Postaday | What's (in) the Picture?

Reichstag Berlin: Dem Deutsche Volke

The front view of the Reichstag building in Berlin, showcasing its grand architecture and flags, with cloudy skies in the background.

The front of the Reichstag. A visit was on the top of my list. In 1989 the Berlin Wall was right next to the building; and since 1989 this area was completely developed. So we booked a visit to the dome. On this photo I left the dome out consciously. I wanted to have an image like the building looked in November 1989 below.

Black and white photograph of the Reichstag building in Berlin, taken in November 1989, featuring two men in the foreground, one holding a sign that reads 'Berlin ist Freiheit'. — Germany, Berlin – November 1989

The history of the Reichstag is connected to my hometown and Leiden. In 1933 Marinus van der Lubbe was accused, tried and sentenced by the Nazi-regime for setting fire to the building. He was born in Leiden en lived in Oegstgeest, as did his family.

About the B4 retouch series:
I browsed my archive for pictures to publish. Some of them are partly retouched but most do have scratches, dust and stains.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version. The monochrome photo of 1989 was shot with Nikon F301 on Kodak TriX.

From the roof of the Reichstag

A cloudy view from the Reichstag roof showcasing Tiergarten, featuring the Victory Column on the left and the Carillion on the right, with Teufelsberg in the background. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

A view from the roof of the Reichstag, overlooking Tiergarten. On the left The Victory Column. On the right side is the Carillion, a 42 meter hight bell tower. And in the background the Teufelsberg.

I am not sure this photo is dreamy enough to enter Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #369 ‘dreamy’.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz: From Wall to Skyscrapers

A woman walks along a wide pavement at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, surrounded by modern high-rise buildings under a cloudy sky. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Human measure on Potsdamer Platz. During the time of the Berlin Wall people were a spic in a vast open space. Now they are a spic being over towered by high rising.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Berlin Brandenburger Tor Photographers

Black and white photo of the Brandenburger Gate in Berlin, with various people exploring and taking pictures in the foreground. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Brandenburger Gate (Brandenburger Tor) is a much used backdrop for photos in Berlin.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Berlin: Charlie left in November 1989

Black and white photograph of Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, featuring a crowd of people walking past a historic guard booth and a large image of a soldier on a building. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

A black and white photograph of Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, featuring a large portrait of a soldier on a billboard. The scene includes people walking and a McDonald's in the background. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Checkpoint Charlie, symbol of the cold war.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Berlin U-Bahn

A black and white photograph of a subway corridor in Berlin, featuring a person walking ahead with another figure visible in the distance, illuminated by overhead lights. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Berlin has a wonderful (and cheap) public transportation infrastructure. One of the building blocks is the U-Bahn.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Berlin Holocaust Memorial (2)

A view of the Memorial to the murdered Jews in Europe, featuring numerous gray concrete slabs arranged in a grid pattern, surrounded by trees with autumn foliage under a cloudy sky. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

View of the Memorial to the murdered Jews in Europe, featuring a series of concrete slabs and trees, with visitors walking and sitting among the memorial structures. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Another impression of the the Memorial to the murdered Jews in Europe.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max and Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Holocaust Memorial Berlin

A narrow pathway lined with tall, gray concrete slabs at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, taken in black and white. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

A close-up view of the concrete pillars at the Memorial to the murdered Jews in Europe, showing the textured surfaces and the path that winds through them. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Last September I revisited Berlin after 46 years. One of the reasons to come back was to visit the Memorial to the murdered Jews in Europe. I had read stories and seen photos, and I wondered how I would take photo’s of it. And what it would be like to wonder through it. This visit I had my first experience with the monument. Here is the first impression (and the coming days I will publish some more).

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Bahn Tower Potsdamer Platz Berlin

A view of the Bahntower at Potsdamer Platz, showcasing its modern glass facade and surrounding buildings under a cloudy sky. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

The Bahntower on the Potsdamer Platz, headoffice of the Deutsche Bahn.

Potsdamer Platz was the vivid heart of Berlin. During World War II, it was almost completely destroyed. Since 1961 Potsdamer Platz was a no man’s land, a death strip as part of the Berlin Wall. After the fall of Berlin Wall this was the biggest property developing area in a major city in Europe.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Berlin Brandenburger Gate (2)

View of the Brandenburg Gate with pedestrians and cyclists in front, set against a cloudy sky. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

People gathered at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, showcasing the iconic monument surrounded by greenery and cloudy skies. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Brandenburger Gate (Brandenburger Tor) is a symbol of unity for Berlin and Germany. Nowadays the Pariser Platz (Paris Square) is a pedestrian and bicycle area.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Berlin Gendarmenmarkt

Reflection of the Französischer Dom visible in the glass doors of the Deutscher Dom at Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

A view of the Deutscher Dom (German Cathedral) at Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin, featuring its ornate dome and statues, with visitors strolling in the square. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

One of the beautiful squares in Berlin: the Gendarmenmarkt. On one side you find the Deutscher Dom a.k.a. Neue Kirche (German Cathedral), and opposite the Französischer Dom (French Cathedral). The top photo reflects the latter in the doors of the Deutscher Dom.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Gedächtnis Kirche Berlin

View of the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtnis Kirche, a memorial church in Berlin, surrounded by modern buildings, with cloudy skies overhead. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Black and white photograph of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, showcasing its historic architecture alongside modern buildings. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

One of the memorial landmarks of Berlin is the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtnis Kirche. In its simplicity it is a powerful landmark and memorial.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Bundesrat Berlin

View of the Bundesrat building in Berlin, featuring flags and pedestrians in the foreground, with cloudy skies in the background. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

Walking through Berlin was sometimes causing some disorientation. Lots of places that were ‘void and empty’ in November 1989 are now (re)build. In 1989 I just saw a small part of former East Berlin. It was a challenge to figure out what I was looking at. An old building, a refurbished one or a new build? I have a slight preference for old buildings. Lots of them are beautifully restored. This is one of them: the Bundesrat in the former Prussian House of Lords. As seen from the Mall of Berlin.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Berlin’s Blue and Pink Pipelines

Black and white photo of the Berlin TV tower, known as Fernsehturm, surrounded by buildings and cloudy skies. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

September 2025 I visited Berlin for the second time. My first visit was in November 1989. That coincided with the fall of the Berlin Wall. After 46 years I wanted to see how Berlin had changed since ‘die Wende’.

In 1989 we just spent one day in East Berlin. This visit the first day we looked around in the former East Berlin area. The television tower still towers over the city at Alexanderplatz. There is still a lot of construction activity, and along the roads you see pipes in blue and pink. First I thought that it was a smart concrete transport system. In reality it is a way to pump out groundwater from construction sites into the Spree river.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Berlin’s Transformation: German Humor?

A modern building featuring the sign 'Allesandersplatz' against a cloudy sky in Berlin. — Germany, Berlin – September 2025

September 2025 I visited Berlin for the second time. My first visit was in November 1989. That coincided with the fall of the Berlin Wall. After 46 years I wanted to see how Berlin had changed since ‘die Wende’. The coming days I will publish some photos of this trip.

Friends had ‘warned’ me about the changes I would see. What in 1989 was a vast open space (e.g. the Potzdamer Platz) is now completely filled with modern architecture. But what struck me the most was the vibrant vitality the city breathes now. It is cosmopolitan and a magnet.

One of the landmark squares of Berlin is Alexanderplatz. On a building just a few hunder meters away I saw this text ‘Allesandersplatz’. Everything is different square? German humor? Or the basic conclusion after the first day. A lot changed. At face value.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Bird Under A Wire

A small bird standing on the platform of Amsterdam Central Station, beneath a large, arched glass roof. — The Netherlands, Amsterdam – September 2025

A small bird in a big Amsterdam Central Station. The things you see while waiting for a train.

Archive Amsterdam

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Petals

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Connected

A group of people waiting at a train platform, some using their mobile phones, in black and white. — The Netherlands, Leiden – September 2025

On the platform waiting for a connection being connected by mobile phone.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Writing In The Sky

A dramatic sky featuring abstract cloud formations with a mix of dark and light shades. — The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

Sometimes the clouds turn into a abstract symbol.

Archive Oegstgeest

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Over the bridges

Black and white view of Leiden's canals and historic architecture, featuring a dome and trees lining the waterfront. — The Netherlands, Leiden – August 2026

A more detailed view of the photo I published yesterday of Leiden. Leiden used to be famous for fabrics, and canals provided the infrastructure for the logistics. Some of the canals were filled up in the second half of the 20th century. However, there are debates about opening a few of them again. These discussions focus on sustainability and environmental quality.

Archive Leiden

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

City of Rembrandt

A black and white view of a canal in Leiden, featuring trees lining the banks, historic buildings, and reflections in the water under a cloudy sky. — The Netherlands, Leiden – August 2026

A view on the city where Rembrandt van Rijn was born, Leiden. It was the home where he grew up. There he started his now famous career as a painter. Later, he moved to Amsterdam.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #366 is ‘City Mouse/Country Mouse’. I am not familiar with the story. But as the brief puts it ‘there is no place like home’. Home is where the heart is.

Archive Leiden

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

After Rain

After rain comes sun at Scheveningen beach.

Archive Scheveningen

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Rainy Beach

Black and white photograph of raindrops cascading down a window, with faint outlines of objects behind the glass. The scene captures the mood of heavy rain at Scheveningen beach, blending indoor plants and blurred furniture. — The Netherlands, Scheveningen – September 2025

A spell of heavy rain, on the border of Summer and Autumn at Scheveningen beach.

Archive Scheveningen

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Old Front

Detail of decorative architectural relief featuring figures and inscriptions at the top of a historic building in Breestraat, Leiden, with emphasis on the former restaurant 'In den vergulden Turk.' — The Netherlands, Leiden – September 2025

Detail from a front in the Breestraat in Leiden. In den vergulden Turk used to be a restaurant. It moved decades ago to a different spot in town. It then changed its name to Wienerwald. The top of the original front is still there, and recently brought back to its old splendor.

Archive Leiden

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

On The Corner

Detail of buildings along Breestraat in Leiden, showcasing architectural features beneath a clear blue sky with the town hall tower in the background. — The Netherlands, Leiden – September 2025

A detail of a front in the Breestraat in Leiden with the tower of the townhall.

Archive Leiden

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Red Yellow

Fronts of houses in Breestraat, Leiden, featuring red and yellow facades under a blue sky. — The Netherlands, Leiden – September 2025

Red and yellow fronts of houses in the Breestraat in Leiden.

Archive Leiden

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Sunny Street: Breestraat Leiden

A black and white photograph of Breestraat in Leiden, featuring the town hall in the background, with people walking and bicycles parked along the street. — The Netherlands, Leiden – September 2025

The Breestraat in Leiden with the townhall.

Archive Leiden

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Agapanthus

Close-up of a green flower stem with budding purple petals, against a blurred dark background. — The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Blue Hydrangea

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Outstanding

Black and white close-up of a Knautia Arvensis plant, showcasing its leaves and budding flower against a blurred background. — The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

In the front garden, next to the Japanese Anemone, there is a Knautia Arvensis. It is more easily known as Field Scabiosa.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Star

In the front garden, next to the Japanese Anemone, there is a Knautia Arvensis. It is more easily known as Field Scabiosa. It is literally a star.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Japanese Anemone

To close the series of the Japanese Anemone, a last one in color.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Monochrome Moods

Monochrome photograph of delicate flowers with soft focus, showcasing their intricate details and textures. — The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2024

I like monochrome photography for many reasons. One of them is the ability to play with the mood in the photo. Just by adjusting the aperture time or the opening of the lens, the same light delivers a different mood. This one and the photo I published yesterday, were shot on the same day.

Lens- Artist Challenge #364 is ‘Quiet Moment’. Close ups of natural beauty are a wonderful instrument to just be quiet, enjoying the view. And to realize all is connected.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Delicate

Lens- Artist Challenge #364 is ‘Quiet Moment’. Close ups of natural beauty are a wonderful instrument to just be quiet, enjoying the view. And to realize all is connected.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Outside

A serene landscape featuring a plowed field under a blue sky with scattered clouds, trees in the foreground, and a distant farmhouse. — The Netherlands, Voorhout – August 2025

Lens- Artist Challenge #364 is ‘Quiet Moment’. A bicycle ride to clear the head. Seeing the bulbs for Spring being planted.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Growing Up

Black and white photograph of a thin branch with sparse twigs, set against a softly blurred background. — The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

The aim is to get up into the light and find your place among the rest of the garden.

Archive Oegstgeest

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Japanese Anemone

The Japanese Anemone in the front garden at close look.

Archive Oegstgeest

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

In Hindsight

The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

Archive Oegstgeest

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Final Approach

Aerial view of a black airplane flying against a light blue gradient background. — The Netherlands, Oegstgeest – August 2025

Incoming flights can be annoying, on the other hand they offer a dynamic photo subject!

Archive Oegstgeest

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Polder

A wide blue sky filled with white clouds, with sunlight shining down over a lush green field. — The Netherlands, Sassenheim – August 2025

Meet the edge of the polder, the dyke.

Archive Sassenheim

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Levels Day

During the Summer we see much more incoming traffic to Schiphol Amsterdam. Quite annoying actually, every minute a plane coming in. During day time they approach just over 600 meters, but in the evening they fly in from 1000 meters. When the wind turns West again in Autumn it will be over. However, who enjoys sitting in his garden in Autumn rain?