Sunrise Over Philly

Sunrise Over Philly, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

This shot represents a few firsts, most notably, the first time I have ever gotten up before 7 am when I didn't have to get to either a) work, b) class, or c) the airport. This is also the first vertorama I've attempted (created from just two exposures, this is not an HDR). Apparently, this is what Philadelphia looks like before 6 am. Who woulda thunk?

A vertorama is like a panorama, only vertical. For instance, this shot is actually two shots stacked one on top of the other. That way, the angle is not only wide horizontally, but vertically as well.

Out of Service

Out of Service, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

I wasn't originally going to post this, but why not? No reason not to post what I think is a cool image. That's actually an overturned toilet in the foreground. Let's hope it's no longer in use. If you couldn't figure it out from the other shots in my photostream, this is from one of the cells in the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Summer's Calm

Summer's Calm, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

Now for something completely different than what I've been doing recently.
Sometimes, when looking for subjects to shoot, I forget to look at what's right in front of me. I was going for a bit of a "dreamy" effect on this one.

This one took a bit of processing to get it to where I wanted it, and it's still not quite as ethereal as I'd like. The only way to fix that though is, I think, with a longer lens. It's hard to describe, because I can only picture it in my head. Here's a link to an example though: A Dream to Dream, by Aileenie. If you have time, you should check out her photostream on Flickr, it's really, really excellent.

High Water

High Water, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

Another shot of the flooded Wissahickon Creek from this past Sunday (7/2/09). This shot is a little busier than I'd like, but the sky and clouds were just so great in this shot, I had to process and post.

In hindsight, I should have stepped to the left so that tree wasn't in the foreground and I had more of the river. I'll have to go re-look at my pictures and see if maybe I didn't do just that, although I don't think I was that smart.

The Flood

The Flood, originally uploaded by M. Rosenberg.

We had torrential rains here in Philly on Sunday (7/2/09) and there were flash floods everywhere. This is the Wissahickon Creek, which was higher than I've ever seen it. Another foot or two and I wouldn't have been able to get to where I was standing. Good for photography, bad for travel.

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.