Confusion and Contrast in Bremen
This was far from my first visit to Bremen, but it was my first day in the city as a resident of it. I knew that an escape from it wasn’t just a train ride away. I was stuck here—willingly, of course, but stuck here all the same.
I looked at it through different eyes this time. Having been in the small village of Asendorf for the past three months, the change from the bucolic countryside to the hectic city was profound and a little bit unsettling. Everywhere I looked, everything was much more complicated and multilayered than the simple views in the country. People were everywhere, walking briskly from place to place, catching streetcars, and riding their bikes. Views of the historic building were muddied by wires and the eaves of other buildings.
The time of day I walked contributed to the scene's sharpness. The harsh noontime sun shone brightly and directly, casting dramatic shadows in the narrow streets and pathways.
If you're familiar with my photography, you'll know that these images are vastly different than how I usually shoot. These are complicated, messy, muddled, and full of chaotic energy. It was a challenge to shoot this way, intending to find these layered scenes. I will certainly be doing more street photography, but I'll do so in a way that's more attuned to my style, something more direct and simple, yet still has layers of beauty to it. Something like this.
