Helmet Newton was one of the most well-known photographers of the latter twentieth century and built a stellar career working for the likes of Vogue (in different countries) and Harper’s Bizarre when they were all at their peak in the pre-internet age. I’d discovered his work earlier in the year and while fashion and nude photography was never something I’d been that interested in, the way Helmut captured his images was really quite fascinating and inspirational. There was real life and a spark to what he captured that was missing from most other peoples’ work and it was also very obvious through interviews I’d seen online that he had a real enthusiasm for photography that went above and beyond.

With the rise of the Nazis in the 1930s he was forced to flee the country, but his home city was Berlin, and it is here that the Museum für Fotografie houses the Helmut Newton Foundation which archives and displays his work as well as numerous personal artefacts. As this year also marked the twentieth anniversary of the Foundation, I decided I had to go, as I wouldn’t get another chance for a long time with my upcoming move to Japan. Perhaps there was something more I could gleam from his work that I could take with me on the next phase of my life.

What really struck me when I was visiting, were the other visitors. As a lot of his work was nude women, and initially you’d think most the people visiting would be men, but in fact at times I was the only man in there. Given these images were shot predominantly for women’s magazine that shouldn’t necessarily come as a great surprise, but I think that says a great deal about Helmut’s work. What he captured was not the same three poses as in all the ‘girlie magazines’ as he put it in an essay of his I read elsewhere. The women he captured were very beautiful, but they also had great strength and character, something that has a strong appeal to both men and women.

What’s also fascinating about his work is the irony in his influences. He was Jewish but clearly his time growing up in 1930s Germany had impacted his very Aryan sense of beauty. Most of the women he photographed were tall, athletic and often blonde and he himself has admitted that Leni Riefenstahl, a pioneering photographer and filmmaker who made many of the most infamous Nazi propaganda films, was an inspiration for him. In later years they actually became good friends. But this shows a certain curiosity of Helmut, for him genius was genius, it didn’t matter where it came from. That’s probably part of why he was so successful and is fondly remembered by those who worked with him.

The other floors in the Museum play host to other exhibitions and when I went it was ‘Berlin, Berlin’ which pays tribute to the city that he once called home. Numerous other photographers were represented including his mentor and employer Yva who would later sadly die during the holocaust.  These special exhibitions run until February of next year so do check them out if you visit Berlin during that time. They certainly gave me a great deal of inspiration and a lot to think about. On this occasion I didn’t have time to visit his and June’s (his wife) grave, one for another trip.

When I wasn’t making swimming trips to the Grunewald, I spent the rest of my time exploring the inner city with my Leica iii, curious as to how the city had been transformed by the then ongoing Euro 2024 tournament. Perhaps the biggest change was that the Brandenberg Gate had become inaccessible, as that area was being used as the fan zone where you could watch matches on the big screen as well as buy all the merchandise to your heart’s content. Key sponsors also had their own areas here. As I was there during the semi-finals there were no matches being played in Berlin but you still saw plenty of activity of keen football fans out in the city in the evening. Being so small and light it was easy to take my Leica with me wherever I went.

Surprisingly though the football mania didn’t extend right across the entire city, and in some places, you wouldn’t know the Euros were happening at all! Last time I was here I had my Kodak Pocket camera which at times produced good results and others very frustrating ones as I hadn’t quite understood the parallax error of that camera, something I’d overcome already with my Leica iii. Shooting with such an old lens in monochrome certainly creates a very classic and timeless feel, fitting well with the deep history of the city and helped by the fact that Berlin lacks a lot of the modern steel and glass skyscrapers of London. A lot of effort has also gone into rebuilding things in a way with some historicity.

As my time in Berlin drew to a close, I thought a lot about what makes this city different to London back home. Its much more laid back and certainly feels much more European, despite all the changes of the past decades the city still very much retains its soul in a way London has long lost. I do feel that being a Berliner does still mean something, even if over time that will be eroded. However, it does also make more me curious to leave the city and explore the rest of East Germany as you do also get a sense that Berlin is a showcase, with so much investment having been poured into it. What is the real East like? Something for me to explore on another trip.

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