Fun With Cameras XIX

Thinking About Nothing But Pictures

A rusty survivor of the Landschaftspark’s industrial past is side-lit by the slowly setting sun as two men walk in the background. Duisburg, Germany, June 28, 2022.

I had a plan for the photowalk following the last outing from the tonality experimentations, a steps trial: making a photograph after a predestinated number of steps.

I developed that idea, practiced counting the day before to get an idea of what number might prove fruitful and manageable, and decided on a combination of steps related to photographic terminology.

The shutter button was supposed to be activated based on typical (and untypical) focal lengths. The first one, I had thought, would come after 800 steps so that the scenery could change a bit from the residential streets. Following that first exposure, I wanted to alternate the picture-making process between 35 and 85 steps.

But I quickly learned that my plan had severe shortcomings. It robbed me of the essence of the photowalk experience.

Photowalks gift me the freedom to let my mind wander, explore, think, and relax. The counting eliminates every possibility of being that free. It inactivates the creative side of my mind.

And for what?

I accept that these walks aren’t about making great pictures, and I love to explore the notion of observing how much the world can change within a very short distance. But I perceived my brief trial as an exercise in taking useless pictures rather than making pictures that either had some idea behind them or at least forced me to explore a thought.

The experience was frustrating. So much so that I abandoned it after reaching about 800 steps. I reverted to a simple walk, let my mind free, and my intuition steer me to scenes of interest.

The past few exercises had done their duty. I felt comfortable again with photography. What was more a subconscious realization at that early point in the day, I had realized by the end of the day when I had finished the second walk.

Photography felt natural to me once again. Instead of forcing an effort, the love for the process kicked in again.

I made three walks for this exercise. Please find a selection of results below. If you want to view a picture full-screen, click on it.

I started feeling better, being more relaxed and at ease, moments after abandoning the idea of the steps. The morning was still young, light decent, so I ventured farther into the city.

I did struggle with a location that is not the most picturesque place in the world. The pedestrian area is depressingly deserted.

The architecture and the light are what I felt drawn to first. I started with a short high-rise that offered itself as a minimal composition aided by the nice light. The next point of interest was a building with three poles on its roof (I have two frames but couldn’t quite get the clean composition I had pictured in my mind with the lenses I had on me). Finally, a touch of light through the open window of a modern office complex that reflected the soft morning light caught my eye.

The two churches (the one in the distance is the chapel of a nursing home) offered more similar opportunities. And I ended the walk a bit later with photographs of City Hall.

In-between, I experimented a bit. There was a footpath I had meant to check out for a while. The result was…, well, curious. And there are two outtakes, which you can find on Instagram in the next few days if you so wish (I’ll add direct links to those when they are available for everyone reading this after those have been published).

Left Early light hits the top of a building near the pedestrian zone. Oberhausen, Germany, June 28, 2022 (location and date are the same for all pictures in this section). Center Three poles on top of a building that used to be the home of a department store. I was seeing a much cleaner composition in my mind, but couldn’t find a position to accomplish it with the lenses I had on me (a 35, a 105, and a 20mm). I’m not excited about this image, but it comes the closest to what I was looking for, and the soft lighting here slightly grows on me. Right An open window of an office building offers a glimpse at the interior lighting, which contrasts the colors of the glass facade with its reflections of the city and hints of the soft early light.

Left A woman walks across a parking lot as the rising sun illuminates the chapel of a nursing home in the background. Center The tower of the church Herz Jesu (Heart of Jesus) shines golden in the morning light. Right The tower of the church Herz Jesu (Heart of Jesus) as seen from the adjacent old market square. I liked the perspective paired with the tree coverage (that doubles as a frame) and was intrigued by the side lighting here that leaves just a hint of the sun without throwing the front of the tower into total darkness.

Left A short footpath at the bottom of the pedestrian zone is littered with trash. Right City hall and surrounding trees are illuminated by morning sunshine.

The second walk of the day required a half-hour leisurely bike ride to one of my favorite photography spots: the Landschaftspark, a former steel production facility that serves as an open-air museum park.

It was warm and sunny. It wasn’t the best of light. I was too tired from the day to wait until the good light a couple of hours later. But it was just becoming decent, and I’m happy I made the trip.

I started on a small clearing I hadn’t been to before. Somehow, this park always allows me to make discoveries. I worked with the small chimney you find below for a while before turning to some plants and bees. The backlight was fascinating.

Leaving the bees to their duties again, I found myself on the path you see below (picture 6). We were just at the point where the light was beginning to soften. I loved that view. I also noticed some details, from plays of light and shadow on another chimney to insular reminders of the location’s past (picture 7) and the larger structures scattered throughout the park.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself during this one-hour walk, which made me realize that I had recovered my photography comfort again.

Left Several shorter chimneys/towers stand scattered across the Landschaftspark. The lighting, the colors, and the various markings on the structure interested me in this scene. Duisburg, Germany, June 28, 2022 (location and date are the same for all pictures in this section). Center The meadow where I found the small tower structure had patches of flowers that were backlit by the slowly fading sun. I played a little with various plants, angles, and distances. Right and below left Bee on a flower. Bees are trickier to photograph than one might think. I practice a little whenever I get a chance.

Center Another stone tower/chimney at the Landschaftspark. The play of light and shadow was fascinating. Right A footpath at the Landschaftspark with a small wooded area in the background and a meadow to the left.

Left An artifact of the park’s industrial past, probably something to do with the railway system used for moving materials. Center A glance at the sky showed this bridge-like metal structure in interesting light. Right Two men enjoy a conversation while walking at the Landschaftspark.

Left I used some vegetation to frame up the rusty pipe of a cordoned-off structure at the Landschaftspark. Center A different angle of the derelict structure. I wanted to show a little more of it and liked the cans on the fence in the foreground as well as the symmetry between the pipe and the lone white tree stump to the right. Right A detail picture of the rusty pipe from the previous picture.

Left Many structures at the Landschaftspark are not accessible, just like this bridge-like construction. The sign reads “Do not enter! Danger of death!” Center Going a bit closer to the fence from the previous picture, I found this rusty padlock. Right Near the end of my hour at the Landschaftspark, I found this view that looks back at the park and its various structures. I liked the lighting here, which almost silhouetted the dominant elements.

The final walk wasn’t technically a walk. It was a bike ride that supplemented my reduced summer-break running mileage. The afternoon before, I had explored new territory along the canal but found the location not worthy of a return at a better time of day.

But a bit to the north, there was a small park that sounded interesting. The early stages of sunrise, paired with some ground fog over land and water, forced me to stop early.

The park itself, while decent in its own right, was in deep shade and lifeless at that hour. Luckily, I rode a couple of minutes farther east along the river Emscher and found a great view of the rising sun and the Gasometer Prosper (picture 2). The few minutes I spent making pictures of the gas tower marked an excellent ending to a peaceful morning outing, one that made me smile during the thirty minutes on the bike to get home.

Left I used the railing of a footbridge to spice up the composition that includes the art installation Zauberlehrling (left) and the Gasometer as well as the Rhein-Herne canal, some fog, and the first signs of sunrise (the sun was slowly rising behind the camera). Oberhausen, Germany, July 2, 2022. Right A couple of minutes east of the Berne park at the river Emscher, I found this view of the Gasometer Prosper, which sits close to two waste tips and has been featured here before. Bottrop, Germany, July 2, 2022.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and some of the pictures. Later this week, I’ll open my journalism diary and send a fresh badge of reading recommendations.