Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Singapore: Inside Out

I met up with the Forefront Photo Guild last night; and after a brief chat about found light, we went out to nearby Madison Square Park to find some light. We stumbled across the under-construction Singapore: Inside Out exhibition; and I couldn't tell whether or not the scaffolding is part of the exhibition, but it does kind of tie the room together. 

Monday, September 21, 2015

Tavern at Rest

Today's travels brought me to a Manhattan watering hole that shall not be named, and while sitting at a certain angle, I couldn't resist the call of the camera.

Straight down the middle
Taps at rest

Pulaski Bridge

I walked over the Pulaski Bridge, between Long Island City and Greenpoint, after writers' group last night, because it'd been a few days since I'd taken some pictures, and my shutter finger was itchy.
Yes, even with all the exploring I do, some days I don't always see anything that says "Jeff, photograph me or you'll regret it!"
I digress. The bridge took me over the entrance to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, one of the only at-grade railroad crossings in the city, and past one of Brooklyn's trademark welcome signs.

Queens-Midtown Tunnel toll booths
Skyline and the Suicide Fence
LIRR at-grade railroad crossing near Hunterspoint Avenue
Like No Other Place In The World!
Greenpoint and 1 World Trade Center

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Roosevelt Island

After a slow day at work, I took advantage of one of my few weeknights without plans and took a spur of the moment photography trip over to Roosevelt Island.

East side skyline marching down the river
Triborough Bridge and Midtown
Looking down on Main Street
Retired tram cars resting underneath the bridge to Queens
Welcome Center - and the Eleventh Commandment

Fun with Filters - Chicago

I took a ton of pictures in Chicago, not all of which have appeared online; and am teaching myself how to use filtering apps - what better way to combine the two?
I ran a few of last month's pictures through EyeEm, a popular photo sharing site and app, last night, to play with the filters a bit. Here are the results.

I took this shot of the back side of Merchandise Mart, facing the Chicago River, last month on my last day of vacationing in the City of Broad Shoulders. A soft filter helped emphasize the greenery on the lower half of the building.
I liked the orderliness of these Divvy bikes all lined up in their parking slots. A soft filter helped the bikes shine out against the background even more.
Fresh Filter 3 brought out the Wicker Park street scene in the background, and really made this directional sign pop!
I applied Fresh Filter 2 to this wide shot of Chicago's Flatiron Building (only a little bit shorter than ours) to bring out the colors and angles. Looks good to me.
The Warwick Allerton Hotel's reputation - at least its neon sign - precedes it down Michigan Avenue. Urban Filter 4 sharpened the picture and brought the sign out even more, while slightly toning down the streetlight's unescapable glare.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Hudson Yards

After almost two years of delays, the 34th Street-Hudson Yards #7 station is open! Your Intrepid Photographer headed over there Sunday night after the opening day hoopla had died down (but before the platforms had a chance to get dirty) to check it out. 

It's official! Platform sign
It's a long, long escalator ride to the top
34th St-Hudson Yards station entrance
Fountains across 34th Street from the station

Sunday, September 13, 2015

One Hell of a Road Trip

Yesterday's travels brought me to Kips Bay, just east of Grand Central Terminal, where I found this most interesting of license plates.
Also, a couple night shots from Washington Square Park.
This guy must've driven all the way from Aruba
Wet and peaceful - Washington Square Park fountain on a rainy night
Prelude before Chick-Fil-A: Washington Square Arch at night