1905 – The racing yacht Klein Polly (52) heads a sailing race on the Baltic Sea near Schilksee in Kiel, Germany. © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com/Photo: NPG Neue Photographische Gesellschaft, Berlin-Steglitz
The story behind the image
Here is another shot that belongs to a set of historic postcards showing a sailing race near Kiel Schilksee likely shot during Kiel Week in 1905. This is supported by the fact postcard shows the date 1905 as part of the NPG mark in the lower right corner.
NPG was the abbreviation of Neue Photographische Gesellschaft in Berlin-Steglitz, the publisher of the card. This widely unknown company had had a serious impact on streamlining photo processing by providing a way to print images on rolls of paper instead of single sheets, enabling mass printing of postcards and photos. There’s a good website covering the history of the company (in German.)
Given that the photos were shot in 1905, I am amazed by the quality of the images. How on earth did the photographer manage to capture this scene while (presumably) on a shaky ship?
It was not as difficult as it seems. The photographer was probably using an early version of a “fast” film, most likely a dry glass plate, and a moderately low f-stop. Fast films around that time were up to ISO 25 (though the ISO standard had not yet been invented) and the typical exposure time in sunlight was 1/25 sec at f/16. If the photographer used f/11 or f/8 the speeds would go up significantly, enabling him to capture even dynamic scenes like this.
Still, I’d call this mastery.
Anyway, I think it is a stunning photo for sailing enthusiasts that illustrates the topic of (speed) sailing perfectly and a beautiful maritime decoration for your home or your office.
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | 1905 |
| Photographer | unknown |
| Publisher | Neue Photographische Gesellschaft, Berlin-Steglitz |
| Publisher ID | 502/14 |
| Location | Kiel, Germany |
| Image Source | 13.6 x 8.5 cm postcard |
| 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 | 6463 x 4034 Pixels |
| Copyright | © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com/Photo: Neue Photographische Gesellschaft, Berlin-Steglitz |
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