Abandoned Berlin: Olympic Village

I shot this set during the time in Berlin I was photographing various abandoned sites across Berlin for Urban Outfitters. Unfortunately this set didn't feature on the website so I thought it was about time I posted it here!

The Olympic Village housed athletes during the olympics held in Berlin in 1936.  The beginning of the site is like a museum, with information about the buildings and locked doors that required a guide. There were groups being guided around the village but my friend and I decided to venture around on our own with a map. Towards the back of the site the buildings were very open with large glassless windows which looked more like blocks of flats. We made sure we were unseen and climbed up inside one of the windows. Doors had been bashed in and it was incredibly easy to enter. As we were far away enough from the rest of the village it was very easy to be discrete. There were lots of smaller buildings around and it was very surreal and really had the feeling of being somewhere like Chernobyl.

Anna in the Woods

 After our shoot in Beelitz Heilstatten we took a bus to the village I lived in, called Kanin. It is surrounded by beautiful secluded forest scenery. Being back in the UK now has left me with such a desire to go back to Germany and keep exploring Europe and the world in general. SO much to see and so many wonderful people to meet.

Photos: Molly Caitlin Baber

Model: Anna Szczurek

Behind The Scenes: Red Your Blues and Aiya

 I met photographer Sasha (Red Your Blues) and American model Aiya Campbell at the Karlshorst S-Bahn station in June. Together we all took a bus to the outskirts of Berlin where these 'garden houses' are located. They are meant for use as holiday or weekend homes, all with gorgeous gardens full of all kinds of pretty flowers. Sash managed to get permission to shoot in two of the gardens here, and the outcome was amazing!

Aiya brought with her lots of garments - swimming costumes, jewellery, shoes.. So together we picked out the perfect items for the shoot. My job for the shoot was to assist Sasha: keeping time of polaroids developing, spraying Aiya with water, and of course taking behind the scenes shots!

See the finished images by Red Your Blues on redyourblues.tumblr.com