Four seasons in Berlin: Autumn
A series of seasonal highlights from a year of photographing a new city
This post is Part Two of a four part photographic series. The series covers four seasons of street photography in the city of Berlin.
The entire series of Seasons of Berlin can be found here.
Autumn
The morning of the 23rd of September brought a brisk, cool breeze. Almost ritualistically, the equinox gave us a reminder that summer’s sunny days numbered in the few. Warmer days did come again after, but they were fleeting. And as the days began to noticeably shorten, so too did my remaining time for free play in the city.
Early October brought me a victory in the form of an approved residence permit. Society had recognised my presence here as lawful. But it had done so on the condition that I possessed a reliable means to pay the rent — a job. And while in my own opinion, cash in the bank is a pretty reliable way to pay rent, the foreigners’ office was not ready to trust a man who came to Germany with a suitcase filled only with film.
So I applied for a job and signed a contract for some daytime employment.
The best hours of the day
If the question I had for myself when summer began was about finding my place, then the question I had for myself in October was, “Will I find the time?”
After all, I was selling the best hours of my day to a corporation.
For many people, this is where the story would end. Hell, for an earlier version of me, this is where the story would end. But I did not want it to — not this time. So I pressed on and discovered ways to carve out the time I needed.
At times, weeks passed without my firing the shutter. Saturdays would often be the only days I found any energy to lift a camera. And even then, hopes for a long Saturday out could be dashed with a good rain.
But, I kept going.
And slowly, I found rhythm. I discovered my own; and the one of the city. As the days shortened, I found new ways to shoot into the late evenings. When contrastless grey days monopolised my frames, I switched to black & white and pushed the films to their limits. Problems and limitations that would have stopped me before became assets in my pursuit of the streets.
So when I look back and reflect — when I remember Autumn. I get to remind myself:
I just kept going.
An Autumn in photos
Selected street photographs, 2023
Winter comes next in this series. Continue reading here.
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