I must confess I am brand new to Local Guides Connect and am just beginning to figure out the ropes of the purpose and platform. With that said, it is very exciting to be able to connect with tons of new people and share information!
So, I have been reviewing places online for 2 years now and I have seen the value that other Local Guides have provided to me. I have tried to then return that value in kind by providing information and reviews, and even submitting photos for places (I generally post food photos) that I feel are making an impact. One of my photos has over 10,000 views!
When you see the impact that you can have, you want to do more, and that is what the Local Guides means to me - giving back and having an impact. It even inspired me to start a new map creating idea that will hopefully provide lots of people with different/interesting information and locations to shoot some of the most photographed monuments around the world. I of course want to start with Berlin, my home.
Why make a photo map?
How many times have you seen a picture and thought, “wow, where was that taken?”
As a travel photographer, that happens to me all the time. I will be scrolling Instagram, Pinterest, Connect, wherever, and I find a picture I think is amazing and I want to know where it was taken. I look at the caption - “Northern Norway”. That’s it. That is all that is there. Not very helpful and I want to know exactly where so if I am traveling there I can visit that spot too. While I don’t condone copying others’ photos, I find that discovering a unique location or unique view of already photographed locations is exciting and important. It creates a desire to explore and discover new places.
But, there is a catch - if you are traveling some place new, you don’t often have enough time to really explore a given area in order to discover these new vantage points. Many of us simply don’t have that time. Our trips are planned pretty tightly and it could often be helpful to have a map of where these top photo spots are so you can plan your trip properly if taking cool pictures is also important to you.
Berlin - the beginning
So I have decided to do that and my goal is to provide my top photo spots in each city I go to in Google maps. I have started with my new home - Berlin. I have been exploring Berlin for 2 years now, and while there are many photo locations to choose from - this city is very photogenic - I wanted to provide some alternative angles to the more popular spots. Those include:
- Nikolaiviertel - the oldest residential quarter in Berlin
- Berliner Dom - Berlin’s landmark cathedral along the Spree
- TV Tower - The Soviet built monstrosity in the city
- OberbaumbrĂĽcke - the famous bridge with the SBhan crossing over it
- Berlin Wall - needs no further explaining
- Gendarmenmarkt - The prettiest square in Berlin with twin cathedrals and a theatre from the 1700s
- Brandenburg Gate - potentially the most photographed place in Berlin
- Holocaust Memorial - The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is with in a stone’s throw from Brandenburg Gate and allows some for creative use of space and negative space
- Bundestag - the home of German governance
- Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church - The remnants of the destroyed church from WWII - always serving as a reminder of what we are capable of as humans
- Charlottenburg - 18th century palace 20 minutes from Hauptbahnhof with a massive garden
Any trip to Berlin will most likely see stops at these places, so what I wanted to do was add my own tips and twists, like were to watch sunrise/sunset or where is there a different angle or view of a certain landmark. Hopefully this will save time and planning, but also lead to some more exploration by visitors.
Here is my map: Best Places to Photograph Berlin
My end goal is to have others do this as well, post their favorite photo spots in the cities they live in or the cities they travel to. If you do this, please comment on this post with your link to the map and I would love to see your favorite spots! And, if you find someplace new while you’re exploring Berlin let me know, I would love to see your pictures!
P.S. here is a video from Charlottenburg to make you want to visit Berlin even more!
