Making-of

Creation of the pictures

Here you can find out everything about the creation of the images as they change from day to night.

According to the rule "photography is timing", every motif in "Zeitsprung Hannover" has its own story.

“During the campaign, I met a wide variety of fascinating people who treated me with incredible openness and warmth. I also learned a little about myself—I pushed beyond my limits, especially given the weather conditions. Shoots where I was completely alone, in an environment where there wasn’t a soul in sight—like at Marienburg Castle at night—made me realize just how quiet silence really can be. And yet, on the other hand, it was simply fantastic to be focused solely on myself and those unique, phenomenal perspectives—and to be able to capture them in that one true moment. Because that’s exactly what photography means to me,” says Stefan Knaak.

Background stories - some examples

One campaign image shows the polar bear enclosure at the Hannover Adventure Zoo. Below him, in the cool water where the polar bears frolic, Knaak stands on a balustrade overlooking the enclosure’s lake on the hottest day of the year. The zookeeper next to him tosses food down to his charges, allowing the photographer to capture the polar bears’ gazes directly through his camera. The night in the cordoned-off area turns out to be the longest of the campaign for Knaak, and in the meantime, he almost seems to be chatting with the seals in the enclosure across the way. At 1:30 a.m., the zoo turns off all the lights, and Knaak witnesses a small miracle: the Milky Way is visible in the sky right in the middle of the city, despite the city’s bright lights.

Another scene featuring the largest number of photos taken: 3,800 photos were captured for a single time-lapse image, offering a panoramic view of Hanover from the university’s Conti Campus. To conclude, this image once again highlights Hanover’s greatest strength: the contrast between city and countryside, nature and infrastructure, and the transition from day to night, which lends the city ever-greater splendor.

The inclusion of the calendar month of February required a little imagination.

Time Jump: Hanover – Lichtenberg Roundabout — The February Feature: A Journey Through Time—Hanover–Lichtenberg Roundabout, Linden

Since there was no one at the Lichtenberg roundabout in Linden who could have recommended a suitable spot for the photographer, Knaak knocked on the door of the house across the square. His persistence paid off, and a friendly family invited him to spend the night on their balcony—dinner included! Editing the photo of the Lichtenberg roundabout proves to be a bit of a challenge for the photographer. He had to adjust the positions of nearly 50 individual objects to create a harmonious composition.

Time Jump Hanover - Conti Campus — The March Feature: A Journey Through Time in Hanover—At the Linden Kitchen Garden

For Knaak, the March shoot turns out to be one of his personal highlights of this campaign: the 360° view from the Enercity skyscraper in the Ihme-Zentrum. After a thorough safety briefing, conditions on the roof aren’t ideal. Wind and weather forced the photographer to stop work temporarily. The risk of the five cameras—positioned throughout the roof—falling was simply too great. But both the equipment and the photographer were rewarded, resulting in a wonderfully clear image of the sun and the starry sky.

Stefan Knaak

Portrait of the photographer

Here you will find information about the photographer who took the motifs and the time-lapse videos.

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Making-of

Idea & technology

Here you will find all the information about the idea behind the campaign and the technology behind the motifs created.

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Videos to click through

Time Jump Hannover - Video Gallery

Here you can find all videos at a glance.

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