Intro: Upon visiting Battery Moltke we found that there were a great amount of unique and dynamic photographic opportunities. It was interesting to learn the historical backgrounds behind the different areas whilst also aiming to capture effective images of the era in time we were studying.
We started off by visiting the remains of the larger outside cannons which had been pained to resemble the colours of what they would have been during the occupation. Lower angles suited these areas better when photographing due to the solid single coloured background of the sky which highlights and exaggerates the colour patterns on the cannons.
We then visited what used to be an emergency dorm incase of attack by the British during the occupation, which was situated under many metres of concrete below the surface. It has been renovated to contain similar furniture if not the same as when it was in use, also being fitted with a small cabinet of relics such as newspapers like this one. These came to great use when I later experimented with photomontage.
A reinactment of a likely photo one of the soldiers may have posted near their beds or work station of their partners whilst separated during the occupation .An interesting machine inside of the sleeping quarters in the bunker. Although I cannot remember its exact purpose it still makes for a captivating image highlighting the bizarreness of some machinery during that century.We then travelled through corridors, one of which I found very intriguing which was this one. The reason being that its purpose was being a chamber which, incase of a gas or chemical attack on the germans by the British, would sanitise any soldiers who may have been exposed to the explosion or attack, stopping them from contaminating others.This image I found particularly striking because of its significance in universal recognition. Viewed as a symobol of despair and hatred among most it shows how powerful am emblem can be. It is particularly worthy to note how many, who did not want to, were obliged to represent what this emblem stands for and were expected to sacrifice their homes, their families and their lives for it during those times of despair.“Eintritt Verboten” – A German sign which reads “Entry Forbidden”.A German anti-aircraft machine gun which had been restored too near enough original aesthetics.The most powerful images was able to capture during this project was this. After having wondered around the grounds of the main Battery Moltke bunker tunnels I had come across this dark, lonely and eerie corridor. What makes this image so powerful are the textures and colours portrayed in the image. The texture can be seen through the walls which are all made of poured concrete, which can also be seen to have large stains running down the sides, giving an impression of blood and gore to highlight the evil that was running though these hollow pits. The colours, being predominantly dark oranges, browns and blacks just add to the overall mood, giving the tunnel this almost visual representation of what some would describe as ‘a pathway to hell’. I believe this image is a very good indicator at what life was life to live in these bunkers and how psychologically impacting it must have been to some of the soldiers who actually resided in them.
Above are two final images I found were especially well taken due to the photographic techniques I had used to capture them, with the main one being using the manual focus to highlight areas I wanted the viewers to pay particular attention to, for example the workers facial features and clothing in the left hand picture, and the distant bunker in the right hand image.
