Steven Weinberg: Shadows on the Wall
Steven Weinberg took this photo in December, 1989, in Berlin. The Brandenburg Gate, which had been incorporated into the Berlin Wall, had just opened, signifying the reunification of the city. This view of the wall symbolized to Steve the changes that had just happened—and those still to come.
He had several Nikon camera bodies available, including automatic models, but due to the pouring rain he decided to use the all-manual F2, which had an 85mm f/2 Nikkor lens on it, and shoot by available light rather than bring out the Speedlight flash.
"I shoot almost everything in color, but the F2 was the body that had [Kodak] Tri-X black-and-white film in it," Steve says, "so that's why the photo is in black and white." And he feels it's a much more powerful, evocative photo because it's not in color. "So I have the heavy rain to thank for the image."
But Steve wasn't quite done with the picture. "At a later date I re-photographed the black-and-white print using Kodachrome 25 film, providing it with a four-color layering effect."
Sometimes, Steve says, it's the most challenging situations that result in the most satisfying results.
