2012, Day 67 - Better by rail

Sometimes common sense escapes me completely.  This is Portland's Union Station.  Built in 1896 it houses the only Amtrak first class lounge on the west coast.  In 1996, to celebrate its centennial year, the building underwent extensive restoration.  I have countless pictures of this magnificent train station but all taken from ground level and from a relatively short distance in an attempt to eradicate foreground distractions but on Sunday I went on to the onramp for the Broadway Bridge and found an almost ideal vantage point.  Why it didn't occur to me in the past is a mystery but never-the-less I present you with Union Station.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 17-40/f4L
17mm, f6.3, merged layers of 1.3, 2.5, and 5 sec @ 500 ISO

2012, Day 66 - Kissed

Today we were lucky enough to have sunshine!  It was cold and breezy but the sun was out and we took advantage of the nice weather.  The dogs all enjoyed long walks and I took some time out of a busy day to take a few pictures of spring flowers.  These crocuses were backlit by the sun, I like that the strong light illustrates the delicacy of the petals and underscores the vibrant colors.  It is as if the flowers were kissed by the sun.

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/800 sec @ 250 ISO

2012, Day 65 - New and old

Last night I made a quick run to pick up some loser from the train station.  I say loser because I want to see if he actually reads what I write or just looks as the pretty picture...

I arrived a few minutes early and, never one to waste time, I grabbed my camera and tripod to take a few pictures.  This one I liked because on the right you have a modern and probably efficient office building whereas on the left you have the onramp to the Broadway Bridge, a bascule bridge that was opened in 1913.  While modernity might wear well and be easy to live with the almost hundred year old bridge shows infinitely more character, even though there is so little to be seen in this photography.  The concrete has texture, the iron railings are delicate but sturdy, there is a grace that we've lost in the pursuit of efficiency.  Sometimes I hate compromise because nobody wins and everybody loses...

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 17-40/f4L
21mm, f4, 2.5 sec @ 250 ISO

2012, Day 64 - Puddles

Reflections are a photographer's best friend and worst enemy.  There is nothing more frustrating than trying to take a cityscape from a high rise and getting obnoxious and distracting reflections.  At the same time reflections can add tremendous visual interest and in this case it allowed me to use a wider angle than I might have otherwise used.  Imagine the picture below without any water of the ground, only dry concrete.  Suddenly the area of interest in the photo is reduced by fifty percent!  Fortunately this is Portland and finding water on the ground is almost easier than finding a dry spot.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 17-40/f4L
17mm, f8, merged layers of 1/50 and 1/6 sec @ 100 ISO

2012, Day 63 - Depth

Although the sun never came out today it was a balmy fifty-five degrees and rain-free which made walking the dogs an absolute pleasure.  They enjoyed our wanderings as much as I did and during our outings I discovered that one of my neighbors has a lush yard of succulents and bulbs.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/250 sec @ 250 ISO

2012, Day 62 - Residue

This was a photo I took about a month ago while playing on the rail road tracks.  I liked the surprising amount of color in this photo, the purples, yellows, blues and greens make it rather vibrant and the light trail from the car that drove across the tracks is rather nice.  Sometimes the little details make the photo and if you didn't notice it before look at the utility line along the top and the pair of shoes hanging or the fact that there are a couple trees in an industrial area along the tracks.  It's fun to explore a scene even if you aren't there in the flesh.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f11, 20 sec @ 320 ISO

2012, Day 61 - Mountain flare

I took this picture last month on my way to a long weekend in Central Oregon.  The mountain in the distance is Mount Jefferson and I made my friends stop along the side of the road for a time lapse.  Unfortunately shortly after starting the intervals we realized that we would need to make good time in order to collect the keys to our rental before the office closed so I only have a few seconds worth of shots.

Normally flare is a rather distracting element but because of the movement of the clouds I decided that some flare would be acceptable in the time lapse because it would come and go making it a neat element.  I like that you can see the anger in the clouds, their violent energy and the rays of light from the sun trying to break through the coming storm.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L
70mm, f22, 1/4 sec @ 100 ISO