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Posts Tagged ‘urban’

Photography, Travel | 0 comment

Tampa, Florida

Urban Walkabout

Downtown buildings of Tampa, Florida ©TimeLine Media
Downtown buildings of Tampa, Florida ©TimeLine Media

Last April, I accompanied my wife on a trip to Tampa, Florida. In a previous post, I talked about the trip out of DCA south to Florida. I have never been to Tampa before, and this was a great opportunity to see a new city for me. From my research before arriving, I did see that they had a nice downtown with some large buildings that I hoped to get in photos while I was there.

Downtown Tampa ©TimeLine Media
Tampa from above ©TimeLine Media

During the day, my wife was at a convention to earn some continuing education credits. I had some photography projects to work on that I had on my laptop. Despite not being at home, I can do most of my work remotely. Thanks to readily available internet and fast laptop computers! While my wife was out, I walked around downtown Tampa and saw a lot of interesting sights.

city skyline view from above ©TimeLine Media
Tampa, Florida ©TimeLine Media

Flying Mayor

The NHL Tampa Bay Lightning were in the middle of a playoff run! When I approached a building near city hall, I saw a ladder fire engine lifting the mayor up high into the sky! He revealed a “Go Bolts” banner on the side of the building. That was a fortunate event to run into!

Mayor Bob Buckhorn raising a Lightning Banner ©TimeLine Media
Mayor Bob Buckhorn raising a Lightning Banner ©TimeLine Media
Go Bolts! Tampa Bay Lightning banner ©TimeLine Media
Go Bolts! Tampa Bay Lightning banner ©TimeLine Media

Tampa is a very walkable city. From our hotel, we could walk along the Hillsborough River down to the Convention Center and Amalie Arena where the Lighting play. Walking around the arena area, we found a nice parking garage with a beautiful panoramic view of downtown. Because it was a quiet night in the city without any games being played in the arena, we spent some time getting some nice photos of the tall skyscrapers. I really enjoyed the short time we had to explore this area of Florida!

Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida ©TimeLine Media
Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida ©TimeLine Media

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703-864-8208

Event, Personal, Photography, Travel | 0 comment

Smithsonian Buildings Tilt Shift

Washington, DC

The blog has been very ballroom dance heavy the last week. The dancing photos have just been a big part of my computer time, so I had them at the top of mind lately. I’ll start switching the subject out today. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to walk around some Smithsonian museum buildings in Washington, DC.

Kryptos statue - Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media
Kryptos statue – Washington, DC – ©TimeLine Media

During the summertime months, the area is filled with groups of tourists, school groups, and other visitors to the city. Mixed with all the government workers going about their business, it is a busy time for this area. I blended in much more with the tourists pointing their cameras at all the recognizable buildings.

Lens Practice

For this walk, I just had one lens on my camera – the 24mm PC-E tilt shift. I wanted to make more comparisons with some larger buildings than the ones in my neighborhood. The Hirshhorn Museum was one that I wanted to try. There are usually not as many pedestrians or large buses parked by the Jefferson Street side, so I went there for my test. Here are the two images, the first uncorrected with the camera pointing up towards the building, the second shifted to straighten the lines of the facade.

Hirshhorn Musem - Washington, DC - perspective uncorrected - ©TimeLine Media
Hirshhorn Musem – Washington, DC – perspective uncorrected – ©TimeLine Media
Hirshhorn Musem - Washington, DC - perspective corrected - ©TimeLine Media
Hirshhorn Musem – Washington, DC – perspective corrected – ©TimeLine Media

The second is really a different view than what you see as you drive by. The main circular section looks to be suspended in mid air one story above street level. As you take photos of the building when you walk by, the “leaning back” perspective is what you normally see from close below the structure. The corrected version seems so straight, that it does not look right to my eyes! When drawing straight lines, though, everything lines up as it would on a sheet of paper if you were making a blueprint of the building. This was my first try, and it will probably not be the last time that I go back to a familiar place that I am accustomed to seeing with distorted vision due to perspective.

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Personal, Photography, Travel | 0 comment

Tidal Basin Evening

Finally had a little break from dance photos to look back and some images that I may put into the portfolio. The winter evenings also brought some opportunities to go out and get some photos of the capitol city. During this evening, I took my gear out to the Tidal Basin. I do not normally visit this area unless it is bursting with cherry blossoms! It is probably one of the most photographed areas in DC during those few early Spring days, but on a week night evening, all the traffic is on the surrounding streets and bridges with commuters heading home for the day.

Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial in evening - ©TimeLine Media
Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial in evening – ©TimeLine Media

The parking lots are very accessible during this time, and there is not too much foot traffic around the basin. This gives clear vantages to the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, and even the White House. The fading light will also give you streaks of lights from air traffic going in or out of Reagan National Airport, and there is a faint glow from the traffic and building lights from across the Potomac River. It is a peaceful time if you are there for photos, and not in your car just trying to get home.

HDR22-Jefferson-Memorial-after-sunset-20140131-0004_5_6_7_8_9

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

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