Author Archives: Bri Duncan

NYSE in the Morning

Posted on January 14th, 2013 by

Life Goals

At one point in my life, I wanted to work on Wall Street. For a portion of my younger years I had an…interesting love of Michael J. Fox’s character Alex P. Keaton. This included a brief case to carry my school supplies, dressing in clothes more intended for church then normal school days and regular reading of the Wall Street Journal. Needless to say I was very popular in the 6th grade, or as I like to look at it, I have never been afraid to express myself differently then those around me. Thought the briefcase was left behind years ago, I still to this day find myself doing things a little differently then others. I didn’t think much about the contrast when I was at the New York Stock Exchange, photographing, but it strikes me now how what WAS and what IS in our lives is constantly changing. Then again, isn’t everything.

HDR Photography
NYSE in the Morning by W. Brian Duncan

Palace Grounds

Posted on January 10th, 2013 by

Big House

The thing that impresses most (at least for me) at Versailles is the vastness of the complex. There are multiple palaces scattered around the grounds for as everyone knows the queen and the mistresses cannot reside in the same house, no matter how large. Regardless of infidelity as the king of a major country you also need to be able to get away from the main court to a much smaller and more intimate group. After all when you think about how some numbers put the number of nobles alone residing at the palace near 1000 people with some 3000 servants, there were a LOT of people milling about. We came up through the Orangerie and I was blown away by the scope of the palace. I wanted to capture the vastness of the building, how it goes on and on.

HDR Photography
Palace Grounds by W. Brian Duncan

Hidden Treasures

Posted on January 7th, 2013 by

Hidden Things

Sometimes the most wonderful things are hidden in plain sight. While I was walking around the grounds of the Louvre in Paris, I happened to (as I often do) look up. I was greeted by this wonderful piece of artistry attached to the ceiling. I am sure it serves some purpose. I am sure it has wonderful meaning. I am sure the artisans who created it put great effort and love into its birth. I am however not sure why it was there or quite why I enjoyed its company so, but what can tell you is all around us, there are things of beauty. We only have to look for them, and see.

HDR Photography
Hidden Treasures by W. Brian Duncan

A Look Back at 2012

Posted on January 3rd, 2013 by

Looking Behind Me

Oh what a year it has been! There are so many thing happening in my life at any given time, I often don’t know whether I am coming or going. This isn’t a bad thing or a good thing, but rather how things are right now. Between my day job, my work with Thrive Personal Fitness and my passion project here at BatteredLuggage, my days have been really, really full. 2012 was my first full year running this site with a to date posting of 92 photos. My 100th processed photo is just around the corner! This post is about where I have been this year, and where I am going in 2013. Along with some of my favorite images I posted from last year (posted not shot, though a number where also shot last year).

HDR Photography
The Apotheosis of Washington by W. Brian Duncan

Travels in 2012

I went a number of places in 2012:

SXSWi (Austin, TX)
Chicago, Il
Washington DC
Maui, Hi
St Louis, MO
Kansas City, MO
Tulsa, OK
Bentonville, AR
New York City, NY

HDR Photography
The Gateway Arch by W. Brian Duncan

Future Travels

I realize how much work I need to do here. My general travels aren’t enough for this site, so one of my major goals for 2013 is to travel more. I tend to shoot quite a bit of any location, but diversity of location will really help. So far in 2013 I have five trips planned (three international and two domestic). My goal by the end of 2013 is to have around 100,000 miles flown, which also coincides with my love of elite status (GO AA Executive Platinum). It is a tall order for someone who only flew 15,000 miles last year (and the year before as well), but I believe I am up to the challenge.

HDR Photography
Dawn at the U.S. Capitol Building by W. Brian Duncan

Getting Better

One of the positive things about all my photos and trips over the last few years, is with every one I learn something new about my photography. I feel like I am making improvements in my post-processing technique all the time, and one of the great benefits of traveling more regularly will be that I get to apply the same regularity to my shooting. I really feel like I have a long way to go in capturing truly special images. I am not discounting the photography I have done in the least. There are a number of shots I am extremely proud of, but I need to get better. I can get better. I need to find more simplicity in my images. I need to work harder at getting the right shots. Another goal in 2013 is to work on my shooting skills and to stick with subjects till I find the shot.

HDR Photography
Sunset in Maui by W. Brian Duncan

Changes

Every year brings with it new and sometimes unexpected changes. I struggle sometimes with keeping up. I am though, hopeful that 2013 will bring with it many new changes for the better. Changes for growth, for passion, for learning and for business. I wish everyone a very happy New Year! What goals are you working towards in the coming year?

HDR Photography
Le Consulat by W. Brian Duncan

Welcome to Palmer House

Posted on December 31st, 2012 by

Grand Hotels

I love a grand old hotel. There is a detail to the construction that is often missing in today’s glossy lodging. When I think of luxury, esteem, indulgence, I think of some of the nicest old hotels I have visited. Sometimes when you get all the small details right – the right location, outfit, company etc – you feel elevated (I always thing of James Bond). This always leads me to these grand old temporary residences when I travel. The problem is, as with people, often they aren’t too thrilled for someone to be taking their picture.

Architectural Paparazzo

I have found that if you ask, and people are unsure, often the answer is, “No Pictures!” I tend to not ask and if challenged, apologize profusely while making a quick exit. On my visit to the exquisite lobby of the world famous Palmer House in Chicago, Illinois, no one seemed to care that I was there. I of course try to be an unobtrusive as possible on my visits. Palmer House is a wonderfully located hotel, if you are in the area, absolutely check it out!

HDR Photography
Welcome to Palmer House by W. Brian Duncan

Holy Ceiling

Posted on December 27th, 2012 by

Looking Up, Looking Forward, Being Now

Some photographers have to constantly remind themselves to look behind, above and below their eye level. I don’t seem to have that trouble. I love ceilings. I am not sure why, but they seems easy to me. There are so many things that are hard to truly see, but that easy shot is a double edged sword. The things that are easy in our life tend to start to lose their joy. We want to conquer something new. We long for a new sensation…one we always knew was there, but we failed to see its beauty. One of my goals for 2013 is to “SEE” the world differently. I don’t expect it to be easy, but welcome the growth. This is where I am looking now. The forward. It too is a double edged sword and one of my goals for 2013. I constantly lose the now for the future. I must remember the past and the the future are but illusion, NOW is all that truly exists. This following photo is of the ceiling of St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, NY, USA.

Travel Photography
Holy Ceiling by W. Brian Duncan

Winged Victory

Posted on December 24th, 2012 by

Dangerous Waters

The Louvre is a sea of people.

I was thinking this as I stood on the platform of the staircase that displays one of the most famous sculptures in the world, Winged Victory. Along with the Venus De Milo, Winged Victory is one of the must see sculptures at the Louvre. It is impossible to see all the the Louvre’s treasures in a day (you actually would need a week or more), but there are highlights your first time through which you don’t want to miss. It’s best to have a plan, and my plan that day was to capture a bracket of Winged Victory with no extra people in shot. This brings me full circle to my ocean of fellow gawkers. In an odd way this struggle made me appreciate the photo more, and the victory of battle at sea.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah Everyone!

HDR Photography
Winged Victory by W. Brian Duncan

Smithsonian Castle

Posted on December 20th, 2012 by

America’s Castle

There is a certain something about The Smithsonian Castle that never fails to impress me. Its not the biggest for most luxurious castle I have ever visited. In fact, it tends to be a bit plain inside. If you happen by, this view is of the gardens behind The Castle, it is by far the most picturesque. The Castle serves as the visitors center for the Smithsonian Institution, and houses several exhibits. Still there is something about it that lures me in every time I venture past. Maybe it’s because I think of it as America’s Castle, sure there are grander palaces in the world, but this one is ours.

HDR Photography
Smithsonian Castle by W. Brian Duncan

The Apotheosis of Washington

Posted on December 17th, 2012 by

All Hail, god Washington?

There are a disproportionate number of odd things in Washington D.C. Just the crisscrossing and frequently round-abouting streets can leave new visitors disorientated, but I was struck most on this trip by a piece of artwork I was already familiar with; The Apotheosis of Washington. The idea of an apotheosis is not exactly commonplace in the U.S. collective conscious, but right there in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda is George Washington, painted in the fresco, becoming a god. He is flanked by many of his new Roman peers (Mercury, Vulcan, Minerva, etc) and the whole scene leads me to wonder what in the world Constantino Brumidi (the painter) was thinking? It was undoubtedly intended as allegory, but really…what the heck?

Awe-some

Despite the strange symbolism emblazoned on one of our most significant Federal Buildings, I can’t recommend the Capitol tour enough. You are very tightly controlled as to what you can see, but it is awesome to be in the very halls where so much of our history has been forged. If you are in D.C., plan on a few hours to see General Washington become a god.

HDR Photography
The Apotheosis of Washington by W. Brian Duncan

Evening at The Louvre

Posted on December 13th, 2012 by

Comic Experiments

In a continuation of my processing experiments I made a little something that ended up making me think of graphic novels. I usually try my best to not have any preconceived set of parameters for my photos, rather I try to let them lead me where they want to go. I have been working on this photo for some time honestly. The coloring really was giving me trouble. This is actually shot at sunset and the sky is a nice blue and purple, but the lights of the palace grounds are in full blaze making a heavy hue of tungsten. I processed the photo twice for each color temperature, but still couldn’t get things feeling right. I ended up trying black and white which I really liked but then started playing with selective color, something I generally dislike. In this particular instance I think it came out very fun!

HDR Photography
Evening at The Louvre by W. Brian Duncan