Berlin - Holocaust Memorial

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, or more simply the Holocaust Memorial, consists of 2,711 concrete slabs or 'stelae', arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. There are no names, religious symbols or inscriptions. This is memorial in abstraction, and more affecting because of it.

The stelae are uniform in length and width, but vary in height. At first the stelae are below knee height, but as you walk further into the field they quickly increase in height, to tower above you. The camber of the sloping cobbled path changes frequently, adding to feelings of disorientation and unease. From the outside, the resemblance to a graveyard is clear. It reminded me a little of the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague. At the deepest parts of the field, the feeling is more industrial, rigid and unyielding. Isolating and claustrophobic. Both brutalist and brutal.

Over the years I have seen many photos of the memorial, in club competitions and exhibitions. Often the stelae are rendered in low-key monochrome. However, I felt that I needed to include some colour. A small counterpoint of hope against the darkness. Luckily, the trees on the edge of the field were in autumn colour, a couple of the surrounding buildings also helped, and the two Buddhist monks were just a gift. Would I use a different photographic approach on another visit? Probably. This is the kind of location where it is possible to find many interpretations on many visits.

 

Notre-Dame de Paris

My only previous visit to Notre-Dame was 30 years ago.  Before I took up photography as a hobby. Long before the fire. That time, I visited in the evening, during a choir performance, and I remember it as a beautiful experience. Ever since the restoration was completed, I have been keen to see it again. It was the one thing I was determined to do on this trip. You should never try to recreate the past, but timings were such that I was again visiting in the evening. Probably fortunate, as the long snake of queue barriers outside suggested that waits during the day are long. Not so at 8pm, I was able to walk straight in, although it was still fairly busy. No choir this time. It was also more brightly lit than I remembered. That took away a little from the mood, but did help with photography. There is also a lot to show off. Everywhere was pristine stone and colourful decoration.

 

Paris

I thoroughly enjoyed my European rail trip last year, so I decided do another one this year. This time, the destination was Germany. Berlin, followed by Dresden and finally Cologne. But my first stop was an overnight in Paris, before a long journey (very long, it turned out) to Berlin via Frankfurt the next day.

 

I arrived in Paris, on time, mid-afternoon. My hotel was close to Gare du Nord, so I dropped my bag and went for a wander. I had a target destination, but I was happy to take a meandering route to get there, stopping if I found something interesting. My first stop turned out to be a large Westfield shopping centre. Forum des Halles might not be everyone's first stop on a night in Paris, but there was interesting architecture, an outdoor space with people, fountains, sculptures, and an old church nearby. Besides, there was nice light, and nice light is nice light. I spent quite a while by the fountains. These were a little different from those I was used to seeing in a location like this. The kind that spit water straight up in the air. These were nebulisers, producing a mist every few minutes. With the light behind me, it made for some interesting shots. Between the mistings, the wet ground offered interesting reflections and a drinking opportunity for the birds. For a change, there were more than just pigeons on offer, and the crows made particularly good subjects. Eventually, I moved on, and followed the river for blue hour.

 

 

Downing College

I was in Cambridge for the day, last Friday. I was walking past Downing College, when I saw a sign saying the grounds were open to visit. So I did.

 

Chillies

I have been growing a few chilli plants this year and have had a decent crop of fruit. It seemed a good excuse for a little tabletop photography.

 

Partial Solar Eclipse

Like, probably every other photographer in the country, I had a go at photographing the partial solar eclipse last Wednesday. Lacking a proper solar filter, I made do by stacking two 10-stop filters. From on-line research, I knew that this would not block IR to the same extent as visible light. So there was still a small chance that I could damage a camera. I chose to risk the old Canon 7D Mk II. At first I tried a clever composition, using the local solar farm as foreground. I couldn't get this to work, and settled on close-ups to capture as much of the sequence as I could; which, by the time I had focus and settings sorted out, was well under-way. However, I think the final collage gives a reasonable summation of the story. 

 

A Few From London

I recently had a day in London. A friend was visiting me, and wanted to go to Dean Street to look at bass guitars. While he did that, I took a few photos.