TimelessVast prairie views
Skies promise stormy weather
Now the same as then

Recently I had the privilege of being invited to this working ranch in the Colorado high country (around 10,000 ft. elevation). I was invited to help vaccinate the calves against respiratory problems but I quickly decided the best contribution this city slicker could make was by creating images. 

The image is titled "Timeless" and the caption is:

Vast prairie views
Skies promise stormy weather
Now the same as then

The ranch has a rich history, and the large white building that is the primary subject of the image was once a hotel and stagecoach stop/relay station. The upper floor consists of several rooms where passengers could rest (maybe overnight or at least while the horses were being changed and refreshed). The log building behind it was the original homestead when the settlers originally came here in the 1800's. 

And you can tell it was a pretty elegant place because the outhouse has two separate doors.

The dirt road extends into the distance and it's easy for me to imagine the stagecoach coming up the road trailed by a cloud of dust.

The truck is of much more recent vintage, being only about 60 years old. It looks a little run down but I understand there's a high performance Corvette engine under the hood. One of the ranch's brands is on its door.

This ranch has been in one family since settlement, and there are many interesting facts and tales that I learned. One member of the family who lived here was Antoinette Perry, a performer. Not only does she have a street named after her in New York but the Tony Awards are also named for her. And another was a founder of Cities Service and Diamond Shamrock, which is now one of the ranch's many brands.

Through this long exposure with a sepia treatment I was trying to a nostalgic image that expresses the duration of this place across time, which required perseverance against constant threats such as weather as represented by the threatening sky in the image. The exposure time was 4 minutes and 30 seconds using 16 stops of neutral density filters and a circular polarizer. 

There was a significant thunderstorm a little later in the day.

The ParkA clear winter day A Sunday stroll in the park A coincidence?

This image, titled "The Park" is Central Park and the New York Skyline.

The image's caption is:

A clear winter day    
A Sunday stroll in the park    
A coincidence?

The image may be my first successful black and white image. It was March 2008 on a clear weekend day. There was an elevated point in the park where you were looking down on the lake and all of the people strolling about. It was an inviting scene.

It was so long ago that I don't remember and particular challenges that were necessary to overcome other than hand holding the camera.

DAM 3Jagged peaks skyward Pointing the way for ascent - Solidly grounded

This image is titled DAM 3 and is the Denver Art Museum. The lighting on the building is modified to reflect my vision. For me this profile of the building evokes thoughts of jagged mountain peaks, so the caption is:

Jagged peaks skyward
Pointing the way for ascent -
Solidly grounded

The image was made by stitching together three photos made with the Canon 24mm tilt/shift lens and Fuji GFX100S medium format camera body. One image was straight on and then one was shifted up and one was shifted down. By doing it that way I was able to create more space in the foreground leading into the image.

Cacophony IChaotic Profile cacophony of shapes a striking combo This image of the Denver Public Library is titled Cacophony I. The caption is:

Chaotic Profile
cacophony of shapes
a striking combo

What a combination of shapes, forms and volumes the architect assembled in designing this building! The word that first comes to me is "cacophony", by which I mean a striking combination of incongruous parts. If form follows function, I have to wonder about the function of each of the forms. In particular I wonder about the flat structure on top. What is its function? It reminds me of a heliport, or the cap of a cap and gown.

I wanted to include the stone sculpture on the right side of the image to provide weight to that portion. 

The early morning light was also striking at the time and my objective in processing was to use and enhance the existing light to differentiate each of the different shapes and volumes.

EmpireMonumental tower
Ascending to the heavens -
A beacon for all This image, titled "Empire", represents my interpretation of the Empire State Building. The caption is:

Monumental tower
Ascending to the heavens -
A beacon for all

The image is part of my Urbane series and was made during the recent Julia Anna Gospodarou workshop in New York. I'm looking forward to attending her workshop on the Oregon coast in November, and I see that there are still 2 openings available if that interests you.  

The goal was to represent the massive and monumental nature of the structure, emphasizing the architectural setbacks. 

The image was made from the 34th street side using a tripod. I used a tripod intending to make a long exposure, but due to an impending thunderstorm and downpour I chose to not take the time for that.

Construction of the Empire State Building began in 1930 and was completed in 1931. It's an art deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, which was the tallest building in the world from 1931 to 1970. The site was the home of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel prior to construction of the building. 

It would have been interesting to visit the observation deck on the 102nd floor but neither professional cameras nor tripods are allowed so I chose to not pay the fee to visit.

Denver Municipal BuildingClassical in design
Governmental in function
Circular looking This image is the Denver Municipal Building and its caption is:

Classical in form
Governmental in function
Circular looking

Since I walk by this building often, it's so familiar to me that I hadn't considered its possibilities as a black and white architectural fine art image. For me at least, being able to see the possibilities in the familiar is often a problem. I intend to return to the building in different weather and light conditions to explore its possibilities more.

The original raw images were made with the Fuji GFX100S medium format body and Canon 24mm tilt/shift lens. I created 17 raw images by varying the shift of the lens and then selected 8 of those to stitch together in photoshop. The shift function on the lens is what enabled creating this image, and it's why eight images were required. Next time I'll see if it can be done with fewer, perhaps a maximum of five images.

Gateway 1Ascendant gateway,
Entryway to the future -
Whether bright or dark Gateway 2Ascendant gateway,
Entryway to the future -
Whether bright or dark Gateway 3Ascendant gateway,
Entryway to the future -
Whether bright or dark These three images are titled Gateway 1, Gateway 2 and Gateway 3 and they comprise my Gateway mini-series. The series represents an interpretation of the Gateway Arch, which is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River in St. Louis, Missouri. The caption of each of the three images is:

Ascendant gateway,
Entryway to the future -
Whether bright or dark

Recently I was driving through St. Louis on my return to Denver from a photo printing workshop and made a short stop at the Gateway Arch. It was a hazy morning which turned out to be good conditions for making images showing the sunlight and its reflections on the arch. I remember watching the arch being built in the 1960's when my grandfather would sometimes take me to a Cardinals game so being there brought back those pleasant memories.

It was fun exploring different viewpoints, vantage points and angles. And as often happens, that exploration piqued the interest of others who were there that morning and wondered what I was doing. That led to a nice conversation before getting back on the road.

Here's some information about the Gateway Arch from WikiPedia:

• Both the width and height of the arch are 630 feet (192 m). 
• The cross-sections of the arch's legs are equilateral triangles, narrowing from 54 feet (16 m) per side at the bases to 17 feet (5.2 m) per side at the top. 
• The arch is hollow to accommodate a unique tram system that takes visitors to an observation deck at the top.
• The arch was designed by architect Eero Saarinen in 1947. Construction began in 1963, and the arch was completed in 1965.

Urbane VBeginning of day
Sun rising over waking city
What will the day bring?

The title of this long exposure image of Downtown New York is Urbane V, and it's part of my Urbane series. The vantage point was in New Jersey with the Hudson River in the foreground. There were vessels on the river so the long exposure nicely eliminated those.

The image's caption is:

Beginning of day
Sun rising over waking city -
What will the day bring?

My intent was to contrast the sharp detail in the buildings with the smooth and soft water that resulted from the long exposure. Also to highlight the morning light on the buildings.

The sun is rising to the left of the image. Unfortunately I had read The Photographers Ephemeris app 180 degrees backwards. I was expecting the sun to be behind me but when I arrived it was in front of the camera. That limited the available compositions. Usually I'm not that geographically challenged but was apparently turned around.

The image was with the Fuji GFX100s medium format body and Fujinon 45-100mm lens at 70mm. It was a 6 minute and 40 second exposure using a 16 stop neutral density filter and a polarizing filter. Since the lighting was the opposite of what I was expecting I made this one image and got back on the train and went to Brooklyn for images with the sun to my back.