Category: Hamburg

Boats … and Automobiles

Tobias M. Schiel4 Comments

The Alster Fleet in Hamburg – these boats are waiting to take tourists around on the river Alster, as I was surprised to find out when we visited a couple of years ago. Because I remember that when I was a boy, we used to hop on these boats to get from A to B, with this very fleet servicing the waterways like any other public transportation. For us kids, it was great fun to take the boat when we went visiting relatives.

However, since this week’s Lens Artists’ Challenge specifically asked for Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, here’s a picture with autos…

U3: Saarlandstraße

Tobias M. SchielLeave a comment

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Hamburg: I always had in mind to get on the Hochbahn, ride one station, get out, photograph, hop on the next train, ride to the next station, make some more pictures…

I never got going until recently. It was interesting to realize how a theme, an interest, a subject evolved: After running up and down a couple of stairs I began to understand what to pay attention to.

Stairs, escalators, handrails cannot be avoided when riding the Hochbahn. They set the mood, define the character…

This series is a rather fragmentary representation of the U3 line – but it might be completed during one of my next visits.

U3: Landungsbrücken – St. Pauli

Tobias M. Schiel7 Comments

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Hamburg: I always had in mind to get on the Hochbahn, ride one station, get out, photograph, hop on the next train, ride to the next station, make some more pictures…

I never got going until recently. It was interesting to realize how a theme, an interest, a subject evolved: After running up and down a couple of stairs I began to understand what to pay attention to.

Stairs, escalators, handrails cannot be avoided when riding the Hochbahn. They set the mood, define the character…

Mind you, this series is a rather fragmentary representation of the U3 line (Hamburg’s only circle line, running above ground for a large part of its course): While I had a chance to visit the western stops repeatedly, I never got around to riding the full circle more than once; needing my time to ‘develop an eye’, I did not even get the camera out at some stops when I arrived there for the first time. ‘Nothing to see here,’ was the quick verdict I intend to prove wrong during one of my next visits.

Next stops: Sternschanze – Schlump.

The Steep Approach to Baumwall

Tobias M. Schiel1 Comment

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There are places that attract me again and again. Baumwall station, overlooking Hamburg’s harbour, is among them. It is one of many stations of the Hochbahn – the elevated train that also runs underground in many parts of the city. While the latter is neatly out of sight, one can hardly ignore the El. Along with the rivers and the canals, it definitely adds something special to the urban landscape.

The black structures of Hochbahn seem to call for black and white photography, but almost all the photos I made more than a year ago did not entirely satisfy me. Maybe I did not really know what makes Hochbahn worth photographing for me. Maybe I could not imagine what the pictures should look like. Coming back this fall, I tried my hand again.

Sometimes it is quite a journey until I arrive at a picture that just feels right: The bottom picture dates back to March 2013, the three other pictures were made in September 2014.

298-07Hopping off the train here could be a first step in joining Jo on her Monday walks – see you in Hamburg, Jo!

The Signs Are Unmistakable

Tobias M. Schiel3 Comments

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With the interest rates so low in Germany, building money seems to come cheap. That’s the impression you get while strolling in downtown Hamburg (or Düsseldorf or Wiesbaden, for that matter). Cheap loans might explain the Baulaune – the mood for building everybody seems to be in.

This is my second contribution for this week’s Photo Challenge.