Visiting Hannover: Two Museums

I thought I had done my Internet research thoroughly: a quick search on museums in Hannover which specialize in Photography. The Google results – which I had to trim down since Google was convinced that I was in Berlin at the time – all pointed towards the Sprengel Museum (site in German), which was founded, according to the blurb on their site, by a group of photographers and has been in the business of acquiring new photography ever since. Sadly the Internet and the reality of the Sprengel Museum differ, in that there is one major exhibition of modern photography to be seen, and nothing from the collection. Now, I have nothing against Martin Parr – whose exhibition of photographs WE LOVE BRITAIN! was the main attraction – but I was expecting a little more, especially when I found my way downstairs, away from the present exhibition, and in a small room called the Photography Room. Here, I thought, there would be something. There was not. Rather I was confronted with a small selection of over-sized paintings enhanced by under-sized descriptions and maps and a series of what I think, I didn’t remain long once I’d seen the error of my ways, may have been watercolors.

Photo: Viktoria Michaelis

There is a lot of space in the Sprengel museum, almost all plain concrete and a great deal underused. Perhaps a few of these blank walls could have held the odd photograph from the hidden collection? Certainly the whole would not have been so cold and hard with a touch of color added here and there, or even a little light! Although, to be honest, the light tended to fall in all the right places and was only really subdued when visitors found their way into side corridors and some of the smaller art exhibition rooms deep under the earth’s crust. Disappointed with the lack of historical photography, I moved on and, on a whim more than anything else, paid a visit to the Historisches Museum, Hannover. Here I had more luck.

A wealth of photography covering the history of the city and, especially, the period around the First World War. And not only that:

Photo: Viktoria Michaelis

This beauty was hidden away – and here is where the dimmed lighting really comes in to play – and I almost overlooked it, despite its size and grandeur. One of only two cameras on display – the other was a hand-sized folding plate camera without a maker’s name that I could see – I managed to steady myself long enough to capture it without too much shake! There’s a reason why I mention this, one which I fail to understand and which, for me, makes precious little sense.

Photo: Viktoria Michaelis

Photography is welcomed in most museums and galleries providing that no flash is used. This I can understand, there are many works of art which, if constantly subjected to blinding flashes of light, could be damaged. It might take a few decades before the damage can be seen, but it is still there. Since no flash can be used – I prefer natural light any way – it makes sense to allow serious photographers to use a tripod. Well, no. Tripods are banned in museums and galleries – although no one has been able to tell me why yet – which means that, when you have bad or inadequate lighting and need a far longer exposure time to get a decent image, you need to either be capable of standing very still indeed, or find something else to rest the camera on.

Photo: Viktoria Michaelis

These three images of the camera, for example, for those who understand the technical language, are all at ISO 800, f4.5 / 0,3. That last figure being the length of time you need to hold the camera perfectly still to prevent any shake showing up. I’m not sure that I managed it completely, but still. The exposure needs to be that long because, without a flash, you’re using available light and, in this museum, there isn’t all that much of it available.

The other thing which bothers me is a policy of not letting in any bags bigger than ones which can hold a small laptop or tablet. My shoulder bag – with the usual necessities every woman needs on an hourly basis – is bigger than what is allowed, officially. Now try carrying a second camera – bearing in mind that we tend to only have two hands – and a few lenses through several floors of exhibition. We are allowed to take photographs in the museums, but that doesn’t mean anyone is going to make it easy!

On the whole I enjoyed my visit to the Historisches Museum far more than the Sprengel, and it was also two Euro cheaper for a far greater range of photography on show. I used my Canon far more than the Pentax or Voigtländer, but hope to have a few useable – presentable? – photographs from them in time too. I was planning on doing a little street photography as well, but the streets were almost empty, the sun hidden behind rain clouds and my fingers were suffering from the cold!

Love & Kisses, Viki.

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