When Charlie become famous, a photo from Berlin, East

Photographer's Note

The old check point charlie. One of the few gates from West ot east Berlin, now a touristic point... Do you want a photo with them? When history become a circus.

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Critiques | Translate

ElSato (824) 2005-06-24 15:23

Miguel,

I love this and at the same time it scares me. Such a devastating location in history turned into something like Disneyland. The soldiers kindly line up with you for the photo, the tourists line up on the other side and raise their cameras.

When you think of everything that has happened here and everything that it represented, even just a couple of decades ago, it's incredible that it has come to this, all the tension portrayed by Graham Greene and John le Carré -- and lived by real Berlin citizens -- is buried here.

It makes for an excellent image, though. Your photo has a slightly "snapshot" look to it, which is perfect for the subject matter because in this way we see the scene through a tourist's eyes.

Well done,

Lee

leonorkuhn (16233) 2005-06-24 15:27

Hi Miguel,

I think like you, now it seems a souvenir kiosk for tourist and lost its historical significance. God job.
Greetings
Leonor

annagrace (2467) 2005-06-24 16:06

I'm so glad you captured this, Miguel, I had no idea it had become such a sideshow. Does that little cafe really say "Snack Charlie"? What strangeness! I appreciate your note.

Alli

coco (30433) 2005-06-25 11:27

Pero esta es la que más me gusta.
Primero por la composición. Sencilla, no tiene aparentes complicaciones, pero a la vez atractiva. La calle dibuja una diagonal que finaliza con los turistas, que sirven de contrapunto a la esperpéntica escena que fotografían.
¿Otros formalismos? Los colores están muy bien.
Pero luego está el tema de la foto.

Por la parte que me toca solo diré que la historia fácilmente se convierte en un circo, aunque no sé si el peor de los casos es banalizar la historia: utilizarla para lo que no es y tergiversala es desde luego peor. Por la cuenta que me trae puedo decir eso.
Y también puedo decir que la prueba de hoy bien, aunque tengo que volver el lunes... Aunque creo que eso es ya otra historia.

Buen fin de semana.

flydragon (0) 2005-06-28 4:14

happy Charlie ;o)
he need to becarefull maybe MC donalds
would like to buy his shop ;o)
interresting pics, i alway wonder why people
like to be taken in pics, in a place with terrible history, it remind me the Kway bridge
in thailand ;o(
regards Miguel
••simon••

brb for green