Stairrow

During a rainy day in Phuket, I spent some time exploring our hotel. I was bored and stuck inside, so I went for a stroll to pass the time. Wandering down a random hallway, I was surprised to see this modern/minimal scene ahead. My eyes first went to the bright neon green exit sign, but I could also appreciate the symmetry encapsulating the arrow-shaped staircase.

It was the combination of these features that intrigued me. All were fighting for my attention, but none of them could hold it. I would enjoy the architecture for a moment and then move my eyes to the exit sign for a moment. They needed each other, a combination of structure and whimsy.

The colorful green light brings some playfulness to the scene. In complete contrast to the structure below, it is bright, bold, and slightly off-center. However, the sign loses value without the beautiful arrangement of multiple right angles.

A lot of structure, with a little whimsy. I took a photo.

One side note. To the right is an unbroken wall. The exit sign arrow pointing right should be pointing upwards. More whimsy?

Rising From The Depths

During the past three years, I have photographed several buildings designed by Santiago Calatrava. I discovered his work accidentally when I visited the transportation hub in New York City. Since then, I have sought out his other projects in Europe. I suspect that his work can be divisive, but enjoy his combinations of architecture, art, and whimsy. They almost always present multiple photographic interpretations. When I discovered that he designed the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, I immediately started planning a trip.

There are four structures in this image. The closest structure is L'Hemisfèric (an Imax theater) and is meant to resemble a large eye. The next structure is the Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe, a science museum with a bone-like exterior. The Assut de l'Or Bridge is the third structure with the final building being L'Àgora, a concert and event hall. All are different in size and shape, yet from this angle, they blend together into one piece. Add in the pools of water that surround much of the project and a creature emerges, rising from the depths.

I hoped to photograph the structures at night, as Calatrava often illuminates them in interesting ways. I positioned myself on a bridge overlooking the area, as the elevated view better revealed the wonderful reflections. The water is shallow and choppy during even mild winds, but the dark scene allowed me to soften it with a long exposure. The dynamic range of light in the scene was more than my camera sensor could process. As a result, I blended this long exposure with both a regular exposure and an under-exposed image (for the very bright lights).

More to come from Valencia & Calatrava...here are links to my interpretations of his other designs.

Golden Sentinel

Skeleton Key

Baleen

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.

Bookworms

This building has been on my photography wish list for a while. After seeing several images posted by other photographers, I did some research to find out what it was and where it was located. When I discovered it was the main city library in Stuttgart, I immediately starting planning the two-hour drive to visit.

Not only is it an incredible place, but the staff exhibit generosity toward photographers that is rare. On their website, you can request a photographer pass for a specific date in advance of your visit. Upon arrival, you sign in and they give you a camera sticker that you place on your shirt. This identifies you as a registered guest and allows you two hours to use tripods and other camera equipment that otherwise would not be permitted. They ask you to be considerate, respecting the space and privacy of other visitors during your stay.

The ability to use a tripod here was crucial. While I have improved my ability to capture architecture handheld, there is no substitute for being able to patiently align and frame rectilinear spaces. The system worked beautifully, as the security guards allowed me to maneuver up & down floors and in & out of corners trying various viewpoints while being mindful of other people. This image is one of many favorites. I hope to share several more from this experience in future articles.

I wish more locations would employ a similar photography policy, rather than banning tripods outright (or even cameras altogether). There were two other photographers in the library that morning and everyone was respectful to each other, the staff and the visitors. Stuttgart is deservedly proud of its library and I am grateful they allow photographers the freedom to capture and share its incredible design.

Journey to the center of the Earth

This is the Earth Hall inside the Natural History Museum in London. Hoping to capture images of some of the spaces before they filled with people, I arrived early and was one of the first people through the doors. After spending my first moments photographing the great Hintze Hall (published earlier in the Looking Down on Darwin post), I quickly made my way to this great space.

I thought the room would fill up quickly, but I ended up having the place to myself for about 10 minutes. Being alone, I had the benefit of getting some compositions that otherwise would have been difficult. Standing here at the bottom of the escalator is one example, and it turned out to be my favorite. With no one in front or behind me, I could take my time. This proved essential as it took several hand-held attempts to try to align myself and the camera in the right spot (tripods are not allowed).

I recently rediscovered this image going through some old files on my computer. I have always liked this image, but for whatever reason, I hadn't published it until now. With the museum closed indefinitely due to the global health situation, it seems like the right time to finally share it with you. It is best to experience this chamber in person, so let's hope the museum is able to open its doors again soon.

Golden Sentinel

The Opera House (officially named Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía) is a magnificent structure by architect Santiago Calatrava. It is one of several modern & unique architectural designs that comprise the City of Arts & Sciences in Valencia, Spain.

I was not able to go inside during my visit, as part of it was being renovated and entry was only allowed for those with event tickets. However, I did walk around the building several times admiring the lines & curves and wondering how Calatrava dreamt up such a structure.

It is completely colorless on the outside...only blacks, whites and shades of gray can be found. As a result, I expected that if I did capture a perspective that I liked, it would best be suited as a Black & White image. But something unexpected happened one evening as I was waiting for sunset...the monochrome facade transformed into complementary colors!

For a brief period, the setting sun was low enough on the horizon to shine golden light on the underside of the exposed roof, where it was reflected in some parts of the interior. There were no clouds in the sky, so it remained mostly blue in the direction I was facing and cast down its hue on the normally white exterior. I was in the position I had scouted earlier in the day and was able to capture the conversion as it happened.

I don't know if Calatrava designed this building to have this effect, but if he did, he deserves even more accolades. I suspect he did not, as I have not seen a similar image posted online with these color characteristics. I think it was a combination of the correct time of year, time of day & weather conditions that allowed it to occur.

Then again, perhaps Calatrava is a fan of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Remember that scene where Indiana Jones is in the ruins holding the staff? At the correct time, the sun shines through the hole in the roof, hits the gemstone and reveals the location of the Ark...makes you wonder.

The Jester

Built as an astronomical observatory in the 17th century, the Rundetaarn (Round Tower) is a must-see for anyone visiting Copenhagen. You enter on street level and spiral your way up nearly 150 feet on a gentle ramp. While it provides a great view of the surrounding city from the top, the inside design was what caught my eye.

I stopped about halfway to the top to take this image. There was a small alcove behind me where I sat down and waited for the area to clear. I found the complexity of the design to be magnificent for something built in 1642. While the floor slowly spirals up, the ceiling does not just mirror the spiral. Instead, it features repeating triangular sections that catch the light and cast shadow from the surrounding windows.

Beautiful shapes that, to me, resemble an eccentric cap & bells hat of a court jester.

Escape from the Death Star

This was an unexpected discovery during a visit to Vienna, Austria. We were traveling to our next destination via the Vienna U-Bahn, and upon exiting the train, found ourselves in this space-age underground station. The monochrome platform with its bright red accents was begging to be photographed, so we waited a short time for the station to empty and started capturing images.

It was such a contrast from the ornate halls found in the Viennese palaces. Alone within the artless walls, it felt like we were transported deep within the Death Star. I could picture Darth Vader, flanked by Stormtroopers, descending the escalator in front of us. Lacking any blaster rifles to defend ourselves, we did not stay long...there were many more lavish palaces to be seen in this amazing city.

Encircling the Sky with Quadrilaterals

Munich is full of traditional Bavarian architecture in and around its city center. However, once you travel further away from its core, you often find interesting modern structures. I walked past this office building one day and noticed sunlight illuminating the ground near the center of its footprint. I suspected there may be an an opening or atrium, so I decided to investigate. A few steps later I was looking up at the sky and wishing I had my camera.

I made a note of the location and revisited it with my camera several days later. I chose a Sunday morning when the offices were closed to ensure I would not be a disruption. It was a beautiful day with white clouds and Bavarian blue skies. This was an added benefit, as the reflections in the windows added some color and contrast to the gray concrete.

I wanted to capture as much of the opening as possible, but his proved to be a challenge even with my widest lens. The only option was to lay on my back and press the camera tight against my face. It involved a lot of scootching/sliding/repositioning to find the true center of the opening, but it was worth it in the end.

You may recall I used a similar solution when I photographed this staircase in Naples in a very tight space. So if you see a guy with a camera and dirt on the back of his shirt, there is a reasonable chance that it is me…Please say hello. :-)

Eye of the Strom

No, Strom is not a typo… :-) This was taken on a recent 14 hour layover in San Francisco. About 9 hours were spent sleeping, but I did manage to wander around the city center for a couple of hours and take a few photos. This was captured in the Nordstrom atrium in the Westfield San Francisco Centre. I didn’t actually do any shopping, but I did spend several minutes here gazing up at the beautiful design. It wasn’t very crowded, so I was able to take my time and try several compositions. This was my favorite position, standing in the center, looking up at the swirling Eye of the Strom.

Turbine

This is another perspective that I found interesting inside the Bell Tower in Antwerp, Belgium. A few floors up from where I took the horizontal Helix image I shared a few weeks ago, this is a vertical view straight down. It took several attempts to get the alignment correct in the camera, as I had to lean over the railing and extend my arms to get the camera centered over the staircase. It was not dangerous and there was no risk of me falling…just the camera. :)

However, composing a vertical composition while looking horizontally at my camera’s 45 degree LDC tilt-screen was challenging. It involved a lot of hand/arm/feet repositioning and trial & error before I had what I felt was a suitable image.

Standing at the bottom of spiral staircases and shooting upward is much easier. I did that here also, but the view from the bottom is not near as cool as this view from the top.

Helix

This image was taken in the main administrative building of the city of Antwerp, known as “The Bell Tower.” There is not an actual bell to be found inside the tower (at least, I could not find one), but there is an amazing spiral staircase that stretches 14 stories. Being a public building, it is open to visitors and easy to reach the staircase behind the main lobby. The staff in the reception area told me it was no problem to take some photos of the staircase, so I walked up to the top and took images at several different angles…looking up, down and this one, straight on.

As you know by now, I am drawn to how various shapes and lines interplay in photography. From this perspective, you find squares, diamonds, triangles, circles, repeating patterns, symmetry…and, of course the helix. All this variety, and yet I found it to be rather simple and pleasing.

I later learned that the building derived its name from its previous owner, Bell Laboratories…so perhaps there is not an actual bell to be found here after all.

Entering Warp Drive

This is another image taken in the Toledo Metro Station in Naples, Italy. Earlier this year, I featured an image of the escalator banks at the far end of this hallway - In an Octopus’s Garden.

The passageway features various shades of blue and continues the water theme with light panels of ocean waves. In my opinion, the best feature is the light fixture above. To me, it resembles the USS Enterprise just as it enters warp drive.

Warp speed, Mr. Sulu…

Reading List

A few weeks ago I applied for permission to photograph the Stuttgart Library. It is a beautiful, modern structure that I have been wanting to photograph for some time. As a result, I was excited when they granted me permission to photograph the library for 2 hours. They also granted me permission to use a tripod, which is normally prohibited. This proved essential, as the structure is filled with right angles and lines that would be very difficult to capture hand-held without distortion.

I waited outside the library, so that I could be one of the first people to enter once it opened. After showing the security guards my permission slip, I made my way up into the main atrium and got busy taking numerous compositions. Since I was one of the only people inside, I was able to photograph for about 30 minutes before other people started entering the atrium. I had scouted the library the previous day, when the library was full of people. Seeing it empty was completely different. I did like the person in this composition though…:)

I have several images from this day that I will share in the coming weeks. If you ever get a chance to visit Stuttgart, I highly recommend you spend some time here.

Skeleton Key

I thought I would share another image from the Liège-Guillemins train station. Descending from the train platform into the main lobby are several staircases such as this. It reminded me of a skeleton key as I reached this point, halfway down. Similar to the exterior facade, the architect uses rib-like features on both sides and if you look at the floor, you can see the reflection of the ribbed ceiling below.

Baleen

I recently spent several days driving through Belgium and the Netherlands in an effort to photograph some places that I had not seen before. My first stop was the Liège-Guillemins train station in Liège…not because I was catching a train, but because it is a magnificent structure. The station was renovated in 2009 with a modern steel, glass and concrete facade designed by the architect Santiago Calatrava.

I wandered the station for a couple of hours and ended up taking many more photos than I expected. The arches, ribs, lines and curves allow for an almost endless number of compositions. In addition, the shadows were lengthening as the sun was going down and the station seemed to change every few minutes. As the blue hour arrived, the lights transformed the station yet again. Many elements that were cast in shadow a few minutes ago were now illuminated and vice versa…such a clever design.

This image was taken on one side of the upper platform, looking towards the center. It is a bit hard to describe how the structure changes with the light…photos do a better job. As a result, I hope to share several more images taken here in the coming weeks.

Lastly, I shared an image several weeks ago of the Transportation Hub at the World Trade Center. As it turns out, Calatrava was also the architect for this station. You can view The Hub image here and see some of the similarities in Calatrava’s designs.

Iron Sights

If you have watched episodes of the television series Mr. Robot, there is a good chance you have seen this building. In the series, it is the corporate headquarters of E Corp (mostly referred to as Evil Corp by the characters).

In reality, it is a Post-Modern building in New York City on East 57th street. I took this image a few years ago before seeing it on TV. What I particularly liked about it was the tall, open ring supported by columns in front of the building. The ring ties in with the curved arc of the tower's facade and if you stand underneath, it allows dramatic, framed views through the opening.

The challenge is positioning yourself (and the camera) to capture the symmetry of the two structures. The combination of lines and curves will easily reveal imperfections in the composition, and I knew that just the slightest error in camera angle would be noticeable.

I did not have a tripod, so I shuffled back and forth while looking through the viewfinder trying to find the correct spot to stand and the proper angle for the camera. I have to admit, this was rather difficult and I made several failed attempts at capturing the symmetry I wanted. It felt a little bit like lining up the crosshairs of a large scope. Through trial and error, I was able to hone in on a position/angle combination that I was happy with and pulled the trigger.

The Hub

I spent a few days in New York City last week and was able to visit the new World Trade Center for the first time. Seeing the tallest building in the Western hemisphere was obviously very striking, but I found the grounds, the 911 memorial and this, the Transportation Hub, to be equally impressive. 

This is the Oculus in the Hub…the main arched, elliptical opening approximately 350 feet long. It is a beautiful design with the numerous steel ribs extending upward almost 100 feet to the skylight above.

The main purpose of the structure is to serve 250,000 daily commuters on train and subway lines. As a result, it is usually filled with people coming and going. Actually, it was filled with people when I captured this image. However, by using a little photography magic, I was able to make the people disappear.

Okay, so it is not really magic…it is actually a fairly simple technique used by a lot of photographers. Since I had brought a mini-tripod with me, I was able to take multiple exposures over 10 minutes using the same composition. There were people in each exposure, but as they were moving, they were in different positions in each frame. Once I uploaded the images into Photoshop, I was able to blend the various exposures together and, essentially, make the people disappear. The result is an empty hub allowing the viewer to appreciate the lines and shapes of a beautiful piece of architecture.

Of course I would prefer not to have to use this technique and have the place all to myself. However, unless you somehow find yourself completely alone in NYC, it can prove useful. :)
 

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.

In an Octopus's Garden

One of the first things I did upon arriving in Naples was walk down the bustling Via Toledo and descend into the Toledo metro station. Numerous websites and publications proclaim this station as one of the most beautiful in Europe, so I had to see it for myself. 

It was 8pm on a Saturday night and it was filled with locals & tourists going to/from the nearby bars, shops and restaurants. People were everywhere as I wandered down escalators, stairways and passageways looking for possible places to photograph. The architecture was interesting, but the scene was chaotic. I decided to wait and return when the station would be less crowded.  

The next morning I returned at 6:00 am and was one of the first people through the doors. It felt completely different without the crowds. I could more easily appreciate all of the details in the architecture that were often masked by all of the moving bodies the previous day.

This area was my favorite. As you descend on the escalator, you become surrounded by colorful tiles and waves reaching out of the walls…it feels like you are submerging into an underwater cave. 

Since there was no one there, I was able to take some time to capture images at the bottom. I definitely find it to be a unique and beautiful subway station.