My stay in California has, at times, felt somewhat dreamlike in a surreal sort of way. Everything is familiar, yet subtly altered: the stars’ positions are shifted, mountains and trees are so much larger, and some of the landscapes look quite alien! The streets and buildings are home to many different dreams, whether those of aspiring actors, wide–eyed children or hardened criminals. The juxtaposition of such a variety of environments and the contrast between natural and man–made adds to the feeling of displacement.

It seems quite hard to think that you can know a country before you put your first foot in it. But that was my case when I traveled to the US. During my stay, I saw some things I had never seen before but that strangely brought back a lot of memories. These were scenes from movies coming back as memories and truly feeling real to me now. They could come from a Western movie, a teenage movie or even a romantic film set in New York City. You can think some of them could at first be a little cliché but finally when you meet these memories for real, you find out there is always part of a truth in it.

The pulse of the greatest city I’ve ever seen lead me to places which touched my soul.

New York City—Places and people impressed me during a half year of exciting travelling. The images I was able to take show the amazing moments I experienced.

Whenever somebody asks me for the most impressive experience during my time in the U.S. I first mention variety. The variety of people, the variety of colors, the variety of nature. Especially in New York City you realize every day anew what a variety can exist even on such a dense space. When I think back and look through the thousands of pictures I have been taking in the States, particularly the richness of colors expresses what the country is like: amazing colorful!

San Francisco. Colorful, diverse, multicultural, open minded and creative. It doesn ’t matter if you are a manager in Financal District, a hippie in Haight Ashbury, a Mexican in The Mission, a transvestite in The Castro, a hippster in The Fillmore or an Asian in Chinatown. Every single man and woman makes the city to the city it is - a great Urban Place to live and dream!

Thank you San Francisco!

After I wrapped my internship at Pixar Animation as a Shading Technical Director, I was left with some money to spend.
So I decided to get me an Digital SLR and Macbook Pro and headed for Hawaii, an old pipe dream of mine.
When I finally reached the Garden Island of Kaua’i, I felt it was time to apply my technical skills to not only recreate the spirit of that magical place, but even amplify it in both color and scale.
So I often ended up processing pictures I took on the spot and created panoramic and High Dynamic Range Images, which was, although being of technical nature, totally inspired but nature itself.
It is interesting how the photo essay ties together my ramblings on the island. For example picture 01 and 06 show each others point of view within themselves, so it's even a little riddle. Which figures.

Magnificent villas, a brand new red Ferrari at the supermarket parking lot, Hollywood stars, glamour and hot spots—this is how visitors frequently define luxury in connection with California. But if you just look around the corner and get away from this imagination, you will explore what real Californians define as luxury in their lives. It is so simple that most of the foreigners do not realize it—It’s called TIME. Time to sit on a stone and watch the first sunrays touching the Pacific Ocean; time to stop on the road and smell the blooming plants; time to escape from everyday life and feel the waves under your surfboard, and time to enjoy every second in this wonderful state!

One of the unexpected things that happened to me while living in the US was becoming an oddity seeker. There is simply so much quirky stuff out there it’s simply a pity to pass by without enjoying it. It doesn’t matter whether one stands out from the crowd just to express themselves, to do something cool, stick to their traditions or to attract customers. It feels like finding hidden islands of creativity, always disturbing the process of falling into everyday's dullness. I’m definitely going to miss this joyful explorative state of mind back in Europe...

I spend days and nights in my car, eating up the distance. The landscape of California and its vastness flying by. 65 miles per hour. To the left the ocean with infinite beaches. To the right the mountains covered in clouds. With an endless road and the sunset right in front of me and the lights of Los Angeles in the mirrors, getting smaller and smaller. Los Angeles, full of restless people who are stuck in traffic trying to get somewhere. Side by side, bumper to bumper but far away from each other. The 101, the 405, packed with cars. People in cars, on motorbikes, in airplanes using everything to go from a to b. This is where it happens but every now and then I had to go far away to escape.

I have always been wondering what the real colors of the US are : is it the bright yellow cruise travelling towards the busy Manhattan island in NY city? Is it the silent red rose dedicated to Vietnam War Veterans in DC? Is it the old west color painted with everywhere along the disappearing Route 66? Is it the vibrant color sparked at the night in Vegas? Or, is it just the rainbow rising on my way from home, the sunset glittering on the same way back?

I couldn't be able to find the right answer to the question till now. Surprisingly, I have found lots of colors in my life here in the US on my journey of seeking the answer.