The Volksgarten is one of our daily go-tos when on photo walks. Its central location makes it the perfect spot for people that are new to the city and want to enjoy the beauty of Vienna.

The Volksgarten is located on the Ring, next to the Heldenplatz with the Hofburg. It offers a place where people can either pass through or detach from the hustle and bustle of city life. The park is often crowded on weekends and acts as a place where a diverse crowd meets. You will see it all, from lovebirds to business people enjoying their short lunch to older people doing their morning workouts.

This place is particularly interesting for us given the lighting quality. During the day, the light is perfect for doing street photography or taking portraits. At dawn, the warm light reflected by the Theseustempel creates a romantic atmosphere, perfect for shooting colour film. This romantic colour is magnified by the presence of the blooming roses in late spring and summer. In contrast, the park offers an entirely different vibe when the streetlamps shine and spots illuminate the temple.

Our films of choice for this location are Agfa APX 400, Kodak Tri-X 400 and Kodak Gold 200.

Agfa APX 400 is an affordable b&w film. We genuinely appreciate its versatility in terms of greyscales, given the location of the park and the lighting incidence that is created by the sum of direct sunlight and the reflection of surrounding buildings.

Kodak Gold 200 – let it shine. Given the already mentioned warm lighting that can be found in the park at dawn, we praise Kodak Golds’ ability to recreate this warm aura. Even though it is a 200 iso film, it doesn’t have too dominant and rough grain at lower light.

Kodak Tri-X 400 – the true classic. This film is a true classic known for its strong contrasts and sharpness. It lends itself nicely for use in the Volksgarten as there’s strong sunlight and consequently dimmed shadows.

We hope you enjoyed this small tour through the Volksgarten and hope you will find an opportunity to visit soon.

In case you haven’t seen our previous post, check it out here. See you in the next one!

We are Joe (@jb__shoots) and Christophe (@victoshot), two students at Vienna University who started photography in 2019/2020 and share a passion for showing the beauty of our go-to city.