on the prowl in the underground © Lilly Schwartz 2012

The other day when I was discussing different types of film with a friend I immediately said “I have no use for that”, when he suggested an ISO 100 film. The reason is that I tend to take pictures in the underground. For some reason I am fascinated by the Berlin subway system. Not only the behaviour of the people while waiting is interesting, but also the different types of people on the train, the weird stories you hear and also the really different station designs. In fact the stations and lines were often built at different times, so that every line seems to have its own character. Some of the lines are very old, others sport the terrible colours of the 70s, and again others look rather modern. In fact one of the things I’m planning to do is to explore all the stations of the U3, because they all seem to have a dark and sinister feel to them.

This picture was taken at the station Gesundbrunnen, which is two stops away on the U8. Although the focus is off because the guy in the foreground moved before I could release the shutter, I somehow happen to like the picture. It captures something of the aimless pacing that seems to be common when waiting. It’s a shame that the sprocket holes are in the way. In fact, the other day I tried to look for a solution to the sprocket hole problem online. It seems that soviet film rolls were different to the ones that are sold now and therefore the problem of sprocket holes in the picture seems to be common with Zorkis. I found a tip online that involves putting a penny between the film roll and the bottom. Next time I put a new roll into the camera I’ll try that one out. I don’t have pennies around here, but I’m sure I can find a coin that fits and looking at the negatives it might be just enough to make a difference.

Tomorrow I will have reached day 365, so the project is coming to an end. That doesn’t mean that I’ll discontinue my daily posts though.