urbex Archives - Page 6 of 10 - Just Enough Focus

August 9, 2016

Bridge Reflection

I continue to look for reflections on water whenever I go out shooting. The most exquisite, at least for me are reflections on still water. This is a view of the DeSoto bridge in Bradenton. It’s one of two main bridges, but this one is due to be replaced. In the meantime I’ll continue taking pictures until they tear it down. When the water’s calm I go a little crazy capturing reflections.

If I may digress a little, reflections have a deeper meaning with respect to our psyches. I believe that how we perceive people, the world, even ourselves is based on reflections. Maybe that sounds deep but really it’s not. How we perceive is based on a reflection of our own makeup. I see things my way and you see things yours. So anyway, I suppose that might be one reason I like reflections. That, and they look cool.

bridge images from the gallery

Back to the bridge. I have no idea how they plan to replace this bridge. The traffic over it is enormous and it is a lifeline; the hospital is just on the other side off frame on the left. So you can’t just tear it down, seems to me you have to build another one, THEN tear it down. Those engineers have their work cut out for them. Let’s hope they reflect on it long and hard. Ahem.

August 4, 2016

City on the Pacific

When I was last in Vancouver I took a ride in a seaplane and captured this as we circled around the city. I’ve been meaning to do this for years and glad I finally did. I’ve walked just about every inch of Vancouver and seeing it from the air was a great way to put it all together.

As you can see there is a lot of green space which, in my opinion, is a sign of a healthy city. To the left is Stanley Park which is a little like Central Park in New York only more wild.

I overlaid the image with a texture to convey an almost mythic quality of the city. Maybe it doesn’t seem that way to people who live and work here everyday, but when you draw back and get a little perspective you have to agree there is something amazing here.

more Vancouver images

Vancouver is nothing if not a big concentration of towers. Surely other cities have more, this is only a slice of Manhattan, but this city is surrounded by mountain peaks. It’s the combination of the towers and mountains that strikes you when you visit. That’s then followed by a million other impressions coming at you from every direction in this great city on the Pacific.

July 31, 2016

Acorn of Time

This is a panorama of Vancouver’s Coal Harbour. I took this from Stanley Park one night and I wasn’t alone. Not only is this a popular spot for photography, Vancouver has a lot of photographers. There were several other photographers out with their tripods composing their shots of this great city.

In this case I used three vertical eight-second exposures that I stitched together. I enjoy making panoramas with a full frame camera because of the amount of detail in the image. Whenever I print these I marvel at the smallest details.

Vancouver from the gallery

One reason photography is so fun for me is because I get to go back and look at a scene in quiet contemplation. At the time there may be a lot going on and it’s easy to miss things. But I tend to see more things later when looking at images. I’m like a chipmunk gathering acorns of time, holding them and then enjoying them later.

Anyway, I almost didn’t take this photo because it’s been done so many times before. But I’m glad I did, if for no other reason than I get to go back and enjoy the scene now.

July 15, 2016July 15, 2016

Idea in My Mind

Last Saturday I walked around Vancouver in the evening. As the sun was low it cast a glow on the towers of Coal Harbour and reflected in the harbour. I’d been thinking of walking over to the west end to get more of a sunset photo but am glad I stayed on this side. When taking photos, I think it’s best to have an idea and then be flexible. You never know which way the wind blows.

I have this idea in my mind about photography. It goes like this: the best photography is not from a place but a state of mind. Here’s what I mean, iconic locations don’t make a photo, being observant regardless of where you are does. I’m beginning to think magic happens everywhere, not just in Iceland. No offense to Iceland, you’re still on my bucket list.

more Vancouver from the gallery

I travel a little; I was traveling when I took this. And I like iconic scenes as much as the next person. I’ll be there snapping away with everyone else at the Eiffel Tower. But I think the more I pay attention to light, shadow and placement in my own front yard, the more I see. Its fun to travel for photography, but not necessary. Anyway, that’s my latest theory, and since I spend a lot of time at home, I’m putting to the test.

June 30, 2016June 30, 2016

Vancity Architecture

I took this while walking around in the rain on a Vancouver morning. That was back in January when the days were short and the rain was constant. Now in June the days are long with the sun rising at about five in the morning. I’m headed back there and looking forward to taking more photos in Van-city.

The thing about Vancouver, or any major city for that matter, is that it’s so unlike the sleepy little town I live in. The change in scenery gives me all kinds of ideas for urban photography. I’m sure the same would be true for big city folk that visit central Florida, in awe of the beaches and sunsets. Change of scenery is a good thing.

more urban images

This was taken at the Telus Science World building. The leading line of the walkway and pillars are what I found interesting. The building itself is made up of unique architecture, it has a geodesic dome and odd structures along the outside. This is probably the second most photographed building in Vancouver next to Canada Place. In any case I can’t wait to get out on the streets in full urban photo mode.

May 26, 2016

Morning Train

The morning train crosses the bridge to Bradenton on it’s way to the orange juice plant. I stood here as it blew its horn which can be heard for miles away. When I’m home I hear the horn at night and for me it’s just part of the daily sounds that make up the fabric of life in this small town. Each time I hear it I know the train is crossing the river.

When I travel to another part of the country or up to Canada and see Tropicana orange juice in a carton, I know it crossed this bridge as it left the plant. It’s a subtle feeling of familiarity when I’m far from home.

Anyway, I love traveling by train, there couldn’t be a more relaxing way to travel. Unlike a plane you can easily get up and walk around. There’s none of the nonsense about landing and takeoff and you can pretty much do as you please.

More images of urban exploration from the gallery

Anyway, I don’t see many passenger trains in my part of Florida. Even so they were largely responsible for the population growth in the last century. Now the trains here mostly serve industry. For instance the Ringling circus train leaves from just the other side of the river. That has a long history, and I know someone who works on that train, but I digress; another story for another day perhaps.

May 17, 2016May 18, 2016

Best Intentions

Earlier this afternoon I got stuck in a thunderstorm, it was the first of many to come this season. I stood under a shelter for about twenty minutes while I waited for it to pass. It finally did and I walked home in a light drizzle and went about my business. In the evening I had it in my mind to see if the clouds would part a little at dusk so I drove to this spot on the opposite side of the river and waited.

This is a three shot panorama of the DeSoto Bridge in Bradenton just a few minutes after sunset. I was glad I followed my hunch.

In the center is one of three bridges, the other two are just behind it. One of the bridges is a railway and while I was here a train crossed the river. The sound of it’s horn and bulk as it lumbered along was the predominant sound on this otherwise peaceful setting.

In fact I heard the train approaching as I drove over here across the DeSoto bridge. I debated whether I should head that way to get some type of train image, or this way for a landscape. In the end the landscape won the day. I’ve shot the train before but there are always opportunities for new compositions with every outing.

More images of Bradenton from the gallery

Sometime I can’t find anything to shoot, other days I can’t make up my mind which way to shoot. Life is a series of decisions that lead to other decisions and in the end we end up exactly where we should, despite our best intentions.

May 8, 2016May 8, 2016

Shooting in the Rain

I took this last January and as usual it was raining in Vancouver. Even so I spent most of the day outdoors taking pictures. The scenes, energy and images are so different from my home in Florida, I easily get carried away and forget the time. When I finally got back to the hotel both me and my camera were soaked. When I tried to dry it off it didn’t want to work. I should have known better. I laid it on the desk, changed into some dry clothes and went for dinner. By the time I got back the camera was fine. But I made a mental note that if I ever see a nice camera rain cover I should pick it up. I just did from Peak Designs so here’s the link in case your interested.

We get rain here in Florida also, but it’s not the same by any stretch. In the summer we get crazy tropical thunderstorms and the lightening gets a little scary. Basically you don’t want to be outside when lighting is in the air, yet it creates all kinds of other artistic opportunities.

More images from the street photography gallery

Rain is good for photography, if you take the time to look you’ll see all kinds of unique compositions. For street photography the rain puts everyone a little off center and so they are carrying umbrellas or running for cover. If you’re doing landscape photography then it means the clouds will be full of drama. Either way rain is good for photography yet maybe not so much for cameras. My advice is to get a shell to save your camera so you can worry less about the equipment and concentrate more on the scenes in front of you.

May 2, 2016May 2, 2016

High Floor

This is from a couple of years ago in Vancouver. Normally when I stay in a big city the hotel looks out at the back of other buildings, but this time I lucked out. The room was thirty floors up and facing west so I could watch the sunset in the evening.

Getting access to a high vantage point in a big city is a big plus. Its a perspective I always find fascinating because of all the little details. Its a little like having a window seat on an airplane and watching the ground as you gain altitude, it’s all looks so different.

More images of Vancouver from the Gallery

Nowadays drones provide these kinds of perspectives, at least they used to. Most cities restrict drone flights for number of reasons so short of that, getting access to a high floor is still the way to go. One of my favorite things to do is go the observation decks of well known buildings; Hancock in Chicago, Empire State in New York and the CN Tower in Toronto. But on this occasion all I had to do was open the curtains to my room.

April 27, 2016April 27, 2016

Bridge Muse

Every now and then I’ll come to Sarasota to take pictures before dawn, more often at night, but once in a while in the morning. I’m fascinated by bridges and I can never get enough of them as it pertains to photography. The challenge is finding a new way to compose a photo of a bridge I’ve already shot dozens of times. This is the Ringling bridge, named after John Ringing of circus fame. Since this area is the original home of the circus a lot of things around here have Ringling in the name.

For some reason I never shot this perspective from this side, I’ve done it from the other side but not this side. You can just make out the other side which is known as Bird Key, it has a bunch of beautiful homes along the water.

More images from Sarasota

I shot this on a Saturday about an hour before sunrise, even so the bridge was already full of runners. It’s a magnet for joggers since it has huge sidewalks and it’s the only thing around resembling a hill. In any case, I walked around here for about a half hour until I was satisfied and then headed to another location across the bay where among other things, I composed more photos with this bridge in the background.

I guess you could say this bridge is a muse of sorts.