pseudo idyllic © Lilly Schwartz 2012
Yesterday I originally planned to go to the river Rhein to take some pictures, but in the end I stayed in for various reasons. This meant that I was left with very little boring suburbia to work with. I just took a few shots out of the window and left it at that, although I was largely unhappy with my efforts. The problem was that they just seemed too idyllic, this one probably being the most idyllic one of the lot. If you like suburbia, then you would love it here. However, I find it pretty annoying, because the neighbours are driving me crazy! Slamming doors at 7 am, someone vacuum cleaning the stairs at 9am, the landlord’s daughter cleaning her car in the driveway with blaring music and then the lawnmowers! You’d expect suburbia to be more quiet than the city with its many cars and the sirens, the big apartment buildings and so on, but to be honest it’s the other way round. Just like you can’t capture the horrific smell of the university buildings, it’s impossible to capture the annoying noisiness of suburbia.
Spot on post! Great image (again).
Thanks Richard 🙂 I’m glad you like it!
That’s the monochrome sky that I like, a little bit of tone but basically flat. It means the objects under the sky get the full attention of the photo.
I agree with you, definitely! Sometimes I like a bit of contrast in the sky, but definitely not when it comes to silhouettes. The sky was really perfect for this particular shot.
Ah, yes! Things are never as perfect as they may seem at first glance or in a photo. In looking at this scene one would think it would be all quiet and peaceful but I guess that’s all relative! Same way with a farm…sometimes it’s very beautiful yet very smelly and assaulting to the senses.
That’s always what I wonder about when I see your pictures! I used to ride horses and my goodness, the smell was crazy! A friend of mine always says that chicken farms are the worst when it comes to smell.
You are used to the white noise of the bustling city. I know what you mean about the difference. An interesting insight.
The thing is, the city is much less bustling in some respect. OK, sometimes I hear children running in the flat above, but usually they are elsewhere. At home you can have your peace and quiet in Berlin. This doesn’t seem the case here. Here the neighbours seem to be constantly present, constantly in your face and when you see them they pretend to be “friendly”, since they also have to put up with you. I think I’m just used to the anonymity of the city.
Neat picture; the window makes it. Hey though is that a tv antennae! That is a huge deal. Those are gone here. There is no air signal anymore anywhere to any tv in the US. They’re gone, those old “decorations” on rooftops. Payphones are gone, too.
Thanks liramusic. To be honest I don’t know what kind of antenna it is. The terrestrial signal is digital in Germany now, so maybe you can still use it for that. We still have pay phones and occasionally I see people using them. However, I’ve seen pay phones on the Wire. I’m sure there are still some around! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
For sure not an annoying photo! I like the balance between dark and light areas. The fading light in the sky. And the light inside the window is really a plus. And about the neighbours …hmm this can be the problem…
robert
Thanks robert! The light in the window is also what I like best about the picture 🙂
And at least I only have to put up with those neighbours for a few days now.
I know I always say this, but there is such a wonderful sense of mystery in your photos, Ms. S…
even here. In a situation that seems like it could be perfect… maybe there’s just a hint of the almost ‘too perfect’… of something false… covered-up… hidden… only for appearances… if that makes any sense…
🙂
Thanks! I’m wondering about the mystery though. It might just come from the interpretation, since I bet it would be just a normal nice picture for anyone, who hasn’t read the story that goes with it. At the moment I’m thinking about something related, although not quite the same, namely what happens to places through memory, like in the picture of the seminar room at the university. I think our knowledge about a place can transform how we experience it significantly and capturing that in a picture is hard, although probably possible with some work.