Chorin Abbey (Kloster Chorin)

This image was taken outside of the Chorin Abbey (Kloster Chorin) in the village of Chorin. I stood approximately 200 meters from the main road, Amt Chorin, to get this perspective. You'll need a car to get to the village. It's about an hour drive from Berlin's City Center to the abbey and once you're on the property, you can find parking spots in the Privatparkplatz Kloster Chorin (52.890498, 13.877838). Park your car and then head to the northwest side of the property on foot and you'll see the large brick stone walls — which can't be missed if you're coming from the parking lot.

I took the photo of the Chorin Abbey in January to capture the snow on the ground. To get a similar effect, I suggest visiting in the winter months. I also recommend shooting in the autumn and early spring months for a grim, foggy photo that will complement the gothic architecture.

Visit the monastery during the day to get the best natural light. If you're visiting the museum inside the abbey, make sure to go during the opening hours (10AM-4PM in winter; 9AM-6PM in summer) to spend more time in the area.

If you aren't getting all of the monastery in your shot, take a few steps back to fit all of the architecture into the frame. A wide-angle lens is helpful.

I think it's also important to incorporate a model into your shot to add a sense of scale, highlighting the size of the abbey's structure.

Straighten your camera and then focus on your composition. Notice how I framed three different heights of the building.

You can take this shot without actually going inside the property, but I highly recommend visiting the interior of the abbey and museum. There's a small fee (6€) for entering the museum, but it's worth it to see the authentic look of the monastery from hundreds of years ago.

A 20-minute drive away from the abbey, you'll find Schiffshebewerk Niederfinow. This is the oldest working boat lift in Germany and its impressive infrastructure will give you more opportunities to photograph interesting architecture.