Glimpsing St. Paul

Not much time for sightseeing.  Its a shame because Minneapolis is a beautiful city.  Oh, and I did get to see that Mary Tyler Moore statue.  This photo shows how close I got to St. Paul.  This is a bridge across the Mississippi that leads to St. Paul (at least I think it does).  It was taken from the roof of a garage on a cold (for me), breezy, cloudy morning.  My next visit to Minneapolis should be a little longer with perhaps just a smidge of free time.  I want to see more.

 

Glimpsing St. Paul, October, 2009.

Nikon D90 with Tokina 12-24 at 24mm.  1/160s at f/8, ISO400.  In Lightroom, I had to do some work to bring out the color and detail.  The day was very drab, so I adjusted the light levels, increased contrast and added a little clarity.  I increased vibrance and then went to work on the colors themselves.  The trees in the center of the photo were washed out in the image, so I boosted red to make them pop.  I realized that they were the central piece of color, so I cropped the photo to feature them more.  I played with Lightroom’s new grain feature but I am uncomfortable with it and so removed grain.  I adjusted white balance and the camera profile (used Landscape mode with adjustments).  I added a vignette using the color priority option and I am enjoying the feature.

 

 

 

On the Road

I am in Minneapolis.  Not much time to post or surf.  This is the lobby of US Bank Plaza.  I loved the lines in the central lobby between the complex’s twin towers.

 

Lobby of the US Bank Plaza, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Nikon D90 with Tokina 12-24 at 12mm.  1/30s at f/11, ISO200.  In Lightroom, adjusted light level, increased contrast and clarity, converted to black and white.

 

Tree at Sunset

Tree at sunset.  Elizabeth Kaiser Meyer Park, Spring, Texas.  For L, in exchange for her sunrise photo.

Tree at Sunset, Spring, Texas

Nikon D90 with Tokina 12-24 at 24mm.  1/80s at f/16, ISO160.  I did a lot of work on this as I learn Lightroom 3.   Mostly, I adjusted saturations and light levels.  I used white balance and custom camera modes to get the saturated look of late afternoon.

Presentation

So, what else can I do to make the view interesting?  In my efforts to control the distortion of the wide-angle, I took this shot.  It was ok in color but I liked it better in black and white.  Again, I like the dizzying feel.  I still have quite a few of these photos to go through and I am sure I will experiment a little more.

For those of you that are Lightroom fans like me, the version 3 beta has just been released…I can’t wait.

Bird's Eye View

Nikon D90 with Tokina 12-24.  1/80s at f/16, ISO125.  In Lightroom, adjusted white balance,  desaturated, increased clarity and contrast, used split toning to introduce blue in the dark and browns and red into the highlights.  Darkened the sky a bit.  Converted to Landscape mode.

Looking West

A shot to the west.  I rotated orientation and went portrait mode on this because I wanted to catch the reflection in the glass in this part of the roofline.   The orientation allowed me force more into the image as I was starting to understand the dizzying feel of where I was.  The more I took photos the more I began asking, how can I get an image that is different and the more I realized the challenge of shooting on the roof.

I arranged the rooftop for a friend that I met on the DPReview photo forms.  He uses gigapan software to stitch hundreds of images together and make lovely, long, detailed panoramas.   I will post a link when it is complete.

Looking West

Nikon D90 with Tokina 12-24 at  12mm.  1/250s at f/11, ISO160.  In Lightroom, adjusted white balance, added clarity and vibrance, adjusted light levels, increased the darkness of the blue sky and increased contrast to bring out the window reflections.

From the tallest building in Texas

From the roof of the Chase Tower in Houston, Texas.  I could not have picked a more beautiful day on which to go up.

Houston Skyline

Nikon D90 with Tokina 12-24 at 12mm.  1/320s at f/11, ISO160.  In Lightroom, adjusted white balance, straightened photo, increased clarity and vibrance, increased blue saturation in the sky, changed mode to Nikon DX2 mode 2.  Sharpened.

Open Doors

When I was a student at St. Louis U., I remember going to sit in their wonderful old Gothic-style chapel and listening to the choir practice.  Sitting in this quiet, old church in Chappell Hill, I felt a reverie different from what I felt at St. Louis U..  It was more basic, less formal but still that same feeling that you were in a spiritual place.

Open Doors

Nikon D90 with Tokina 12-24 at 16mm.  1/5s at f/5.6, ISO200.  Handheld.

In Lightroom, increased clarity, adjusted light levels, adjusted white balance, converted to Nikon DX2 type 1 mode, desaturated, used split toning to bring sepia into the darks and blue into the light.

Church Detail

I didn’t see a single scarecrow at the Scarecrow Festival.  Odd, eh?  I did get inside this old church, though.  Methodist Church, Chappell Hill, TX.

Methodist Church, Chappell Hill

I am fascinated with churches.  I didn’t get inside until around 5 so the light was going fast.  The glass is jeweled glass rather than stained glass.  The church roots date to the mid-1800s but it was destroyed in the great hurricane of 1900 (the one that killed thousands in Galveston, TX).  This structure, made of wood, was completed in 1901.

Nikon D90 with Tokina 12-24 at 12mm.  1/8s at f/4.5, ISO200.  In Lightroom, cropped, converted to DX2 profile 1, adjusted white balance and light to bring out the ceiling structure while keeping the light from the window in check.  Increased clarity and vibrance.  Adjusted individual colors.  Sharpened.

Abstract

If I might wax philosophically: I feel a prisoner to my own declining body.  I am tired now, too tired; more tired than I can remember being in a long time.  There is a lot I want to do but I don’t have the energy.  I know this will pass.  Perhaps a good long sleep this weekend.

Geometric Abstract

Taken in Austin in August.  Nikon D90 with Tokina 12-24 at 14mm.  1/160s at f/13, ISO200, Landscape mode.

Dining Room

The budget process is ended after 3 months.  The impact of the economy will be felt more stingingly next year but we will survive.

Dining room table at my cousin’s house.

Nikon D90 with Tokina 12-24 at 12mm.  1/15s at f/5.6, ISO500, Standard mode.  In Lightroom, cropped out the left side and reduced the photo by 1/3rd.  Adjusted white balance by adding a little more magenta into the darker parts of the photo.  Added clarity and contrast, reduced highlights.  Used split toning to add a slight sepia tint to the highlights, softening them and bring out the light, pale yellow in the walls.