Kraków 2023

Photographs from my research visit to Kraków in Winter 2023. There was a lot of snowfall on the night I arrived in the city and it stayed well below freezing for the whole duration of my stay there (it even went down to -11°C on one night). During the days I mostly spent my time at Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Krakowie to work on a joint research project. But in the evenings and on the weekend I had some time to indulge in my hobby. Here's a selection of what came out of that time. Miłej zabawy!

All pictures were taken with a Sony A7IV camera and a Minolta AF 50mm lens. I've developed each photo separately with Filmulator, so they look as close as possible to how I remember the scenes. Those pictures where this does not apply are marked separately.


1/80, f4, ISO 3200
A dark alleyway with irregular splotchy shadows.
A dark alleyway with irregular splotchy shadows. This was the first shot I took that night and it's really nothing special, except for the fine details of the cold air showing in the lighting of that backyard.
1/125, f4.5, ISO 6400
Young people walking along a street at night.
There were a lot of young people walking along the streets at night, likely going out to have a drink together. I felt a bit lost on that day because I cannot speak any Polish and didn't know anybody – it's always hard for me to just talk to people and expect them to switch to English. Fully taking the role of the silent observer was unusual for me but after a few minutes of strolling through the streets I didn't mind it anymore.
1/60, f2.8, ISO 6400
A street full of snow and cars.
I wish there were less cars in cities. They take up so much space and are loud and smelly.
1/60, f2.8, ISO 6400
Entry door of the Polish Kyokushin Organization.
At first I thought that this was the entry door for some kind of fraternity hall but quickly realised that this is an association of people with good manners and solid morale.
1/60, f2.8, ISO 4000
A house entry with a colourful glass window above it.
Just warm and inviting.
1/60, f2.8, ISO 6400
A house door with very colourful ornamental windows in it. On the side there's an intercom with bright blue light.
The contrast of old architectural substance and modern technology is very strong in Kraków and this door was just stunning to me.
1/60, f2.8, ISO 4000
A woman and her dog on the way home.
I don't know what exactly brought me to take this picture. It was just a quick glance to the side when I saw those two on their way home and I had to quickly take a snapshot of this everyday moment.
1/125, f8, ISO 5000
A tall door that leads into an administrational building.
Just outside our view here was a guy sitting at his night desk. He probably waited until his shift is finally over because there was certainly not much happening at that time. I didn't dare take a photograph of him – something about security personnel always makes me feel uncomfortable and I reckon they also prefer to be left alone.
1/125, f4, ISO 6400
A woman sitting in a bar with windows that reflect the Christmas lights from the street.
One of those quick snapshots again where I just walked by a situation and quickly raised my camera to capture the atmosphere. I don't often take photos without looking through the viewfinder (or on the display at least) and this was one of those occasions. Always happy when the framing turns out nice.
1/125, f4, ISO 1600
A shop window with a Christmas tree and three workers decorating the shop interior.
My visit to Kraków was during the early Advent time. The Christmas market was already up and running but not all of the shops were finished decorating. These three took their time for it late in the evening.
1/125, f4, ISO 6400
A woman walking down an empty street.
Where does she come from?
1/125, f4, ISO 6400
A woman walking down an empty pathway.
Where does she go?
1/60, f2.2, ISO 2000
An old but well-kept brick tower and wall.
The Wawel was built around 1000 and has served as the residence for a lot of generations of Polish kings. It's very well-kept and definitely stately.
1/80, f1.7, ISO 1600
A fire-spitting statue of a dragon.
Very touristy, I know, but I still had to take a photo of the fire-spitting dragon near Wawel walls.
Sony Xperia 1 IV
24mm equiv.
1/640, f1.7, ISO 64
A stone entry gate of a cloister.
On a weekend we hiked through the nearby forests of Kraków and visited two cloisters: the Camaldolese church (the entry gates of which you can see here) and the Benedictine abbey further down the Wisła.
Sony Xperia 1 IV
24mm equiv.
1/1000, f1.7, ISO 64
Doves sitting on a glass roof, photographed from below.
Below the main market square of Kraków you can find a museum of the archaelogical discoveries from two decades ago. Well worth a visit.
1/250, f2, ISO 4000
A young man sitting in a book café, studying for his math classes.
We went to a book café which had not only a great selection of books, mostly political and contemporary, but also some awesome sweet baked goods. This young man was studying for his math classes and enjoyed the atmosphere together with the waitress.
1/30, f2, ISO 2500
A crane hovering above the Wisła.
There's not much freight going down the Wisła anymore, as it seemed to me. This crane also wasn't there for that but instead for maintenance work on the Wawel. Times are changing.

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