Modern Aircraft

Sometimes subjects and interests seem to have a life of their own.

By the end of December 2012, I drove to Frankfurt Airport to photograph some airplanes and – if possible – some of the airport’s navigational signs (a plan that had formed upon the desire to photograph ‘some machinery’ in an abstract way). I knew fairly well I could get really close to the historic aircraft at the Airlift Memorial; I knew fairly well what kind of pictures I wanted; and after two hours I knew the session had gone well.

Preparing the pictures for presentation in this blog, I realized there was more to them than just ‘abstract machinery’. For me, the pictures also transported a fascination with airports and flying (I vividly remember being taken on a short trip aboard a Piper Tomahawk) as well a sense of history: What does the memorial refer to? How were these planes used? And what can the memorial tell us about those who erected it?

In short: “The Berlin Train”, made at the Airlift Memorial, became a trigger – or should I say: ‘seed’ for other projects: I am currently trying to pursue both subjects, flight (or traffic) and memorials (or remembering). And both lead me to new insights, not only in terms of pictures but also in understanding things.

Special thanks to air traffic control at Verkehrslandeplatz Mainz-Finthen (EDFZ) for the permission to photograph the taxiway area. – This is also my contribution for this week’s photo challenge, for the the reflections on these planes are, in my view,  fleeting.