Brandenburg Romanticism
2013-2016, German countryside beauty as I saw it.
Brandenburg is a fairly large region around Berlin with probably more lakes and channels than there are inhabitants. A lot of the population lives or works in the capital but many ‘Berliner’ spend vacations or short trips, enjoying the nature and the fresh air. As a Berliner for ten years by now, I’ve also had my fair share of Brandenburg visits. On some of those occasions, I’ve had my camera with me and photographed a lot of beautiful places.
Brandenburg has no mountains; if you stop and look in one direction you either see a never ending field or a shore with a forest behind it. Having grown up in a city on the skirts of a 2000m high mountain, I had to get used to this landscape. It seemed boring and repetitive to me, the weather always windy, even on sunny summer days. Most of my visits have been rather exhausting than relaxing experiences.
So, when I picked up my camera to capture the atmosphere of the places I visited, I found it challenging to find interesting moments. However, with time I started noticing and appreciating the little things: The flowers, the smell of the forests, and the fogs over the lake after a storm, the trees soaked in warm morning sun rays. For me, there is no time to photograph like the very early mornings, sometimes as early as 5 or 4 am. The peace and quiet, the world around me waking up to the first sun rays, it’s not just about catching the best light, it’s much more about experiencing and enjoying the silence before the storm of the day hits. I find there’s no other place as transformed by the warm morning light as is Brandenburg.
