To capture macro photos of wild herbs growing at the World War II German army ammunition plant and depot MUNA Hohenbrunn (MUNA stands for Munitionsanstalt), I joined a guided wild herb tour led by a certified herbal educator. The site contains 120 formerly secret bunkers that are still well camouflaged.
The tour started at today’s Main entrance of the former WWII ammunition site which was built by the Nazi regime in 1938 and subsequently used by the American army from 1945 and the Bundeswehr from 1958 until 2007.
The sprawling grounds of the former site, now offer a unique habitat for numerous plant species. Since the area was little used for decades and was largely left to its own, a remarkable diversity of plant life has been preserved here. We discover unique wild herbs that fascinate us because of their rarity and properties.
I was eager to take some nice macro photos of the wild herbs and test out my budget macro photography technique which I learned from a YouTube Video by Christina from Photosprouts.
Macro photos of the wild herbs at the World War II lost place of MUNA Hohenbrunn
When you click on an image in the galleries, following buttons will allow you to select some features. Use Original-size to watch the photo in full resolution:
Slideshow | Fullscreen | Image-Info | Original-size
I am quite satisfied with the macro photos. Using the Viltrox APO lens with apochromatic correction was probably a good decision. It was also very helpful that I didn’t need to get too close to the herbs because of my lens.
My Gear: 7 Essentials including the Viltrox 55mm F/1.8 APO lens
Before the guided tour, I did the following homework: I tested all my better lenses using extension tubes to see which one provided the best magnification, as close to a macro factor of 1:1 as possible.
In my case, the relatively new Viltrox 55mm f/1.8 APO (apochromatic) lens with the extension tubes surprisingly turned out to provide the best macro factor of my lenses. I didn’t expect this, as the minimum focus distance of this lens without extension tubes is a high 43 cm.
How can I test the macro factor of my lenses?
To test out the macro factor of the Viltrox 55mm f1.8 APO (apochromatic) lens with the Meike extension tubes, I did photograph a old folding ruler from as close as possible while still delivering a sharp image from left to right.
To calculate the magnification ratio (macro factor) of my setup, I simply compare the actual width of the photographed object with the width of my camera sensor that it is projected onto. My Sony a7Cii camera features a full-frame sensor with a width of 36 mm.
The formula is:
Plugging in my values:
Macro Factor of my lens and extension tube setup
My setup utilizing the Viltrox 55mm f/1.8 APO (apochromatic) and the Meike extension tubes achieves a magnification ratio of 1:1.39 (or rounded to 0.72:1). Lets say, my setup has a macro factor of approx. 1:1.4
What does this mean in practice? A “true macro” standard is considered to be 1:1 (where a 36 mm long object fills the full-format sensor exactly). With my extension tube setup, I am incredibly close to that benchmark. An object is projected onto my sensor at roughly 72% of its real-world size. For the vast majority of wild herbs and details at the MUNA site, this magnification ratio is more than enough to capture fine wild herb structures with razor-sharp detail.
With a macro factor of 1:1.4, the Viltrox 55mm f/1.8 APO (apochromatic) lens provides a surprisingly comfortable distance from the object, making it easy to position the IT32 off-camera flash to shape the light from the side.
Here are my shooting method steps which I followed to shoot the wild herbs
- Things to take with in my camera bag: A mirrorless camera; extension tubes; a variable ND filter with a range of approx. ND2 to ND32; a small off-camera wireless flash and trigger; and a short holding stick with a 1/4″ screw to which the flash magnetic holding shoe is mounted.
- Place both extension tubes between the camera and the lens.
- Set my camera to manual mode and minimum sync speed. I try to avoid high-speed sync (HSS) whenever possible for a stronger flash power. For my Sony α7Cii, this is a shutter speed of 1/160 s.
- Set the lens aperture to a higher value like f/11 to achieve a deeper area of sharp focus.
- Set my ISO and variable ND filter to adjust my manual settings for a dark ambient light photo without flash. Set a dark background while still making the objects in the background a little bit visible with a beautiful bokeh.
- Take some test photos to check my manual camera settings for the ambient light.
- Focus manually on the wild herb using focus peaking, then start flashing from the left or right side onto the herb with the wireless flash, initially set to manual 1/64 power. Take some test photos while adjusting the manual flash power setting until the herb is illuminated correctly.
- Take photos of all my wild herbs. I did not need to adjust my manual camera or flash settings while photographing all herbs.
Why is this macro technique on a budget?
You probably don’t need to buy an expensive macro lens because you can often use the lenses you already own with inexpensive extension tubes (I got my extension tubes for approx. EUR 30). In addition: Using an approx. EUR 100 off-camera wireless flash allows you to create your “perfect” lighting of the macro object in focus.
“Macro Photo Technique on a Budget” by Christina from Photosprouts in San Francisco, California
Thank you to Christina for sharing her budget macro photography technique using a small wireless flash and extension tubes!
Let’s familiarize ourselves with the shooting location and the tragic history of MUNA Hohenbrunn.
MUNA Hohenbrunn Overview Map
Deep in the German forests, approximately 10 km southeast of Munich, lies the abandoned site of a former World War II German Army ammunition plant and depot, historically known as MUNA Hohenbrunn (MUNA = Munitionsanstalt). The facility originally covered an area of approximately 1.8 km² (180 ha / 445 acres), an area equivalent to more than half the size of New York City’s Central Park. This specific site holds a dark history, having relied heavily on approx. 700 to 800 forced laborers.
Source: Hohenbrunn im Nationalsozialismus: Die Ortsgeschichte von 1933 bis 1945 by Annemone Christians and Florian Wimmer and https://de.wikipedia.org
Between 1939 and 1945, the number of forced laborers in Germany totaled approximately 13.5 million, comprising foreign civilian workers, prisoners of war, and concentration camp inmates. By 1944, one in every four workers in Germany was a forced laborer. Furthermore, an estimated 13 million additional people were subjected to forced labor locally within the occupied and controlled territories of Europe. Forced-labor did not occur solely in industry (43%). Forced laborers were deployed in a wide variety of settings visible to the public, in agriculture (36%), the service sector and private households (12%), the construction industry (6%), and mining (3%).
Source: Mark Spoerer, „Zwangsarbeit unter dem Hakenkreuz“, 2001
The forced laborers of MUNA Hohenbrunn can be verified by name and often by date and place of birth, religion, profession, marital status, and hometown through the Hohenbrunn municipal registration cards. Click here to browse through the 681 registration cards from 1940 to 1945.
Source: Arolsen Archives, Registration cards of the community of Hohenbrunn, Reference Code 10004423
Countries of origin of the forced laborers at MUNA Hohenbrunn
According to Hohenbrunn’s municipal registration cards, 678 forced laborers who lived in Hohenbrunn between 1940 and 1945 originated from the territories of the following present-day countries:
- Ukraine (275): Main Region of Origin is Chernihiv Region (north of Kyiv): An extremely high concentration around the former Oster district, including towns such as Krichayev (Krekhaiv), Evminka, and Yuminka. Rivne Region (Western Ukraine): around towns such as Malinsk and Huta Stepanska. Southern/Eastern Ukraine: Significant mentions of Krasnodon (Luhansk region) and Tokmak (Zaporizhzhia region).
- Czech Republic (245): Primarily from Prague, Pilsen, and Brno.
- Italy (78): A distinct, isolated cluster in Tuscany (the Pisa / Filettole / Viareggio / Pelago area).
- Russia (69): Kursk, Woronesch, Belgorod, Smolensk, Orel, Leningrad, Stawropol and Krasnodar Kraj regions.
- France (5), Republic of Moldova (3), Poland (1), Netherlands (1) and Belgium (1).
Three registration cards were not counted, a person with Greek citicenship, “German roots”, very German family and first name and the profession “Aufseherin”, a Swiss person with the profession “Melker” and a child born at the MUNA without Nationality or any other useful information on the card. Disclaimer: Some U.S.S.R. assignments to present countries may be inaccurate because historical village names could not always be matched unambiguously to their present-day locations.
Remains of Forced Laborers’ Children Were Discovered in 2011
In 2011, the skeletal remains of 21 children (aged approximately 6–10) were identified after bones were found by kids at a gravel deposit near the former MUNA Hohenbrunn. Historical investigations and forensic examinations concluded that the children were Ukrainian or Russian and belonged to families of forced laborers who had been brought to work at the MUNA Hohenbrunn. Historians had long suspected the existence of a grave associated with the camp, although the exact circumstances of the children’s deaths remain unclear.
Source: Münchner Merkur, Grusel-Fund: Kinder-Knochen in Kiesgrube entdeckt 30.09.2011
The MUNA Hohenbrunn Memorial Was Unveiled in 2015
FROM 1938 TO 1945, THE ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT OF THE GERMAN WEHRMACHT (MUNA) WAS LOCATED ON THESE GROUNDS.
HOHENBRUNN REMEMBERS THE GERMAN AND FOREIGN FORCED LABORERS DEPLOYED HERE UNDER INHUMAN CONDITIONS.
ENTIRE FAMILIES OF EASTERN WORKERS (OSTARBEITER) WERE DEPORTED HERE, AND CHILDREN WERE INTERNED IN THE CAMP SEPARATED FROM THEIR RELATIVES.
FROM TEN-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN TO ELDERLY WOMEN, THESE PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO WORK IN THE AMMUNITION FACTORY.
MANY DID NOT SURVIVE THE CAMP; CHILDREN STARVED TO DEATH. EXPLOITATION AND RACISM PROFOUNDLY VIOLATED HUMAN DIGNITY.
Source: Inscription on the MUNA (Munitionsanstalt) memorial
Google Maps location of the MUNA memorial
Google Maps location of the MUNA Hohenbrunn memorial:Â Â https://maps.app.goo.gl
Don’t hesitate to leave a comment below
Do you have any experience of using the same budget macro photography technique? What were your results?
Do you have ideas what was stored in the two large so-called Pershing Bunkers, which seems to have been built during the Bundeswehr era after 1958? In my view, it is extremely unlikely that the American army has given Pershing Rockets out of their hands, so it must have been something else. The bunker doors are large enough for some Military vehicles to drive in and out.
…
Whatever interesting information you might have about the MUNA Hohenbrunn, please share it in a comment to this blogpost.
Your comments are highly valued. Please note that comments undergo manual verification to prevent spam, which may cause a delay in their appearance. Your e-mail address will not be published.