Tag Archives: USA

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

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

The Tiffany Skylight of Chicago

Posted on December 6th, 2012 by

Missed Opportunities

I have been to Chicago a good number of times. I have even been by the Chicago Cultural Center and never gone in. I like culture, probably more than the next guy, but I always assumed the Chicago Cultural Center was a boring meeting space and not worth my time. Pamela and my mother-in-law happened to stop on a trip and she was emphatic that I visit on my next photography trip to the windy city. She had my attention at Tiffany Skylight.

Massive Light

The Preston Bradley Hall contains what is reported to be the largest Tiffany Dome in the world. The entire building is built from carved marble and hand laid mosaic tile work. If you are in the general area of Millennium Park, stop by the Chicago Cultural Center. I plan on going back next time I am there!

HDR Photography
The Tiffany Skylight of Chicago by W. Brian Duncan

The Future is Dupont Circle

Posted on November 29th, 2012 by

Pushing More

On Monday I talked about about limits and pushing myself as well as my photographs. Today is a continuation of that theme. I really liked this composition in the Metro by Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. The problem was it processed very poorly in my normal HDR software. I generally use HDRSoft’s Photomatix 4, but the image didn’t look or feel right. Since I am trying to push myself this week I decided to use a piece of software that I almost never use, Nik’s HDR Efex Pro. Perhaps I should give it a second chance more often because the processing came out GREAT!

Soylent Green is People!

I always think the D.C. Metro looks like something out of an 1970’s Sci-Fi movie staring the incomparable Charlton Heston. Given that visual as a starting point, I decided to push my processing both in terms of colorization as well as very heavy grain.

HDR Spotting
The Future is Dupont Circle by W. Brian Duncan
Warning! Only watch this video of you have seen Soylent Green and know the ending OR never plan on watching this most awesome film!

Steampunk Ticket Window

Posted on November 26th, 2012 by

Pushing Limits

In everything photography I wrestle constantly with limits. My camera has limits, my software has limits, I have limits. From…how far do I want to push my comfort zone when taking a photo to how far do I push the image with software…limits. How much does a trip cost, how much time do I have off work, where will I sleep and what will I eat…limits. Perhaps it’s the confinement of these same limits that makes touching the edge of what we were previously capable so sweet. Without our previous perspective we would have nothing to gauge our progress.

Post

This week, in post processing anyway, is about pushing my comfort level with software and challenging my aesthetic comfort. I have two very different images for this week, the first is of an MTA Ticket Window at Grand Central Terminal in New York City. I pushed and pushed and pushed till the photo looks like something out of a steampunk dream. I rather like the result, but I pushed this further than I would have ever thought to in the past.

HDR Photography
Steampunk Ticket Window by W. Brian Duncan

Glass Pyramid and the Sky

Posted on November 22nd, 2012 by

Sky

There is quite a bit riding on the weather…photographically speaking. You generally have only a limited time at a location, and if you have a completely blue sky or a really dull grey one, you tend to get boring pictures. Sure there are ways to fake interesting clouds, but I don’t do that. I take what mother nature gives me and try to work on it from that vantage point. Not every shot will be great, but hopefully you always come away with something you find helps you learn. Other days, as in life, you get a bounty of great clouds. When that happen…collect as much as you can and be thankful!

HDR Photography
Glass Pyramid and the Sky by W. Brian Duncan

Futuristic Transport

Posted on November 19th, 2012 by

Art as Function

There two things I absolutely love in this world…art (this needs less explanation) and moving sidewalks (this probably needs slightly more justification). Let’s start with the latter. Perhaps it’s the kid in me who had The Flash underoos, but I love the idea of effortlessly traveling at faster than human speeds. I get a great joy out of walking down a moving sidewalk, because, if only for a short moment I have a superpower!

Art as Form

Art is much easier…for those of us who are called to create, there is perhaps no greater comfort in the world to be surrounded by the labors of those creators who came before us. They saw the world differently, the didn’t simply shrug and go on about their day, rather they were driven by the need to express what they believed to be intrinsic. Perhaps we can only achieve crude renderings of what we see, believe or feel, but these artists did; there was no option not to do, and in doing so brought the world something new. The greatest achievements of humanity are found in creativity, perhaps in no purer form then in art and literature. The walkway tunnel in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. brings both form and function together in one display.


Futuristic Transport by W. Brian Duncan

Clipper Flying Cloud

Posted on November 15th, 2012 by

Flying History

It hasn’t always been so, but since I was a kid and I took my first plane ride in the 55J (a Cessna if memory serves me correctly) I have enjoyed flying. I have never enjoyed a car trip. If figure if you are going to go somewhere, you might as well fly and get there sooner. I fully recognize the importance of the journey, but what can be better than a journey at 30,000 feet! It has become somewhat commonplace these days, but the miracle of flight never fails to amaze me.

Thank You For Flying PanAM

Thought I am not old enough to have flown Pan American World Airways, there is just something about that era of flight that I wish we could recapture. There was something special about the planes, and the way people dressed up for their trips. The was a grace and sophistication that is somehow lost in today’s people movers. This beauty is the Boeing 307 Stratoliner, the first pressurized airliner…probably the most advanced plane of its time. This is one of the only remaining Stratoliners, you can find it at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

HDR Photography
Clipper Flying Cloud by W. Brian Duncan