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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.”
 

The Tongueless Guardians of the Chain Bridge

Completed in 1849, the Chain Bridge was the first bridge that connected Buda & Pest and was considered a wonder of the world. It was almost completely destroyed by the retreating German army near the end of World War II, but Hungary decided to rebuild the landmark. Exactly 100 years after its original completion, the bridge re-opened in 1949.  

There is a myth involving the lions guarding each side of the bridge. Shortly after their placement in 1852, word spread that the sculptor, János Marschalkó, forgot to provide tongues to the open-mouthed lions. Embarrassed and ashamed of his mistake, Marschalkó supposedly then took his own life by being the first person to jump off of the bridge.

His suicide, however, is only a legend as Marschalkó died from old age many years later. Apparently though, he was very frustrated by the the critical rumors of his mistake. To prove that his sculptures were correct, he took several people from Budapest to a circus. It is reported that upon seeing a real lion, he was finally able to prove to his doubters that you not see a lion's tongue when it opens its mouth.

What I found interesting about this story, is that I could not find proof that the sculptures actually do have tongues! It is reported on several websites that the lions, in fact, do have tongues. However, you cannot see the tongues unless you climb up on the sculptures...which I did not do. 

Rather than climb the sculptures, I chose to position myself on a small, raised triangular section of concrete in the middle of the road and take a photograph. I wouldn't call it a sidewalk, but it did separate the two lanes of the road and, while it sounds dangerous, it provided a safe place to stand as cars passed on both sides. 

My intention was to get an image featuring the light trails of the cars passing by. After I arrived home and reviewed my images, I found I preferred the cleaner image above of just the bridge itself. That said, I decided to also share the other version (and my original intention) below. Clicking on either one will give you a larger image from my website. I would love to know which one you prefer!

On my next visit, I will climb the lions and prove/dispel the myth once and for all... :)

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Chutes and Ladders

Since it was 98 degrees outside, I decided to spend some time exploring the underground in Budapest. The city recently added a new metro line to its network and some of the modern stations are fantastic. This station, Kálvin tér, is one of my favorites.

I particularly liked this point of view, looking up from the platform. It is a deep station and requires taking three different sets of escalators to reach the bottom. These escalators criss-cross and their lines along with the other curves and patterns create an interesting perspective. 

Perhaps the only thing missing from this station is color. It is mostly concrete and varying shades of gray. Well suited for a monochromatic image.

Yin-Yang

This is an image I took several years ago in Hamburg, Germany. The swirling lines, multiple shapes, textures and tones all contribute to what I find very appealing in architectural photography. It has always been one of my favorites, but until entering it into the 2016 Monochrome Awards photo contest, I had not shared it with anyone or included it in my portfolio. With the opportunity to get some unbiased critique, I figured it was time to release this into the wild. 

Monochrome Awards announced the contest winners yesterday and I am super-excited that the judges selected this image, out of 8,000+ images, as Honorable Mention in the Architecture-Amateur category. All of the judges selections are very impressive and it is really an honor to be included with them. I encourage you to have a look at all of the winning images here.

In case you are wondering, this is a parking garage…seriously. While wandering around Hamburg, I found myself here, looking up from the center of the ground floor. The swirling lines represent the up & down ramps that take you to various floors, while the roof features numerous openings allowing sunlight to filter inside. Easily the most beautiful parking garage I have seen…

But wait, there’s more to share from the contest…

As it turns out, one of my other contest submissions (see below) was also awarded Honorable Mention in the Abstract category. This image is one of the first photos that I posted on my Photoblog back in 2015. Click here to see the original post.

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Falling Star

This is the Star Atrium inside the Dubai Mall. Standing near the center and looking up, you immediately see the reason for its name. There were only a handful of people looking down over the railing, but the floor where I was standing was bustling with people. Being the only person standing still, it was understandable that a few people bumped into me as I looked upward and captured a few photos. 

I like using symmetry in images. It often provides a unique perspective of an area or building. Think about it, how often do you find yourself perfectly centered in a particular space? 

But here, you can see that I am not standing directly in the center and I angled my lens slightly toward the longest point of the star. This gives you a slightly longer bottom part of the image, when compared to the top. I thought this composition complimented the slight asymmetry of the star and provided more depth. I also found the different colors found on each of the floors to be too distracting. As a result, I turned this into a simple black and white to give the lines, curves and shapes more attention. Anyway, just wanted to share what I was thinking in composing and processing this image. The color image is at the bottom of this post if you want to compare and contrast.

About 6 months ago, I posted an image from the Waterfall Atrium of this same mall (found here). I took over a hundred images while walking around the mall that day as the architecture and interior design is very interesting. Unlike everyone else, I was not there to shop…in fact, I don’t think I even went into a store...but I did not leave empty-handed. :) 

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Here is the image in full color...

Fingers to the Sky

This is the Diagonal ZeroZero building in Barcelona. I think it is one of the most interesting buildings in the city. The exterior of the building features numerous white colored beams that stretch from the ground up to the top. Some of the beams are straight, others are bent, and they help form a unique carapace around the structure.

This was taken at street level, facing the sharpest point of its trapezoidal, asymmetrical shape. From this angle, the beams seem to reach for the sky.  There was a perfectly clear, deep blue sky this afternoon which provided some nice contrast to the white building. I knew I wanted the final image to be monochrome…mainly to help emphasize the lines and texture…and the blue sky was easily turned into an almost pure black during processing. No other nearby buildings are visible from this angle, so isolating the building was rather simple.

While Diagonal ZeroZero is a cool name for a building, it has nothing to do with its design…it is simply its address as it sits on the origin of Diagonal Avenue, Barcelona’s main thoroughfare.

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.

Sólfar - The Sun Voyager

This gleaming steel sculpture on Reykjavik’s waterfront resembling a Viking ship is named Sólfar (translated - Sun Voyager.) It is a popular landmark in the city, created by Jón Gunnar Árnason in 1990. Árnason envisioned it as a dreamboat and an ode to the sun. 

When the sun shines in Reykjavik, the glow & reflection off of the polished steel is striking. The sculpture sits on reflective tiles which mirror what is on the surface. I found it to be a beautiful piece of art. 

On this day, the clouds overhead were moving fast and the sun’s rays broke through for only moments at a time…quickly being obscured by the next cloud to pass. I decided to used a long exposure of over 4 minutes to soften the water & sky and to focus more attention on the sculpture. This also allowed me to capture the sunlight, when it did make an appearance, and get the bright reflections off of the steel.

Hvítserkur, Iceland - Thirsty Rhino

Just off the shore of the Vatnsnes Peninsula on the Northern coast of Iceland sits Hvítserkur. It is a 15 meter high sea stack that was once the plug of a volcano. Over the years, the surrounding rock has given way to the sea leaving only this unusual outcropping behind. 

According to Icelandic legend, Hvítserkur is the petrified remains of a troll who lived on the other side of the water in Strandir. One evening, the troll crossed the water to tear down the bells at the nearby monastery. Unfortunately (or fortunately for the monastery), on the way across the sun rose and, as everybody knows, trolls turn into stone in daylight!  

From this angle, some say that it resembles a rhinoceros, a dragon or a dinosaur drinking from the water. I can sort of see the rhinoceros…so I named this one “Thirsty Rhino”.

The Never-Ending Staircase

This staircase is actually a piece of art designed by Olafur Eliasson. It is a double spiral of steel standing over 9 meters high at the entrance of the KPMG office building in Munich, Germany. The blend of art & architecture, completed in 2004, is called Umschreibung. It is believed to be the only staircase in the world that a person can go up and down without changing direction.

Apple of My Eye

This was taken at the Apple Store in NYC. I was looking up through the glass cube and thought the perspective was fantastic...so many shapes, lines and curves...all things I love in architectural photography. It was difficult to capture though, with all of the commotion that is typical in an Apple store. People were everywhere, but I was able to get into a position where I could get the symmetry that I wanted.

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.