BERNHARD SCHNAITL
Da Fischa

“Da Fischa” is Austrian dialect for “the fisherman.”

The photograph shows my father in our traditional wooden fishing boat, a Zille, once common in the region around the Danube. Today, most people use cheaper fiberglass boats.

This Zille has been in our family for generations. My grandfather used it, and it is now about 70 years old. I like to think it carries a quiet sense of the past into our fast-paced world.

I chose to submit this image because Austria is a fairly industrialized country where, apart from its touristic appeal, little of the old ways remains. Roads, cars, and agricultural machines have changed, yet this boat still serves its purpose.

It was taken on the Grabensee in northern Salzburg, Austria, on a quiet, misty November morning.

BACK TO GALLERY