Hoping to improve my amateur photographic skills and to learn the tips and tricks of my specific camera, I attended a four-day workshop with Danish photographer Thorsten von Overgaard. I’ve been following him for a while now and really like his style. In addition, I have learned so much by reading his website. He regularly holds photography seminars around the world and, this time around, I made it to one … in Berlin.

We had lots of coffee, well, at least Thorsten did, took many pictures, edited them, and had breakfast, lunch and dinner together. I’ve never attended a workshop like this before. Usually, it was more of a classroom style where you learn the theory and then do the photographic assignments on your own. Well, Thorsten’s was definitely different. It was great fun and I could ask him questions all the time. It was learning by doing. In addition, as it was a small group of like-minded individuals (only five participants), it was nice to make new friends. An added plus was as most had more advanced skills than I did, I could also learn from them.

I started the course uneasy about photographing people and working my camera’s manual focus. But I went home feeling more confident with fresh information on how to better photograph … now that says something.

where to stay
Hilton Berlin — ♥♥♥♥♥
Mohrenstrasse 30, 10117 Berlin
http://www.hilton.com
* Located right in the middle of Stadtmitte, my room was spacious, bright and had a comfortable king-size bed. The bathroom wasn’t too shabby either. With its central location, a metro and a hop on/hop off bus just right outside its doorstep, you can easily access the city’s major attractions from the hotel.

where to eat
We ate in quite a few quaint bars and restaurants but I’ve forgotten most of their names … oops! Hey, I was busy with my camera. However, here are a few that I did remember:

Paris Bar — ♥♥♥♥♥
Kantstrasse 152, 10623 Berlin
http://www.parisbar.net
* A legend on its own, the Paris Bar is a bustling French bistro where artists and musicians sit elbow to elbow. If ever you’re in Berlin, don’t miss this place. Reservations for dinner are highly recommended, unless you’re like us who showed up in the late evening and didn’t mind squeezing into a tiny table … we were bonding!

Literaturhaus — ♥♥♥♥♥
Fasanenstrasse 23, 10719 Berlin
http://www.literaturhaus-berlin.de
* A great place for brunch and coffee. It’s an old villa with a garden in the middle of Berlin’s buzzling Kurfürstendamm shopping area. The cafe is also part of a private foundation devoted to the promotion of German literature.

St. Oberholz — ♥♥♥♥
Rosenthaler Strasse 72, 10119 Berlin
http://www.sanktoberholz.de
* This café in what was formerly East Berlin is also a small boutique hotel. It’s a great place for fresh juices, delightful sandwiches, salads and other light snacks. The contrast between the old wooden spiral staircase and the modern industrial design gives it a very cool vibe. And instead of playing music in the toilets, there’s poetry reading.

Eat Cha Chà — ♥♥♥♥
Friedrichstrasse 63, 10117 Berlin
http://www.eatchacha.com
* Funnily enough, I know Eat Cha Chà as part of the employee restaurant system at a company I often work at. I had no idea it was a chain. So to my surprise, I was shocked to see it in Berlin. Eat Cha Chà serves modern Thai cuisine without the typical atmosphere of an Asian restaurant. Think minimalistic decor with long wooden tables that guests share and gigantic modern white lamps hanging directly on top of your food. Oh, and don’t forget the lounge music.

Until my next post … take care!

Read: East meets West
Read: Double reflection
Read: Overground and underground
Read: Artisans and craftsmen
Read: Winter in Berlin — What to wear