Photography projects rarely begin with a grand plan. It was a July evening in 2025 when I walked onto Peißnitz Island with a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and a 24-70mm zoom — no fixed goal, just looking for good light. The island was alive, the linden trees casting long evening shadows across the paved riverside path. Standing beside the weathered bench at the Saale shore, I had no idea that this walk would become a long-term project.
Now, in January 2026, I’m wading through fresh snow in that same spot. The bench has disappeared beneath a white blanket, the linden trees are bare, the silence nearly complete. The same island — an entirely different world.
Summer on Peißnitz
On July 6, 2025, the island was a green cathedral. The massive trunks of old linden trees lined the avenue like columns — and moving between them, a fire engine with blue lights flashing, kicking up clouds of dust as a cyclist in an orange T-shirt pedaled ahead. That was the first image in this series: Fire Engine on Peißnitz, shot with the Canon 5DS R at 70mm and ISO 3200. Everyday life on the island — unplanned, vital.
Two weeks later, on July 20, two people sat on the riverbank and talked. In the warm backlight they became Silhouettes at the Saale Shore — captured with the 70-200mm at 190mm from a respectful distance. Sunlight glittered on the water behind them. A quiet summer moment that captures the quality of life along the Saale.
On July 25, a different approach — from ground level. A dark tree trunk before a creamy bokeh of greens: Summer Green on Peißnitz. And the same day, the bench at the Saale shore in evening light, with a climbing wall in the background and cumulus clouds on the horizon — 24mm, ƒ/7.1, everything in one wide-angle frame.
Camera Settings — Summer
- Cameras: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV (people, light, atmosphere) · Canon EOS 5DS R (structures, architecture, telephoto)
- Lenses: EF24-70mm f/2.8L II (wide to normal) · EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II (portraits and compression)
- Note: High ISO (up to 3200) even in daylight to enforce fast shutter speeds and freeze motion
Late Summer: The Laternenfest
Late August brings the Laternenfest to Peißnitz — Halle’s largest folk festival, showing the city from a different angle: festive, loud, colorful. On August 30, 2025, white pagoda tents and an orange-and-yellow carousel tent lined up in front of the massive trees — and in the foreground, a large rain puddle perfectly mirrored the entire scene.
The photograph Laternenfest Reflection was a stroke of luck: the puddle doubles everything — tents, trees, cumulus clouds. At 28mm and ƒ/7.1, everything stays sharp from the reflection to the depth of the fairground. ISO 100, 1/400s — the evening light just barely held.
Winter: The Island Unmasked
On January 26, 2026, it snowed overnight. I set out early with a Fujifilm X-E5 and the XF23mm f/2.8 R WR — a light, weather-sealed setup for snow and cold. Peißnitz received me with a silence I had never experienced there before.
The first shot: Winterliche Symmetrie. Two park benches, perfectly symmetrical, covered in fresh snow. A slightly tilted tree breaks the strict geometry. At 35mm and ƒ/7.1, everything stays sharp — the graphic character of the scene demanded depth of field.
Then the bridge. Empty. Untouched. The symmetrically converging metal railings draw the eye into the depth, where snow-laden branches form a natural tunnel: The Way Across the Bridge — a composition that presents itself the moment you stand before it.
A few minutes later, the same bridge — but with a person. A woman walking alone through the tunnel of branches and snow. Her silhouette barely distinguishable from the winter: Alone on the Bridge. The image came together in a fraction of a second as she walked into my viewfinder.
At the bank of the Wilde Saale came one of the most beautiful scenes of the year: snow-covered trees bending over dark, still water and creating perfect reflections. A massive branch arcs across the entire frame — Winter Magic at the Wilde Saale. No filters, no mood editing. The Wilde Saale does that itself.
Deeper into the island: a stone obelisk, surrounded by bare deciduous trees, in Winter Dormancy. The open composition makes the monument look small and lost — winter landscape as memento mori.
The final image of the day: The Avenue on Peißnitz. The same linden avenue as in summer — but now without leaves, without a canopy, without shade. Just trunks and branches against the grey January sky.
Camera Settings — Winter
- Camera: Fujifilm X-E5 (lightweight, weather-sealed — ideal for snow)
- Lens: Fujinon XF23mm f/2.8 R WR (equivalent to 35mm full frame)
- Exposure compensation: +1 to +1.5 EV in snow — the camera wants grey, not white
- ISO: 160–400 (winter daylight still allows low values)
What’s Still Missing
The project isn’t finished. Spring and full autumn are still to come. Spring brings crocuses and wood anemones before the trees close their canopy — the best light of the year reaching the forest floor. Autumn turns the linden avenue into a golden tunnel.
Both seasons will come. Peißnitz isn’t going anywhere.
This article is part of the series Halle in Transformation — a photographic documentary of how the city changes through the seasons. New entries appear irregularly, when light, weather, and opportunity align.