The Complexity of Photographic Simplicity

Fun With Cameras XLVIII

A cyclist passes on the southern Ruhr River path. Hattingen, Germany, March 18, 2024.

Calm was a theme in the last Fun With Cameras, and moving on from that very decent photowalk, I continued to explore the quiet, the calm, and the simple pleasures in photography and life.

New and known locations along the rivers Ruhr and Rhine in the late winter and early spring days provided ample chances to search for simple frames, a quest I found easy and intuitive here and confusingly complex there.

Below, I collected observations from three walkabouts. They include the calmness of nature, the busyness of mankind, and my efforts to find a balance between the extreme ends of boring and messy scenes.

Simple landscapes

The morning was dull. Was I wasting my time? It was a question on my mind while I progressed on my trip to lake Elfrather See, a location I had only recently discovered on a map.

I wasn’t in the best of moods that week. The lengthy travels didn’t help.

But the many steps from the train station to the lake lightened my mind. I even lengthened the walk, opting for a detour through a park. I don’t have any images from the park, but I enjoyed a wonderful urban oasis, which I could see as a splendid spot for running workouts. It’s a shame it’s so far from home.

The city faded into the background as I neared the lake. After crossing one final country road (with opportune cycle paths flanking it on both sides), I arrived at the lake.

It was quiet. I could count the people I met on my half-lap around the waters on one hand.

And what difference the crossing of a river can make. People of the Ruhr Valley (from what I’ve experienced) tend to run around without much interest in the people they encounter. I often find it fascinating when I observe the lengths some people go to to forego any interaction or even acknowledge someone else’s presence.

In the Rhineland, I’m sometimes startled when people greet and acknowledge my presence with a smile. Even the groundskeepers, who passed in a large vehicle while I was squatting for a picture that didn’t make it into today’s selection, waved from the car. Toward the end of the walk, a dog walker greeted me with a broad smile and a soft “Good morning, Mr. Photographer.”

The humanity and the soft fog atmosphere freed my mind.

The wetlands at the Rhine worked similar wonders a day later. The walk was a difficult one (more on that below). But the vast openness I found in the last minutes of the walk, right next to the busiest bridge I’ve experienced in a while, was oddly relaxing.

The final image in this section brings us back to the “I don’t see you so you don’t have to see me” country.

I had planned to explore a different part of the city but felt the path north of the Ruhr would be more worthwhile. It ended up being a shorter walk without exciting photographic moments, but I still valued the time and am happy I made the effort.

Top row Morning fog envelopes the lake Elfrather See (1). The structures of the local garbage disposal company dominate the landscape surrounding the lake Elfrather See. Here, I worked with the winter vegetation along the footpath to create some balance in a dull, empty, and wide open space (2). A closer look at the waste disposal plant near the lake Elfrather See (3). Krefeld, Germany, March 5, 2024. Bottom row A quiet (but largely inaccessible) wetland opened on the other side of the river (1). Krefeld, Germany, March 6, 2024. Walkers pass on the northern Ruhr River path with the business tower Unicorn Park on the horizon (2). Looking over the Ruhr (3). Hattingen, Germany, March 18, 2024.

Taming the chaos

A day after the outing at the lake, I arrived at the same train station and turned towards the river instead of away from it.

Instead of quiet and comfort, I found more people in the first minute on the promenade than the entire outing the day before.

When the stream of people thinned, busy streets and busy cityscapes took over.

I struggled but searched for ways to cut through the noise. Still, a sense of being overwhelmed remained.

Back at the Ruhr, the busyness was marked by the trees and bushes on the embankment. I have wide-angle images, but the foreground turned out messy instead of adding interest.

Top As quiet as the other morning at the lake had been, the river promenade experience included more signs of life. Krefeld, Germany, March 6, 2024. Bottom row Industrial scenery awaited me a few minutes farther south at Rheinhafen (1). Before ending the day, I crossed the river, tried to ignore the noisy traffic while staying out of the way of cyclists on the narrow passageway, and trying to capture the harbor. I’m not sold on any of the images, probably return again and pick a different lens, but this example has to suffice for now (2). Krefeld, Germany, March 6, 2024. A swan swims in the Ruhr River with the historic mill Birschel-Mühle in the background (3). Hattingen, Germany, March 18, 2024.

Balancing details

Details can be that extra something. I always keep an eye on finding those little things that speak to me. Those can be big-little things or small-little things.

The clubhouse of a rowing club was on the bigger end of the spectrum. I liked the architecture, the texture, the sloped grass in the foreground, and the bird on the roof. I tried a few compositions and ended with a vertical image I’d prefer if only the bird had stayed a few seconds longer.

I noticed the crane in the third image the moment I set foot on the Rhine promenade, but the building that creeps into the image from the lower right blocks the crane too much in those early images. So, I walked around the building, got close to the crane, and switched to the 20mm lens.

Twenty minutes later, I found a better spot to take in the city and its river-facing portrait. But the spot was too busy to linger. I ignored it. Instead, I looked at the bridge a little closer.

The walk across the bridge revealed such hectic traffic and a very narrow sidewalk that I’m happy I looked at some details from afar. When you constantly have to look over your shoulder to avoid being in someone’s way, it’s best to not get too carried away with photographic minutiae.

A bird sits on the roof of the local rowing club’s club house. Krefeld, Germany, March 5, 2024.

Left Winter tree. Krefeld, Germany, March 5, 2024. Center A quiet impression of the heavily trafficked bridge that connects Uerdingen with Mündelheim. Right An old crane was one of the first subjects that interested me during my walk along the Rhine River promenade. Krefeld, Germany, March 6, 2024.

Left A macro shot of a steel rod sticking out of a concrete pillar. Right Two ducks lounge on the grass close to the riverfront. Hattingen, Germany, March 18, 2024.

I hope you found some interesting images in today’s photography wanderings. I’ll be back with the latest running observations on Sunday.