Street is Serious – Berlin

It has been ages since I updated this here. It wasn’t the plan I had for 2011 but it is what it is and so I want to continue where I stopped – SIS – Street is Serious late July in Berlin

It was quite a run from one end to the country to the other. When I entered Berlin I realised that I was driving on the famous AVUS. Short before this trip my Zeiss 35/2.8 C-Biogon arrived, so this was acutally one of the very first shots I did with it.

ddI arrived at Jane’s place right in the heart of Kreuzberg. Her flatmate’s girlfriend Tony opend the door and handed me a glass of very nice red wine while she was cooking great spaghetti while we were waiting for Jana and her flatmate Jonas – both great photographers! Great night with 4 bottles of wine.

I woke up quite early by this sound - typical Berlin song. It fitted so well and I had a big smile on my face. PS: this is a “out of bed shot” with a Jupiter 8.

What a coincidence, I came out the house and saw came by the “Solmsstraße” – Leica frieds know what I mean…

First nice moment in the metro

Before SIS started I walked around the area, I came by that house right away. Quite a nice combination of new and old.

It was a bureau of a scientific publisher

Everybody checked out the pictures of the others. (these ones are taken with the Rokkor 58/1.2 + Noctilux 1.0)

Simon

The fabulous Andrea

Shashank and Philipp

The Sev
Ludwig

Shash is testing the magical Noctilux + Leica M9-p

This is the result, a tired me but the lens is truely kick ass

Shash did another testshot with Chris

Chris had this idea to do a group shoot, pretty insane. Worth a Porshe on 1qm :O

What an orgy!

And getting things started on the streets of Berlin. On the first day i didn’t take much pictures. It was more a “listen, look and learn”. It was quite interesting to observe the different styles of Chris, Sev and Simon.

To far away bit what the hell. I didn’t took more shots that day. The next day we went to the Mauerpark. The order is messed up but I think you don’t care.

Now some Mauerpark shots

A typical Berlin Mauerpark couple

I think that was the moment when the Mamiya broke down

I found this funny but they not. The girl on the left gave be a angry face!

At least she was nice – Sing us a song, you’re the piano girl!

A crazy robot guy. He had a hydraulic thing, with a remote and he did crazy stuff with it.

Chris gave me some hints how to do some shots in this mess of people. Never did such a thing with a rangefinder. Makes me itchy to focus right with it. It’s just different when you used a SLR for almost ever. I was worried not to hit the focus in situations where you have to act fast and people move. It was my first real use with the Leica and i didn’t got one shot out of focus. Later that day the use of the M9 helped my to get some confidence in doing things right.

That’s his remote

Yeah, that’s not really in focus but hey, that’s a bourgeois thing -this guy was was a mad dog!

…more readers. It was interesting to see the different pictures and styles of the SIS-people from that day. Have a look at people’s photoblogs.

He was in my state of mind

Now M9 shots with my Zeiss C-Biogon, a kick ass lens btw.

 

Car boot sales are my photographic nightmare, just don’t like it!

Thought I could play with contrasts but it didn’t work out so well

Here Severin got me some hints. I took that shot at first…

He said go down to make it more interesting, don’t to things by halfs

DOWN and take care of the Sky The father was very understanding for our need here. He got down right away…

Sushi for the kids!

The only “color shot” from Anthony Kiedis

He almost killed me “DID YOU TAKE A FUCKING SHOT OF ME” – “Oh no way sir”

This is for my friend Wolle, I’m sure he likes it!

…and somehow you are in a rush and take shots of everything. Thank god it was digital!

We all came together and changed teams. We strolled around the area at the Mauerpark and took a few shots here and there. This time I got lost somehow and so I went alone and waited till we all came back together.

Some weird performance of a boy and a girl singing.

Don’t know what he was doing, and i don’t know what i was doing too

Hunni

This is my favorite shot from the Mauerpark. They looks so similar, drink the same beer and look the same way.

Some parental looking people made blow bubbles. Of course they attracted lots of kids. They had all so much fun. It was pretty busy so I focused on this girl. First time with a rangefinder, i found it quite hard but it worked out fine.

 

Somehow a picture from the first day, i guess i continued that film. That poor bachelor was in a Borat-Kinda dress, if he only knew that 15 photogeeks came along…

I messed that one up…

An ad for a nude photographer impressed Sev a lot

Sev at work

Finally food

And let the geek talk begin… I like Shash’s 5D with the oldOlympus Zuiko lenses – 21/2.0 is so crazy

two boozy germany, very awkward!

After the first day I left the SIS headquarter and passed a playground which is right across the street. three little heroes played there and I took the first shot. Then I thought I need a second one…

this one is better. must be strange to be a kid on berlin

As a group of 10 (?) we stoped by some Cafés and some people “WTF they all have Leicas” or “Oh no, just another photoworkshop” – and we had fun!

Hunnies and Hipsters

Film

Times of photo edit

I think I’m more a people shooter than a street guy.

People who shot film didn’t needed to edit.

I finished soon and so I have the Noctilux + M9-p a try

X100 talkers

Of course i needed to do that!

…and one badass shot too

Pizza time!

No Coffee

That was the workshop, a very nice one, thank you guys!

Back to film – oh i like the film look

Der von hier!

Still to far away

I went to the metro and guess who I ran in to

and we ran into two us-people. Funny thing!

Jana and me had Momos – awesome Mongolian food!

FINE