two doors down © Lilly Schwartz 2011
Today in my practical driving lesson I saw a building that I would have liked to photograph. My camera was in my bag on the backseat and I kept wondering for a few blocks how my driving instructor would react if I would say to him “Look, Herbert, I need to take a picture. Wait here for one moment …” Well, after pondering this for a bit I thought that he probably wouldn’t be very impressed. I took a mental note of the street though and will probably go back there on the bike one of these days. Learning to drive in Berlin is not so much fun by the way, because it is a big city with lots of traffic and lots of strange things like the roundabout at the Siegessäule which is probably no real roundabout and the Stadtautobahn which is no real Autobahn since you’re only allowed to drive 80 km/h there. And who needs a car in Berlin where there is exceptionally good public transport?
Living in the city means for me: Having the option of *not* taking public transport though. Did you ever notice that big cities are full of crazy people? I don’t mean people with wild hair and funky clothes, no, I mean people who have disturbing conversations with themselves on the subway and scratch their head with a knife on the bus (that was once on a night bus in London). Also: people can be so annoying! Street musicians, junkies, kids mistaking their mobile phone for speakers and so on. Well, to sum it up, I don’t like taking the bus! Instead I have a shiny red bike that I bought second hand from a nearby bike shop and I can go everywhere I need to go in only 20 min. Of course Berlin is big and sometimes it’s still necessary to take the public transport, but in my daily life I don’t really need a bus pass.
So, why do I want to get a driving licence then? Well, because it’s convenient whenever you have to go places at night (and I dance tango mainly after 10pm). Additionally and maybe more importantly Berlin has also very cold winters! -10°C are not exactly comfy on a bike or waiting for a bus! And maybe, secretly I also feel that having a driving licence will give me the naive feeling that I’m a “grown-up” and not a student who will never be able to afford a car. However, I would never admit that in public, so forget what I said!
Today’s picture I took after the driving lesson while walking along the river Spree. Two strange unmarked doors of unspecified function that are located at one of the bridges over the Spree, the Hansa Brücke. It’s an ugly bridge that replaced the one that was destroyed in WW2.
That is a really haunting photo. I love it. The doors look like entrances to public washrooms, really.
Thanks for the nice feedback! And I also think they were public washrooms once, but there is no sign of that now.
Great photo !
Thanks 🙂 and thanks for stopping by too!
Have to agree with Angie and yet unique as well! Good capture!
I’m glad you like it! And thanks for the visit 🙂
Great shot. Love B&W pics. and loved the texture and pattern between the two doors. cheers from Brazil!
Thanks for the nice feedback and stopping by! I’m also a great fan of B&W pictures, especially moody ones like this one!
Nice B&W – I like the range of tones in the photo. It does have an air of mystery surrounding those doors, doesn’t ity 🙂
I also enjoyed your thoughts on driving lessons, bicycles and public transport. I use the bus most of the time in London. The car is used for weekly family shopping and longer journeys out to the countryside.
Yes, indeed mysterious these doors!
I think I would find it impossible to drive in London. There seem to be one way streets everywhere and no parking spaces at all, even at night! And generally in England I also never really used a bike in the 4 years I lived there, because I thought it was suicide when you’re used to the other side of the road! And there the buses are even worse, they’re never on time … makes the German in me nervous 😉 Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I think all your pictures in this blog so far has been great, but this one I still find the most interesting. I like the black and white tonality, the tension between the shadow and highlights, the mystery the picture conveys – not only related to the door. Shall be fun to follow you further.
Thank you so much for your nice feedback! I really appreciate the encouragement 🙂
Very striking photo. The context is intriguing. Nice work : )
Thank you 🙂 I’m glad you like the picture!
I love the color….so classic
Thanks 🙂 I’m glad you like it!!
beautiful..
there is something very intriguing and mysterious about this snap..
Oh, I’m glad you like it 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
very interesting subject u have captured here..and rendering mono was an excellent choice..i am curious how would the version with the ground cropped look. for me its the door (notice the handles pointing to each other) , the grills above and on side and most importantly the stone texture…that stands out
I think the broken up ground adds to the feel of the shot. Haven’t tried cropping it the way you suggested, but I think the picture would lose its almost sinister quality which I find rather striking.