Staring at the Ceiling

During these strange times, I assume many of you are spending more time than usual at home, sheltering-in-place, and/or social-distancing. Over the last several weeks, I have discovered myself unintentionally staring at the ceiling as my mind wanders or I simply lose focus. I recently discussed this with friends and was relieved to hear that they too are having similar occurrences. Perhaps our minds are doing their best to roam mentally, while physically we are limited to do so. Anyway, these discussions brought to mind a time when I purposely & intently stared at the ceiling...to capture a photograph.

This was taken in the Pinakothek, an art museum in Munich, Germany. It is a wonderful place filled with brilliant paintings and sculptures. Yet, every time I visit, I find myself examining the building itself more than the artwork around me. There is something about the convergence of lines and shapes throughout the various halls & rooms that I find more gratifying than what is hanging on its walls.

Its atrium is one of my favorite areas. As you look upward, a multi-paneled glass ceiling exposes light upon the surrounding circles & shapes. This particular day was very cloudy, which allowed me to expose for all light in the scene. In the absence of direct sunlight and harsh shadows, the symmetry can be enjoyed without distraction.

The most challenging part of the capture was getting low enough to capture the entire scene. Even with a wide-angle lens, I had to get the camera to floor-level to get all of the details I wanted. You may remember I had a similar challenge in Naples while photographing a staircase (The Hidden Galaxy). My solution here was the same...lay on my back & press the camera to my face...then try to produce a symmetrical composition. So there I was, staring at the ceiling, much like the last few weeks…but with full concentration and focus.

This is the second image I have posted from the Pinakothek. My previous image (The Road to Enlightenment) can be viewed here.

Encircling the Sky with Quadrilaterals

Munich is full of traditional Bavarian architecture in and around its city center. However, once you travel further away from its core, you often find interesting modern structures. I walked past this office building one day and noticed sunlight illuminating the ground near the center of its footprint. I suspected there may be an an opening or atrium, so I decided to investigate. A few steps later I was looking up at the sky and wishing I had my camera.

I made a note of the location and revisited it with my camera several days later. I chose a Sunday morning when the offices were closed to ensure I would not be a disruption. It was a beautiful day with white clouds and Bavarian blue skies. This was an added benefit, as the reflections in the windows added some color and contrast to the gray concrete.

I wanted to capture as much of the opening as possible, but his proved to be a challenge even with my widest lens. The only option was to lay on my back and press the camera tight against my face. It involved a lot of scootching/sliding/repositioning to find the true center of the opening, but it was worth it in the end.

You may recall I used a similar solution when I photographed this staircase in Naples in a very tight space. So if you see a guy with a camera and dirt on the back of his shirt, there is a reasonable chance that it is me…Please say hello. :-)

Enter the Orange

The tubular, bright orange passageways are a unique feature of the Marienplatz U-Bahn station. Hundreds of thousands of people pass through this station every day, completely enveloped in orange as they board their trains. 

Almost everyone, including me, uses the main entrance/exit escalators on the other end of the platform. One day, however, I decided to explore more of the station and discovered this less frequented entrance. It is tucked away in a corner and only accessed by a small elevator from the main square. 

I find the shapes, lines and curves to be fantastic here, as well as the slight bend in the passageway. Perhaps most importantly, there is a color other than orange! The dark green tiles provide great contrast, allowing the bright tunnel to draw your eyes right into it.

It has become, by far, my favorite place to enter the orange.

Into the Void

It has been several months since I posted an image from one of my favorite places to photograph…the Munich underground. This is Oberwiesenfeld Station on the U3 line. It is not one of the stations that is frequently photographed. Perhaps this is because the plain solid color on one side of the platform is, well, not very photogenic. 

From the center of the platform, the lines and patterns do not draw your attention. As a result, I scouted several different perspectives trying to find a better composition. The patterned black and white wall is, by far, the most interesting feature…so I concentrated on it. Once I found this dizzying angle, I knew I had the shot I wanted. 

I love including leading lines in images…and having lines from every surface pulling you toward the black tunnel at the far end was too much to resist. 

Can your eyes resist being pulled in to the void?

The Road to Enlightenment

One of my favorite buildings in Munich is the Pinakothek der Moderne, the Modern Art Museum. I recently spent a couple of afternoons walking around and capturing some photos of the interior architecture. Similar to many modern art museums, the building itself is a work of art. Clean lines, interesting shapes and ever-changing shadows created by the open atrium present a lot of opportunity for photographers.

This image was taken on a staircase that winds around the circular atrium walls. While most of the atrium is open to all levels of the museum, this particular staircase is separated by a partial, curved wall. Looking straight up, you see the natural light bounce off of the ceiling creating a great glow effect. As you get closer to the top, the area becomes brighter and brighter. 

I particularly liked these vertical lines that are spaced evenly as you ascend the stairs. Some of the lines are filled with light, while others are a dark gray. I positioned myself here because the alternating light and dark line reminded me of a center line of a roadway leading into the light.

If only enlightenment could be reached by climbing a short flight of stairs…

Garching Ghost

Last week I ventured back into the Munich U-Bahn to capture some images. I always enjoy photographing these stations and since it snowed almost every day here last week, it was a good time to explore the underground again.

I had photographed this station, Garching, once before. However, I didn’t love any of the images I captured and wanted to try some different compositions. 

This station is at the end of the U6 line far north of the city, so there are never many people here and it is empty most of the time. It is also predominantly white, so while it is futuristic and cool, it is also a bit sterile. Fortunately, it has some colored tiles scattered about (mostly red and yellow) and in this particular corner, you have these bright green tiles that provide some nice shapes & contrast.

I liked the empty station, but wanted a subject to make a more interesting image. So, I set up at the far end of the station and waited for the next train to arrive. I started a long exposure just as the train was entering the station. The end result was this “ghost” train…just the subject I wanted. :) 

Tunneled

One of the things I have noticed in Germany is the importance given to staircases in their architecture. Some staircases are proudly displayed in a grand atrium, while others, like this one here, are tucked away in the back of the building and only seen by those who work there. Regardless of their placement, the attention to detail given to the design of these staircases is impressive. 

I often find the staircases to be the most interesting architectural aspect and I regularly now search them out when visiting a building for the first time. I have photographed many of them and while sometimes they can look similar, they are all unique in some fashion…much like snowflakes, I suppose. 

I found this staircase while going to an appointment in an office building in Munich. I was running late, so I went first to the elevator. It was being serviced so I had to take the stairs…a fortunate detour. 

Candidplatz, Under the Rainbow

This is Candidplatz and is easily one of my favorite U-Bahn stations in Munich.  It is brightly painted throughout the platform, providing a rainbow effect that changes as you walk from one end of the station to the other. The colors change from purple to blue, green, red & yellow as you walk though the station. The station is slightly curved, so getting a symmetrical shot is a challenge, but I never tire of walking through this place and have included a different perspective below, so you can see the entire color spectrum of this amazing station.

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The Never-Ending Staircase

This staircase is actually a piece of art designed by Olafur Eliasson. It is a double spiral of steel standing over 9 meters high at the entrance of the KPMG office building in Munich, Germany. The blend of art & architecture, completed in 2004, is called Umschreibung. It is believed to be the only staircase in the world that a person can go up and down without changing direction.

Westfriedhof

Munich has several modern, architecturally interesting U-Bahn stations.  This is Westfriedhof station and is one of my favorites.  The platform is bathed in light from huge modern dome lights in primary colors.  Above the dome lights, neon blue light bounces off the ceiling and reflects off the rough concrete walls creating a great effect as you wonder about the station.