What Are You Listening to? - ‘Stay_Tru’ - Mereba
I met Steph very fleetingly in Kreuzberg. He was riding an electric scooter. As soon as I saw him, I knew I wanted to get the shot. Although he was obviously in a hurry, he politely allowed me two minutes to take a couple of exposures before zooming off again.
Film Used - Ilford Delta 400
What Are You Listening To? - ‘ROS’ - Mac Miller
Whilst strolling through Görlitzer Park, I noticed a cool looking figure relaxing under a tree, taking in the summer sun. It turned out that Masuda was a keen analogue photographer himself. He even took a few shots of me with his gorgeous Contax T2!
Film Used - Ilford Delta 400
What Are You Listening To? - Vai Là/Vai Là - Grupo Fundo De Quintal -
Damiano was quite a charismatic guy. Whilst casually smoking a cigarette, he took time out to chat a bit and describe to me what the track he was listening to meant.
Film Used - Ilford Delta 400
What Are You Listening To? - ‘Dance Me to the End of Love’ - Leonard Cohen
On the day before Berlin’s second hard lockdown 2020, I met Abdallah, socially distanced on the streets of Kreuzberg. He cut a striking figure with his large trench coat and turtle neck. A look not dissimilar to what Cohen himself might have been seen in.
Film Used - Kodak Tri-x 400
What Are You Listening To? - ‘Air Forces - A Colours Show’ - Mustafa
These were the very last 35mm film exposures that I made in 2020. I was wrapping up a day of photography for this series when I saw Silan Zara on her way to get groceries. I only had 3 or 4 shots left and intended on simply burning through them so I could get the roll developed. I’m glad I hesitated. The track was poignant. A trepidatious meditation on the themes of future and hope. Something we can all probably relate to in some way or another at the moment.
Film Used - Ilford HP5
What Are You Listening To? - ‘Hinter Palmen’ - Neonschwartz
I met Cayetana (socially distanced) whilst we were both cycling through Gleisdreieck Park. The first thing I was struck by (and my lasting impression) was the incredibly positive mood she was in. Maybe that was influenced by the absolute banger of a track she was listening to. It was the day before the second hard-lockdown here in Berlin, so inevitably we discussed Covid. She explained to me how the pandemic had personally affected her family back in Spain and how difficult that had been to deal with but also how things were now luckily on the mend. It was a stark reminder of the times we’re living in but it didn’t stop Cayetana from smiling behind her mask and I think you can see that in her eyes too.
Film Used - Kodak Tri-X 400
What Are You Listening To? - ‘Désenchantée’- Mylène Farmer
I met Jörg as he was strolling over Admiralbrücke in Kreuzberg. A tall slender man whose elegant, charming style reminded me of Bill Murray in the cult classic ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’ (it must have been the hat and beard combo!). When approached, Jörg seemed slightly surprised but was very friendly and accommodating to my odd request nonetheless. After listening to the track he had on, I think I realised why he was in such a happy mood. It’s hard not to smile when listening to it.
Film Used - Ilford HP5
What Are You Listening To? - ‘Hate Bomb’ - Discharge
I caught Tom on his way to work. He seemed pretty chill about a total stranger asking to take his picture and we got chatting about Ireland and my home country of Scotland a bit. Turns out, his work colleague was Scottish too.
Film Used - Ilford Delta 400
What Are You Listening To? - ‘Brothers On The Slide’ - Cymande
Majo was off to meet some friends of hers in a nearby park, so was in quite a relaxed mood and very open to having her photo taken. This was taken just outside Schlesisches Tor with some intrigued cyclists looking on it seems.
Film Used - Ilford Delta 400
What Are You Listening To? - "Nothing! My battery just ran out! But I really like Tabi."
I saw Mansur perched on a bridge next to the Spree. Even though nothing was playing through his headphones, he still talked to me about music. He spontaneously pulled this pose and I think the photograph is all the better for it!
Film Used - Ilford Delta 400
What Are You Listening To? - ‘To Paradise - Edit’ - Palms Trax
A lot of my shots are taken outside, so I mixed things up and went underground. I got a lot of rejection down there as people were understandable trying to get from A to B. Odysseus however was very obliging.
Film Used - Ilford Delta 400
What Are You Listening To? - ‘The Energy’ - Wayward
Kat seemed really excited to have moved to Berlin and talked to me how it felt a lot more relaxed than where she was from.
Film Used - Ilford Delta 400
What Are You Listening To? - ‘Dritte Wahl’ - Dritte Wahl
Most people I photograph around Kreuzberg tend to be non-native speakers of German. I think that’s a reflection of the diversity Berlin has. Cyprian though was a native speaker and as a result, was the first to have tested out my German conversational skills! Danke, Cyprian!
Film Used - Ilford Delta 400
What Are You Listening to? - ‘Zombie’ - Fela Kuti
I think at the beginning, Jacks was quite taken aback that some stranger wanted to take his picture. I actually kept bumping into him throughout the remainder of that day and he’d shout words of encouragement with a friendly wave.
Film Used - Ilford Delta 400
What Are You Listening To? - ‘Lage der Nation’
Anne was the first person I met who wasn’t listening to music but was instead engrossed in a podcast about politics.
Film Used - Ilford Delta 400
What Are You Listening To? - ‘Killamonjaro’ - Killy
Fresh to Berlin by only a few days at the time of this picture, Nici was more than happy for me to take a few exposures of him. He really gave off a relaxed, friendly and enthusiastic vibe.
Film Used - Ilford Delta 400
What Are You Listening To? - ‘Truancy Mix’ - Wata Igarashi
Panos, maybe more than most, seemed really interested in the ‘WAYLT?’ series and was very open to having a few shots taken.
Film Used - Ilford Delta 400
What Are You Listening To? - ‘Mother Earth’ - Yatao
I saw Merle sitting next to the river with her head deep in some books. Turns out she was studying for her psychology exams and so took the opportunity of having her portrait taken for a quick break from all the revising.
Film Used - Ilford Delta 400
What Are You Listening To? - ‘Heroes’ - David Bowie
It had to happen at some point! A Bowie fan in Berlin! Berlin is almost synonymous with Bowie ( or maybe it’s the other way around?). I wonder what sort of feeling listening to Bowie in Berlin gave Marlon. I should have asked!
Film Used - Ilford Delta 400