Four seasons in Berlin: Spring
Why the first season is best saved for last
Seasons of Berlin covers an entire year of street photography in a new city. Originally a single entry, the project is split into four parts corresponding to the seasons.
The entire series of Seasons of Berlin can be found here.
Spring
Berlin is clearly punctuated by real seasons. I know that now after experiencing all four in their entirety. Some of them change quickly like Summer going into Autumn. And others, they go slowly; like Winter into Spring — stubborn, but inevitable.
I and many others in the city participate in the Winter pastime of longing for Spring. And this year like many before it, the city’s denizens, ever so optimistic, transformed themselves at the first hint of warm sun on their faces. A symbolic victory fated only to be briskly rebuffed within a few days’ time.
We seem to have this tendency as humans to rush to any possible finish line. It is a trait that is admirable for its optimism yet fallacious for its haste.
So if I am to learn anything from this, it is that transformation takes time. When I reflect on this past Spring, I think about the dreams I have and who I will become. I ponder my own desires for transformation in life. At times, impatience intrudes, and I have to remind myself that I cannot be a lush, green landscape without first having time to grow.
Spring’s hope
Selected street photographs, 2023 - 2024
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The entire series of Seasons of Berlin can be found here.
