City / Building photos

[stranger_with_candy]

First one of Phoenix Building in Hartford, CT:



GE Building in NYC:

[outraged2]

1. Those are great

Every time I try to photograph buildings the photos are terrible. I really like these shots.

[Longgrain]

2. Pretty standard photo

taken about fifteen years ago when I was only sixteen, and first falling in love with photography...

The Worcester (rhymes with blister) Common in Worcester MA.

[Longgrain]

3. Oops forgot to include the image...

Ah...there she is...

[AlCzervik]

4. California Statehouse

The building is nce but it's the dome that i really like. I took my girlscout troop there a year ago and got the full tour.

And here is the dome from inside

[stranger_with_candy]

5. the inside really is beautiful

great pic.

[AlCzervik]

14. The statehouse itself really isn't that interesting

but who wuld suspect that little surprise under the dome?

[stranger_with_candy]

17. I like the state house too...

but i guess they all kind of look like that? at least the ones around here do.

[Longgrain]

6. Absolutely lovely...

Nothing else to say but stunning pics!

[outraged2]

8. wow

wow... that is great. I love the dome.

[NJCher]

33. I got a feeling from that dome

yeah, a rush of a feeling--hard to describe in words, though. Hushed. Awe. Kaleidoscope.

The dome is like a jewel.


Cher

[outraged2]

7. maybe one of y'all can help

These are photos of my favorite place in Dallas, Fair Park - the State Fair grounds. It is all vintage art deco c. 1935 but sadly, has suffered serious neglect for decades and is literally crumbling.

I have no real experience with different lenses or cameras other than my ancient Canon. Would these be helped by a particular lens or what? I know we learned about this in class.... (paralax?) How do I counteract (or work with rather than against) the tilt of the buildings/statues?





These two suffer mostly from my not paying attention to the sun, but have other issues as well. Any advice?


Hall of State - Unfortunately because of the shadow you can't make out the great tilework in the bend- it is royal/navy/burnt orange mix and beautiful with the golden archer statue. It is my favorite building.



Tower Building - the glare on the gilt (gilded?) edge on the tower is a bit much. I am no good at photoshop, but I guess I could correct that.

[stranger_with_candy]

9. i actually like the angle that you took the first two at

i'm kind of new at photoshop too so unfortunately don't have any tips for you.

as for the other two... it certainly is a beautiful building, maybe just the sun angle on the one with the shadow would have helped it.

i'm relative new to it all, took a few classes last year but far from an expert. just do it as a hobby.

[outraged2]

10. thanks...

I need to go back out there and play around... see what I can come up with. Might be a good project for tomorrow.

About Photoshop.... I have it but I am very resistant to it and suffer chronic frustration. I pretty much only use it to resize and convert to jpg. I guess that is a good reason to learn to take better photos. :)

[NV Whino]

20. Your photos seem a trifle overexposed

Exposure correction on the first two would help. Personally, I like the parallax on those. The third one could be quite dramatic with more contrast. Let the shadows go dark. If you want to get the tile work, either shoot when the entire curve is in sunlight or on an overcast day. (Or see second paragraph.) The last one could be corrected in PhotoShop if you wanted, and Nikon Capture has a nifty parallax correction tool. That short of thing happens when you tilt the camera--to get a tall building, for instance. One solution is to elevate you and the camera to about mid level on your subject and keep the camera level. (This could involve a cherry picker, a hot air balloon or levitation :)) Old Bellows cameras could correct for this. Today we use PhotoShop or Nikon Capture.

I suspect your exposure problems come from an old camera. Newer cameras have various exposure choices: and overall balanced exposure (this is all older cameras had and played hell when you had half shade, half sun); a weighted exposure (giving 60% or so to your primary focused area and 40% or so to peripheral areas; spot exposure to expose only your primary focus area and let the rest fall where it may.

[outraged2]

26. thanks very much

I am going to go back out and try some different things. I didn't go as I said I was going to do because it was 14 degrees and that was just too cold. I will go soon though. Its nice to have this group to talk to and see. It has made me want to get out and take more photos.

I wish I could get a newer camera, but for now I am stuck with my old one and will have to learn to compensate. Your input is very helpful, thanks again. Hopefully the next batch will improve.

[NV Whino]

27. Here's an example of spot metering

I had sharp lights and darks. I exposed for the flower and let the background go dark. Nikon D100

[auburngrad82]

11. Here's a couple

Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut


Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queensborough (I think) bridges in NYC


Manhattan Skyline


Jeffrey's Hook lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge

[alfredo]

24. I really like the Hooks lighthouse picture.

I like the rhythm of the bridge supports and the high rises. it brings out the boy in me.

The location is so Upper Street in Lexington Ky, two blocks east of where the Camp Town races were held. The site is now a parking lot for Rupp Arena.

[RagingInMiami]

12. I had posted this in another thread

But this thread seems more appropriate
Both these pictures are of the Bank of America building in downtown Miami. The building changes colors.
Also included in the picture is the "People Mover" public transportation system that loops through downtown, an extension of the larger Metrorail that runs throughout the rest of the city.

[auburngrad82]

13. Cool photos. The blue one is particularly stunning. eom

[AlCzervik]

16. Wow, excellent!!!! That top one should be in an ad

showing off Miami.

[electricmonk]

15. Atlanta 1985

This is an old one that I took before I really knew anything about photography but I still like it. Taken with an old, very old Kodak Retina rangefinder.



I have tons of other photos of buildings in DC, Portland OR and a few other cities but none of them are on my computer yet.

And that photo of the GE Building is great, has a classic 1930's feel to it.

[Malva Zebrina]

18. Halifax, Nova Scotia

Reflection of the old in the new, Halifax, Nova Scotia



Clouds passing through, Halifax, Nova Scotia

[pinniped]

19. I quickly took these and avoided the Dept. of Homeland...

Security.

The Transamerica Pyramid and Bank of America Center in SF.

[Malva Zebrina]

21. that number two is fantastic

did you put the camera on the ground and then shoot? It is really a great photo.

number three looks like you tilted the camera -- something seldom done or seen, but great effect.

[pinniped]

22. Thanks, I had to take #2 out of my sunroof while in downtown traffic.

Three buildings came into view so I went for it.

[NJCher]

34. wow, pinniped

those made me dizzy!


Cher

[Longgrain]

23. I've already posted these elsewhere...

But this is what the buildings look like where I'm from...





:-)

[alfredo]

25. A window, and a 10 cent horse.

A window in downtown Lexington Ky

[NJCher]

32. photo looks like a collage!

very creative, interesting.


Cher

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

28. Spain 2004

[Duncan Grant]

29. Old meets new - Cologne, Germany

Not the best photo I've taken but I do like the two spires; taken on Christmas day (12/25/2003).

[Pert_UK]

30. Inside the Jin Mao tower in Pudong, Shanghai:

Just snapshots really, but I quite like them:

""

Looking down inside the atrium which runs from the 53rd to the 87th floor inside the building....Each line around the circumference is a different floor of the Hyatt Hotel, and if you look closely you can see a Grand Piano in the bar at the bottom of the atrium.

""

Oriental Pearl TV Tower, taken from the Jin Mao's observation deck.

[outraged2]

31. second try

So I finally got a chance to go back out to the fairgrounds. It had been overcast all day, but by the time I got there the wretched sun had burned through the cloud cover and I have the same lighting issues as before, but I am posting because I kind of like the new compositions... they aren't quite right yet, and I have yet to figure out how to get good scans in color :eyes: but I thought I'd see what y'all think.

I like this one best:



and two others:





I still have a roll of black and white that may (or may not :) ) be better, but they won't be back for another week or so.