I spent the first half of the week in Łódź, Poland (pronounced something like Woudj) and on the final night of my stay, I finally got a chance to go for a walk with my camera. While normally I travel alone on these journeys, my client joined me on the walk and I took him to find a Pierogi restaurant - as it is a must do attraction when in Poland.
When I am alone I can spend a lot of time wandering and waiting for shots, but this became more of a timed photography field trip as I felt the social pressure of having someone who is unlikely as interested in the process as myself.
Maybe it is not what everyone would consider beautiful, I found Łódź a gorgeous place to photograph with the old buildings that have weathered with age and have built a layer of character that delves into their bricks, like scars of a lifetime.
I chose to process these ones in black and white as it seems fitting for the feel of the selection and I think it enhances the rundown nature of many of the buildings in this area and reminds of times gone. Most of the buildings are crumbling but the renovations seem underway and Piotrkowska Street is filled with clean and smooth versions of what is withering just a street away.
As you can see, I love tram. I think public transport in general holds some kind of significance for me when shooting a city and it could be that it is the arteries of the residents, especially those who work hard for little return. When it comes to what makes a city tick and gives it a character, it is rarely the highly paid, it is the ones on the buses, the trains, the trams.
I am glad that I was able to get at least a couple hours to see a bit of the city because I do not expect that even if I get to Poland again as I plan, I am probably not going to end up in Łódź as it is out of the way, industrial and not the typical tourist destination. One of the benefits of travelling sometimes though is I get to see places the average tourist never does. The last shot is a city landmark though and it is an alley covered in broken mirrors called Rosa's Passage.
Well, I think that considering the time I had on the fly-by-camera trip, I got a fairly good collection of images of the city and hopefully a few that I can use in upcoming posts from time to time. I love taking pictures that I can not only be used as support, but inspire new thoughts in me.
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
Camera: Olympus EM-1
Lens: 12-40mm/2.8
Lens: 40-150mm