Freie Hansestadt Bremen Photo

Photographer’s Note

Freie Hansestadt Bremen

During my visit to Germany last weekend, we also visited the city of Bremen, rather briefly though, but nevertheless I had enough opportunity to take some photos of the historical centre and the market square in particular.

The city of Bremen is one of the two towns in the state called Freie Hansestadt Bremen (Free Hanseatic City of Bremen), the other one is Bremerhaven. It's the smallest of Germany's 16 states and the cities are located in two seperated enclaves within Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony). Both cities are situated on the River Weser though, Bremerhaven further downstream and close to the North Sea-coast and at 60km distance from the city of Bremen. The official name of the state (just 'Bremen' is more informal) refers to the city's membership of the medieval Hanseatic League.
The city of Bremen has almost 550,000 inhabitants, making it the second populous city in Northern Germany and the tenth in Germany.

On this photo you can see der Bremer Marktplatz (Bremen Market Square), the central square in the city, where Bremer Rathaus (Bremen Town Hall) is located, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004 along with the statue of the city's protector Roland right in front of it. To the left of the town hall you also can see the statue of the Bremer Stadtmusikanten (Town Musicians of Bremen), rather tiny on this photo though).
On the right hand side you can see the Bremer Dom (Bremen Cathedral) with its 98m tall spires.

About the photo
This photo is a stitch of 15 pictures. I never used so many pictures before, so you could call it an experiment. The stitch was made using AutoStitch. It gave a good result, although with some distortions, which I tried to get rid of as good as possible.
Also the many 'ghosts' in the foreground can be explained by the use of so many photos. ;-)
It wasn't really possible to get the town hall and cathedral in just one single photo, there was always some part missing of the view than, so I had to do it this way.

The weather wasn't as nice as I wanted that day, but at the end of the afternoon -this photo was taken around 16.30h- there was some fine low sunlight on the facades, which also gave the otherwise rather greyish skies of that day a more pleasant hue.

Hope you like this view of Bremen and thanks for your visit!

Wandering_Dan, JanD, feather, UlfE, ChrisJ, jhm, xavshot, papagolf21, Cricri, MiguelP, zhelach, syd1946, ElAprendiz, emjleclercq, dip, ifanik, Didi, Truja, Budapestman, stego, John_F_Kennedy, jlbrthnn, marrty, Cretense, carper, paura, paololg, jorgi, adores, riclopes, dorte_s_t, kLe, jaywalker, shevchenko, danyy, Emile has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Wandering_Dan (3211) 2008-03-15 8:30

Hello, Lars -

This is not a perfect stitching job, as you say, but it is well done. A lot of work to achieve a good result.

And it reminds me of my own visit to Bremen in 1982. One thing my friend there told me is that this square represents part of the struggle between the Catholic Church, which built the Dom, and the Protestant merchants, who built the City Hall. He pointed out some extremely anti-Catholic carvings on the frieze around the building; did you see any of those?

Regards,
Dan

JanD (14648) 2008-03-15 8:31

Howdy Lars!
Amazing perspective. Wonderful architecture. Original lightness. Good contrast. Very interesting colors. Beautiful capture.
Best regard!

smartcat (835) 2008-03-15 8:50

Hi Lars!

Very nice picture with beautiful green roofs!

feather (49858) 2008-03-15 9:04

It sounds like you were very lucky with the light. It is casting a wonderful glow on the old buildings. Congratulations on managing such a big stitch. I thought at first the ghosts were a result of a slow shutter speed. I guess having people in the shot is not such a good idea for stitching but you have done a very good job.
Kath

UlfE (8937) 2008-03-15 9:20

Hi Lars,

Fantastic light and a wonderful stiching job. The many ghosts are perhaps a bit disturbing, but not very much. The image is very attractive anyway.
TFS and have a nice week-end!

Cheers,

Ulf

gracious (20017) 2008-03-15 9:21

Hello Lars,
Very fine image of the beautiful architecture well captured!
the exposure and focus is spot on with good sharpness, warm colour and details in the shot
many thanks for the notes which is informative!
greeting from NZ
Tony

Aviller (3090) 2008-03-15 9:25

Very nice shot. The colors are warm and nice and the sharpness is good too, even though it seems a wee bit soft. I guess because of the stitching...

Also nice to see that it doesn't look unrealistic, unlike certain HDR-shots which just look like shots from Candyland or something like that.

ChrisJ (70019) 2008-03-15 9:26

Hi Lars

I like the symmetry, of the 2 vertical, green tipped spires, at right. A good overview of the square, with excellent sharpness, & shadow detail. Tfs!

jurek1951 (25896) 2008-03-15 9:55

Hi Lars,
Beautiful colours and light, and a great sharpness. Excellent POV and composition.
Georg

xavshot (62257) 2008-03-15 11:47

Bonsoir Lars
une architecture très impressionnante et un excellent choix de cadrage. J'aime beaucoup la lumière qui donne du relief aux toits et aux façades. beau travail.
Xavier

papagolf21 (56159) 2008-03-15 12:32

Bonsoir, mon ami Lars,
Deux très beaux édifices d'un coup ! bravo pour avoir su réaliser ce magnifique cadrage (deux édifices sur une seule image), le respect des verticales. La beauté est manifeste. Je suppose que vous avez utilisé un trépied pour réaliser ce cliché. Ce qui est curieux c'est le bâtiment moderne situé à droite par rapport aux autres. Très belle lumière. Une photo très réussie avec une note comme d'habitude très documentée.
Amitiés.
Philippe

Cricri (43030) 2008-03-15 12:39

Hi Lars,
Un trés beau travail, bravo..trés intéressant et magnifique couleurs et détails de ces bâtiments important de la place sous une belle lumiére, compliment
Have a nice weekend for you
cricri

MiguelP (14324) 2008-03-15 12:42

Hi Lars, wonderful light in this photo, sunset one it looks like. I also love the sense of mouvement give it by the people walking under the buildings. Well done.

zhelach (3590) 2008-03-15 13:05

Hello Lars!
Wonderful architecture! Good composition and perspective! beautiful colors and details! Bravo!
TFS, Best regards, Zorica

syd1946 (17869) 2008-03-15 14:46

Hello Lars,
Very impressive architectural composition!In the way that you know very well...I like the special low light conditions and the splendid green color tone on the Cathedral.The ghost effect is amazing here giving much more interesting to the image!

Greetings,
Thomas

denisn72 (6969) 2008-03-15 14:53

Hello Lars
Great architecture and colors. I like the atmosphere and the distribution of light. Excellent point of view too. Well done.
Best regards
Denis!

ElAprendiz (7370) 2008-03-15 16:55

Hello Lars

I do not know who did this takes time, but it shows that the light was low. With all this, have you heard handle this problem, with high quality exposure.

The shades are welcome, and models arquitéctonicos, are very flashy and contrasting. No doubt that this place I like to visit someday, thank you for sharing it.

John

Stepan (27175) 2008-03-16 0:49

It's the light that is the best here, producing mood and contrast... And the green and brown tones of the buildings are really great. You did that well...
Stéphane

rodgerg (23717) 2008-03-16 0:58

Hello Lars,

Beautiful view of the large places of this Hanseatic city. Beaytiful composition.
I think a little to the "Groote Mark" of the flemish cities.
Goed sontag,
Roger

emjleclercq (14213) 2008-03-16 1:06

I remember quite well the town hall of Bremen, it is one one the part of th city which seems to have been preserved from the bombings of WWII. You managed to catch nicely the green roofs, and the light seems to have been intersting, since it gives a yellow tonality to the stone.
The ghost effect in front of the town hall is strange but not so bothering. On the side, the chairs in the bottom could have been cropped in my opinion.

All the best,

Emmanuel

jhm (82201) 2008-03-16 2:02

Dag Lars,

In deze hansestad ben ik nog nooit geweest, ziet er wel interesant uit.
Zestien foto aan elkaar naaien dit is voor mij iets te veel van het goede, welk programma heeft u hier voor gebruikt?
Buiten de kleine wazige streep in de voorgrond vind ik deze wel behoorlijk geslaagd, want dit is niet niets!
Voor de rest een goede samenstelling van de verschillende gebouwen.
Bedankt!

Prettig weekend,
John.

dip (12534) 2008-03-16 2:17

Hi Lars,
excellent captured and framed the Town Hall and the Cathedral in your photo!
Very good POV and lighting.
It's a beautiful and interesting square,I was there before 3 years but without a camera:(
Very well done!
Greetings,
Dimitris.

ifanik (20474) 2008-03-16 2:31

Hi Lars
Very beautiful sguare and nice photo
with beautiful colours and POV
i like the effect with the ghost people
Best regards
Nick

markstaples (15670) 2008-03-16 4:09

You've done well to fit so much into this composition. A well chosen POV. Not an easy shot given the last light of day. Well done.
Best wishes
Mark

Miha2ou7 (4901) 2008-03-16 4:58

Hey Lars,

A fine job, yet again. Stiching worked out nicely, I think. Also an interesting motive and composition, and a fine note.

See you around.

evanrizo (456) 2008-03-16 5:32

Hi Lars,
an image with superb light result it makes it nice atmospheric.
All the technical sides are very very good, the details here are excellent to see.
The buildings are so impressive.
Have a nice weekend.
Evangelos
tomorrow...

janneman (1208) 2008-03-16 7:00

Prachtige foto!
Het licht van de laagstaande zon zet de gebouwen in een mooie gloed en daar past dan het groen van de koperen daken weer heel mooi bij.
Goed gezien!!

Didi (35998) 2008-03-16 7:46

Hi Lars
Not bad for this first test.
Lights are very nice and good balance exposure with shades..
About distortions you used a wide angle, just try to use a normal focal lens equivalent to the 50 mm.
Cheers.

Graal (57647) 2008-03-16 8:55

Hi Lars,
very interesting place in Bremen, great gothic architecture. Good informations and well done photo. I like it.
Gr., Aleksander

Truja (4948) 2008-03-16 8:59

Hi Lars,
great composition with an excellent architectonic perspective that allows us to perfectly observe the solemnity of the buildings, is a fantastic frame.
The colors are wonderful and the direct hit of the sun on the facades creates an intense light of great beauty.

Un saludo, Jordi

Budapestman (41576) 2008-03-16 11:00

Hi Lars,
What a beautiful place! This is a really fascinating spectacle with rich architectural details. I like the soft lights and the superb composition too. Great shot! Have a nice evening
George

stego (22350) 2008-03-16 14:49

Hi Lars,

15 shots!!! I am impressed! It is remarkably well stitched - only the blurred people and some details on the perspective rise some suspicions that it isn't a simple shot. I wondered about the cause of the blurred people before I read your note.

The place is beautiful and you took profit of it cleverly. The compo is well balanced, with the esplanade on the left, without it, the image would be much less catchy visually. The light looks quite challenging, but you did a good job taming it.

Overall everything is very well done, but if I wanted to be picky I would note some points. I don't see myself being able to correct any of them, but even so, I feel I must point them:

Exposure levels: maybe I would prefer it brighter, but that can be because of the adjustment of my display.

Sharpness: it's good overall, but there are areas where it is so well, specially considering the number of pixels that were used to make the whole image. That is more evident on the building on the right side.

Perspective: it is always a great challenge with buildings, but when it's a stitch, things get more complicated. The verticals of building on the right are straight, but the horizontals are inclined to the right, producing an awkward effect. The building on the left looks a bit distorted; it looks like having the perspective reversed, although the verticals are straight.

Regards, José.

John_F_Kennedy (31197) 2008-03-17 1:07

Love the angle and all the lines, it looks like a great place. Details, sharpness and colours are great.
Best wishes,
Achim

Gerrit (35593) 2008-03-17 1:27

Dag Lars,
parxchtig plein en de twee gebouwen vormen kwa kleur een geweldige eenheid en worden uitstekend belicht.
Groeten Gerrit

jlbrthnn (37601) 2008-03-17 6:06

Hello Lars,
Superb image whose width makes it possible to benefit from these superb architectures. Congratulations for the technical realization. Congratulations.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

marrty (235) 2008-03-17 6:12

Hoi Lars,
Jeetje, 15 foto's samengevoegd in één. Ik vind de foto goed gelukt, alhoewel er inderdaad een klein beetje vervorming in de foto is te zien. Ik vind de "spoken" op de voorgrond echter helemaal niet storend, maar juist heel mooi. Geeft een beetje aan hoeveel mensen er wel niet op dit plein hebben rondgelopen, vroeger en nu. Groeten,
Martijn

Kenny10pin (19301) 2008-03-17 6:35

great shot of the building, very clear indeed, well done

Cretense (55690) 2008-03-17 6:38

Hi Lars!

Amazing architecture photo, incredible job on the stiching! Excellent composition and perspective, beautiful "soft" colours! A very impressive photo! Congratulations!

Hercules

gildasjan (23645) 2008-03-17 10:52

Bonjour Lars
Superbe le vert de ces deux flèches et quelle architectures!Une très belle composition et elle est vivante.
Bonne soirée.
Amicalement
Gildas

carper (64546) 2008-03-17 11:23

hele fraaie plaat Lars,
zeer fraaie foto, mooi genomen, goede kwaliteit, erg mooi geworden, prachtig fotowerk, mijn complimenten.
prettige avond.
groet Jaap

paura (38266) 2008-03-17 12:54

Lars,
Very interesting architecture details here. The roofs are the top point: Absolutly uncommon. Very well done and thaks for sharing.

Agraços

Paulo

paololg (13538) 2008-03-17 14:51

Ciao Lars,
good experiment, well succeeded, especially in the management of the light of the late afternoon. Very pleasant image to be seen. Very interesting also your notes. Bravo.
Paolo

crckt (7072) 2008-03-17 19:22

Hi Lars,
I love experimental shots, this one pleased me a great deal. I wonder why you needed 15 shots though! I like the effect.
Thanks for sharing,
SHaeri

batalay (20810) 2008-03-17 19:55

Hello Lars,

A lovely image featuring geometric forms and a contrast of green and earthy brown. I was in Bremen for one day in 1990, and remember Market Square. Accordingly, it is a treat to see it again in your photo and the highly informative note you treat us to.

Warm regards,

Bulent

jorgi (3798) 2008-03-17 23:17

Hi Lars,

I must say that this stich of 15 photos gives excellent result. I specially like those ghosts...they create great motion feeling of people passing by, action on the square in front of this magnificent structures. This gentle touch of late afternoon light brings out the details of buildings very nicelly and goes beautifully with blue sky. All in all excellent experiment :) and with your, as always, most informative note, magnificent contribution for TE.

Kind regards,
Jeri

marietom (31796) 2008-03-18 1:04

Hello Lars,

Superbes, ces bâtiments aux toits bien verts. Jolie lumière.
Marie

pablominto (40402) 2008-03-18 1:13

Hello Lars,
I really wonder what the exposure time was here, as the exif is obviously wrong! Never mind...
The motion blur in the fast passers by is intriguing, and the varied light adds interest value...
Well done on post processing, impossible to spot for an amateur like me!
Greetings,
Pablo -

Silvio1953 (41438) 2008-03-18 2:47

Hi Lrs, fascinating view of wonderful architecture, great POV, very well done, ciao Silvio

adores (15463) 2008-03-18 19:13

Hi Lars!
That's what I call work! A stitch with 15 photos is really something. The weather was very good for the photo, I think. The pov is very nice, good way to show the square and the two monuments.

UnTrained (0) 2008-03-19 0:45

Hallo Lars,
a must for me as this is my home town where I was born and grew up. Please be sure that I will ever like this view. A big challenge with all those people, but also for the dominant buildings here with a rich architecture and in the evening light with the shadow of the "Schütting" making the light even more complex.
Well done with the 15 and especially the Dom is great, there is a little curve on the town hall.
I changed from AutoStitch to http://hugin.sourceforge.net/ for stitches. It is more effort, but worth for the results you may achieve.
Lieben Gruss, Ulf

jafadabret (39357) 2008-03-19 9:31

Lars, j'ai remarqué que souvent le résultat d'un collage de nombreuses photos manquait de netteté, c'est le cas pour cette photo j'ai essayé avec PhotoFiltre de donner plus de netteté et ça a fonctionné. Sinon cette photo est très bien réalisée et ces toits verts sont assez surprenants. Beau travail.
Jacques

riclopes (32957) 2008-03-20 0:59

Olá Lars, this one is irresistable. The architecture shown here is amazing and this late afternoon light gave you a lovely effect on the façades. Impressive work with 15 photos. Love the 'ghosts' effect. Congratulations.
Regards,
ricardo

dorte_s_t (2285) 2008-03-21 9:41

Hi Lars .
A stitch of 15 photos !! Well done ! Perfect !
Great composition , colours and a very interesting note !
God påske !
Kindest regards
Dorte

Bluejeans (32021) 2008-03-21 17:51

Ola Lars ,
Que bela praça tem uns bonitos edifícios com uma arquitectura cheia de detalhes , boa luz , é um belo ponto de visão , parabéns!!!
Boa Pascoa
Um abraço Gonçalo

capthaddock (28640) 2008-03-22 11:48

I think the stitch is just fine, and what sunlight you used was enough to give a very good light, it's interesting how the stitch resulted in blurred pedestrians, like a long exposure night shot with daylight.

kLe (2037) 2008-03-23 12:11

Hello Lars,
I see that you visited Bremen as you told me. Fantastic stitching job. You were lucky that there were not so many people on the square, so the "ghosts" are not a big problem (I like this effect). Good note too for this nice view. Perhaps definition could be improved.

jaywalker (12190) 2008-03-24 11:36

Hi Lars, Two stunning pieces of architecture to brighten up this square, I love the contrast of the building, the detail is wonderful &, I like the people walking around, I wondered what the ghosts were, but after reading your note I understand &, can see what a great job you have made, kind regards Wilson.

shevchenko (9862) 2008-03-27 21:42

Hi Lars,
Good pov to include two giant architectures within a shoot, beautiful artistic local architectures, nice cool color, fantastic walking people in blur effects, well done.
Ally

danyy (68492) 2008-03-29 15:13

Bonjour Lars,
impressionnat ce stitch, même si il me semble apercevoir des reflets ou des fantômes.
Des couleurs inhabituelles dans les toitures et bien rendues.
J'aime cet endroit avec la viae qui y circule.
Regards.
Daniel.

alvaraalto (5229) 2008-04-07 15:07

Hallo Lars,

Prachtig plakwerk. Deze werkwijze geeft een schitterende beweging in de foto door de vage figuren. Het doet mij denken aan een te snel afgedraaide film.

groet Rob

Emile (19883) 2008-04-09 14:36

Hola Lars.
A good try with 15 stitches, you did a good work, the plaza is a beautiful place with the amazed old architecture. Your composition is very good getting the restaurant in the fg and then the people walking in the plaza. Nice colors and good POV. Well done.
TFS.
Best regards.