Adieu Sweet Bahnhof, a photo from Nordrhein-Westfalen, Ouest

Photographer's Note

Displayed here again is a part of the Koln (Cologne) Hauptbahnhof (Central Station). In this shot into the station from the Hohenzollern railroad bridge side the two (high and low) sheds are clearly identifiable. The design looks definitely retro.
A sleek ICE3 high speed train from the Amsterdam-Frankfurt service is waiting at one of the platforms and a gramps with a grandchild on his shoulder is looking at the scene, the age difference between the station and the train being approx the same as that between the gramps and the child.

Adieu Sweet Bahnhof is a Nits song from the album with the same title from 1984.

PS-E2 tech: levels & contrast adjusted, desaturated, sharpened, frame added and saved for the web

avigur_11, sunny, Rinie_Hoff, Galeota, RGatward, nwoehnl, cmartos, pamastro, jhm, Steely, hispic, ksoloduc trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

rudymalou (800) 2004-06-06 15:49

Once again, a strong composition enhanced by the BW choice. I made a lot of pictures of Koln Hauptbanhof 15 years ago and I always found this station very photogenic. The contrast between the hitech train and the old metallic structure is interesting. And of course the Bert touch: complext patterns of lines and curves

avigur_11 (22553) 2004-06-06 15:56

This station is amazing in b/w, Bert. The metal structure, the power cables, the trains, all composed together for a very good industrial shot. The man and the boy look anazed by this view, just like me. Very well done.

bfly (5775) 2004-06-06 16:01

very good again Bert :) old station, modern train, a boy on his dad's shoulders to watch them and this warming up all the picture..even a small tree branch to help it..you warmed up an otherwise very industrial shot...

Rinie_Hoff (9340) 2004-06-06 16:08

Wow Bert, good transfer to B&W, the picture is very sharp, with really many details to be seen. Your notes are very good again. Good train, BTW, the ICE, fast and smooth. Very nice hall, and very well rendered. Your choice to convert it to B&W, gives it also a very romantic and nostalgic touch. Very well done.

sunny (3069) 2004-06-06 16:09

It looks very elegant in B&W, Bert! :-) The colours do not distract the eyes from observing the fine details of the railway station. The two figures of father /or did you say, a grandfather?/ and son at FG are bringing so much life and atmosphere to it. Very well seen and captured!

Galeota (10352) 2004-06-06 16:10

Very good photograph. The composition, as well as the B&W range of tones, are just excellent. What a contrast, the tenderness between father and child, and the concrete urban graphism of the train station.

nwoehnl (122) 2004-06-06 17:17

Very good how the upper third of this view is symmetric and horizontal, but the lower two thirds have this curved orientation. The ICE train standing on the platform and the man holding the child are fine attention-claimers amidst the array of poles, cables and lights. Looks really good in b&w. Great shot, Bert.

Didn't know the song - another thing I learned on TE :-)

cmartos (242) 2004-06-06 17:55

A really very good architectural shot, and a really good B&W picture. Very wide range of tones and excellent contrast make it very rich in details. The large amount of verticals is broken by the arches and the second plan is balanced by the people. A father and his son driving the scenery as they are looking to the ICE3 which is about to leave. This is a rich and nice add. A superb shot, I love it. Excellent Bert!

pamastro (7296) 2004-06-07 2:12

Great composition. The train station is captured beautifully, as are the lines of the tracks and power cables. The person with child is a great addition. It reminds me of the old observation deck at our airport that has been closed for years now. When I was little we'd go there to watch whoever we brought to the airport take off. Here the black and white has that feel of goodbyes and nostalgia as one thinks back about the person leaving on the train. Very nice and crisp, too. Nicely done.

c_kyr (1810) 2004-06-07 2:38

Very nice composition Bert.
All those lines in the image are just great.
The inclusion of the father with his son is also very nice.
Very well done!

RGatward (20108) 2004-06-07 4:33

This is a really great station shot, partly because of the guy with his kid watching the trains. Added to themes, points tomorrow.

lost (694) 2004-06-07 5:54 [Comment]

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jhm (211736) 2004-06-07 7:07

Iets later dan gewoonlijk Bert, maar deze foto is van grote kwaliteit, was de kleur versie niet prima? Deze foto is in Z/W zeker niet de mindere want alles is zeer duidelijk en uw nota is ook perfekt. Bedankt!

cdewet (0) 2004-06-07 14:48

Ek dag dis Auf wiedesehn, station, Bert. Ek speel net. So bly as ek nog hier en daar Duits herken.
Die S&W werk baie effctief. Ek hou ook van die ontwerp.

Steely (895) 2004-06-11 12:24

Grids, Lattices, Frames, Scaffolds , Railings:)

Some Composition you got here Bert, you captured a recurring feature of iron-work all over the image

Cool :)

MiguelP (14470) 2005-08-28 11:22

I find this station one of the nicer in Europe, and every time I´ve gone to Cologne I try to visit it, also it brings me family memories but this is another long story not worthy to tell here. You´ve achieved to reflect the symmetry of the constraction but at the seme time the iron confusion. I love to photograph arquitecture because I think is one of the most important expressions of the man and after see this photo, I think I will check your page from time to time because I´m going to learn a lot. Thanks.

ksoloduc (324) 2006-02-07 16:55

I always thought that train station are a great theme, and look nice on photographs. Well this only confirms my theory. I just love the deteils here, it seems so busy because of it
great Berlin shot
Kasia