Looking at the world from the bottom of a well.

During a road trip through Italy in 2018, I made a stop in the beautiful hilltop town of Orvieto. After spending the morning hours viewing the numerous churches and piazzas in the city center, I walked a series of narrow streets to investigate the famous well on the outer edge.

It is known as the Pozzo di San Patrizio (St. Patrick’s Well) and is a triumph of Renaissance engineering. It was commissioned by Pope Clement VII in 1527 while taking refuge in Orvieto during the “Sack of Rome.” He chose Antonio da Sangallo the Younger to design and build the well as a city water supply in case of siege.

It features two staircases in a double-helix design. Circling the center opening, you can descend to the bottom, and then ascend to the top without encountering any traffic in the other direction (perfect for donkeys hauling buckets up and down). Lighting is provided by arched windows along the two staircases and reaches the bottom depth of 72 meters (174.4 feet).

Incredibly functional, but also surprisingly beautiful when viewed from the bottom.

Staring at the Ceiling

During these strange times, I assume many of you are spending more time than usual at home, sheltering-in-place, and/or social-distancing. Over the last several weeks, I have discovered myself unintentionally staring at the ceiling as my mind wanders or I simply lose focus. I recently discussed this with friends and was relieved to hear that they too are having similar occurrences. Perhaps our minds are doing their best to roam mentally, while physically we are limited to do so. Anyway, these discussions brought to mind a time when I purposely & intently stared at the ceiling...to capture a photograph.

This was taken in the Pinakothek, an art museum in Munich, Germany. It is a wonderful place filled with brilliant paintings and sculptures. Yet, every time I visit, I find myself examining the building itself more than the artwork around me. There is something about the convergence of lines and shapes throughout the various halls & rooms that I find more gratifying than what is hanging on its walls.

Its atrium is one of my favorite areas. As you look upward, a multi-paneled glass ceiling exposes light upon the surrounding circles & shapes. This particular day was very cloudy, which allowed me to expose for all light in the scene. In the absence of direct sunlight and harsh shadows, the symmetry can be enjoyed without distraction.

The most challenging part of the capture was getting low enough to capture the entire scene. Even with a wide-angle lens, I had to get the camera to floor-level to get all of the details I wanted. You may remember I had a similar challenge in Naples while photographing a staircase (The Hidden Galaxy). My solution here was the same...lay on my back & press the camera to my face...then try to produce a symmetrical composition. So there I was, staring at the ceiling, much like the last few weeks…but with full concentration and focus.

This is the second image I have posted from the Pinakothek. My previous image (The Road to Enlightenment) can be viewed here.

Dragon Bones

In my travels, I have found Utah to possess some of the most captivating landscapes anywhere in the United States. The color variation found in the strata combined with the abundance of photogenic rock formations provides unique opportunities not found elsewhere. Most of this, of course, is observed easily from the ground. However, there are times when an aerial view gives the best (and perhaps only) perspective of the beauty that lies underneath.

I captured this with an aerial drone over some desert badlands. Standing on the surface, the intricacies of the wind & water erosion patterns are barely visible. From above, the scene is complex and filled with textures and interesting shapes. Upon seeing this through my drone's camera, I had a notion I was gazing over the bones of mythical beasts...a graveyard of dragons. Nature can provide some amazing abstracts. 

In all seriousness, there are likely ancient bones under these dunes! We just refer to them as dinosaurs, not dragons. :-)

For those interested in the geeky, technical side of things, this is a panorama made from multiple images stitched together in Photoshop. The ground formations are so large that I could only capture a small portion with each image. I had to position my drone, and then reposition it using a grid-like pattern while taking images in each part of the grid. It was tedious (and challenging due to the strong winds that day), but eventually, I managed to photograph 34 overlapping images covering the region of you see here.

Creating the panorama was easy, as Photoshop worked its magic and automatically combined the multiple images using overlapping features. While it may appear so, I did not color grade the image into 3 different areas. The subtle blue, red & black colors are earth tones that naturally appear here with the yellow being the highest elevation of soil. Simply adjusting the haze and clarity exposed the texture and colors in each layer.

The Hidden Galaxy

Before arriving in Naples, I had researched a building that I wanted to photograph…specifically, its large, grand staircase. The building location is not well known and even though I had found the address online, I walked past it twice before I found the (somewhat) hidden entrance. Tucked in between two retail shops is a small walkway that opens into the interior courtyard of the building. I did not see a way to get inside though and I was a bit puzzled as to how to find this staircase.

Walking back towards the street, I noticed a security guard’s office. I approached him with my camera in hand to ask about the staircase. He instructed me that I could not go up the stairs as it is a private residence. He did, however, agree to allow me take a photo from the lobby floor and pointed to another (somewhat) hidden hallway located behind me. 

At the end of that hallway, I entered the lobby and finally saw the staircase with this slender, oval design! It was beautiful, but not large at all. My assumptions were wrong. In reality, the lobby was rather small and narrow…this presented a challenge.

I expected my widest lens would be fine for this shot, but it was not wide enough! The only possibility to fit the staircase in the frame was to get on the floor…so that is what I did. Lying on my back with my legs under the stairs, I slid left & right and back & forth get in this position. With my head near the center of the lobby floor (and with the camera pressed against my face), I was just barely able to squeeze the entire staircase into the frame. 

I suspect it would have looked comical to anyone watching this, but in the end, I got the image I wanted. Thanks in part to a kind security guard and the fact that I have a small head. :) Hope you agree that the results were worth getting a little dirty.

The Big Bang

I frequently experiment with various perspectives when trying to be creative with my photography.  There are many well-known techniques to use, like “get low,” “get close,” “get closer,” “look behind you,” etc… I enjoy the challenge of seeing things in different ways and find it very gratifying when I capture an image I like. 

This was taken one day while we were being tourists in Helsinki. Walking through a park, we approached this sculpture. It is a monument honoring the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius and is made up of stylized organ pipes cascading up & down like a wave. I found it interesting, but not necessarily photogenic.

Then I noticed some small children playing underneath the pipes. They were running around and having fun, but occasionally one would stop and look up from underneath the monument…and it seemed to hold their attention. I thought to myself, there must be an good view from that position if the kids are stopping to take a look! The children left shortly thereafter and I walked under the monument. I had to crouch in spots, but I could see what the children saw. 

Getting a photograph required an even lower position, so with the area clear around me, I lay flat on my back, used my widest lens and shot this from underneath the pipes. I suppose the “get low” technique is somewhat appropriate, but as the children inspired me to get into this position, I prefer thinking of it as “a child’s perspective.”
 

Eye Spy

In my opinion, the architecture around Messeplatz is some of the best in Basel. The facade of the main building features a repeating ribbon-like metal pattern on many of its surfaces. This covered passage between convention halls is a great example.

I suspect this is one of the most photographed places in the city, as I always see several people taking pictures when I am here. The challenge, I find, is to try and eliminate all of the distractions. The square is often filled with people, trams, street vendors, neon lights and/or seasonal festivals, rides and exhibitions. All this activity can create a challenge to capture the type of clean image that I prefer. My solution (which I have used many times) was to focus on what was above. This perspective eliminates all the distractions and buzzing activity at eye level, leaving only simple shapes & patterns.

I took this in the evening when the sides of the opening were illuminated from lights below. The deep blues of the sky and clouds above provided great tonal and color contrast to the monochrome building. I particularly liked this point of view…it felt like an enormous, futuristic eye was spying on me from above…eye spy.

Escher in Berlin

I hope some of you are fans of M.C. Escher…he is easily one of my favorite artists. His works always grab my attention and then hold it, as I admire his creativity and how his lines and angles constantly change your perspective and play with your mind. 

As I wandered through this shopping mall in Berlin, specifically this atrium, I immediately thought of his ‘Impossible Construction’ works. This place was just filled with dizzying shapes, lines and patterns. My eyes seemed to jump all over the place…from the escalator over to the stairs, circling the floor until a pillar takes me up and it starts all over again! It was so similar to what my eyes do when viewing something by Escher… 

To capture this, I grabbed my widest angle lens and leaned over the balcony so that nothing obstructed the floor below. I decided that, to me, the beauty was really about the chaos…so I settled on a perspective that included all of the pieces that kept my eyes bouncing around. 

I would be interested in hearing what you first notice in this image…or where you end up. Bonus points will be awarded if you can find the man having coffee. Yes, there is a man having coffee in this image…or perhaps it is Escher’s ghost. :)

For any of you interested in having a look at Escher’s Impossible Construction works, you can check out some of them on the M.C. Escher Foundation's website.

The Birth of an Idea...

While wandering around the Old Town of Prague, I walked into a building called the House of the Black Madonna. Why?…because anyplace with this name must be cool, right? 

Actually, I went in because this building currently houses the Czech Museum of Cubism and is the first example of Cubist architecture in Prague (built in 1912).I saw some images of the building and the exhibits on the museum’s website and thought there may be some interesting things to see here. 

After walking through the Grand Orient Cafe located on the ground floor I arrived at this staircase and I looked up…I thought the curves & lines tracing the shape of a light bulb all the way to the top of the building was so unique. This staircase ended up being my favorite part of the entire building.

Strangely, in researching the building after I left Prague, this staircase is not mentioned in any materials I could find online. I assumed it would be featured as part of the architect’s design, perhaps even named, but I was not able to find anything significant mentioning the staircase. I find it somewhat sad that this place is hidden away in the interior of a building thousands of people walk by everyday and never see. But now you know, and I recommend you stop inside if you ever get to Prague. 

Oh, and if you are curious, the building was named after a stone statue that originally adorned the facade and still remains to this day.

Sails & Anchor - Potsdamer Platz

A couple of years ago I visited Berlin and was impressed by the amount of interesting architecture throughout the city. The modern buildings built since the fall of the Berlin wall combined with the historical gates & cathedrals provide ample opportunities for architectural photography. This image features the ceiling structure of the Sony Center in Potsdamer Platz. Its constructed of glass, steel & textile sails and has become an internationally famous landmark of Berlin. 

The history of Potsdamer Platz is way too long to go into here, but perhaps most notable in its history is the fact that it was split in two by the Berlin Wall and was basically a “no man’s land” while Germany was divided. After the initial opening of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, it was one of the earliest border crossings between East and West Berlin. Since the reunification, the area has been the site of a massive renovation with numerous modern buildings like the Sony Center being constructed to revitalize the area.

There is a lot more history surrounding Potsdamer Platz going back to the early days of Berlin, so, if you are curious, I suggest you check out this great Wikipedia article to learn more. It has a lot of good information.

Composing an image here was more challenging than I anticipated. It is not as big as it appears in this photo and what you don’t see here are all of the tables, chairs & kiosks of the restaurants and vendors that reside here…along with the crowds of people filtering in and out of the building. Thanks to a wide angle lens and a fairly quiet corner spot, I was able to get a composition that highlighted only the textures and shapes of the roof without all of the activity taking place around me.

The Ribbon Staircase

This is actually a staircase in one of the stores on 5th Ave. in NYC. I believe it is called the Ribbon Staircase, as it weaves and flows in multiple directions as you ascend/descend. Every few steps you get a different perspective of steel, glass and concrete, offering a variety of compositions.

I am excited to announce that this image was awarded Honorable Mention in the Abstract category of the 2016 Monochrome Awards photo contest.