Lean back and reflect
Why do I sit on that bench?
Those who actually read my post regularly know my past years have been somewhat bumpy and a rollercoaster in many ways. To get away and mind space to think and reflect I took this week off and ended up here. On this very bench.
Not exactly a celebration.
What a ride. Years of Ups and Downs.
The past years were dominated by the strangest news such as a worldwide pandemic, some chip crises, and a full-on war just outside the doorstep of my home country (not even a thousand kilometers from my home). All these circumstances influenced my private and professional life. Not particularly in a positive way. Life is not always about finding happiness I get that. Over the years I considered myself one of the lucky ones. In the grand scope that is still the case and complaining is not exactly the thing. In comparison, I am very lucky to lead the life I do. These last 3 years put everything in perspective. Did it go the way I anticipated? Hell NO!
So here is me contemplating and reflecting. Not much to regret! If at all.
Looking at my four years on the chain it's been pretty good! I am super grateful that helped me, especially in the beginning when it was still Steem. By the time of the hard-fork to Hive, I had established already a base that was somewhat satisfying. I had the feeling I did not only post for myself. Thanx to more and more LightPainters that joined the Hive and actually read my posts and interact with me about my work motivates me to practice writing. I did suck big time and still think I have to learn so much more about writing. Anyhow it gets better.
The rewards have become more and more a thing of the background, yet it motivates me to continue. The cost of each LightPainting is not possible to recoup through this but with you as the community, it makes it all the while worth it. Thank you Hive community!
My stats
Sometimes it's hard to believe that I made 688 POSTS and got 2,749
COMMENTS from you guys. Just WOW!
How I got to have top Up-votes of the day I still can't believe. HeHe
Downvotes 🤦♂️
I also can't believe that someone from the Hivewatchers marked me for Spam and plagiarism because the text was too similar. Idiots never explained to me what their standard is and never answered the question of what qualifies them to judge the photos I post. Code is the law. Not opinion! That is still unbelievable to me. The downvote shitshow has to go in my opinion. I have not seen this being used fair and reasonably. Who is Hivewatchers anyway? If you want to judge my photos tell me who you are! But hey to have haters is new to me. Never had anything like that on Instagram or Facebook. That's is the funny thing. Everyone here thinks it's so much better. Hivewatchers was super rude as also other people that started here. Allianating newbies keep Hive from growing. Enough of a rant here. Won't change simple minds with out a proper discord.
Today I would say: Hey having a hater that gives you a 32+ $ Downvote is an achievement that is not mentioned by 
Ok now about this shot.
It started with checking the scene. You can see that the following shots came about first when you look closely at the swing bench. On the left you see one part missing in the featured image. I sat down and it just fell off. I got a bit scared that I might crash with the entire swing.
In Germany safety would be a huge issue. But hey at Burning Man I did learn one important thing: safety third!
Want to have seat?
What's on your mind for 2023? Any interesting resolutions? Insights? This is your bench now!
How long are you on the Chain here? What makes you come back here?
I just found this spot on the property I stay at the moment. This Airbnb comes with half a Zoo and a beautiful forest as you can see. It's only 20 min from downtown Austin. Just a short drive and you lose track of time as you enter the alternative reality.
Oh yes, the Light Paintings. All of them are as always single exposure Light Paintings. All that happened pretty much 30min ago. The main Image with me on the bench is a 101-second exposure with the lens set to F8 and the camera at ISO 100. That's me first triggering the camera then lighting the area and then sitting down and throwing some light into the forest.
The test shots with just the swing are 47 and 68 seconds. Technically not much of a difference. I did change the F-Stop and the ISO to figure out what's easiest when running around. I did not want to rush here. But I did also test ISO 800. But that was a bit much.
Big thanks to the LightPainters community here! See you out here in the dark!
I hope you found these images inspirational. If you have more questions please do not hesitate. I am happy to share my knowledge.
If you think this is Spam, why did you read this far and why the fuck bother you? Move on from your self-righteous mind state and bury yourself. Don't bother about what others may find interesting. Just stay in your bubble and ...
All there is left to say is Cheer Up!
Gunnar Heilmann Photography
If you are interested in more of my art please also see:
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Since I am one of the co-founders of the LightPainters project, I also help and support the Light Painting community as a curator - not only on the Hive.
We are Light Painters
To help and support the LightPainters community here on Hive I would appreciate your delegation of HivePower. Any amount is appreciated. It does not require much to get started, we are happy for any gesture.
How to delegate?
Delegate 50HivePower, [50HP]
Delegate 250HivePower, [250HP]
Delegate 500HivePower, [500HP]
Delegate 1000HivePower, [1000HP]
All the Hive Power will help to upvote the artist's contribution as part of the LightPainters community.
If you feel like light painting could be interesting for you, feel free to check out this crazy bunch at LightPainters on Hive: 
I am super happy that more and more find their way here into the hive.
Thank you so much!