Friday, January 7, 2011

Stuck in the Middle (Weekend Reflections #68)


Philadelphia Pennsylvania-
This might be the first time that I've posted two photos for Weekend Reflections. I like the bottom crop best but I wanted to show all of Philadelphia's unique city hall. If you enlarge the top photo you might be able to see the huge statue of William Penn on top of the City Hall. The City Hall was designed to be the tallest building in the world but by the time it was completed it was already surpassed by the Washington Monument and the Eiffel Tower, However it was the Tallest inhabitable building in the world until 1908.
A few people have asked me for night photo tips.
Tip #1 use a tripod! I'll follow up with lots more tips as I'm able to figure them out and put them together.
If needed please click the link in the top right corner for Weekend Reflections instructions.
Now lets have some fun with Weekend Reflections!

71 comments:

Sylvia K said...

No place to sign in, James.

Rune Eide said...

"I'll be Back" :-)

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

James, I would have a difficult time choosing between the two. The bottom one does show the detail of the building, the top one gives a larger perspective... both quite nice!

I need a quick release on a tripod to take everywhere... I drag it abroad and then it seems to be a time-consuming big deal to set it up in a church (quickly). You are right... use a tripod.

Bon weekend, mon ami!
Genie

Malyss said...

Where is Mr Linky?...

Msb said...

Oooooh. I love these!!!!!

Karen said...

Great photos. Such a sense of motion and busyness!

Dani said...

I know taking night shots can be addictive. I love these.

Dina said...

An exciting sense of movement in the city streets.

Luis Gomez said...

Love Philly and those are an AWESOME images James.

Ebie said...

I am back!

Love your night shots. I am learning night protography with a new group I joined 4 months ago. Tripod and remote are basic, I have learned.

Sunny said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nefertiti said...

magnifiques vos photos,bravo !

et bonne annee ;O)

Sunny said...

What terrific pictures! I hope she got across that busy street! The second one really shows off City Hall and it seems to increase the speed of the traffic. Great work!
Sorry I didn't have a good reflection for this week.
☼ Sunny
P.S. Regarding your comment on Bugs...No not my handywork, I can't draw a straight line with a ruler, LOL!

Rune Eide said...

No. 2 without doubt - Read up Robert Capa on the subject :-)

PS Trouble with selecting WEB-photos via MackLinky.

wenn said...

lovely night view!

teresa said...

theses r awesome pics. i think each is really great but the top is my fave. the woman still in the middle makes them. great eye! i hope u r watermarking these because people will take them. i have a widget that doesn't allow the right click option. that helps.

Olivier said...

Yesss superbes photos, une tres bonne gestion du temps de pause long. j'adore

Pat Tillett said...

Hey James!
I like both versions of the photo. One for detail and the other depth

Martha Z said...

I love the look of night photography. Hard to believe in this day and age that this was once the tallest inhabitable building.

Francisca said...

I've often felt stuck in the middle. :-D I agree with Pat... both are good for their own reasons. I hope you don't mind my posting more than one image for your meme. It's kinda my schtick to tell a story in multiple images. And since I am a lazy "photographer", I carry a unipod that I can carry in my bag and quickly extend; not ideal, but it's worked okay for my level of "aim and shoot".

Malyss said...

"LOST IN TRANSLATION"!!
did you see this movie? it's wonderful! and the title matches very well with those wonderful pictures!

Gattina said...

Gorgeous night pictures with reflections ! I always have difficulties with my camera, Sometimes it works most of the time it doesn't lol !

Hooked on Memes said...

Both are excellent. It is hard to choose.

NatureFootstep said...

I agree with you, the cropped version is the better one.

Meri said...

I'm gonna have to try some night photography with my tripod -- soon!

paul said...

Great capture of light! Love them both.

Sally in WA said...

Almost looks scary with the cars whizzing by! Fun capture. Have a great weekend!

Elisa said...

Great photo James!
have a nice weekend

Leovi said...

Gorgeous night light and nice contrast in the movement of cars and the stillness of people and buildings.

DawnTreader said...

Impressive night-shot! My photos for this week's post were taken at night too. Probably just as well that I didn't look at yours until after I had already decided mine... ;)

Cezar and Léia said...

A beautiful and imposing building... right in the middle! :)
God bless you!
Cezar

Rinkly Rimes said...

The enlargement certainly adds to the sense of speed. Brilliant, in every sense of the word.

Fabien said...

J'aime particulièrement la seconde, l'impression d'une immobilité isolée, d'une attente solitaire, au milieu du mouvement.
Bravo

Becky said...

This is just an awesome picture James, and I am really looking forward to your tips on night time photography.
B.

Quilt Works said...

I am having trouble posting the image... I don't see it showing up at th end... I did three times. Sorry if eventually three identical thumbnails show up. Normally they show up right away, so I am not sure what is going on.

giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•. said...

Che bella foto luminosa... la ragazza ferma in attesa di attraversare la strada da un'affetto molto particolare !
Buona serata :)
Myriam

Serendipity said...

I like the second crop best too - and I love how you have captured the woman in the middle of the road.

Sylvia K said...

I love them both, James! There is something energizing about the second one in being almost able to feel/hear the sound of the traffic. Your composition is fantastic as always! Have a wonderful weekend!

Sylvia

Anonymous said...

Fantastic shots! I haven't forgotten about Weekend Reflections, just haven't gone thru my pics & chosen one to post... I'll be back, definitely! =)

MarieElizabeth said...

Really interesting shot. I love night photos and these are well done.

Margaret Gosden said...

Love the combination of gold and silver colouring, unexpectedly working so well together. It is all very impressive when lit up in this way!

Anonymous said...

Making usage of those moments, when 'being forced' to pause and hold - probably one of the greatest challenges of nowadays.
Perfectly set in scene by your photography.

Please have a good weekend you all.

lotusleaf said...

Awesome night shots!

Stickup Artist said...

I love these! And I know that building so well. You have captured the furious vibrant city movement against the stillness of this lone pedestrian and the stately structures most impressively. It's a pain carrying around a tripod, especially when it's cold out, but we can see here, the effort is soooo worth it. Great job in breaking new ground.

Maude Lynn said...

Both are outstanding!

Simon said...

James....stunning photos. Love them both. I so enjoy seeing my old haunts. One of my fave restaurants is very close-the Capital Grille. Thanks for such a wonderful catch.

Owen said...

Great photos James... old William Penn is an impressive figure up there... guess you know the stories about things that can be seen if viewed from certain angles...
:-)
The thumbnails for all the links feature of Linky is pretty cool too. Didn't have time to get to it last week, but am in this time around...

Take care...

dianasfaria.com said...

Love this!
Brings back lots of memories of when I used to go to school at The Philadelphia College of Art, (now known as The University of the Arts).
The students used to call City Hall the wedding cake.
Thanks for the beautiful photos and your great tips too!

Anonymous said...

I love your photos. Thanks for organising this Weekend Reflections event.

All the best, Boonie

Joanne said...

fabulous shots, i really love them! great ideia of the thumbnails:) Thanks
Have a fabulous Year James!

Unknown said...

Great shots James. I know it's not that scary standing there but your photo makes it look really scary. She looks so vulnerable.

Greensboro Daily Photo said...

Tried to post but I don't know how to resize my photos. The resolution is too great. :((((( I've been a faithful contributor but am now kicked out of the kingdom!

How apt that my word verification is refusp.

Cildemer said...

Gorgeous!
It's a shame she's stuck there all by herself! She could have been "stuck in the middle with you";o)

Greensboro Daily Photo said...

I just figured out how to post by decreasing resolution through iPhoto and I didn't even have to get a teenager to help! Whoooppppeeeee!

Jan
Greensboro, NC

word verification: photochob How did it know I had to photo chop??????

Suburban Girl said...

AWESOME. I look forward to the tips. The tripod I have. (Check) How do you figure out your settings?

T. Becque said...

I like both of them too! Such a great catch.

Kaori said...

Unbelievably gorgeous photos! I love the lady standing there while the cars seem to fly past her :-D

Shirley said...

Terrific photos James! Frameable too!

Sar@h said...

Great capture. I like picture by night.

Happy New Year

Alexa said...

Using the tripod can be a pain—but so worth it for fabulous shots like these!

imac said...

Wonderful shots James.

MyMaracas said...

Fabulous night shot, and a beautifully composed crop.

Unknown said...

I love cities at night when they are all lit up. They can be as pretty as a Christmas tree. lol

Regina said...

How awesome!
Miss being here.
I will try posting when things are back to normal.
Happy New Year!
Regards.

Lillianna said...

Awesome shots, prefer your second that is so great!

This is my first visit here...and I 'll be back!

/Lillianna
http://lillianna-lovely-dreams.blogspot.com/

Pat said...

I was blown away by the first photo, then saw the second one and was REALLY impressed! I loved them BOTH! Time indeed was standing still for the person in the middle. What an awesome shot!

Unknown said...

Thes are such fabulous perspectives! The contrasting lights are wonderful. Great job once again, James.

tapirgal said...

Your shots are delightful. I love the moving cars with the woman standing still.

Puna said...

This is a gorgeous shot. I love it.

ruma said...

The moment is dreamy.
The silhouette may be a fairy...

Thank you for showing wonderful Philadelphia.
ruma

Cryingbear said...

So great pictures!

...in 2011 I really NEED to purchase a tripod ;)