150/365: Little book fair

150/365: Little book fair, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

May 30th

A small outdoor book fair on the Mariensztat square in Warsaw.

86/365: Cranes on the river

86/365: Cranes on the river, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

March 27th

Across the river in Praga there used to be a football stadium. It was called the 10 Year Anniversary Stadium and had been built in 1955 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Poland's post-WW2 rebirth as the People's Republic. It was built from the rubble of destroyed Warsaw, rubble brought from the Western bank as the Eastern city of Praga had not been razed to the ground by retreating Germans- the Soviets were already there.

The Stadium was used well for its times, but by 1983 the upkeep was impossible. In 1989 the city decided to rent the disused stadium to vendors, and thus was born the Jarmark Europa. For years it was the place where you could get anything- from pirated films to smuggled cigarettes, moonshine, weapons...and clothes, lots and lots of clothes. It was dirty, dodgy, creepy, and absolutely wonderful.

In 2008 it was decided that the Stadium would be torn down and a new one built in its place, this time as a true national center for sports and not a black market. We will need a proper football stadium to host the UEFA Euro 2012.

People are skeptical as to whether it will be as functional as promised, or whether it will even be finished on time, but in any case the cranes look impressive, looming over Praga like that.

17/365: At the flea market

17/365: At the flea market, originally uploaded by Magic Madzik.

January 17th

My German friend asked me to come to the flea market with him to help him haggle (though I am not very good at it, knowing the language is a huge advantage). I brought my camera, but this was the only shot I took. It was so awfully cold that even the sellers packed up after a couple of hours and went home. A good ten hours later I still feel a chill in my bones.

The flea market is actually a used car market, but business follows buyers. Clever salesmen figured out that driving out every Sunday to where the people gather is probably more profitable than paying for the overhead of a salon no one has time to visit. So they set up right next to the pack rats and drunks- you can buy someone's old wicker chair or broken lamp for pennies, or order a brand new kitchen remodel straight from a company truck.

Last time we went there, my flatmate bought something very strange indeed.

I generally try to get a shot right straight out of the camera but this one was underexposed, so I brightened it a bit in Bridge. I'm trying to overcome my dislike for cleaning up shots in the computer without giving up the desire to learn how to get a good picture right in the field. Shooting in RAW is the first step. I'm happy that even with freezing fingers I got the composition exactly how I wanted it, even if the exposure wasn't good.