Photos

  

The photos you will find on many of these pages are almost exclusively my own (which also means I own the copyright! - see also imprint and disclaimer/terms of use!).

  
Where I added photo galleries and where I did not is thus also an indication of which places I have personally been to and which not (see also this entry in the FAQs)  – although there's no one-to-one relationship:

  
a) there are a few exceptions, where I was given permission to use photos taken by others – these cases are always marked as such and copyrights are acknowledged as is appropriate. There aren't many such cases, though. In addition there are a few pictures where my wife actually used the camera – in the cases of those couple of photos that show me in the frame, this is obviously an indication, though I could also have used the self-timer. My wife's photos are strictly speaking not mine, then, but she doesn't claim any copyright …

  
b) often there was no photography allowed at a given site when I visited, especially inside certain museums – though in such cases I usually at least try to get a shot from the outside. But complete absence of photos does not necessarily have to mean I've never been there myself either.

  
c) I may not have had a camera on me when I visited – esp. if that was quite a while ago. These days I almost always have a camera on me – but many years ago I hadn't been so consistent.

  
The quality of the photos varies too, primarily according to how long ago they were taken. I'm still no professional, but I think I've become a much better amateur photographer over the years (see also photography) … I can tell when I'm looking at some older pictures I've taken. Likewise, the quality of the cameras used has improved over the years too.

  
Some really, really old photos to be found here are actually scans from pre-digital-era prints – and it shows (see e.g. Heligoland). I still thought it was better to have them than none at all.

  
In any case, the purpose of the photos on this site is generally more informational rather than for displaying aesthetic artfulness (although I do occasionally aim for that too – cf. some of those under Turkey or Vienna for instance).

  
In the majority of my photos you won't see many people – that's deliberate … and it is not necessarily an indication of how many people actually tend to be at any of the sites in question. After all, it's the sites and their cold physical features themselves that are important here – not any other tourists.

  
I also try to avoid having people in my pictures (likewise any other identifiers such as car number plates etc.) because I try to respect people's right to their own image and protection of privacy. However, occasionally it was impossible to avoid having strangers in photos, and I can't rule out that I may have overlooked any identifiers. In that case, if you recognize yourself – or your car or whatever identifier – on any of the pics and would rather not be featured, then please contact me and I'll remove the image (or the relevant part of it), at least as long as the request is reasonable. (This is similar to the problems with StreetView, which I understand …)

  
There's an exception to my preferably-no-people-in-the-frame rule. On several pictures you will find that there is indeed a person in it after all, and if you get the feeling that it tends to always be the same person you are right – that's my wife. And it's approved by her. As we travel mostly together, it's only natural that she'd happen to be in many of my photos. But at least I don't post the usual "pose and say cheese" kind of holiday snaps …

   
Finally, wherever possible and where I deemed it necessary I sought to get approval from the site or institution in question before publishing my pictures here. Should you be in charge of a site featured here and think that I've overstepped the fine line in the relevant decision making and/or should have asked you for permission first but didn't, then please simply let me know (contact me) and I'll remove the photo(s) in question if required or we can come to some agreement …

  
Technically, there is a small difference in the pictures used in the text, almost always as "tasters" right under the header of a chapter, and the gallery at the bottom (if there is any): the latter can be clicked on to make them open up bigger in a proper photo-gallery function. In other words, you can then step through them by clicking inside the photos or the "next"/"prev" buttons – in the usual fashion. You will have seen it elsewhere before. Names of photos are usually in English, unless it's a place that is better known under the name in the local language or there isn't an adequate English translation. The main text of the relevant chapters will make any identification clear in such cases.

  
All photos are posted here in much reduced resolution – in order to save on database storage space at my end and on loading time at yours. But should you be interested in any particular picture(s) in higher/full resolution, then contact me. Licensing such uses would, however, require that a proper credit to dark-tourism.com is given, including a link to the pages about the site in question. 

    
Some general comments and hints on photography can be found here (in the other stuff section).
   
Finally, REMEMBER: all photos on this site are COPYRIGHTED – i.e. DO NOT STEAL any of them (that is: copy and reuse them without having my express prior permission). If you really, really want one, contact me first. Simply taking them without permission is ILLEGAL! And if I discover any such cases of improper copyright infringement I will have no qualms taking legal steps! See also disclaimer and imprint!