so here’s a look back to winter in the Harz mountains….
Leica M9; Summilux 50; Summicron 35; VSCO;
Spring is in the air…..
Tag: Germany
The Summer of Love
This was taken in August last year when things were just a little easier….. The good times will return, promise!
Leica M9M; Summilux 50;
Lest We Forget….
We will remember them….
Leica M9; Summicron 35mm; VSCO
Lerouge 6×6 Pinhole Camera; Kodak Portra 400
Friedrichshain – Part 3 (Street art)
Leica M9; Summieren 35; Summilux 50; VSCO
Friedrichshain – Part 2 (Monochrome)
Leica M9; Summicron 35; Summilux 50; VSCO
Friedrichshain – Part 1 (Colour)
I spent a day in early spring walking around Friedrichshain (Berlin) and this is what I found…..
I was accompanied by Daniel (https://stadtauge.wordpress.com)
Leica M9; Summicron 35; Summilux 50; VSCO
Bogensee…. from dictatorship to ruin…
Quoting Wikipedia:
“Bogensee is a small lake near Wandlitz in the German state of Brandenburg, located about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of the Berlin city limits.
Bogensee is known for the nearby former summer retreat of Nazi minister Joseph Goebbels, located approximately 500 m (1,600 ft) northwest of the shore. The premises were dedicated to Goebbels by the Berlin city administration on the occasion of his 39th birthday in 1936; he had an extended country home erected at the site until 1939, including a private cinema, a bunker, and adjacent SS barracks. Co-financed by the UFA film company, the building became a popular venue for movie actors like Zarah Leander, Emil Jannings, or Heinz Rühmann.
Temporarily seized by the Soviet Military Administration after World War II, the former country house was included into the newly established academy of the East German Free German Youth (FDJ) association. A wide building complex was erected from 1951 onwards, according to plans designed by Hermann Henselmann in a Stalinist style. Since German reunification in 1990, most of the buildings have been empty. As of 2018, the property had remained unoccupied for two decades.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogensee
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogensee
Leica M9M; Summilux 50mm; Summieren 35mm; Elmar 21mm;
Leica M2
At the beginning of the year I had my old Leica M2 from 1961 CLAed in Wetzlar. Here’s the first result……
Leica M2; Elmar 2.8 50mm; Kodak Portra 400
Christmas is banned……
As the temperatures soar above 30°C, I catch up with those winter pictures…. a (mild) winter walk in January.
Leica M9M; Summicron 35mm; Summilux 50mm; VSCO; Lightroom
A Sunday afternoon in Munich….
just wandering around town…
Leica M9M; Summilux 50; Lightroom & Silver Efex Pro
Dackel Dolly….
One of the children’s favourite actresses during a reading in Sanssouci…….
Leica M9; Summilux 50; VSCO
Fire Starter
Hot lady….
Leica M9; Summilux 50; VSCO
Auntie Londa….
Auntie Londa and Super Allen came visiting….. (more of him some other time)
Leica M9; Summicron 90; VSCO
The last of Winter….
Now that Spring has arrived I can keep posting those depressing shots of Winter…..
Leica M9; Summilux 50 & Sumicron 35; VSCO
Sacrow….
in the Winter….
Leica M9; Summilux 50; VSCO
The rest of Autumn….
This was taken with the old Rolleiflex and a very particular high definition film from ADOX with 12 ISO.
Rolleiflex 3.5f; Planar 75mm f3.5; ADOX Film and Kodak Portra 400
It’s been a while….
….since I last posted anything. To be honest I’ve been searching (as ever) for a little inspiration for a new project lasting 53 weeks and I can’t seem to settle on that “one” subject. It’s not for the lack of ideas it’s just that that simply I don’t want to confine myself to one type of motive or one medium or one of whatever…..
Therefore the next few posts will be of things that I’ve been shooting over the past three months. While you read these I’ll be racking my brains for that new “one” subject…..
This is late autumn in Sanssouci….
Rolleiflex 3.5F; Carl Zeiss Oberkochen Planar f3.5 75mm; Kodak Portra 400
A Walk in the forest….
with Ulrike!
Rolleiflex 3.5 F (Mark III / IV); Carl Zeiss Planar 3.5f; Fuji Pro 400H; Epson V500
Week Twelve – The grass is always greener…..
Spring in Brandenburg….
Konica Hexar; Konica 35mm f2; Fujichrome Provia 400X
Week Ten – Singers….
I’ve amended my blog just a little to include not only the place I call home but also some of the more interesting locations that I’ve come across this blogging year. To kick this off I’ve found a place that couldn’t be more different from Brandenburg!
(Best viewed full size!)
Leica M9; Summicron 50mm; Lightroom
Week Five – The Forger….
Find the forger….
Leica M9; Summilux 50 / Summicron 35; Lightroom / NIK
Week 42 – Sandy….
Week 41 – Indian Summer….
Week 34 – The Barman…
This is Pepe!
If you ever happen to fancy a drink in Potsdam, his place is the best in town….
P.S. The clue is on the t-shirt….
Rolleiflex 3.5 F (Mark III / IV)
Carl Zeiss Planar 3.5f
Kodak Portra 400
Epson V500
Week 7 – Nauener Tor
The Nauener Tor in Potsdam was completed in 1755. It is believed to be based on Inveraray castle and Blenheim palace. Sometimes you’re closer to home than you think….
Week 32 – Sanssouci Rose
This was shot during a rainy Sunday stroll through Sanssouci…..
f/4 1/125 ISO 400 @30mm
Week 30 – Muffer
This was taken in Rhosneigr (Anglesey) on the last evening of our holiday in Wales.
Thanks once again for everything!
f/25 1/250 ISO 400 @17mm (Two remotely triggered strobes)
Week 29 – Coming Home
Some of you might have guessed that the project has not died, moreover everybody is entitled to a bit of a holiday sometime.
After driving back through Germany and the Netherlands this was the view that greeted us on the Stena ferry taking us home.
There will be more to come over the next few days to catch up.
f/16 1/60 ISO 400 @17mm
Week 28 – Don’t you just love blondes…….
and this one is a very special example…… meet the aptly named Bonny.
She is a very obedient, patient and easy going girl, quite prepared to have her pictures taken in the rain sitting next to her favourite treat without complaint.
A real low maintenance girl……..
f/4 1/80 ISO 100 @30mm
Week 27 – The Saale
After a short weekend break in the south of the country, this week’s post is centred around the river Saale.
As we have now reached halfway on the photographic journey through the year 2011, this week’s entry is interactive. All those entering the poll (see below) have the chance to become the lucky winner of a once in a lifetime prize.
So here goes:
The first two were taken directly on the banks of the Saale River in Hirschberg (Thuringia). This Bench is the longest to be cut from one log (according to the Guinness Book of Records), and seats approximately 97 people depending on which nationality you are.
f/7.1 1/250 ISO 400 @17mm
- Two Generations
f/5 1/500 ISO 400 @34mm
- Hirschberg
The third picture was shot in Burgk (Thüringen) and shows the new tower (42 metres) with views over the river Saale, the Castle and the surrounding landscapes.
f/8 1/500 ISO 200 Pol. Filter @17mm
- Saaleturm Burgk
Please cast your vote:
Week 26 – Kim Wilde and the Siblings
The Economist was recently titled “The man who screwed an entire country” accompanied by a picture of Silvio Berlusconi. In Potsdam it isn’t a single man but more a political morass of people who were on the payroll of the regime before the fall of the wall. One of the latest victims has been the local public services company which hosts the annual music festival in Potsdam. This year’s roll call included Simple Minds, Robin Gibb and Kim Wilde.
The first shot was taken as a candid during Kim Wilde’s “Cambodia”. My covert skills obviously leave a lot to be desired as my subjects quickly spotted my intentions. The second shot was taken with their kind permission.
My thanks go to these unknown siblings on a bench.
f/4 1/25 ISO 800 @50mm
f/5 1/8 ISO 1250 @30mm
Week 25 – Verena and Paris
This week’s picture is a tribute to a great Frenchman, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry both an aviator and a children’s author. Second only to that man Eric in French history…..
This was shot with kind permission of Verena under the plaque commemorating Saint-Exupéry in the Panthéon (Paris) during a recent business trip.
f/5 1/125 ISO 800 @29mm
- Verena in the Panthéon (Paris)
Week 24 – Oma (Hamburg)
This is Oma (Grandma) in the Stadtpark in the beautiful city of Hamburg.
She says “the best years were my thirties”,
My reply “unfortunately mine are all but gone!”
“You’ve still got your forties to come!”
That’s all very well but if the thirties were the best years, where do we go from here? They say the old thirties are the new fifties. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
P.S. she’ll be ninety-three this year so she ought to know (she’ll kill me if she reads this).
f5.6 1/100 ISO 400 @44mm
Week 23 – Rainy Milano
This is Uli, my colleague on a very wet day in Milan. We went from a glorious nearly 30°C in Berlin to a miserable 18°C and rain in Milan. Still I got to see the San Siro from the outside so all in all not bad for a day’s business trip.
The first picture (above) is a crop of the second (below), as usual I couldn’t decide so I’m hedging my bets once again.
Both (of course) f4 1/1250 ISO 400 @30mm
Week 22 – Schloss Lindstedt
as above ………
f8 1/50 ISO 800 @50mm
Week 21 – Back to basics…..
This was taken early in the morning whilst on my way to work on that “sit up and beg” style Dutch bike of mine that I have mentioned previously. The view is from the Havelstrasse across to the Hans Otto theatre in Potsdam.
I’ve finally gone full frame, albeit analogue. This was shot with a Pentacon 50mm f1.8 (effectively a Meyer Oreston 50mm f1.8) lens on a Praktica MTL3 camera which were last produced around 1984. The MTL3 is completely manual with the only electronics being an inbuilt TTL light meter. It is pure East German precision engineering even if the technology used is over five decades old.
I’m really enjoying shooting film at the moment so be prepared for more in the coming weeks. This shot is OOC as they say, meaning straight out of the camera with no digital development whatsoever.
If I remember rightly:
f11 1/500 Ilford HP5 (ISO 400) @50mm
Week 20 – The Avenue
This is the avenue that runs between the Orangery and the Dragonhouse (Belvedere) in Sanssouci.
I seem to have suffered a creative block this week, considering my L.O.F.T. it’s astonishing that I can be susceptible to such a thing.
f10 1/125 ISO 100 @30mm
Week 19 – The Schleizer Triangle
Schleiz’s claim to fame is one of the oldest “natural” race tracks in Germany.
The first ever race took place on the 10th of June 1923, with the aim being to race as far as possible and as quickly as possible on five litres of fuel. The winner of the car race was Mr. Huldreich Heußer with a total distance of 87.3 km and an average of 41.4 km/h (which quite incidentally is similar to what I get out of my Dutch “sit up and beg” style bicycle when going downhill fully laden). Mr. Horst Raebel on his motorcycle managed six laps with an average speed of 64.2 km/h (which is something to aim for on that bicycle).
I’ve really no idea who won this particular race, but today the top speeds average 160 km/h per lap……I think I’ll get my coat!
f10 1/250 ISO 200 @35mm Pol. Filter
Week 18 – The Lady by the Lake
…… on a sunny May afternoon in Neuruppin (1923).
f4 1/800 ISO 200 @19mm
Week 17 – The Pleasure Garden
….. or in German the “Lustgarten” which somehow has a more appealing ring to it ……..
f14 1/200 ISO 200 @30mm
Week 16 – Have a break….
have a, well it’s not a KitKat that’s for sure but I think she’s enjoying it anyway.
It’s been a long time coming but spring has well and truly arrived in the capital.
f5.6 1/50 ISO 200 @25 mm
Week 15 – Nonuplets (Neunlinge)
This is Uta…… and Uta, with Uta in the background, Uta in front of Uta, beside them is Uta, by the side of her is Uta, with Uta and Uta in the distance. (From left to right).
Thanks to erm ….. that’s right Uta.
f 10 1/250 ISO 200 @17mm
Week 14 – The Class of 2011
It’s 21 years ago this Spring since I sat my A-levels and these ladies 20 years my junior will be studying hard as I write to make sure they get the grade for Uni. I certainly don’t envy them in the slightest.
Without wanting to sound like the pompous “old git” that I really am, I’d like to say to them “make the most of it all and above all enjoy it!”, I know I did (and do).
The picture below gives an idea how the scene my have looked in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s.
My special thanks go to:
The Music Class of 2011 at the Goethe Gymnasium Nauen, Germany
They are: Nora, Anika, Carolin, Susi, Anne, Deborah, Sophia, Fine, Anne, Jenny, Isabell, Alena, Kristina, Miriam, Franzi and Antje.
f5 1/25 ISO 320 @19mm (for both shots)
Week 13 – Beer Benches to You!
And lots of them!
Apparently the official translation is “Ale-Bench” although I’ve never heard of this expression and I find the literal translation of “Bierbank” somehow more pleasing, even if it isn’t correct.
Sunday evening and the very last minute, with the inspiration once again coming from elsewhere (the usual source). All rather hurried in every respect as well, sorry for that and I hope you like it anyway.
f 8 1/5 ISO 200 -1 ev 26mm
Week 12 – Katharinenholz
Thanks to Antje for this week’s entry, I was definitely in need of some inspiration for one reason or another.
Spring hasn’t quite made it yet, even if the clocks have gone forward this last weekend. It is however “in the air” as they say.
This was taken at Katharinenholz in Bornim (Potsdam)
f10 1/160 ISO 400 30mm
Week 11 – Park Babelsberg
Here we are back in not so exotic territories but home nonetheless.
Many thanks to Tom for this week’s suggestion and of course to the unknown cyclist who rounded off the picture nicely. It was taken from Park Babelsberg overlooking the Havel River to the city of Potsdam.
Thanks also, to those readers who pointed out that I have been living abroad for too long and that my blog should be named “53 Weeks on a bench” rather than “53 weeks on a bank”. Although both are of questionable heritage with regard to the English language and everything else for that matter, (one being a Geordie and the other a Yorkshireman), I will none the less adapt my “Germisch” or “Dinglisch” title to the correct “Bench”.
It would have been kind if someone would have let me know a little earlier, to which my better half will undoubtedly say “I told you so!” and she is German…… nuff said!
f1.4 1/8000 ISO 200 @30mm
Week 9 – From Bremen to ….
…… tune in again next week for the sequel, you won’t be disappointed!
Thanks to Peter for his patience trudging around Bremen city centre on a cold damp winters evening.
f1.8 1/25 ISO 800 50mm ambient light
(P.S. I really do love that cheap 50mm 1.8 piece of glass)
Week 8 – Zum Zipfelteich
Here’s a picture of the little people and their mother on a rather curious looking bank. It was taken during one of those now so very familiar winter walks in the south-east of the country.
This is a place I will undoubtedly be visiting again this year albeit, in a somewhat tempered climate. I might even use this location as a changing of the seasons project within this project because it really is ever so pretty here.
f8 1/25 ISO 250 17mm
P.S. Sorry about the blown out sky but sometimes you just can’t choose when you get the opportunity to shoot, and I really didn’t want to “Photoshop” it.
Week 7 – The Expatriate
I finally found a bank with someone on it.
This is Pete, he’s the gentlest soul you’ll ever meet.
f5 1/160 ISO 100 19 mm
Week 6 – BOGOF
This weeks offer is a BOGOF (not to be mixed up with BOBFOC), where you get two for the price of one, which probably applies for both actually…..
I just couldn’t decide between the two. So why don’t you decide?
Both photographs were taken of the same bank on the floodplains of the Wisenta River in Schleiz (Thuringia). I was hoping for a little more variety of motifs, when I set out, i.e. a balance between portrait and landscape photography, however encountering someone sitting on a bank at this time of year in these weather conditions has proved more than just a little challenging.
f8 1/8 ISO 400 50mm Pol. Filter
- View across the floodplain to the Wisenta river
f8 1/6 ISO 400 35 mm Pol. Filter
- A tight corner
Week 5 – Green and Grey
It’s nearly twenty years ago since I first heard this song with a very good friend of mine travelling to his home in a small German town on the Polish border. Being six months into my year abroad at the time, it reminded me very much of my own home in the North West of England.
Today I see the song in a slightly different light…. guilty as charged? I don’t really think so, this isn’t the land of gold and poison, neither do the palm trees grow here naturally. It is nevertheless a very different place from “that” town, which conversely does not mean that I don’t look frequently behind me, to “my” valley of green and grey.
For those interested:
Photographically speaking I’m not really sure I like this weeks entry (colour key is out and my processing skills need to be honed), but it does partially summarise this place where I live today, particularly, and if not only, at this time of year.
f10 1/40 ISO 400 17mm
Week 3 – Moody Skies in the Depth of Winter
Winter once again returns.
Taken on an afternoon walk to break up the all day feast which is synonymous with rural family celebrations.
f10 1/1000 ISO 200
Week 2 Potsdam – “The-Bread-Roll-Run”
I think you may have to get used to a number of these banks being within the boundaries of the city of Potsdam, as well as being taken at the last possible moment during the week.
The more observant of you will have noticed that this was taken on a Sunday, hence it was taken on the first day of the new week. This is correct, unless you live in Germany, where the first day of the week is a Monday. Although I always mutter that this custom is incorrect and probably goes against some international (most probably European Union) law, it certainly worked to my advantage this week.
To those readers used to my rants on this subject and the mixing up of commas and full stops in the German numerical system I have this to say:
“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern.” Konrad Adenauer (First German Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany)
This roughly translates as:
“Who cares what twaddle I have spoken in the past” A rather novel admittance for a politician I think.
That does not go to say that I will in future condone either of the above errors.
The image was taken on my Sunday “Bread-Roll-Run” with the kids, whilst their mother idled, well deserved I might add, in her warm and cosy bed.
We’ve had mild weather with rain over the past few days, which has brought the remnants of the New Year’s celebrations to the surface as well as preserving patches of dirty snow.
A picture fitting for the time of year I think.
Week 1 Dallgow Döberitzer Heide
“It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter, because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the extraordinary.” – David Bailey – In “Face,” (London), Dec 1984.
It is with this in mind that we set off on our 53 week photographic journey. There are few things more ordinary than a bank, so in the hope that not all the images presented are just ordinary, let’s get started.
It was one of the those wonderful Winter afternoons that you get when the easterly winds blow across the North German plains making the air dry, crisp and very cold. We were out with the kids to see how the wild bison, horses and reindeer fared in the conditions. As the winter sun started to set I came across this makeshift bench.
It was my first bank of the year.
Facing Reality - Faces on Film 