Where the Earth Meets

Where the Earth Meets, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

This literally is "where the Earth meets." It was taken in Thingvellir National Park, which is in Iceland. The rifts between the rocks are actually a result of movement of the Eurasian and North American plate boundaries that run through Iceland. In the south, the plates inch past each other, but at Thingvellir, they break apart and the land between subsides. Away from the plate boundaries the activity is fairly constant, about two centimetres a year, but in the rift zones themselves, tensional stress accumulates during a long period and is then released in a burst of activity when fracture boundaries are reached.

Bonsecours Market

Bonsecours Market, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

I was looking through some of my old photographs from past trips when I found this shot from Montreal, one of my favorite cities in the world. Thought it might looks nice all gussied up.

From Wikipedia: Bonsecours Market (French: Marché Bonsecours), at 350 rue Saint-Paul in Old Montreal, is a two-story domed public market. Named for the adjacent Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, it opened in 1847. Construction began in 1844 by architect William Footner, and was completed in 1860 by George Browne. Bonsecours Market housed City Hall between 1852 and 1878. For more than 100 years, it was the main public market in the Montreal area. It also briefly accommodated the Parliament of United Canada in 1849. Today, the market houses outdoor cafés, restaurants and boutiques.

Also, I'm 30 today, which is neat.

Can't Stop the Hustle

Can't Stop the Hustle, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

I wanted to go back and look through some of the shots I took of City Hall a month or so ago. This one captures a bit more of the street than the last one I posted, "The View Up Broad", which focused more on City Hall. It really is a great place to shoot at night, but I guess you can only take so many shots of the same thing.

Single exposure using my ultrawide Canon 10-22mm.

The Verdant Creek

The Verdant Creek, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

The creek I was standing in is the Wissahickon Creek, in Fairmont Park, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For those familiar with the area, just past the bridge and to the right is the Valley Green Inn.

This is an HDR shot from 5 exposures. I quite like the way it came out, especially all of the greens and blues. It looks quite like a watercolor to me. I took this at about 8:15pm. I was hoping to have a more dramatic sky, but it was overcast and started to rain about 15 minutes later. Oh well.

A Facade of Skyscrapers...

, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

... facing a lake and behind the facade, every type of dubiousness.
- E.M. Forster

I thought that was a cool quote to describe Chicago. This is another shot taken from the top of the Hancock Center. Its similar to the one posted a few days ago, but you'll see that it is actually different. Different sky. This one was taken about an hour (and two drinks) later.

This is actually a black and white shot with, I believe, three layers on top of it. One layer giving it the colors, one layer adding the "sun" streaks, and a third layer giving it the gritty/worn appearance. Finally, I added the border around the edges. This is what happens when you play around in Photoshop.

Passing By

Passing By, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

I've been meaning to experiment more at night. The problem is, I'm so tired after work I rarely venture out of the house. I was able to make it down the street, tripod and all for this one. Don't know how interesting it is, but I like the lights.

"Very Little is Needed to Make a Happy Life."

"Very Little is Needed to Make a Happy Life.", originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

The title is a quote from Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Roman Emperor, A.D. 161-180.

I actually took this shot a few weeks ago. I was looking out of my window and the clouds were so cool looking, I had to snap a few pictures. This was the best one in my opinion. I wish the foreground was more interesting, but I like the silhouette.

The John Hancock Center

The John Hancock Center, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

The John Hancock Center at 875 North Michigan Avenue in the Gold Coast area of Chicago, Illinois, is a 100-story, 1,127-foot (344 m) tall skyscraper designed by structural engineer Fazlur Khan of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. When completed in 1969, it was the tallest building in the world outside New York City. It is currently the fourth-tallest building in Chicago and the sixth-tallest in the United States, after the Willis Tower, the Empire State Building, the Bank of America Tower, the Trump Tower, and the Aon Center. When measured to the top of its antenna masts, it stands at 1,506 feet (459 m). The building is home to offices and restaurants, as well as about 700 condominiums and contains the highest residences in the world. This skyscraper was named for John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, a developer and original tenant of the building.

This photo was made using one single .raw shot, but I created two different layers, one for the buildings and one for the sky. I was able to add a bit more depth to the clouds this way.

The Loop

The Loop, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

Was in Chicago this past weekend visiting friends. Before dinner on Saturday, we had drinks on the 96th floor of the John Hancock Center. What a great place to have a drink or two. The views were awesome. I have many more pictures like this that I'll post in the coming days.

This is an HDR image blended from three exposures at -2, 0, +2 in Photomatrix and then tweaked in Photoshop. You should really click on the picture to view it in Flickr, where you can then view it large. It's the only way to do it justice.

Steel

Steel, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

This is a bridge crossing the Schuylkill in Manayunk that I've always wanted to cross. It's private property, so I didn't. I actually went over for the sunset, but none of those shots came out, but I thought the bridge itself was pretty cool looking. I added some texturing to give it that old, worn feel.

1938 Peugeot Darl'mat LeMans

1938 Peugeot Darl'mat LeMans, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

This shot is from the Simeone Foundation shots that I took earlier this year. This particular shot is of a 1938 Peugeot Darl'mat LeMans. Beautiful car.

This is an HDR image made from three separate exposures and processed in Photomatrix.

Mantis

Mantis, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

Saw this here praying mantis sitting on my fence. I think (s)he was just as interested in me as I was in him (her).

Photograph was taken with a 200mm telephoto lens. There wasn't anything interesting in the background, so I added two layers of textures to give it a little more depth. I would have liked to have gotten a bit more detail on the mantis itself, but it is what it is.

The Canal

The Canal, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

Looking down the canal in Manayunk, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania just after sundown. Every night I look at the clouds and sunset and think about how nice it would be to shoot by the canal. Of course, the one night I actually get my act together and go down, no clouds in the sky and less than average sunset. Oh well, beautiful place for a summer's night stroll.

Damn It's Hot

Damn It's Hot, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

Another picture from Las Vegas. It really was quite hot.

Mandalay

Mandalay, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

Sorry for not posting anything for a few days, but I was away for a bit. Take a look at the photo above and see if you can guess where.