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Exploring the Beauty of Gdansk, Poland: A Reflection on Textures and Shadows

  • Writer: Court Richards
    Court Richards
  • Mar 25
  • 2 min read

I’ve never been one for the classic “postcard” shot.

A shot taken from the bottom of stairs in a pedestrian underpass located in Gdansk, Poland. The warm afternoon sun silhouettes someone at the top of the stairs casting a shadown on the concrete wall. Warm muted colours. Taken with Fujifilm X100VI
Fujifilm X100VI | f8 | 1/500s | ISO400 (Gdansk)

Even after more than a year of living in Gdansk, Poland—a city that offers no shortage of charming streets, colorful facades, and old-world architecture—I still find myself drawn to something different. I’m more interested in corners most people pass by. The chipped walls, long shadows, obscure reflections and empty windows. The ordinary scenes that, with just the right light, become something else entirely.

 

A muted orange red facade in old town gdansk. Three windows are visible in the top half of the image, an elderly man is silhouetted in the bottom of the image walking past the façade. Some graffiti adorns the wall behind him. Taken with Fujifilm X100VI
Fujifilm X100VI | f8 | 1/1000s | ISO160 (Gdansk)

Maybe it’s because I’ve never really stayed still for long. I grew up in Australia, but spent much of my life on the move—across countries, continents, time zones. It's that kind of life that teaches you to notice the little things. Not always the landmarks, but the textures. The quiet contrast.

 


It might also be my ADHD and OCD—always moving, happily fixating on tiny details, fussing over framing or the way a shadow falls. There’s a kind of comfort in the repetition, in chasing those moments where light meets texture in just the right way.


A man with a wool cap walks through a pedestrian underpass in Gdansk Poland. There is a triangular shadow extending to the right of the image as he walks left. There is a colourful mural behind him partially obscured by the shadow. Taken with the Fujifilm X100VI.
Fujifilm X100VI | f8 | 1/500s | ISO250 (Gdansk)

For years, I lugged around a full-frame Sony A7RIII and a selection of lenses, convincing myself I needed the versatility. But truthfully, I’d almost never change lenses. It was more of a safety blanket than a tool. Over the last 12 months though, that’s shifted. More and more, I’ve found myself heading out with just the Fujifilm X100VI in hand.


A red brick building with columns. High contrast dark shadows create geometric patterns seperating the image into light and dark. A person wearing a wool cap is partially silhouetted in a small window of light in the middle of the image. Walking to the right. Taken in Gdansk Poland with Fujifilm X100VI
Fujifilm X100VI | f8 | 1/500s | ISO200 (Gdansk)

It’s small, light, discreet—and has become an extension of how I want to move through the world. The color profiles are beautiful, the image quality outstanding, and the simplicity of it lets me focus more on seeing than setting. It's definitely given me a greater sense of Freedom.


Two elderly women walk through the image to the left. They are walking past a building that has two large arches. One lady is on the street level illuminated by the warm afternoon sun, the other lady walks below the arches and is silhouetted by one of the shadows cast by the column. Taken in Gdansk Poland Fujifilm X100VI

A reflection of classic buildings in old town gdansk. The roof of a car is used to create a symmetrical image with inverse reflections of the colourful buildings. A person is in silhouette and partially visible to the bottom right of the image. Taken in Gdansk with Fujifilm X100VI
Fujifilm X100VI | f10 | 1/500s | ISO200 (Gdansk)

A way of seeing shaped by high contrast moments from the streets of Gdańsk. Bits of light sneaking through old alleyways, sharp shadows slicing across tram stops, quiet reflections in puddles and windows.

 

These aren’t the scenes you’ll find in a guidebook, but they’re the ones I come back to.


Thanks for checking out my work - Court Richards


Court Richards Photography Signature

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