Scott Sewell

SoolfulTraveler

Scott Sewell

Scott Sewell is an award-winning landscape photographer who specializes in California Coastal, High Sierra and travel photography. He likes rocks, waves, clouds, contrast, texture and black and white images but has been known to shoot people, buildings and in color. A former IT professional, he is an adept user of the digital darkroom and often prints, mats and frames his own work using fully archival materials. Recently, he has converted most of his portfolio to dye-infused metallic prints which offer a spectacular presentation for both his Black & White and Color work.

A lover of the Western outdoors and a seasoned traveler of coastal and mountain California, he has been roaming the headlands and inlets of the Mendocino Coast and in search of images for most of the last decade. He has also spent many miles on the trails of the Eastern Sierra on foot and horseback – Ansel’s country – doing the same.

He also travels internationally with trips to the UK, France, Italy and an epic month-long trip to Argentina, Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. He is always accompanied by his wife, June, an attorney, indispensable photography consultant and the love of his life.



Europe » Austria » Lower Austria » Melk September 22nd 2022

Melk and Durnstein are located at opposite ends of the Wachau Valley along the Danube. The main attraction of Melk is a huge castle which was deeded to the Benedictine monks 800 years ago when the Prince Bishop of the area decided to move to Vienna. The abbey is enormous and hosted Maria Theresa, Queen of Austria-Hungary three times during her reign (she traveled with over 200 people from her court wherever she went). It is currently the main tourist attraction of the area; it has a school with 900 middle to high school kids; and has 24 monks ranging in age from 31 to 94. The long term prospects for the order in itself are poor since they have not gotten any recruits for over a decade. The bet is that when all the monks ... read more
Durstein, Austria.

Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Regensburg September 20th 2022

We arrived in Regensburg early and had some free time in the morning to explore. The weather improved: a few showers, some sun but the temps were in the forties. Unfortunately, for sightseeing, the area around the ship was pretty plain and ordinary for a 2,000 year-old town. Nice clock tower, though. The highlight of the day was a visit to Weltenburg Abbey which hosts one of the oldest breweries in the region. While the beer was not on our agenda, the chapel in the Abbey was spectacular baroque architecture and completely over the top with St. George on a horse behind the altar. The marble work and statuary were just dazzling. It was a veritable riot of religious symbolism. We then boarded a boat for a short trip down the Danube through a steep-sided and ... read more
Alter, St. George's Chapel, Weltenburg Abbey, Germany.
Weltenburg Abbey, Danube Gorge, Germany.

Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Nuremberg (aka Nürnberg) September 19th 2022

It has been cold and raining the last two days but we got just a few showers and broken clouds today with the temps still in the 40's. While most of the passengers went off for a tour of the town, about 30 hardy souls including us went off in search of WWII history. There are a lot of explanations as to why Hitler held his rallies here and also as to why the Allies decided to hold the WWII war crimes trials in the same place. In the former case, it seems that Hitler disliked Berlin (which never really supported him) and Nuremberg is a transportation hub that was easy to reach from most of Germany. The Allies, on the other hand, chose the city because there was a large and suitable courtroom in the ... read more
Archive Zeppelin Grandstand-1938
Zeppellin Field Grandstand.
Archive Photo Room 600-1945

Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Bamberg September 18th 2022

We had no particular interest in visiting Bamberg and two weeks of travel were starting to wear. We got up late, each had a massage in the afternoon and finished with a special Italian dinner prepared for a randomly selected group of passengers. No photography today.... read more

Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Würzburg September 17th 2022

There were a number of choices today but we went for a visit to a local castle called Weikersheim Palace. A castle was built on this site in the 1200s but a local Count rebuilt it in Renaissance style in the late 1500s. It was rebuilt again in the 1700s by Count's grandson in a Baroque style. Unfortunately for the title, the line then died out and the palace was unoccupied for 250 years. What was bad for the family turned out to be good for the palace as its furnishings, art and decor were preserved intact and eventually restored in the 1970s by a distant relative of the original owners. This was a real treat as beds, tables, desks, chairs, wall hangings and paintings were all original equipment. The garden (channeling French gardens of the ... read more
Ante Room Weikersheim Palace.
Great Hall Weikersheim Palace.
Orangerie Weikersheim Palace.

Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Miltenberg September 16th 2022

We started out today with a tour of Miltenberg. It had classic German village architecture. Unlike many of the other ancient towns we've visited where high end chain stores have taken over, this place seemed to be popular with Germans, had local crafts and art and was a refreshing change. Later in the day, we visited a local farm. Totally fascinating. The owners (a very handsome couple in their late thirties) were a florist and a butcher who with absolutely no experience in running a cattle operation started their farm over a decade ago. The wife who gave the tour spoke very good English (with a hiccup occasionally) and was very informative and easy-going. Extremely likeable and smart. No traditional dress here: she was dressed like a fashionable business woman. They are a bottom to top ... read more
Guntram's Art Gallery.
Main River at Sunset.

Europe » Germany » Rhineland-Palatinate » Rüdesheim September 15th 2022

Today was a highlight: the Rhine Gorge. Forty miles of green hillsides and vineyards with over 40 castles. Some are ruins, some have been preserved; some are actively in use. It was a beautiful day and we were out of deck for most of it. Late in the afternoon, we arrived in Rudesheim where we went to the Museum of Mechanical Musical Instruments. This is a collection of restored music machines (with drums, pipes, violins, etc) that self play with rolls of paper (like a giant multi-instrument player piano). Fun. We then took a cable car ride up to the Niederwald monument which overlooks the Gorge and the surrounding countryside. There is a massive statue of Germania (an armored woman warrior who represents the German nation). It was built in 1871 to commemorate the unification of ... read more
Maus Castle.
Pfalzgrafenstein and Gutenfels Castle.
Music Box, Museum of Mechanical Musical Instruments.

Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Cologne September 14th 2022

We docked at a small town just outside Cologne first thing this morning. After breakfast, we walked about a quarter mile in driving rain to three buses for a ride into the city. Cologne is Germany's fourth largest city. The rain abated just as we started a "Cologne Past and Present" tour led by a gregarious and knowledgeable guide named Shiva who was from the Philippines. There is a story there but we did not get more than just a glimpse of it in talking to her. Nevertheless, she was dynamite: fun, smart and enthusiastic. The first thing about Cologne you learn is that except for the Cathedral, U.S. bombing raids during the last year of WWII leveled the town. Every structure was rebuilt from the rubble from 1945 to 1974. The great cathedral was damaged ... read more
Cologne Cathedral Entrance

Europe » Netherlands » North Holland » Amsterdam September 13th 2022

It was an early start today. Our German cruise director is maniacal about punctuality. We headed out to Alkmaaar - a small town that was the center of the early Dutch cheese trade. First though, a stop at several windmills a bit north of our destination. I was surprised to learn that about 70% of windmills in the Netherlands were used for pumping water to reclaim land (30% for grinding grain or anything else that needs to be pulverized). Basically, dikes were built and, slowly over time, all the water was pumped out of lowlands and marshes to create farmland. Makes sense but I just never thought it through. It is remarkable that over 25% of the country was reclaimed from the sea in the last 800 years using this and, eventually, more modern methods, Alkmaar ... read more
Mill Close-Up B&W
June and Cheese Maiden
Scott and Cheese Maiden

Europe » Netherlands » North Holland » Amsterdam September 12th 2022

Sunday was about the two other famous museums in Amsterdam: the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum. The Van Gogh is structured as a narrative which takes you through his development as an artist. Fascinating, engrossing and ultimately overwhelming in it's detail. I had heard that many of his famous works are elsewhere which seems to be true. Much of what is on the wall is "developmental"; i.e. he was working on his approach and technique. Many of these pieces seem weaker than those he is known for. Nevertheless, there is plenty of "good stuff" like "Wheatfield with Crows" with that distinctive thick palette and bold color. The Rijksmuseum which is the size of an modern indoor arena has a vast collection but we were there to see the "Dutch Masters" (Vermeer, Rembrandt et al) and the collection ... read more
Former Warehouse now apartments
Rijksmuseum Banner
Wheatfields with Crows




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