Train Station - Day 41

Today marks the 5th anniversary of the return of passenger rail service to Norfolk Va. This is the Amtrak station in Norfolk which opened to support the new passenger rail service.

Twilight Chapel

The Chapel at the Barry Robinson Center was built in 1933 as part of the James Barry Robinson Home For Boys, an orphanage and school. The chapel is a beautiful sight just after sunset with its holiday lights aglow. Taken with a Canon G10, f5, 1s (tripod), ISO 200, 40mm equivalent. Post processed with Photomatrix Pro 3.1 blended exposures.

Night Train

The new Norfolk Virginia Amtrak Train Station scheduled to open tomorrow gleams at night. Last December passenger passenger rail service to Norfolk resumed with daily trips to Washington D.C., New York and Boston. Ridership has been strong and now we have the most modern train station in Virginia. Canon G15, 1 to 1.5 sec, F/5.6, ISO 100 mounted on a trip tripod, HDR compilation of three images spanning 2 f stops.

Abstract

- This photo of the Battleship Wisconsin as reflected in the Suntrust building in downtown Norfolk has an almost abstract look after applying a little HDR effect. Still not sure if I like it but thought it was a different view of an often photographed Hampton Roads landmark. Canon G11, 1/320 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

Spring Walk

- Took a spring walk around the neighborhood this afternoon and took this pictire of these delicate very pale violet flowers. I'm not sure what they are but I liked the texture and decided it would make a good black & white photograph. Canon 7D, 1/400 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro, converted to B&W in Lightroom 3 using Silver Efex Pro 2.

Cathedral of Commerce

- Built in 1907 the three-story, Beaux-Arts style Monticello Arcade forms a protected pedestrian passageway between City Hall Avenua and Plume Street in downtown Norfolk Virginia. Basically it's a 105 year old shopping mall. The recent economic conditions have reduced the tenants somewhat but the architecture alone is worth a walk through. Canon G11, 1/50 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, "HDR-ish" effect applied in Picasa version 3.9.

Jumbo

- The Boeing 747, the original "Jumbo Jet" at the Detroit Airport. This blog post is my first from in-flight Internet. We are zipping along in a boring old 737 at 440 mph at an altitude of 36,658 feet somewhere over the midwest in route to San Francisco. iPhone 4, 1/15 sec @ f/2.8, Camera+ app using the HDR effect.

HDR Miami

- Downtown Miami in high dynamic range (HDR). This photo of downtown Miami at night is actually a blended exposure of 5 individual photographs. Each exposure was captured using a different setting creating a range of images from light to dark. When blended with Photomatrix Pro software the resulting images include a much wider tonal range than the camera can accomplish on a single exposure. This image is more like what your eyes can detect in a scene like this. Canon G11, shutter times at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 10 seconds all @ f/8.0 and ISO 100, mounted on a tripod.

HDR Gardens

This is a simulated high dynamic range (HRD) photo of the Hunter Savage Colonial Garden at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. This was a cloudy overcast day which made it ideal for capturing details, I just had to avoid the blah sky. This image is a blending of three exposures, one taken at the camera's meter reading, one two stops under exposed and one two stops over exposed. I did the blending with Photomatix Pro. This allowed me to avoid blowing out the highlights on the white gazebo and fence while capturing details in the shadows. Not a great picture but an interesting lesson for me in HDR. Canon 7D, 1/6 sec @ f/14.0, (metered exposure) ISO 400, 70mm focal length, mounted on a tripod.

5 - Attucks Theater

From 365 Project

The Attucks Theatre was built in 1919 and was designed by black architect Harvey N. Johnson. The theatre was named in honor of Crispus Attucks, an African American who the first to die in the Revolutionary War. In its heyday it hosted famous performers such as Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Mamie Smith, Nat King Cole, and Redd Foxx. This is my first attempt at a "blended exposure" photograph. This picture is a combination of three images exposed at -2, 0 and +2 stops. Taken with a Canon G10, f3.2, 1.0s (tripod), ISO 80, 50mm equivalent. Post processed with Photomatrix Pro 3.1.