Author: ana

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in germany photography

berlin is analogue, potsdamer platz is digital

In the wild 1920s, the pleasure-seeking population would meet here in the cafes, varietés, cinemas and with the “women of the night”. And today? Let’s just say this: Potsdamer Platz is without a doubt, the place in Berlin that feels the least like Berlin. Berlin is eternally unfinished, raw, surprising, a little rough around the edges, confusing, ugly and yet beautiful. Potsdamer Platz on the other hand represents the highly polished picture of the modern urban dream that can be found all over the world. It has slick and smooth facades but it’s also disposable and hollow somehow. In the language of photography: Berlin is analogue and Potsdamer Platz is digital. But you should photograph it anyway, and then jump quickly back into Berlin!

quote from the awesome lomography city guide to berlin (thanks silvia!)

Categories
in germany

walking on history, I: bebelplatz

“That was but a prelude; where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people.”

the quote is by heinrich heine, a german-jewish poet. it was written in 1820, over a century before the nazi book burnings that took place in the square where it is now displayed. heine’s books where among those destroyed, along with titles by karl marx, bertolt brecht, thomas mann, ernest hemingway, etc.

more from this series.

Categories
in germany photography

fuji instax

i got a fuji instax last week, a very generous present from our last guests. i’ve had my eyes on one for years… my polaroid stock is running dangerously low, and i’m not buying impossible project film until they get their act together, so instax was the logical option. yet for months i’ve hesitated. i like the simplicity of instant photography, the immediate results and the easy scrapbooking, but my back didn’t really need another big camera to carry around…

now that i have one, i love it! it’s big and bulky, but much lighter than it looks. and the photos, such sharpness and bright colors! my jaw drops every time the colors come to life in the little white square.

i took these photos on the instax’s inaugural tour through the olympic stadium (click for bigger):

(the visit was unplanned, so i’ll let you enjoy the pictures and leave the history of the place for another time, lest this cheerful post be damped by somber memories.)

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in slovenia postcards

postcards from slovenia

90% of my day revolves around postcards, and yet i speak very little of them on this blog. so today i thought i’d share some of the best postcards i’ve found in slovenia. it’s still too early to judge the ones from berlin, but slovenia has plenty to share! here are some of my favourites (click for bigger):

doesn’t it make you want to visit? you should go! :)

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pretty things stationery sundays

hoorray for korean stationery!

i think i might be developing a real obsession here… but how can one resist so much cuteness?

koren stationery

the whole lot in the first picture was a huge gift from a dear friend, and the irresistible vampire letter set + card + pen combo is from poketo.com. :)