Shooting the Soulless City

Last weekend we prepared for the inevitable frustrating experience that is going to Frankfurt.  We don't go to Europe's financial capital very often.  To be very frank, we don't like it.  But, occasionally we have to go, to catch a train (the station is very nice), eat at Chipotle, see a movie in English, go to a social gathering, or to visit a museum.  We've visited the museums we want to see.  Social gatherings in the city are just a few times a year.  Very few movies are worth going to the theater (any theater) for anymore.  We've gotten to the point we can go through life without Chipotle.  So, really we only go into Frankfurt to get a train.

There are a number of reasons why we don't like Frankfurt.  The biggest reason is that it is a pain to navigate.  We don't have a local train in our town so we either have to take the bus to Aschaffenburg then a train from there, ride our bikes across the river and catch a train in the opposite town, or drive.  A train journey can take anywhere from 1-2hrs.  It takes 20 minutes to get to Frankfurt by car.  So, we always drive.  But, the nightmare begins after one has arrived in Frankfurt.  There is no parking.  Anywhere.  Between the enormous construction projects near the financial and historic districts the majority of the central parking decks are closed.  We spent an hour and a half last Saturday trying to find a place to park.  It was either risk the deck near the red light district where crime is at its worst or park outside the center and hoof it several blocks.  We opted for the second option, vowing we wouldn't bother with the center again unless there was a really valid reason to come back.  Thankfully, Chipotle is outside the center.

Another reason we don't care for Frankfurt is that it really doesn't have any attraction.  It was bombed to smithereens during the war.  The "historic" district is only about one square and is completely reconstructed.  It is filled with poor quality tourist restaurants and junk shops.  The cathedral and area around it are one giant construction mess.  Outside of this area, it's just a city composed of ugly cement buildings hastily thrown up in the postwar years.  The one attraction is the skyline, but it looks best at night from the opposite bank of the Main or from one of the bridges.

Lastly, the center on a good day is, well, edgy.  On a bad day like today, it gets downright unstable.  As I write this post, this is going on.

www.rt.com

I wish I could say that this protest is a rare occurrence, but sadly this sort of thing is becoming more and more common, as it is around the world.  Every time we've been in Frankfurt center there has been some sort of demonstration.  Thankfully, nothing ever escalated to this level.  But, there was always the feeling that it could at any moment.  The center gives off a vibe that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

So, why the heck did we go last weekend?  Fotographie Forum Frankfurt is currently hosting an exhibition on the history of Leica Cameras called "Eyes Wide Open!  100 Years of Leica Photography."  I don't shoot with a Leica, obviously, but I'm fascinated by early photo journalism, documentary, and street photography.  The shot above from RT's website is made possible by the development of compact cameras like Leica.  I've become even more interested in these styles since learning that they are coming under threat and possible extinction in Europe thanks to over reaching privacy laws.  Candid shots of modern everyday life cannot be legally exhibited or even taken in some countries.  While future generations will have shots from newsworthy events like the one above, there's more than a strong chance that a normal scene on this same street may not be allowed to be taken let alone viewed by the public.  We will lose a sense of real life in the world of the early 21st century if these laws aren't reigned in.  The only visual heritage will be selfies and news photos.  That's a pretty sobering thought.  The exhibit at FFF not only talked about the history and development of the Leica Camera, but also how it revolutionized photography and gave us the images that defined the last century.  Seeing this excellent exhibit seemed worth the hassle of Frankfurt center.  It definitely was.  If you are anywhere near Frankfurt before the end of May and have an interest in photography in general, I recommend popping in.

Of course, if we were going to go through all the hassle of driving and parking, dodging the occasional antagonistic protestor (I think they were upset about something else on Saturday), and navigating through the Saturday shopping chaos all for a couple hours at a photo exhibit, we might as well stay longer and do some photography of our own.  I'd shot the skyline and Main bridges last year.  I wanted to get into the center this time and see what we could come up with when night fell and those big glass buildings were lit.  During the afternoon while we were trying to locate some good scenic shots, I snapped some street scenes, well aware of the ever present police and private security guards.  Frankfurt, like any city, is great for street photography, but keep an eye out for the guards and cops who may not permit you to photograph certain areas, let alone them.  But, when the sun went down, just like everything else in Frankfurt, shooting scenic photography turned out to be a frustrating task.  Part of it was the weather, drizzle and low clouds.  Blue hour never really happened, it just went from grey to black.  Another problem was the construction, which made composing a shot without a garish crane or glaring spotlight almost impossible.  Sometimes I could see where I wanted to be, but I couldn't get there because the sidewalk or the road was closed.  It was like one of those dreams when you're trying to get somewhere but just can't.  Anyway, it wasn't the most successful excursion.  But, I was pleased with this shot.

It was raining (and I forgot the umbrella) so I was having trouble getting the long exposure before raindrops covered the lens.  The street lamps are incredibly bright, which is good for pedestrians, but not so great for photographers.  It took a lot of finagling in a rather precarious location.  But, I was satisfied with the light trails in contrast with the stationary people on the opposite corner.  I spent a little more in post than usual editing out the water drops.  I also changed the color temperature quite a bit from the harsh yellow caused by the street lights to a cooler tone.  Most cities are yellow at night, but to me some, like Frankfurt, have a cold, soulless feel that call for a cooler palette.

We also had some fun creating our own light trails when counting on others didn't work out.  We spent most of the time near the Alte Oper building for that and the result is now up on the website.  I decided to shoot this one in mono because of the intense, sickly yellow look of the light on the building.  It was probably my most satisfactory result of the evening and shout out to my husband for creating those wonderful trails for me.

Would I shoot in Frankfurt again?  Perhaps, but right now I'm not feeling positive about the place.  While we spent hours trying to maneuver through closed off streets or avoiding the seedy night crowds, there were only a couple shots I felt good about.  Combine that with the hassle of getting there and the tension, not to mention the frustration of finding a decent place to spontaneously grab dinner, and I won't be rushing back anytime soon.  While we've had some pleasant evenings in the Sachsenhausen and University neighborhoods, I can't say the center has a lot going for it.  It is a frustration for scenic photography.  For going out, it's not worth the trouble.

But, if you are stuck there on a long lay over, do check out the Leica exhibit.