1987 – Black and white photo of the rough baltic sea in Damp, Germany. © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
My firlfriend and I made a day-trip to the beach of Damp in Germany. It was a windy day and the Baltic Sea was rough. We both made several photos during the long walk along the beach, and this is one of the images.
I like the simplicity of the waves rolling onto the beach. The harbour light adds a nice eyecatcher. This is even enhanced by the use of on genuine black and white film. A very maritime image that does not portray the sea in a beautiful way but in a realistic way: powerful, rough, and slightly scary.
The village of Damp has a long history that was entirely changed in the 1960s when the planning for a huge vacation village had begun. The codename of the project was Damp 2000. I remember the talk and excitement of these plans very well from my childhood. A community name with a number in it? That sounded soo futuristic, so out-of-the-worldish, that I asked my parents more than once to visit the place. We never spent more than a few hours there, and today I can understand why: it has always been a concrete hell with massive high rise buildings that have been planted into the beautiful coast of the Baltic Sea. Something to counter the competition from the Spanish coast. Not good.
At some point in time, the village dropped its futuristic name and replaced it with the more neutral “Ostsee Resort Damp” (of course, the futuristic name would have lost its appeal anyhow once the year 2000 had arrived.) Having said that, the beaches are still worth a visit, and if you don’t mind the high-rise buildings, it may be worth a consideration for a summer vacation.
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | Spring 1987 |
| Location | Damp, Germany |
| Camera | Canon AE-1 Program |
| Image Source | 8.8 x 13 cm b&w print |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 6098 x 4079 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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