Photo tips from Noah

NOAH INTRODUCES HIMSELF!

I'm Noah Hölscher, 17 years old and I'm from Oberhausen. I've been taking photos since I was almost 6 years old and I try to show with my pictures how beautiful the Ruhr area and North Rhine-Westphalia in general is. For almost 1 ½ years now, however, I have been opening myself up to other things in photography. Many people probably only know my home town from the Centro or the large motorway junction, but especially when you deal with the history of the Ruhr area, the name will often come up, because it is not without reason that Oberhausen is called “the cradle of the Ruhr industry”. I connect with the Ruhr area, especially the mentality and the dialect. And just as many Ruhri people say: "Only we have the ability to find beauty where others would not even look." This saying actually applies to my entire time as a hobby photographer in the Ruhr area, as there is a lot here that many people do not look beautiful Find. That is something special, but also a challenge at the same time, to be a photographer and to take pictures here in the Ruhr area. At so-called InstaWalks, you get to know each other and walk through the city together or meet at places, e.g. at places along the route of industrial culture, and try to breathe new life into the old industrial culture and the buildings for the pictures. Occasionally you light up a few buildings or winding towers, set fire to steel wool and let it twirl, or come to the place at a certain time of day or night to be able to put it in the limelight better.

WHAT CAMERA DO YOU USE?

I am currently photographing with a Canon EOS 90D and with numerous lenses that cover a total focal length of 10mm - 400mm. The fixed focal lengths have become particularly dear to me for some time, because with them you have to look even more specifically for a cool perspective and you have to move more in the places than with a zoom lens. You often discover cooler perspectives and get to know the place better.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE 5 PHOTO SPOTS?

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE ZOLLVEREIN

The first favorite spot I would like to introduce to you is the Zeche Zollverein in Essen. This will probably not really surprise anyone who knows something about the Ruhr area or lives here, since the mine is something of a flagship mine and is representative of all mines and coal production in the Ruhr area almost everywhere. The area is huge and therefore offers every photographer many places, perspectives and positions. Almost the entire area is architecturally planned and therefore very little or almost nothing is left to chance. This atmosphere and this unity can be captured very well visually. I like to photograph the Zeche Zollverein directly from the forecourt, which is in front of shaft 12. If the weather is bad, you can look for puddles there, in which you can then reflect the winding tower. I often stand on raised surfaces with my telephoto lens, for example at shafts 1/2/8, and take pictures of shaft 12 or the nearby Zollverein coking plant.

HALDE RHEINPRUSSEN

Another favorite spot that I would like to introduce to you is the Rheinpreussen heap in Moers with the light. I particularly like the cool panoramic view from the heap of Duisburg, the A42 and Moers, which you can get at any time of the day or night. In addition, the lamp is very impressive with its size and shape as an oversized miner's lamp and reminds us of our local history and traditions. In the evening, the light is also illuminated and the hill, the heap in front of the light is illuminated in red, which looks very nice and is easy to capture. When I get to the Gelumina, I take pictures on the way there and occasionally go to the A42 motorway bridge in the direction of Moers to be able to take pictures of the entire heap with the Gelumina.

TIGERS & TURTLES

Also a well-known spot in the Ruhr area and a favorite spot of mine is the landmark "Tiger & Turtle" in Duisburg, which you definitely have to see and walk along. Especially at sunset, but also at night, you can stage the architecture very well and you can capture a special atmosphere when the people and the landmark are shown in the form of silhouettes and there is a beautiful sunset in the background. At the "Tiger & Turtle" landmark, I usually take photos on the way there, because you can see and record the roller coaster very well from the way. Later, when I'm standing right in front of the roller coaster, I divide it into sections that I then record very differently. Of course, you can also find some cool perspectives while walking down the coaster.

LAKE BALDENEY EAT

A place that has gained in importance and enthusiasm quite quickly, especially in times of social media, is the Baldeneysee in Essen, which of course I don't want to withhold from you. It is definitely special, as the lake shows that there are also very beautiful natural places in the Ruhr area that you would not otherwise suspect. But especially in autumn, this lake attracts a lot of attention because of very special pictures and beautiful routes for walking, because you can admire a beautiful tree-lined avenue on the Hardenbergufer and of course you can also take pictures. From the Hardenbergufer you can also view and photograph the winding tower of the Carl Funke colliery on the opposite side, which is framed by numerous trees with colorful leaves in autumn. At Baldeneysee, I usually photograph the winding tower of the Carl Funke colliery from the Hardenbergufer and stand on the landing stage of the local canoe club for a perfect alignment in the tree-lined avenue to be able to photograph the trees in all their glory. Otherwise you can also take good nature shots and shots that show the lake as a whole from the former Kupferdreh-Heisingen railway bridge.

EWALD HERTEN COLLEGE

Another favorite spot of mine that I would like to introduce to you is the Ewald colliery in Herten. From the Hoheward heap you have a wonderful view of the three winding towers from shafts 7, 1 and 2 of the Ewald colliery and when the sun goes down right behind the winding towers at sunset, you can see how the sunlight illuminates the winding towers in one whole shrouds in a special light. In addition, the winding towers of the Ewald colliery, as well as the pits, other administration buildings and the director's villa are very well preserved and can be photographed very well from close up as well as from afar from numerous perspectives. In addition, the Halde Hoheward offers a very nice place to exercise, such as jogging and walking.

WHAT SETTINGS DO YOU CHOOSE?

I shoot mostly during the day at ISO100 and with an aperture of f:4.5, with any shutter speed. At night or in the dark, I either use a tripod, where I usually set the ISO100 setting and choose an aperture between f:8 – 10. If I don't have a tripod with me, I raise the ISO and use a very wide aperture so that a lot of light hits the sensor and I don't need such a long exposure time. I also give all beginners the tip to choose an exposure time < 1/50 second when taking pictures by hand, otherwise the picture will be blurred due to trembling or other movements.