My Stories
Photography | Visual stories
I have never been before in this part of Frankfurt called "Römerstadt", another Siedlung planned by Ernst May. There is always anticipation in exploring something new, but carefulness and distance as well, especially in late autumn, when dusk comes early.
Shot with Fujifilm X100F and X-Pro 3 + 14mm f2.8
The last few months of the Corona lock-down have passed me by, at least in photographic terms. I hardly picked up my camera, and if I did, I did not leave the house, instead I just took a few shots around the homeoffice. Fortunately, I was really busy in my real-life job (and I still am), but moreover, I was just not in the mood to document the “new normal” life. On the streets I am still in a crazy, dreamlike mood, putting on my mask before entering a shop, preventing to touch anything, planning my steps carefully to avoid crossing the paths of other people and to keep distances. Back in my car driving home I feel safe again - the golden harvested fields on both sides of the street, the skyline of Frankfurt bathed in the pale blue of the sky, the gentle summer breeze caressing my skin through the open window - it feels so normal, so beautiful, so familiar, so protective…
Hanne could not perceive my mood, when we met some weeks ago. She told me about the Botanical Garden in Frankfurt. Botanical Garden? You mean “Palmengarten”, the famous garden with all those exotic plants and trees? No, she said, the Botanical Garden. It’s a beautiful small place near the Palmengarten, and you should go there and take photos.
Hanne was right, the place is indeed a small oasis of calm, a kind of organized jungle, structured in different habitats according to the plants’ needs, traversed by small trails and paved paths, most of the plants neatly labeled. My mood cleared up.
The emails…. all sent, finally. I closed the laptop on my desk. Out of the window the sky was tinted in soft pale grey colors, the light slowly starting to fade. Evening of another homeoffice day. When will this Corona mess come to an end, the virus finally be stopped?
I got up from my chair, collected the empty coffee cups from the desk, turned round, ready to open the door and leave the room. The white magazine file holder, from which I had taken out the project papers, still stood empty on the dark floor tiling… Why hadn’t I ever noticed the pure, contrasty lines before? I put the coffee cups down again and picked up my camera instead, lines on my mind, all troubles gone for the time being.
X100F, X-Pro 3, Acros, ISO 2500…8000
