wonder if they finished painting before winter.

Immediately following the golden hour, comes twilight – a time that is neither dark nor daylight.  This is also a time known in Germany as the blue hour – a time when the sky is a deep beautiful blue.  During this short time, which typically lasts far less than an hour, is a good time to photograph some amazing colors using your camera on a tripod.  I really liked this scene in Mainz Germany with the deep blue of the sky reflecting off the cobblestone surrounding this well.  I found the color contrast between the orange sandstone of the well and the deep blue of the sky particularly striking.  I also like how the lines of stones on the ground point toward an area in the image which is a third of the way up from the bottom and a third of the way over from the right.

Rule of Thirds (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds)

Blue Hour (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Blue_hour)