I had time for a really quick photoshoot on a bridge overseeing multiple train tracks in Frankfurt’s east end. It was also freezing cold and wet so I did these shots in a hurry. Join me for some Frankfurt trainspotting.
I have drive over this bridge so many times thinking “I must come back here with a camera”, and I finally did! It was a pity it was raining and freezing cold, but I still managed to get some good shots. This isn’t the world’s longest post as I only managed 3 large format shots - but I am quite happy with how they turned out.
The area I went to is a bridge at the east end of Frankfurt, overlooking a large train track area and leading into a cargo area. I believe this is a terminus for a lot of freight and other heavy metal and similar materials, judging by the types of train carriages I could see. There is also a very large cargo container area behind this, which I also would love to visit and photography (but I believe this is private property and out of reach).
All shots taken on my Linhof 4x5 camera with Fomapan 100 film.
I really, really like how this shot came out - the combination of low lying foggy conditions and general mixed lighting made for a very interesting final shot. I like how it is dark towards the bottom and gets progressively brighter towards the top of the shot, which works well with the strong leading lines.
I also really like how this shot came out (first one below is an phone shot).
I did spend a few mins trying out various lenses and ended up with the 270mm as I really liked the tight crop with the train on one side and the building on the right, with the train tracks right through the middle.
I am also super impressed with how sharp this image is - look how clear the writing is (“Umschladbahnhof” - by the way that means transshipment or cargo station).
I forgot to take a photo of the exact setup (or more likely I was too cold!) so I took this shot instead for some reason.
I like the final film shot, but if I were to take it again I might have positioned the camera slightly to the right to have the train tracks leading further off into the shot.
I saw this photograph in a really cool retro coffee shop near the river (Heming’s coffee) and to my surprise the scene was right out the window. I couldn’t resist to take a photo of each.
Overall observations
The weather was really atrocious and I got quite soaked heading over to the bridge but decided to persevere and I am glad I did - even though I only got 3 shots and of limited angles, I am still pleased with the results. I really wasn’t sure about my exposures given such different lighting across the scene, but glad that I seemed to have got some decent results. It is definitely a reminder to keep going and usually you will find something in the end - oh, and my dark cloth is surprisingly good at keeping you dry when composition, so that is a plus!
I continue to be impressed with Fomapan 100 film in large format - it is my go-to film for 4x5. I have been really enjoying my mate’s 270mm lens (thanks for loan, Florian!) - I am a big fan of these types of tight compositions. I will definitely consider returning when I am next in town as I am sure there are many more interesting compositions on both sides of the bridge and perhaps down closer to ground level.
I need to go back to the drawing board for some future large format posts…so, more to come in the next few weeks!
Thanks for stopping by,
Neil
