35mm Nikon FE2Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 Wide Angle Lens While I usually hesitate posting winter photographs outside of the winter season, I have no hesitations today. First. maybe a cold looking photo will cool us off during this hot summer and second, there really is just one photo in this sequence that will even disclose that these photos have been waiting since March to be shared.

The photo rig for this walk? A single 35mm camera, a Nikon FE2 fitted with a wide angle 24mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens. And to change the pace a little bit, a different black and white film than my usual Fomapan 400 or Kodak Double-X. This time, with the bright sunny day, I decided to go with Kodak T-Max 100 film. I still mounted an orange filter in front of the lens to darken the sky an provide a better separation for the city scenes below.

Ice MakerBuffalo, NY

Ice Maker, Erie Basin Marina, Buffalo, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 camera on Kodak T-Max 100 Black & White Negative Film

It had been a minute since I took a photo walk through Buffalo's downtown, mostly documenting the Southtowns for a few years. It felt great and reminded me I should do it more often. The start was at the Erie Basin Marina, as so many times before, and possibly the last time with free parking. I am not sure, but I've heard rumors parking fees were coming to the Marina. In my opinion, free parking suits downtown Buffalo better as it continues to struggle to bring people in despite the many great advancements on the last couple decades. The streets are still rather empty and there's not much going on in the storefronts lining them. Is the parking income really the way to go for the city?

Juicery @ The HatchErie Basin Marina, Buffalo, NY

Juicery @ The Hatch, Erie Basin Marina, Buffalo, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 camera on Kodak T-Max 100 Black & White Negative Film

From the Erie Basin Marina the walk led me along the Buffalo River to the Naval Park and across the below picturesque bridge over to Canalside. I had photographed the bridge many times and am sure I will many more. I'm really grateful for this addition, one of many one can enjoy and photograph along the city's waterfront.

Bridge between Canalside and Naval ParkCanalside, Buffalo, New York

Bridge between Canalside and Naval Park, Buffalo
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 camera on Kodak T-Max 100 Black & White Negative Film

Right around the corner is another location that grew on me very quickly. The large wooden shipyard with the Buffalo sign adds charm to the waterfront with a bit of nostalgia. The 24mm lens helped in the tight space in front of the building but I think I will need to head back with a 20.

BUFFALO Canalside ShipyardCanalside, Buffalo, New York

BUFFALO Canalside Shipyard, Canalside, Buffalo, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 camera on Kodak T-Max 100 Black & White Negative Film

For the rest of the walk we're leaving the waterfront and are heading up Main Street, one of my favorite streets to wander and overall a great loop on the foot that provides a lot of great photographic material as well as just the right amount of steps to make the health app happy. While it's usually the tall Seneca One Tower that catches one's attention this day it was the much lower wall along the tower's patio that called to me. It looked just about perfect on this bright sunny day.

Seneca One Patio WallMain Street, Buffalo, New York

Seneca One Patio Wall, Main Street, Buffalo, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 camera on Kodak T-Max 100 Black & White Negative Film

Even almost five months later I remember how the photo below came to be. Turning around at Shea's and starting to head back south along Main Street on its other side I almost made the mistake of feeling the photo outing was over and it was just a matter of walking back to the car. Fortunately, the light contrast and the shadows in front of the Irish Theatre did not let me miss them. At first, something caught my eye, gently pulled, told me to turn around. And all of a sudden, this photo was right in front of me.

Shadow Play at Irish Classical TheatreMain Street, Buffalo, New York

Shadow Play at Irish Classical Theatre, Main Street, Buffalo, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 camera on Kodak T-Max 100 Black & White Negative Film

And that does bring us to the end of this wonderful walk through the city of Buffalo. So many tempting promises like inspired intoxicants, house tonics, or a deluge of gin, yet the chairs were legs up. Oh well, maybe next time then.

Graylynn Gin BarMain Street, Buffalo, New York

Graylynn Gin Bar, Main Street, Buffalo, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 camera on Kodak T-Max 100 Black & White Negative Film

Thanks for stopping by and following along, I hope you'll join me on the next photo expedition soon.

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! For more travel photography, my Travel Photography gallery offers an interesting mix of places all around. And for more black and white photography hop over to the World without Color photo collection.

Different Types of ShipsBuffalo, NY Passing Storm over BuffaloBuffalo, NY On Bird Island PierBuffalo, NY

Swannie HouseBuffalo, NY Freezer QueenBuffalo, NY

To Paul, who liked this beach very much and introduced me to it

The night before was wild with rainstorms and downpours and I could see the effect on Lake Erie right as I got out of the car at Sturgeon Point. The wave action was rather impressive for a lake and I started having second thoughts about my intentions. For a baseline, here's a video of what things looked like at the water's edge.

Waves of Lake Erie in MotionOvernight Downpours Churned the Lake Up

Waves of Lake Erie in Motion. Overnight Downpours Churned the Lake Up

I wanted to capture some smooth long exposures of the lake, which I had not done in a long time. But seeing the action, I felt obligated to alter my plans. I was not going to give up on the long exposures. In fact, the wild action could provide the best set up for those. However, I didn't feel that the long exposures represented the reality.

Wild Lake Erie MoodLong Exposure

Wild Lake Erie Mood, Long Exposure

From the opening video, through the original plan of a long exposure, to the opposite approach and going for a fast shutter by my favorite part of this beach. The shale rocks sticking out into the lake are such a gem and I can't get enough of them. It is always a challenge to return with new compositions as this area is like a magnet to me.

Churning at the LakeshoreFast shutter

Churning at the Lakeshore, Fast Shutter

It was not only the water that had different plans than me but the sun too. In general, sun had been messing with me for a few days already. I kept trying to take some infrared pictures around town and sun would be shining while I was in the house. But the moment I'd hop in the car it would immediately start playing peek-a-boo with me.

And this day on the beach? Just the opposite. I left with a pretty dense layer of clouds overhead and it looked like it would rain any moment. That was what got me thinking of long exposures. Low and diffused light is a good recipe. By the time I got to the location, the heavy clouds were mostly gone and nice puffy white clouds were rolling around, with the sun popping in and out all the time.

Lake or Ocean, Two Sides of one CoinTwo Sides of one Coin, this one showing the wild side of Lake Erie.

Lake or Ocean, Two Sides of one Coin, this one showing the wild side of Lake Erie

To make it even more apparent how the choice of technique can influence the resulting photograph, the above and below photos are photographed from the exact same tripod location approximately 2 minutes apart. For the action stopping photo above I removed the neutral density filter from my lens and changed camera settings to allow for a fast 1/800 sec. shutter speed. For the long exposure below, I re-attached the ND filter and altered the camera settings for a 13 second exposure. Thus, the exposure time for the above photograph was 10,400x shorter (quicker) than for the photo below. Nothing else changed. Look at the rocks, they are all still in the same place.

Lake or Ocean, CalmTwo Sides of one Coin, this one showing the quiet and moody side of Lake Erie.

Lake or Ocean, this one showing the quiet and moody side of Lake Erie

What do you think? Pretty crazy what a choice of shutter speed can do to a photograph, right? Which one do you like more? Why?

Thanks for stopping by! :-)

Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you! (#etbtsy)

Boulders, Rocks, and Setting SunBeautiful Lake Erie Water & Rocks at SunsetBeautiful Lake Erie     Sunset Awe at Sturgeon PointBeautiful Lake Erie

All Quiet on Lake ErieBeautiful Lake Erie The First Light over Hamburg BeachBeautiful Lake Erie

To my mom

Another Cyanotype travel journal, this time full of nostalgia due to its subject's location in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands where I grew up and also where I spent many weekends and summer holidays at my grandparents. The castle itself has a unique charm too, with its imposing simplicity and awe inspiring views as one enters through the castle gates. I have also always loved the small houses on both sides of the path to the castle providing a stark contrast of the different standards of living, as well as a beautiful visual path towards the castle. And finally, some moons ago my mom was briefly a tour guide here at Pernštejn.

Pernštejn Castle CyanotypeGem of the Highlands

Pernštejn Castle Cyanotype, Czech Republic, An Original Hand-Made 5" x 7" Cyanotype
Chemically Printed on a Hand-Coated Shizen Design Cold Press Recycled Watercolor Paper

The next print is literally from the opposite side of the path taking visitors through the castle. At its end, you'll turn around ready to head back and this view will be right in front of you. I loved the double archways and tried to align them. I was also very glad to see the large stacks of wood off to the side. Clearly, the castle was ready for the winter in the Highlands. And sure, a nice wooden picket fence never hurts a photograph, does it?

Stacked Wood at Pernštejn Castle CyanotypeA Gem of the Highlands

Stacked Wood at Pernštejn Castle, Czech Republic, An Original Hand-Made 5" x 7" Cyanotype
Chemically Printed on a Hand-Coated Shizen Design Cold Press Recycled Watercolor Paper

Thanks for visiting, hope you'll be back :-)

Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy

Previous posts in the Cyanotypes series: 1. First Cyanotype - 2. More Cyanotypes - 3. Highlands Cyanotypes - 4. How do Cyanotypes Happen? - 5. Cyanotypes V: Tweaking the Curve - 6. Cyanotypes VI: Toning - 7. Cyanotypes VII: More Toning - 8. Cyanotypes VIII: Toning Different Papers - 9. Cyanotypes IX: Horní Rozsíčky - 10. Cyanotypes X: From Black and White or Color - 11. Cyanotypes XI: Moravian Countryside - 12. Cyanotypes XII: Prague Castle - 13. Cyanotypes XIII: American History - 14. Cyanotypes XIV: Gulf Shores, Alabama - 15. Cyanotypes XV: Different Take on Travel Photography - 16. Cyanotypes XVI: Nostalgic Pernštejn

If you like cyanotypes, you can explore the Cyanotypes Photo Gallery dedicated to my growing collection of them. Would you like to browse through traditional darkroom wet prints? Visit my Darkroom Photo Gallery and enjoy!

House of Memories, Cyanotype IICyanotype Nostalgia U Vlachů, CyanotypeCyanotype Nostalgia On the Way from School, CyanotypeCyanotype Nostalgia