Hitting the Streets

The architecture of the city is beautiful and intriguing to me as a foreigner. Moving from a small town to the big city makes me a cliche character for a while and so while I can still feel the interest of discovering new streets I intend to take my camera everywhere I go to find the beautiful places in it.

Both in the Daylight and lit up by the lights of the city there was lots of dramaticism to see everywhere I went. Highly saturated colors, heavy shadows and beautiful architecture all combine to create striking photos of the city.

Something I have a hard time deciding on when looking for subjects and places to photography is whether to find big beautiful buildings to focus on or to find interesting parts and lighting of buildings. Its a hard thing to change when you are taking photos of a famous building since their iconic nature makes the photo about them more often then not. But generically pretty buildings give the opportunity for the photo to be emphasized by something else like color, lighting, or shape.

Tempelhof and the Festival of Kites

A particular location I have learned to love lately has been Tempelhofer Feld. A large community park converted from an old 1920s era Airport. The structure itself is a spectacle of Nazi Era architecture. The Brutalism of large blocks of concrete and harsh lines and symbols all around the area made for an interesting place to explore.

I got to visit during the day a few different times but the most memorable one would be arriving on a Friday evening to the “Festival der Riesendrachen” or Festival of the Kites. I was traveling with Mark, a new photography friend I had made in my short time here, and we had arrived to a massive crowd coming over to the field. The train stations were closed down and the sidewalks were full all heading to the field. As we got closer to it we saw up in the sky a group of massive kites flying in the evening sky

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Tempelhof and the Lights of the Night

When visiting it during the night I found while the subjects were different the focus for my photos stayed the same. To focus on the light and how it affects the subject. What stood out to me is how much the color of light comes out with non natural light and that color being so strong in the feeling of the photo.

Where daylight photos brought out the beauty and details of the subjects, Night photos became the beacon coming out of a dark and subtle world. The temperature of the light changed the lights expression as well. From a warm incandescent light lighting up a room to a cold florescent light displayed up high each light became the focus and the reason for the photo.

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Where daylight photos brought out the beauty and details of the subjects, Night photos became the beacon coming out of a dark and subtle world. The temperature of the light changed the lights expression as well. From a warm incandescent light lighting up a room to a cold florescent light displayed up high each light became the focus and the reason for the photo.

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Lights and Colors

The best expression of lights and color came from 2 other experiences though. I did a tour through an area called Warschauer Str. around the Uber Arena and Train station. These places had a corporate light of brands and buildings that gave an interesting perspective of the area.

The way that light would reflect of the buildings in so many different colors. But there is a point where color can become overwhelming I think. I found it difficult to take photos at a festival that was going on in the city called the Festival of the Lights. A week long celebration of the city by lighting up its most famous monuments. Walking around Mitte became a brightly colored and beautiful experience.

But after focusing so much on the buildings I started to get the confidence to start looking at the people living in the city as well

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People of the City

The Subject and the Color

Finding what to photograph has always been, for me, a combination of motivation and luck. Finding the motivation to go out and explore with a purpose and the luck to find the right composition.

Walking along the cobblestones I found there were a few different ideas that often came into my head when looking for subject matter. My favorite so far has to be treat it a bit like I do with my wildlife photos. Not necessarily looking for anything but watching the world around me for interesting perspectives. But the twist with it here is how I feel emotion affects the direction of the photo a lot more

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Something I find interesting about photographing people is how much emotions becomes the central point of focus for me. Each pose and expression of the subjects sets the stage for something to come out at the viewer. A kissed shared between a couple in a busy train station. Rapping for a crowd under the bright city lights. Walking along a autumn colored sidewalk in the swings of the color changing leaves. Each of these subjects bring something that completely changes the photo if you were to remove them. They feel alive and breathing

A Culture of Doodling on the Walls

When visiting Berlin you will notice something about all the buildings around you. They are covered in Graffiti. Some of it is going to be your normal scribbled name or funny phrase. There are a surprising amount of unicorns and faces. But there is also a huge amount of beautiful artwork. One place in particular was the Teufelsberg Art Museum.

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These beautiful art pieces were scattered around the old abandoned radio station. Some with abstract beauty while others proclaimed messages of political strife.

Something I really appreciate about the Berlin culture is the expectation of fighting for what you believe in and speaking out about the hardships in life. To yell out to your oppressors be true to yourself. The Art and appreciation of Graffiti in Berlin is something that really speaks to the child in me. The freedom to draw on the walls and speak your mind feels accepted here.