With its 125 meters (410 feet) of height, this is, indisputably, the tallest building in the city. Park Inn by Radisson Berlin is also the tallest hotel in the country. Moreover it offers one of my favorite views existing in a city in Germany. The Hotel has 37 floors and it’s located in the northeastern part of Alexanderplatz, in the central Mitte district.
This picture is among the very few ones that really show unusual perspective on Berlin center. Actually, the trick I used for this image was to intentionally brake all the two-thirds or golden ratio rule of photography, and choose to put the TV Tower of Berlin right in the middle. I did that because I really liked the way it stands out of the entire composition.
First, I photographed the background – I captured the sun just before it went down and at the same time when the clouds were amazingly illuminated from the below. Then, half an hour later, I photographed the foreground, by shooting 7 – 8 images. At the end I used the Time Blend effect to combine images of the Storkower Straße in Berlin, taken at a different time, into a single picture.
I find tilt-shift photography especially efficient on photo images as this one because it lets your eyes lay on the background, recognizing the City Hall, the Cathedral, the TV Tower in Berlin and also the Park Inn by Radisson Hotel on the right. In other words, it gives you the essence of the city, captured in one picture.
Have you ever wondered what freedom means? The East Side Gallery in Berlin always gives a great reminder. In our modern day, it has now become a piece of history that allows visitors to walk by, to remain on the East side and within a moment – pass freely on the West side. I guess my generation is very lucky.
The original name of this tower was “Kaiser-Wilhelm-Turm” (Emperor William Tower) and was built between 1888 – 1889 to mark 100 years after the birth of the German Emperor Wilhelm I. The tower was built in a Gothic Brick Reviewal style, which you can often see around Berlin. The name “Grunewaldturm” was given after the name of the surrounding forest, in the period following the Second World War.
Rotes Rathaus was built in Berlin in the second part of the 19th century, in the style of High Renaissance. I found it particularly interesting that this town hall was inspired by two buildings. First, the architect was inspired by The Old Town Hall of Torn (Toruń in Poland). Second, the towers of the Rotes Rathaus are built in a similar style, as the cathedral towers of Notre-Dane de Laon in France.
This is no ordinary moonbeam in Berlin – it’s a supermoon! This astrological event is very rare in Europe; it’s been 60 years since the moon has been seen so big. This was a terrific opportunity to grab my camera, climb to the Berlin Cathedral balcony and capture this moment.
This was an unusual spot to capture photos of the Berlin panorama. I had a meeting with a fellow photographer, when it started pouring down with rain and after just a few moments of hesitation, we finally decided to try and take some photos to see what would happen. We made an appointment at Storkower Straße from which you can see the skyline of Berlin; with the TV Tower majestically prevailing the line of the horizon.
We often see this view of the Lake Tegel when we are leaving or returning to Berlin. It is always a significant moment when we smile to each other… there really is no place like home.
