Jörn Wallenwein lives in Hattersheim, Germany, and is a passionate nature and macro photographer. As soon as the temperatures drop and the insects disappear, his focus shifts to architectural photography. Frankfurt's cityscape, with its striking skyscrapers and architectural details, provides him with fascinating subjects.

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His macro photographs are mainly taken in the Rhine-Main area. After a long day at work, photography is a welcome balance for him. Even when there is no suitable subject in front of his lens, he enjoys the tranquillity of nature. It is no coincidence that many of his pictures are taken in the evening. As a late riser, early morning is simply not his time.

His macro shots focus on colour contrast, a harmonious but not monotonous background, and a good crop of the subject. Consistent sharpness from front to back is particularly important to him. He therefore often works with a tripod to optimise the camera's focus. In recent years, he has also discovered focus stacking - a technique that combines several shots with different focal points to create an impressive depth of detail.

He also uses special techniques in architectural photography. Long exposures of several minutes, which he then processes on the computer in a 'fine art' style, help him to highlight shiny surfaces and their reflections in a special way. This gives urban scenes an almost surreal atmosphere. Jörn mainly photographs in black and white to emphasise lines and details. The absence of colour heightens the drama of his images and makes architectural structures even more striking. He often chooses a low perspective, close to the building, to make the enormous height of a skyscraper appear even more impressive through the plunging lines.

[ Text 10Photos ]

10Photos says: Jörn Wallenwein combines precision and aesthetics in his photography. His macro images show an extraordinary attention to detail, while his architectural images are characterised by clear lines and impressive lighting. Particularly impressive is his sense of contrast and sharpness, which is reflected in both his nature and urban long exposures. His images invite us to pause and discover the hidden beauty in both the small and the large, whether in the delicate world of insects or in the imposing austerity of architecture.

More photos and information about Jörn Wallenwein can be found on his website wallenwein-foto.de and on Instagram @joernwallenwein , and below the following gallery images.

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Dark City Series - Fine Art Photography in Frankfurt am Main

Image 1: "Splendid". Tower 185 near the trade fair center, with a height of 200.0 meters, is the fourth highest building in Germany (together with the Main Tower). Curiously, the tower was originally intended to be only 185 meters high, as the name suggests. During construction, however, it was decided to add another 15 meters. Nevertheless, the name remains.

Image 2: "Lights in the Shadows". The Main fun fair with a Ferris wheel in front of the dark skyscrapers of Frankfurt. Shot from the southern bank of the Main.

Image 3: "Silver Giant". A surreal representation of the Silver Tower at Jürgen-Ponto-Platz. The shiny silver tower was Germany's tallest skyscraper from 1978 to 1990, standing 166 meters tall. After the completion of the Omiturm (2019) and the Grand Tower (mid-2020), the Silberturm has fallen out of the top ten German skyscrapers. However, its gleaming silver facade still makes it a sought-after photo motif.

Image 4: "Black Mirror II". Tower 185 (right) and Pollux (left). The twin towers Kastor and Pollux are not very tall for Frankfurt, but they have beautiful, reflective facades. The cover image of this gallery shows both skyscrapers in a montage with high-key processing.

Picture "Mating wheel of the damselfly on my hand": Jörn is often asked how this is possible, as it is not common to see dragonflies mating on a hand.

"It was a very warm summer day, well over 30° Celsius and it was a good year; there were a lot of active dragonflies and insects. At a fishing pond with not too dense vegetation, darters kept flying at a wooden railing. Pairs were regularly attacked by male darters. One pair flew almost always to the same place and was permanently driven away by "jealous" males. I put my hand to the corresponding spot and waited motionlessly. After a short time, the dragonfly pair came and sat down on my outstretched hand. Very slowly I lifted my hand and carefully moved away. Thereby I shielded my pair from other darters. A win-win situation, so to speak. Even when I moved my hand into the shade for better photography, the darters stayed with me. Long after the photograph was taken, the pair remained on my hand. A daters mating can last up to 20 minutes." [ Quote Jörn Wallenwein ]