Like a noir novel character, by day Berlin keeps a low, industrious profile, but at night it’s another scene entirely. Other cities close up shop around midnight, but at 3 a.m. Berliners are strolling the streets like it’s afternoon. Cobblestones illuminated by a lone streetlight, backlit tailor shop window displays that have hardly changed since the Wall came down, and dark Bohemian bars where the house drink is a double vodka: Berlin captures the city’s after-hours intrigue in eerie, expressionist black and white.
Joseph shows what goes on after reasonable people have called it a night, with moody, glowing nocturnes that remind me of another memorable movie shot in Berlin: Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire. Hard to believe this Book of the Week is Joseph’s first book. Congratulations on your sleeper hit … or would that be a sleepless hit? Judging from your Web site, we’ve got a lot more travel photography books to look forward to – but first, we hope you get some well-earned shut-eye.
