Photo Blog

Marco Larousse photography blog. Read about current projects, documentaries, fine art print sales, gallery exhibits, workshops and speeches by Marco Larousse.

PPN - Photo Podcast Network

I have been producing photography related podcasts for many years now. And 2017 was the year I teamed up with Scott Bourne and founded PPN - Photo Podcast Network with him. Our mission is to inspire, educate, encourage, and entertain our listeners in the field of photography. We publish different topical photography related shows each month in one single feed. So you can think of PPN.fm as an audio version of a photography magazine.

Our shows cover photograph news, interviews, inspiration, mirrorless photography, photo gear and listener Q&A. The shows have been extremely popular and we have already hit the #1 spot on the iTunes charts in this segment in different countries.

I want to thank all current listeners for their support and would like to invite everyone who is interested in photography and not a listener yet to subscribe to our free PPN podcast channel here:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ppn-photo-podcast-network/id1225034740

Google Podcasts: https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cDovL3Bob3RvcG9kY2FzdHMubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M%3D

Or search for "PPN" in your favorite podcatcher app.

You can also visit the PPN Photo Podcast Network website by clicking here.

G20 Summit 2017 in Germany - Hamburg Under Siege

Germany is the host of the G20 summit talks in 2017 and Chancellor Angela Merkel asked Hamburg’s first Mayor, Olaf Scholz, to host this event in Hamburg. Olaf Scholz agreed and assured safety to the public. He even claimed that: “On July 9th, some people will be surprised that the summit is already over.”

Hamburg is known to be an open, diverse and international city due to its large and 828 years old harbor. And because of this, Hamburg also carries the nickname "Gate to the World."

But when it comes to hosting the G20 summit in Hamburg, most residents are opposed to having this event in their metropolitan city. While there is general support for the idea that leaders of the world should talk to each other and try to effectively tackle the urgent inequity and environmental challenges of our planet, the majority also thinks that this event should not have been hosted in the middle of our metropolitan city, but rather in a more remote place where the implications and security concerns would have been much less to worry about.

Additionally, the event takes place in the most alternative part of town that had a long history of, let's say, not reacting well to gentrification, turbo capitalism, and inequality of minorities. To these residents, it's seen as a blatant provocation to host this event tight in the middle of their “hood” and adds fuel to a G20 summit event that already has a long history of protests and violence.

With this photo series, I documented the "under siege" area with my camera just days before the G20 summit started on July 7th & 8th. Many residents of Hamburg foresaw the riots, but the first mayor, Olaf Scholz, did not. Or at least he found that the benefits of hosting the G20 in Hamburg outweighed the potential harm.

Update: Did the misjudgment of the G20 in Hamburg hurt Olaf Scholz politically? Not really: In March 2018, Olaf Scholz was elected minister of finance and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, next to Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Update 2: On December 8th, 2021 Olaf Scholz was elected as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany…

Small home made protest sign in a residential building.

A total of 20,000 policeman and policewomen are in Hamburg to guard the G20 summit.

The police are present with info stands in the areas that are affected by the lockdown and limited access rules.

A lot of places in the affected G20 summit area are fenced up with barbed wires

Signs with quotes from Donald Trump show up to use his words to protest the G20 event.

Many stores in the lockdown area have to take mandatory holidays as customers can't reach the stores without permits. The loss of revenue is a price to pay for shop owners.

This motivated many shop owners to show their protest against the G20 in Hamburg: "G20 you should not be here"

As G20 events come with violent protest and riots, many stores board up their windows.

Others hang up signs and ask to spare their stores from damaging them as they are also against the G20 politics.

The alternative scene living close to the G20 venue has clear words voicing their opposition.

The "Rote Flora" is historically the center of all political anti inequality and capitalism protest.

Many protest banners are also aimed towards environmental protection. Instead of "XYZ Nation First" they want to see "Planet Earth First".

Alternative G20 events revolve around solidarity without borders and friendship as opposed to hate.

The Hamburg police had been fighting legal battles with protest organizers who wanted out of town protesters to sleep in a protest camp. "Yes we camp" is their slogan to protest the camp ban.

Even the house of anarchy needs organized structures to protest effectively.

Beer prices are stable at Schanzenviertel even during the G20 summit.

Even traffic lights carry protest messages for the G20 summit.

To sum it up: Many citizens of Hamburg want the G20 summit to just go away.

Train Window Diaries at 1/1000s

On every intercity express train ride that I take, I capture images through the window. While the world flies by at up to 300 km/h (186 mph), very few people even take the time to look at the unique and quickly changing scenery.

On a recent train ride from the north to the center of Germany, I captured this series of images - another set of my "Train Window Diaries at 1/1000s".

At this shutter speed, not only the far but even the close objects are frozen in time and can be recognized - which is almost impossible for the human eye to capture at these speeds.

Take a look at the beauty that is often overlooked by most passengers. The varying scenery, weather conditions and snow levels are a good indicator of the distance traveled and the regional changes that come with it.

Off-Season / Nebensaison -Timmendorfer Strand & Niendorf

Off-Season / Nebensaison is a photo project where I document popular vacation regions during their off-season.

The strong visual contrast between the busy and crowded peak season and the off-season in vacation regions is a condition that many people never get to see and therefore may not fully appreciate. While the peak season attracts many visitors due to favorable weather situations, special events or vacation time, the off-season can have some qualities and a unique beauty, too.

Crowded streets, restaurants, hotels, parking lots and stores in addition to high peak season prices can take away from a relaxing break time when one seeks to get away from everyday stress. I have learned to appreciate to visit vacation regions during their off-season, too.

I'm seeing places with different eyes when they are almost deserted without the visual and audible distraction that large crowds bring with them. Grey and cloudy days can actually make for a relaxing and comforting mood and create a unique visual beauty to my eyes.

As a visual example of the unique off-season mood that I'm talking about, I share this recent off-season image series that I captured in the North German Baltic Sea coast villages Timmendorfer Strand and Niendorf i.H.

Maybe this is an inspiration for you to see the beauty in locations during the off-season too. Feel free to give me your thoughts in the comments and share this post via the "share" option at the bottom of the post, too.

Off Season - Empty Pier - Kein Winterdienst!

Off Season - Closed Beach Chair Rental Shack

Life in a tube

Over the corse of a week, I observed how people of all age groups and genders acted inside a fast waterslide tube made out of glass. Over time I came to realize how much of a person’s character is revealed during these few seconds of intensity and more or less of an adrenaline rush.

When I froze the individuals at a few thousands of a second, I started to see curiosity, fear, joy, indifference or terror in their posture. Some of the individuals seemed to pose a “get me out of here“ and others more of a “look at me how cool I am“.

Some only coped with the situation by sliding in company or backward, not wanting to see what is ahead of them. Others went head first, on their belly or on their knees. Some seemed to enjoy the moment of not being in control and others didn’t. After a few days, this waterslide tube felt to me like a giant birth canal out of a science fiction movie where the individual's personality is infused before it enters life.

What kind of personality and posture would you show in your posture when being flushed down a tube like this?

Oslo and Copenhagen Voyage - alternating color & B&W photography

While coordinating assignments in Oslo and Copenhagen, my travel agent suggested to take a boat instead of planes for this trip. And by boat she meant a cruise boat. I have never been on a cruise ship (large ferry boats not counted) and I was intrigued.

Three weeks later I found myself boarding the Aida Luna (capacity of about 2,000 passengers) on my way to Oslo and Copenhagen. In the spring time the Baltic Sea is always good for surprises - cold rainy and warm summer like moments can take turns within hours. This is what inspired me to make a photo documentary with alternating color and B&W images on this trip.

Here are my impressions. Enjoy!

Aida Luna Bug Pool

Aida Luna Cruise to Oslo and Copenhagen. Photo Essay - Fotobericht

Aida Luna Oslo

Aida Luna Oslo Fjord

Aida Luna Panorama Window

Aida Luna Waves

Oslo Concert Hall

Oslo Street Photography

Oslo Impression

Aida Luna Balcony

Aida Luna Theatrium Show

Aida Luna Fog Ship

Aida Luna meeting Aida Diva

Copenhagen Waterfront Construction Worker

Copenhagen Waterfront Bicyclist

Copenhagen Street Photography

Copenhagen Street Jogger

Copenhagen Royal Guard

Copenhagen Bicyclist

Copenhagen Asian Tourist

Copenhagen Pedestrian Tunnel

Copenhagen Nyhavn Photographer

Aida Copenhagen Skyline

Copenhagen Bicycle Taxi

Aida Luna Stern Wash Long Exposure

As a little bonus I've added a time lapse video showing the last 25 mi of the Aida Luna approaching Copenhagen harbour. The video starts at the location of the Helsingborg - Helsongør ferry line, passing from Sweden to Denmark.