We here at KMCx love taking pictures! One thing we have learned is that it is better to have your camera on you than to not because the best pictures tend to come out of the proverbial “left field”. Below you will find some of our favorites. This is kind of like our portfolio.
Residents of the KMC are no strangers to things that fly. Mostly, these flying things are of the fixed-wing variety. Sometimes, however, we get to hear the wump wump of the “Shithook”.
This particular Shithook displays the daring-do of aircrew that have no fear of heights (we assume this is a job requirement) which is on full display in the form of the “dangling” of booted feet out of the cargo ramp door.
Friends and Neighbors
These lockers at Kaiserslautern High School demonstrate the uniformity, yet nonlinear, state of modern education.
Nah. We just thought it looked awesome, especially with the narrow depth-of-field taken with a 30mm prime lens.
Ghostly Roots
During a rather mundane dog-walking activity, this arboreal tripping-hazard was encountered just outside of Pirmasens, in the middle of a well-maintained trail no less.
Memory claims that this skeletal root was actually “crawling”, however, memory is wrong in this case. Or is it?
I always feel like, somebody's watching me...
Moments before this picture was taken, the sound of flapping wings, screetches and a slap was heard. Birds of prey do not take kindly to one of their own species intruding on their territory.
The aforementioned slap was indeed the contact made between fighting birds of which the instigator still remains at large.
After the feathered perpatrator had fled the scene, that’s when this after-action picture was snapped. The look on this guy’s face was assumed to be of the FAFO variety and encouraged the photographer to make haste and flee the scene as well.
Little Boy Blue and the Man on the Moon...
A poet once said, “Come to the dark side of the moon for there be cookies”, or something to that effect. This quote is probably incorrect.
Despite this literary fallacy, KMCx knows what the viewer is thinking and to that we answer: Yes, we did take this picture.
What a difference a 400mm lens and tripod make. It only took about 100 snaps to get this right as the settings had to be tweaked over and over!
Moon River, wider than a mile, I'll just stay on this side for a while
This is no random body of water, this is the Mighty Rhein! Although it is not noticable because of the still nature of still photography, these waters are flowing deceivingly fast.
The glow in the background comes from the city of Mannheim to which the water flows until ultimately emptying into the ocean and we are sure that in the process of flowing north, the waters pass by many McDonald’s restaurants.
Where it all began...
A dark and rainy night in Ramstein yields great pictures! There are a lot of memories stired by this place. Let it be known that they are happy ones!
This is Dr. Crane, I'm listening...
We here at KMCx hope that we just didn’t devulge our time-on-Earth with the title of this picture.
“Irregardless”, this crane was caught in the ornithological version of what Eazy-E referred to as “chillin’ like a villain” on a random floating log on the Hammerwoog Lake.
You can’t see them in this picture, but on another random floating log sits a quartet of water turtles doing their version of chilling.
Wheels on the tank go round and round
These wheels once aided in moving a near 60-ton behemoth around the plains of the Fulda Gap, just waiting for his Eastern European cousins to come asking for directions to Bonn.
Alas, this situation never came to be and now, these quiet wheels wait for you on static display at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden.
If this landing isn't perfect, we're doing it again
If you live around the KMC, chances are you’ve seen a Herc or two.
This Herc, for reasons that are a mystery, kept landing and taking off again. Maybe the Herc was not happy that these landings were less than perfect and wanted to make an impression on all the other Hercs that were watching from their parking spots?
We urge every Herc to ignore the judgy looks of the other Hercs that have already made thier “perfect” landings.
Is it a bird? A plane? It is none of those things...
When was the last time you saw a hot-air balloon? The area around Augsburg is great balloon territory and sometimes they just drift over a relative’s house.
This is one of those instances.
Did you know that we sometimes dabble in artsy photography?
This picture represents the conflicting duality of the certainty of a linear device like a rail and the uncertainty of where rain drops fall. The rail always goes to the same destination, yet the raindrop can land in the darndest places.
Nah. We made that up. If a guy can duct tape a banana to a wall for a couple of million dollars then we can wax poetic about rain and rails.
The depth-of-field is the bomb though.
This one is just wicked cool!
There is not much to say about this picture other than it’s awesome. Photography is often about timing and location. Nailed them both with this one!
Kind of like a mascot
When KMCx explores, it’s often with our short, quadrupedal companion. Despite her vertical handicap, she is quite mobile even in the most craggy and dense terrain. She has no fear of abandoned tunnels and no fear of heights. She just wants to be there with you.
Her name is Käthe and she is our mascot.
The Sheep Freeway
The grassy dikes around the northern town of Greetsiel are home to thousands of grazing sheep. A sheppard told us that when the sheep come home in the evening, this is a process called “Schafsautobahn”.
We had to move out of the way after this picture was shot lest we be runned over.
Hold the line!
Reenactors at the annual Battle of the Buldge events in Bastogne, Belgium, do not play around.
Well, we suppose they do play around. But they ensure that all their gear, weapons and clothing are all period accurate.
Too bad there are modern cars in the background or else you might mistake this for the set of “Band of Brothers”.
Sunset over the tital flats of northern Germany
Not much to say about this one, other than it’s dope.
Beat the water!
This is what it looks like when triathletes beat the water like a rented mule.
This is the Mussbach Sprint Triathlon and 300 people beat water for 750 meters, pedal 20 km though wine fields and run 5 km just to prove something to themselves and their mothers-in-law.
Locks of Love
What better way to express your love than with a commemorative lock? The Hohenzollern Bridge in Cologne hosts tens of thousands of locks professing the love of their benefactors.
Just a couple of hours drive from the KMC, you can leave a sample of your love here! Also, if you want to leave your love on the bridge, you better do it soon because the bridge is quickly approaching its weight limit (we’re speculating).
A rare thing
A rare picture of the co-creator of KMCx. The Old Bridge in Heidelberg makes for great pictures the whole year round. This fact is reinforced by the many wedding parties celebrating nearby and tourists taking selfies. Some even splurged with professional photographers.
What did you see on your journey?
Random castles in the Rhein River Gorge and the moon decided to make an appearance is what we saw.
Fancy a bike ride? Start in Bingen am Rhein and go north. This route is picturesque AF!
The bridge named after some dude called Charles
For destinations in Europe, Prague is a must! Go off-season to avoid crowds and high prices.
A 6-hour drive from the KMC is well worth it, like from Phoenix to L.A. (time-wise that is).
Hey Jerry! Fancy meeting you here!
Seagulls are still upset that their group is just called “a flock”. Why does a group of crows get called something cool like “a murder”? We at KMCx do not make the rules, literary or otherwise.
This group of fellas was spotted on a random post in the Rhein River in Ludwigshafen. Consequently, there were no murders of anything to be seen. But there was a seagull called Jerry.
What's the story, Morning Glory?
Who says bike rides are boring? Not us! The Bingen am Rhein to Sankt Goar bike path will leave you breathless, and not just because of the distance!
This picture was taken during high-water on the Rhein (hence the trees in the water).
Chirp Chirp
This little guy was just waiting for the right time to pounce on any left-over crumbs left behind by wayward children. He did not have to wait long.
Waiting for a train to start the workday
A lone train driver awaits his ride that is also his job. These unsung heroes shuttle travelers and commuters to and fro without praise from neither the public nor their charges.
Sunny Learning Environment
This student area at the Berufsbildene Schule (BBS2) in Kaiserslautern is a great place to take a break from the classroom. Especially when the sun peaks through the glass.
