The old Berlin
Near Bebel Platz
Berlin, you are empty in places where vibrant life should happen. You hide the history behind a cheap façade, advertising, and still, you are exposed to years of unrest.
I enjoy you in the morning, when the city is asleep and try to avoid you in the night when the darkness takes over.
This time, I was searching the Berlin I know – the 90s’, the Schultheiss corner pubs (Eckkneipen), the food stands (Imbiss Bude) or the iconic ivory old Mercedes taxis, but it seems everything has vanished – there is a new layer of Berlin which feels so far away, disconnected, but still so deeply rooted in my heart.
Every time I visit you, I am searching for these things but struggle to grasp them. It leaves me no choice but to capture your new layer as I go, still trying to avoid the masses of people and the chaos you have created.
I always leave with a weird feeling of not wanting to come back to you, but deep down, I know I will be back soon, searching again for all the things I miss about you.
Empty streets down to Friedrichswerder Church
Swans
Spree
Mirrored TV tower
Morning clean
Brandenburg Gate
Bubble fun
The orange dress
Mural
More orange
About my Leica M11-D
This fragment of Berlin work has been shot on the Leica M11-D with 35 and 50mm Summicron lenses. I have chosen to work with this camera for several key reasons. The most crucial point is to have no back screen on this camera. Usually, I feel extremely distracted, always wanting to check and review my decision on location. In this case, I have to fully commit to the moment and accept the fact that I will have to review it back in the studio. No reframing, no fixing, no zooming into the image to find more sharpness, just accepting the moment. Mein Augenblick.
I don’t like to write anything technical about my equipment; so, for me, the M11-D is a body that connects with me directly, with no distractions, not many buttons, and sounds, just the body and me present in the moment. I knew from the first shot that this camera would be my creative companion, and yet it would be seen as my tool. A tool that hopefully inspires others as it has inspired me.
Wolken über Berlin
Angels over Berlin
Berlin bubbles
