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From a Bank to a Coffee Shop
SPOT Coffee CornerOrchard Park, NY
This early morning did not take me too far from home and that was a good thing. With the days getting longer the alarm has to be set earlier and earlier to get somewhere before sunrise. On the other hand, the daylight saving time counters that by an hour.
Not only did I want the nice light of the rising sun side-lighting the Quaker Street I also planned on benefiting from a crowd and traffic free photography. As far as the latter goes, I got my wish but only for a few minutes with cars soon zooming by.
With the sun it was a whole different story. While it certainly rose a bit more to the north compliments of the two months that had passed since the spring equinox it proved not to be enough. Most of the north facing facades along the East and West Quaker Street got no direct light at all. With some, it was the shadows from buildings and trees getting in the way and with others the angle just was not sufficient once the sun moved higher, cleared the roofs, but moved almost straight to east by then.
This Way to SPOT CoffeeOrchard Park, NY
Some better placed taller buildings benefited from direct visibility of the sun while it was still lower and were briefly illuminated . The one that the rising sun kissed the most this morning was SPOT Coffee, a beautiful building right at Four Corners of Orchard Park. A beautiful building in beautiful light, what more could I have asked for?
I wandered around for a bit checking out the neighboring buildings and looking for additional angles. After capturing a few photographs of Bank of America right next door I returned to the coffee shop and stood facing it head on. The traffic arrow on the street caught my attention and I thought it was a great pointer to what I was capturing in my photograph, a special version of a "leading line". And for the cafe? A special subconsciousness attacking marketing trick? It certainly leaves no doubt about which way to go, does it?
Then, I backed a bit further into the alley at my back and looked for some nice framing for the building. At this point, car free photos were tougher to pull off. The line from the traffic light always easily extended here and beyond and I had to wait for the green light to clear the street and then wait for gaps between the passing cars.
Stop by for a CofeeOrchard Park, NY
Then, as it so often happens when I don't limit myself to preconceived shots, a car rolled in slowly stopping for the next red light. As I saw it approaching my lined up shot I decided to include it rather than waiting to exclude it again. I also decided to turn that version into a black and white photo. Maybe it was to make it more different from the car free version, maybe it was for a more classic look, it simply gave the version with the car a mood I liked. And that is what you see in the closing photo here.
So why the title to this post? The building was originally the location of the First Bank of Orchard Park built in 1916.
Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you! (#etbtsy)
References: SPOT on Pinterest - Town of Orchard Park History
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Light Changes over the Riviera Theatre
Blue hour photographs are popular for a good reason. Unlike daytime, they allow artificial illumination to come through boldly. And unlike pitch black night they provide depth to the photograph. The often yellow illumination also stands our wonderfully against a dark blue background. For me, capturing urban photographs during blue hour is enjoyable not only because of the possible outcomes but also because it gives me a chance to see time pass. Shortly after sunset, everything seems to speed up. The transition from daylight to the blackness of the night happens rather quickly, and minute by minute one can see quite pronounced differences.
This evening I found my way to the Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda (north of Buffalo, NY). While the rain held off until the night and I could not add to my Theaters in the Rain series I still enjoyed watching the light in transition above the beautifully restored marquee - what a beauty! Often, I share only the final outcome of my photo outings with my selection. Today, I'd like to give you an idea about what I mean by saying that the light balance changes very quickly.
Light Changes over RivieraFrom daylight to blue hour
Light Changes over Riviera - From daylight to blue hour over Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda, NY
Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you! (#etbtsy)
Do you enjoy reading my photography blog? Would you like to see more photographs from Buffalo and Western New York? Visit my Buffalo Cityscapes and Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes and enjoy! Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help!
Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything at all. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how large, no matter how small. Thank you! And thank you one more time!!
An Abstract Dose - Not the usual suspects at Akron Falls
Painted TreeAkron Falls Park, NY
Back to a familiar spot leaving with not so familiar photographs. Indeed, I first headed up the stream of the Murder Creek to satisfy my waterfall thirst. There, I had fun with the beautiful falls and the pool underneath, later moving on to the plentiful and wonderful rocks in the creek, and eventually hitting the path through the woods on my way back. I did not strictly stay on the path. Instead, I wandered through the woods mostly keeping my eyes on the creek looking for some close up opportunities as the clear water rushed over and around the rocks in the creek bed. I also noted some vegetation in the woods though, as well as bright patterns created by the sunlight finding its way through the trees.
And then it struck me. There was a beautiful tree trunk in the distance completely different than the forest around. Its trunk was bare and nature clearly used it as a canvas to paint its masterpiece on. Light and dark areas creating what appeared to be some kind of a topographic map, with contours curving around and encircling some of the knots in the wood as if showing the peaks on the map.
It also proved to be rather challenging to photograph this painting. Unlike a regular painting, the surface was not flat but running around a tree trunk. And even within a smaller area the irregular surface was moving up and down closer and further from the camera. I tried to find the best position to make my camera as parallel with the photographed section as possible and reached for f/22 for the maximum depth of field.
Half & HalfAkron Park, NY
The tree had more to offer too. While the one side was showcasing the beautiful light and dark painted areas, the other one was almost squeaky clean, plain, showing just the texture of the wood. And it was not a gradual transition, but a rather abrupt one. Like two canvases next to each other, one was painted and one was still waiting for its painter to unleash their vision. And it was that surprising transition that I tried to capture in the second photograph here.
Unlike the first one in color, I went for a black and white here to underscore the almost instant transition from one pattern to another.
What a wonderful early morning at Akron Falls, what a wonderful morning out in the woods. I always enjoy the quiet of the early hours with no or very few people around and the only sounds being the birds chirping, water humming, or wind whistling. Let these two photos be a constant reminder to myself to keep my eyes open and look beyond the planned, beyond the expected, beyond the obvious. There is always something new waiting to be discovered!
Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you! (#etbtsy)
Previously from the Akron Falls: The Akron Falls - Follow the Grand Vistas with Detail Shots - Morning on Murder Creek - Going for the Details Again - Western New York Winter Wonderland at Akron Falls - As Winter Fades Away ...
Would you like to see more abstract photographs mostly from Buffalo and Western New York? Visit my Abstracts & Patterns Photo Gallery and enjoy! Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help!
Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything at all. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how large, no matter how small. Thank you! And thank you one more time!!
One Beach, Yet More Looks
Sunset over Hamburg BeachHamburg, NY
Last year, I shared a post called One Beach, Different Looks with you. Then, I added a pinhole twist into it with A New Chapter, a New Book - Pinhole Photography. And today, I'd like to add one more photo to the mix and bring it all together.
It's a sunset photograph with subtle colors. Definitely not one of the wild colorful shows nature can put up over the lake. But that gives it a more calming, relaxing, peaceful mood. And this evening, I really liked what the moving clouds did shortly after sunset. As if mirroring the jagged curve of the cliffs they moved off to the right seemingly opening up a gate, a gate through which to watch the show.
As always, scenes like these are very short lived, quickly transitioning into something altogether different. The clouds move out of their perfect position, colors fade, light dims, and somewhere down the road a new wonderful opportunity awaits!
The Many Looks of Hamburg Beach Cliffs
Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you (#etbtsy)!
All of these photographs are available in the Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes gallery. Please, let me know if you have any questions about photo products offered, or not offered. Looking for a present? I offer ready to hang solutions like canvas gallery wraps, prints on metal, and matted and framed ready to hang photographs.
Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how large, no matter how small. Thank you!
Seaside Pinhole Photography
Zero Image PinholeSouth Shore Kauai, Hawaii
In my last quarterly newsletter I had a feature article on pinhole photography in Hawaii. In this post, I'd like to share one sample photo with you. If you are interested in the full newsletter article or future newsletters, please, subscribe by creating an account on my website - just follow the login link at top right.
On my recent trip to Hawaii, I packed an extra camera on top of my DSLR. Just a tiny bit of extra space was needed for my wooden Zero Image 35 mm pinhole camera, and a few rolls of black and white film. In the end, my final choice was the Ilford PANF Plus ISO 50 film that I believed would work really well for the well lit coastline, and for some dreamy long exposures.
To give you an idea how the whole pinhole set up works on location, I am including a behind-the-scenes iPhone picture. Please, excuse my equipment not properly matching from a time point of view. A classic wooden tripod would certainly look more suitably under a camera like this, but since I already had this carbon fiber tripod and a sturdy ball head I stuck with it even for the pinhole photography. Maybe at some point I will scour the Internet for something more aesthetically pleasing.
In the end, I was really happy with how the black and white film rendered the lava rock filled Hawaiian coastline as well as with the look of the wild surf captured by the medium length exposures between 1 and 6 seconds. And yes, I was also happy with the dreamy look of the unsharp images, so different from today's standard of super sharp digital imagery. With a pinhole camera, there is no lens and no focusing and given the tiny aperture the depth of field is practically unlimited. As a result, foreground to background, everything is in focus, equally blurry.
Shipwreck BeachZero Image 35mm Pinhole Camera
Shipwreck Beach, Kauai, Hawaii, Zero Image 35mm Pinhole Camera, Ilford PANF Plus 50 Black & White Film
Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you! (#etbtsy)
References: The Geometry and Math behind Optimum Pinhole Camera Design
Did you enjoy this post and the included photographs? Would you like to see more seascape photography? Visit the Seascape Gallery. Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered. Looking for a present? I offer ready to hang solutions like canvas gallery wraps, prints on metal, and matted and framed ready to hang photographs.
Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how large, no matter how small. Thank you!