experiments in experience

Opernwerkstätten

Lilly Schwartz — Sat, 25 May 2013 11:21:59 +0000

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

The day before yesterday I used the opportunity of the Olympus Photography Playground to explore the Opernwerkstätten a bit. I didn’t get to see everything, but I already enjoyed what I saw a lot. This building used to be the space where the stage sets of the opera were built. Nowadays it is rented out for exhibitions and large events like the Photography Playground. It’s a huge place and by now it’s a bit less shiny than it probably was in its heyday, which is precisely why I like it. I always had a thing for a litte bit of decay. I think I will go back there in the next few days to check out the part that I haven’t seen yet.

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

Apart from pictures 1 and 5 these were taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and the Olympus M. 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3.
Pictures 1 and 5 taken with Olympus Pen E-PL3 and Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7 ASPH.

nobody likes to wait

Lilly Schwartz — Sat, 25 May 2013 10:12:55 +0000

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

All pictures taken with my Olympus Pen E-PL3 and my Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7 ASPH.

The day before yesterday was a very long day for me. I went to the hospital early to make an appointment, which happens to be in roughly the same neighbourhood in Mitte as the Olympus Photography Playground. Of course I went to see whether this time there was less of a queue. I got in with just a 10 minute wait and got to try out the Olympus OM-D. I spent a couple hours there taking pictures, which was quite entertaining. I’ll tell you more about this when I post those pictures.

The analog photography course I’m doing also started the same day, so in the evening I headed out again to Prenzlauer Berg. I was pleasantly surprised by the teacher. Not only does he seem knowledgeable about photography, but on top of things he also has a good taste in music. The lesson was really quite interesting. We were talking about all sorts of technical stuff as well as hands on advice on taking portraits and landscapes, and we even discussed one of my favourite photographers: August Sander. The teacher was just as surprised that I know Sander as I was the other way round. August Sander just isn’t very well known in Germany despite being a German photographer. So, although the teacher has a very different style from mine – very pre-conceptualised with a preference for large format cameras – I was still very happy with the lesson. The course will be mostly darkroom techniques, so the difference in style doesn’t matter so much in the end. That said, I definitely learned some stuff I didn’t know, especially about portraits, precisely because this guy works in a very different way. After this first lesson I can definitely say with certainty that this guy knows his stuff.

This week it was just me in the class, so next week I’ll be joining a group that is already more advanced. For this reason I will have a bit of an intense start. I am supposed to fill a roll of film until Monday, when we’ll develop it. Sounds easier than it is: The problem is that I still had a roll of a different type in my camera and so I had to fill that one first. Got that one out of the way yesterday near Ostbahnhof. I took mostly architectural shots of soviet style buildings on that one. On the weekend I’ll be filling the second roll, which is the one we’ll be developing on Monday. On Wednesday we’ll make the contact sheets for this roll of film and then start with making prints. So, all in all I will spend 4-5 hours in the darkroom that day. Sounds tough, but honestly I prefer it this way though, because come Wednesday I’ll already know all the basics. In fact I’m hoping that I’ll be able to develop some rolls of film I have lying around here since last year. The other reason why it will be good to join that other group is that I’ll get to meet some fellow photography enthusiasts, which should be interesting as well.

what are you looking at?

Lilly Schwartz — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:43:36 +0000

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

All pictures taken with my Olympus Pen E-PL3 and my Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7 ASPH.

The other day a friend and me tried to go to the photography playground run by Olympus here in Berlin. There was such a long queue though that we decided not to wait after all. It probably would have taken an hour to get in there. Instead we walked around Mitte and finally went to a café near Oranienburger Straße.

I actually wanted to post these pictures yesterday after going to the grocery store at night, but I ended up being too rattled by the outcome of my trip to the store. Apparently the shop was closed because there was a murder there in the late afternoon yesterday! An old man was stabbed to death in front of the meat counter with a knife that you can buy in the shop. How crazy is that?! I knew that this is a rough neighbourhood, but I certainly wasn’t expecting that when I headed out to get cheese. The store was shut off with police tape, two police officers were standing guard and refused to give me any information. Since it was quite late none of the other shops in the area were still open. I just headed home and looked up online what happened. So far they don’t know whether there was a motive or whether the stabber was just crazy. So far it looks more like the latter. What a disturbing thought that I live in a neighbourhood where such things happen. And if it was just a random attack, where does that leave me and my peace of mind? I guess I can be grateful that I normally avoid prime shopping time. However, I think I should really move to a better neighbourhood – although obviously not even that is a guarantee for anything.

raw

Lilly Schwartz — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:07:36 +0000

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

All pictures taken with my Olympus Pen E-PL3 and my Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7 ASPH.

Yesterday it was the first proper sunny and hot day here in Berlin. Or at least the first one I was able to use properly. I took the opportunity to go outside and sit in the sun at the Bode museum. Like every year on the first sunny day recklessness and lack of sunblock combined to a bad sunburn. And if you think I learned my lesson, well, wrong! Every year I make the same mistake around this time. I learn it for this current year and then forget the lesson again over the long and dark winters.

Since I hadn’t been out of the house with my camera in a while I was really eager to take pictures. I really took a lot of pictures. Well, at least this means that I ended up with a number of good ones. Somehow they were all taken in the subway. It’s still my favourite place to take pictures.

the usual kind of boredom

Lilly Schwartz — Sun, 19 May 2013 20:33:32 +0000

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

Well, boredom is running errands with your mom when you could be at home running wild if only they left you alone.

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

What’s the most obvious indicator that we live in a working class area? All the fancy cars obviously!

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

Another common sight around here.

All pictures taken with my Canon EOS 450D and my Canon EF 35mm f/2.0.

These pictures were taken when I was doing the grocery shopping a while back. Again yesterday I preferred to stay home, recover and spend my time watching a series. I ate well, tried to ignore the pain (of the excruciating kind) and went to bed relatively early to read the novel to the Star Trek movie The Wrath of Khan. Nicely written, interesting story, one of my favourite movies. I wished I could have gone out, but frankly, I really wasn’t in the shape for it. It’s nothing bad, just the logical result of my surgery.

By the way, today I heard back from one of my art school applications – it was the one in Düsseldorf. I didn’t get in, which was to be expected, but I’m still happy with the result. I expected the plain old worst grade since they seem to give that to most people applying there, but instead I got a better one! It means that they saw at least some potential in my work and that I’m on the right path. I bet the reply from UdK Berlin will turn out much less favourable, but it won’t matter since with this reply from Düsseldorf I already got more than I expected.

are we done yet?

Lilly Schwartz — Sat, 18 May 2013 17:28:48 +0000

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

This dog was waiting patiently until the guys were finished looking at the books. This was taken at a great art book store near Hackescher Markt. They always have reduced prices for really great books.

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

Ah dogs … always so eager! They both seem to say: “Playing fetch? My favourite thing!”

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

The shadows of the shop front of a clothes store at Weinmeisterstraße. And no, I don’t actually know which shop it is.

All pictures taken with my Canon EOS 450D and my Canon EF 35mm f/2.0.

These days I just feel cooped up inside. Yesterday the highlight of the evening was going to the grocery store to stock up on food for the weekend. Not exactly exciting. I couldn’t even take my camera, because I was already carrying too much. Being continuously at home drives me mad anyway and it prevents me from doing anything sensible. Since I feel like I should be outside taking pictures I can’t really concentrate on anything else. Oh well, I guess I just have to be a little bit more patient.

come on, let’s go

Lilly Schwartz — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:47:03 +0000

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

The autofocus of my Canon has the tendency to focus on the background rather than the people in the front.

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

Nuclear energy, no thanks. This goes out to Dave from ShootTokyo. He always takes pictures of such roadside mirrors.

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

I better ignore the obvious comment on this one.

All pictures taken with my Canon EOS 450D and my Canon EF 35mm f/2.0.

I guess it’s obvious from the wintery Canon pictures that I took these a while ago. I’m posting in order when I don’t go outside the previous day, so this is why I post pictures of people in coats when it’s 27°C out there. I had the window open most of the day and still, I stayed inside. And just as I thought, well, maybe I can go to the shop, I hear squealing kids and the sound of rain. In the end I went to the shop to stock up on food, but since I’m not allowed to carry heavy I thought I’d better leave the camera at home. And yes, this only makes sense if I was already planning to buy so many things that it would be already too much. I didn’t even buy everything I needed and it still seemed too heavy for me. I guess I have to go again tomorrow, since there is a bank holiday on Monday.

The best thing about going outside today? It smelled of spring. The worst thing about that? Well, spring smells only for the first couple of days until the hay fever hits me. At least my eyes don’t seem to itch yet. We’ll see how bad it’s going to get this year. I’m really hoping that my new diet sort of changed some of that. I’m also eating local honey because it’s supposed to help with allergies. Wish me luck.

I’ll wait for you here

Lilly Schwartz — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:24:48 +0000

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

Just down the road from my house there is a home for elderly people.

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

The guy certainly has the crazy eyes.

Berlin | © Verena Fischer 2013

This little girl was holding on to that flower the whole time they were in the shop. Very cute.

All pictures taken with my Canon EOS 450D and my Canon EF 35mm f/2.0.

I have been having a couple of rough days. It was to be expected after the surgery, but boy does it get on my nerves! There is nice weather here in Berlin and all I seem to be able to do is to sit at home and take it easy. Way to go, health! Oh well, it’s going to get better with time.

rascals

Lilly Schwartz — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:53:51 +0000

The focus is a bit off, but somehow it still works.

This guy was utterly weird. He was actually walking around with a boombox. Public urination with the boombox blaring? Well, what else is there to say?

Taken at Bahnhof Potsdamer Platz.

Potsdamer Platz sure has a photogenic station, doesn’t it? The light really is cool there.

This yogurt shop is close to Friedrichstraße. Obviously I haven’t tried it – would probably kill me -, but it sure looks nice from the outside.

All pictures taken with my Olympus Pen E-PL3 and my Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7.

Yesterday I went to see the new Star Trek movie with a friend. If you haven’t seen it yet, go watch it, it’s awesome! Granted the trailer looks like it’s an entirely stupid action movie, but it’s really enjoyable actually. The action stuff is really nice in 3D, it has some great emotions in it and best of all: I loved Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan. I went into the movie without knowing anything about the plot and was really pleasantly surprised when it became clear that Mister Villain was actually Khan. I have always liked that character.

I also took quite a number of pictures yesterday. Somehow I kept having focus problems though. Only much later did I realise that I actually changed the focus point by accident. So annoying! Somehow I still managed to get some decent shots though, even if the focus is off in most of them. The problem is that checking the focus is almost impossible on the screen. That’s why I only noticed so late. Next time I should check the focus settings earlier.

tickle wars

Lilly Schwartz — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:53:10 +0000

Apparently tickle wars on the street amuse kids to no end.

Why that guy was standing there with his dog was a complete mystery to me. It’s a strange place to have a dog do his business, so that’s out. Well, I can’t figure it out.

I’m not quite sure whether square format would be better for this one. What do you think?

All pictures taken with my Canon EOS 450D and my Canon EF 35mm f/2.0.

As you might have noticed, I hardly ever take a day off. I post pictures every day, edit pictures every day and normally do all sorts of other stuff as well. In any case, yesterday I actually did take most of the day off. I still edited pictures and posted some as well, but the rest of the day I spent watching Big Bang Theory with my feet up on the coffee table. I wasn’t feeling too well, so I deserved to have a bit of a rest.