One of the cool things about Europe are the amazing old castles that can be found just about anywhere on the continent or British Isles. One of my favorite castles is Culzean Castle which is located on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland. Little did I know when we pulled into the parking lot and walked down a long path, I would see one of the most imposing castle entrances ever. The massive stone gate stands guard to the beautiful castle inside. The castle was built in stages between 1777 and 1792 and is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland, which has done a magnificent job restoring and maintaining it. The castle now is home to a hotel and offers tours that transport you to a time long ago. Since 1987, an illustration of the castle can be found on the reverse side of five pound notes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Chapel on High
In yesterday's post, I described the tour we took from Lucerne to the top of Mount Pilatus, which towers 7,000 feet above the city. After taking the cruise of Lake Lucerne and riding up the steepest cog railroad in the world, you reach the summit of Mount Pilatus. There you have a full 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside. To the south, one can see the snow-capped mountain tops of the Alps (from a geological aspect, Mount Pilatus is the northernmost branch of the Alps). Looking toward the north, I was surprised to spot one of the most remote chapels I have ever seen. Perched on a ridge is The Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor. The chapel was built in 1861 and has been renovated a number of times, the most recent renovation being in 2004. I was unable to find out if it is open; whether or not services are performed there; or if there is even a parish associated with it. Suffice to say, one must really be dedicated to attend church there, especially in the winter.
Rolling Hills
My recent trip to Europe ended with a few nights in Lucerne, Switzerland. Up until then, I hadn't seen the type of landscape and mountains that I envisioned before visiting Switzerland. After spending our first day in the city of Lucerne, we signed up for a tour to travel to Mount Pilatus, which towers 7,000 feet above the city. The tour consisted of a cruise of Lake Lucerne followed by a ride on the Pilatus Railway, the world’s steepest cog railway. During the cruise of Lake Lucerne, we passed some of the most picturesque landscapes I have seen. Along with the mountains that surround the lake were beautiful green rolling hills that were spotted with chalets. This image captured some of the wonderful countyside bordering the lake.
Triple Vision
And now for something completely different. No your eyes aren't out of focus and I wasn't drinking before I captured this image. While I normally shoot images of landscapes, cities and architecture, I occasionally try to shoot images that my good friend Jeff calls, "artsy fartsy". I was helped out with this multiple exposure image of a sunflower field by the very talented photographer and workshop leader Denise Ippolito. For those of you who don't know Denise, she is a very creative and talented photographer and her work can be seen at her site, A Creative Adventure. I have been on a number of workshops with Denise and have always learned something new. In this case, she took me through the basics of capturing multiple exposures. While I had a general understanding of multiple exposures, it is always in the little details and tips that make the real difference. Anyway, take a look at her site and do not hesitate to sign up for one of her workshops. Oh, and let me know what you think of my little venture into "artsy fartsy".
Heidelberg Rooftops
When one travels along the Rhine River, it is impossible to go very far without a castle or a church being close by. Many of the tours involve visits to one or the other and sometimes both. On this particular morning, we took a tour of the Heidelberg Castle which towers 300 feet above the wonderful city of the same name. The castle is a complex consisting of several buildings that surround an inner courtyard. The buildings were built and rebuilt over the centuries and, as a result, they each feature different German architecture. My favorite part of the castle is the outdoor terrace that gives this image's vantage point of the rooftops of the city alongside the Rhine River. For anyone that wonders about the influence and importance of the Catholic Church in Europe, they can take a look at this skyline and see how the Church of the Holy Spirit is by far the dominant structure.
Concrete Reflection
Sometimes the best time to shoot is after a rainstorm when the sun has come out. Not only is there a great sheen to things but often there are large puddles that offer great opportunities for reflection. This image is a prime example of this. Taken near the waterfront on Boston Harbor, it offers a different point of view of Boston's skyline. I also thought that the concrete offered a natural texture to the image.
Rhine River Protector
One of the main attractions of a Rhine River cruise are the castles that tower above the river. There is a particular stretch of the Rhine River in Germany from Koblenz to Rüdesheim that is home to twenty-eight castles and fortresses. Some of these structures are in ruins while many of them are in good shape and are tourist attractions. There is at least one that is now a hotel. As with any outdoor photography, we were at the mercy of the weather. When we left Koblenz, the weather was threatening but all in all wasn't too bad. As we approached the prime section, the heavens opened up and we were forced indoors to watch from the ship's lounge. It was still great to see despite my inability to shoot it. As we began the last third of the section, the weather cleared and I was able to run up to the observation deck to grab a few shots.
The first castle I was able to shoot was this one, the Rheinstein Castle. Rheinstein Castle is built on a steep cliff overseeing the town of Assmannshausen on the other side of the river. Built in the 14th Century it is great example of castle reconstruction.
High Cathedral of Saint Peter
Our first stop on our recent river cruise in Europe was Cologne, Germany. One of the differences that I really liked on the river cruise was that when you come to port, you can walk off of the ship and you are in the city. This is much different than ocean cruises where you are often outside the city because the ships are too large and you have to be bused to see the sights. Disembarking in Cologne was great as we were only a couple of blocks from the Cologne Cathedral also known as the High Cathedral of Saint Peter. We had a wonderful guide and he was extremely informative. One of the things we learned about the cathedral is that it is home to the remains of the three wise men and, as a result, it is a very popular religious destination.
It was pretty dark in the cathedral and since tripods were not allowed, I pushed the ISO to 6400 for the first time and shot a hand-held five bracket burst. I was quite amazed how well the resulting image turned out as the noise was pretty manageable.
Lobstah Hut
Quick post and run today. When one thinks of Maine, the first thing that comes to mind are lobsters (or in New England speak, Lobstahs). The lobster industry is one of Maine's primary sources of income from the agricultural sector. One cannot travel up and down the coast of Maine without spotting lobster huts and lobster cages. This particular image is from Bernard, Maine just outside of Acadia National Park. It was early in the evening when the shadows were beginning to lengthen and the wind was really blowing. Unfortunately, there were no lobsters in sight and so we had to settle for a lobster-less dinner.
Grand Mural
It is very interesting what your eyes can capture when you are paying close attention to your surrounding. This image from Grand Central Station in New York is a prime example of this. I have walked through the Park Avenue entrance leading to the station so many times that I have lost count. For those of you who have never visited the station, this entrance is a long corridor that has stores on either side as well as a large number of kiosks before leading to the main floor of the station. When I visited the Station in June on a photo workshop, I took my time examining the area and noticed this wonderful old mural on the ceiling of the corridor. I am sure I must have seen this before but never really took notice of it. As can be seen in this image, the details in this mural are quite incredible. I haven't been able to find out any information about the mural, but from the scenes depicted in it, it looks to be original to the station, which might suggest that it dates to the early 1900's. Regardless of it's age, it is a wonderful masterpiece that millions of people walk under without noticing it.
Shadows on the Wall
On my first visit to Monument Valley in 2005, I captured one of my favorite images of the park that was featured in this previous post. On my more recent visit to the Valley in May, I wanted to capture a similar image but more focused on that great tree that just jumps out of the landscape. The timing of my visit was late in the evening when the setting sun was beginning to cast long shadows. As I began to compose the image, I decided to take advantage of these shadows and include the tree and it's shadow on the glowing rock. I thought the great color contrast between tree and the orange rock contributes to the feel of the image.
Walk of Terror
I know that the title of this blog post is probably a bit dramatic, but unless you have visited and spent time at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, you don't know how eerie it feels there. Walking around this immense place and seeing the small cells and peeling walls, I can't help but think what it must have been like being a prisoner there. I can only imagine the terror I would feel walking down this corridor to my cell for the first time. While the conditions were probably not as run down when the penitentiary actually housed prisoners, the place must have been so dreary, at least in my imagination. I think if there is not a "scared straight" program that takes troubled youths through the penitentiary, there should be.
Windmill Relics
Wow, I can't believe that it has been over three weeks since I last posted. Between the Labor Day weekend, two fantasy football drafts and a two week vacation to Europe, there has been little time and very limited internet access to post. But now I am back and raring to go. Our trip to Europe consisted of a river cruise from Amsterdam to Lucerne along the Rhine River. Being veterans of ocean cruising, it was a nice change to see Europe in a more relaxed fashion. Our first stop was in the Netherlands. When one thinks of the Netherlands, windmills and tulips are the first things that come to mind. I had visions of seeing windmills everywhere along the countryside but learned that windmills are quickly becoming relics. At their peak, there were over 10,000 windmills in the Netherlands. Today there are only about 1,000 still standing with many no longer working.
In order to see some real, working windmills, we took a tour outside of Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans, an open air conservation area and museum. There along the banks of the Zaan River, the museum has six working windmills where there used to be more than 1,000. This image shows three of them (left to right), "De Zoeke"'(an oil mill built in 1672); "De Bonte Hen" (an oil mill built in 1693) and the youngster of the group, "De Gekroonde Poelenburg" (a saw mill built in 1869).
Run, Forrest, Run
Those who regularly follow my blog know of my fascination with lighthouses. I am not sure exactly why. Maybe because they are quickly becoming relics of the past with the advancement of GPS electronics or because they are often built in some wonderful location or maybe because most of them have stories of sunken boats and how they were built to save lives. Whatever the reason, whenever I travel, I always am on the lookout for them. On this particular trip to Maine, we had stayed in Camden and were on our way south. Rather than hop on the interstate, I chose to hug the rugged Maine coast, stopping at lighthouses along the way. When we stopped at this particular lighthouse, the Marshall Point Lighthouse on Port Clyde, it looked so familiar even though I hadn't been there before. Then I read a sign in the museum and it came back to me. The light was featured in the movie "Forrest Gump" (one of my favorites). In the movie, Forrest starts on a 3-year run across the country and back. When Forrest hits the east coast, he stops at a lighthouse (the Marshall Point Lighthouse), turns around and starts running to the west coast.
Want a Haircut?
Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia is a mecca for Urbex photography though it is a historical site and museum. The penitentiary was built in 1829 and continued operations until as recently as 1971 (hard to believe the amount of decay since then). When the building was erected, it was the largest and most expensive public structure ever constructed, quickly becoming a model for more than 300 prisons worldwide. One of the revolutionary intentions of the time was the idea that inmates were to be reformed rather than be punished (thus the word penitentiary rather than prison). In fact, the warden was legally required to visit every inmate every day as a form of rehabilitation. Two of the more famous inmates were Al Capone and Willie Sutton. This image is of one of the barber chairs that still can be found in the building. The urban decay is evident on the walls along with the algae growing down the back wall.
Basin Flow
A great place to visit if you are ever driving through the White Mountains in New Hampshire is Franconia Notch State Park. One of the easy to get to attractions in the park is "The Basin". The basin was created over thousands of years by rushing water from a waterfall, which has eroded the rock into a smooth, circular cave-like formation. It looks like a granite pothole of about 20 feet. The setting is very beautiful and relaxing and is accessible via a short hike on a paved trail. When photographing the Basin, a Neutral Density filter is required to get that silky smooth water flow contrasting against the stark rock. As can be seen in this image of a cascade leading to the basin, shooting in the fall adds some color in the form of fallen leaves.
Rustic Getaway
Earlier this year, I posted this image of the Fort Wilderness Lodge from my first trip to Disney World in over 10 years. We had been invited to Disney by very good friends to stay with them at their timeshare. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Disney Vacation Club, some of them are separate buildings that are adjacent to an already established resort. While they are not as big as the resort itself, they are still pretty impressive in their own right. This image is of the ceiling of the one attached to the Fort Wilderness Lodge. As is the Disney fashion, you could imagine yourself somewhere in Wyoming instead of Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
The Hand of God
I am sure that everyone with an imagination has looked up toward the sky and imagined all kind of different "images" in cloud formations. This same imagination has been applied to the many of the mountains, rock formations, buttes and mesas on the ground. Nowhere is this more true than in the American Southwest, especially Monument Valley. Almost all of the structures in the Valley have a descriptive name and it is often unknown whether the name was originally created by early settlers, the Navajo people or someone else. Mentioning names like "The Mittens", the "Rain God Mesa" or "The Three Sisters" to people who have visited the Valley will conjure up great memories. Our recent trip to the Valley was my wife Carol's first trip there. Although I told her how beautiful and stunning it was, it wasn't until she saw it that she understood my love for it. She was fascinated by the names of the structures and was trying to memorize them all. The image in this post is of a rock formation known as "The Hand of God" whose fingers can be seen on the right side of the formation.
Iron Spaceship
I commuted to New York City on and off for about five years when I lived in Pennsylvania (a long train ride) and then again when I moved to Connecticut. All of my visits there never took me to the location of the famous Flatiron Building. I always wanted to visit and photograph it but never had the chance. My first opportunity was this past March when I headed to the Big Apple with friends to catch a Bruce Springsteen concert. The plans were to visit Eataly (an incredible Italian market) for an afternoon lunch. Eataly is located right across the street from the Flatiron Building. When I got there I knew that whatever I shot was going to be a challenge as the mid-day sun was harsh and anything I shot would be barely passable. My only thought was to place the sun behind the building and shoot a hand-held 7-shot bracket to bring out the features of the building. While the resulting image is not perfect, the building reminded be of the shape of a spaceship readying for take-off.
Awaiting Boats
At the end of the Akamina Parkway in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, is the secluded Cameron Lake. Often overlooked by its two more famous national parks to the north (Banff and Jasper) and the adjoining Glacier National Park in Montana, Waterton is a hidden gem. Being overshadowed as a park adds a great laid back atmosphere to its wonderful and compelling attractions. For example, this image of Cameron Lake was taken in the middle of the summer around 10 am. There were only a few people at the lake and, as can be seen by these empty boats, one could just walk up to the dock, hop in and have the lake almost all to themselves. Try doing that in Glacier. The backdrop of the mountains make this such a wonderful place to spend time relaxing and taking in Mother Nature. If you haven't visited there yet, make sure to add it to your next trip to Montana or Alberta.