This summer my family had a once of a life time opportunity to travel to Germany while my wife was teaching psychology in a university study abroad program.
Our main residence was in Leipzig but we traveled to other cities in Germany such as Berlin, Heidelberg, Frankfurt and Weimar. While I did take my Nikon Digital SLR, I ended up documenting the trip with my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. I typically don’t take the normal “vacation” pictures but wanted to create a photographic journal of our travels. So…I shot over 1800 images with the Hipstamatic in two weeks! My wife says she worried more about losing me in Berlin while I stopped to shoot random images than our five-year-old.
I really enjoyed the unpredicatable nature of shooting with the Hipstamatic, on which you can choose different films and lenses with a swipe of your finger. You really don’t know what you’re getting while shooting through the postage stamp sized viewfinder and you have a moment of anticipation while it develops. It’s kind of like waiting for a polaroid to develop when I was a kid, but takes several seconds rather than several minutes.
The images convey the stark contrast between the old and new Germany. I experienced standing beneath the balcony where Hitler took power of the Third Riech but also sat on the pews in the St. Nikolai Church in Leipzig where the prayers for peace launched the peaceful revolution that brought down the Berlin wall. The history seeps through the cobblestone streets and buildings that are centuries old, but I also loved shooting the ultra modern buildings that now rise from an ever changing city that is Berlin today.
Click on the thumbnails below to view a larger slideshow. Enjoy the images!
9/3/2010 at 2:12 pm
Michelle writes:
Danny — your pictures are fantastic!! I loved going through them! What a great experience for you and your family. Thanks for posting!
9/3/2010 at 2:41 pm
Diana Flanagan writes:
This is simply wonderful! Pictures are just
incredible & the history you, Cherisse & the girls have gleaned will never be forgotten. Now
you need to work on the book!
Thanks.
9/3/2010 at 6:46 pm
Dave Flanagan writes:
Dan,
This blog is really neat! Just think of the continuing impact on the development of your girls and how these memories can be shared for years to come. Great job!
9/3/2010 at 8:11 pm
Nil writes:
Danny — I loved the pictures… and love the app too. One of the best photo apps so far!
9/7/2010 at 8:59 am
Feray writes:
Danny – I enjoyed viewing the pictures you took and learned even something new – such as, go lower on your angle when taking pictures:)
thank you for sharing. Glad to hear you had a great time with your family.
9/7/2010 at 9:31 am
Fritz Miller writes:
You’re the greatest hipsta in the world.
9/8/2010 at 2:42 pm
Harry K writes:
Great Job the pictures are outstanding. (-:
9/11/2010 at 10:53 pm
Joyce Haley writes:
Beautiful. Moving. Great framing. Thanks!
12/12/2011 at 3:31 pm
Pamela Pryor writes:
Danny,
I really enjoyed the pictures of Germany…I don’t think I knew you and your family had gone to Germany. I lived there for almost a year…in Bamberg.