Birkenau Gatehouse

The Birkenau Gatehouse marks the entrance to the former Nazi German camp at Oświęcim, often called the Gate of Death, and it is one of the most recognizable memorials of the Holocaust. It is a place of remembrance, so how you photograph it matters as much as what you capture. The defining composition is straightforward and powerful, the symmetrical tower and arch sitting in the centre with the single railway line running straight through it, and dropping low to the rails turns the track into a leading line that carries the eye to the tower. Using a standard to wide lens takes in the full width of the building and the converging rails, while a longer lens lets you isolate the tower or compress the track from further back without crowding the gate. Personal photography is allowed without flash, but tripods and drones need prior permission from the museum, so plan to shoot handheld. This is not a place for posing, and the memorial has had to ask visitors directly not to treat the railway tracks as a prop, so keep yourself out of the frame and avoid photographing other visitors without their consent. Entry to the grounds is free but requires a timed booking made in advance, and arriving early on a weekday gives you the cleanest view through the arch before the foreground fills with people. (Oświęcim, Lesser Poland, Poland)