Abstract Architecture

More and more I'm inclined to use my homemade tilt-shift lens for my architectural shots.  I am always fairly pleased with the results.  Today's shot wasn't as good as some of my others...like the first photo here.  But there can be just as much if not more satisfaction gained from creating something with which you can take a photograph than from the photograph itself.

I'm always a fan of bokeh.  Architectural photography is not a field you tend to see it used in...I think it works here, though.

Fence. Night.

Here's a fence.  At night.
The redeeming qualities?...1. a little bit of bokeh...2. the "series" look...3. shallow depth of field...4. and hey, contrasty black and white is always good, right?

 Hopefully that justifies a fence. at night.

Outside and Inside

Yesterday, the sun was actually shining.  It was bright out and everything was looking all pretty.  So I took some pictures...

 A pretty fence with some pretty mountain laurel-like plant...growing around it

 And some pretty thistle-ish things.  

...and because it is National Bird-Feeding Month, I give you a Common Redshank.  

Today, on the other hand, a fine mist was falling from the sky.  Though this rarely stops me from going outside, I was already planning on being indoors for most of the day.  I attended a lecture on museum ethics at the Ulster Museum and decided to use that opportunity to get today's photo... 

 I dig the leading lines...they kind of drag you past the subject as opposed to leading you to it.

Closed

This little cafe was closed by the time I got to it.  I was hoping that it would be.  It's much nicer when no one is around...that's when you actually notice the soft blues and yellows of the room, and how they perfectly split the cafe into two.  One side warmer colors, one side cooler colors...

Out Of Focus

Having a subject that isn't in focus is normally an issue.  Sometimes, though, it's exactly what's needed to make the photo just different enough to be noticed.  I've been meaning to get a photo that would look good even though it isn't in focus.  I think I succeeded.

I went out with the goal of getting some good bokeh.  I did get some (look to the lights on the light posts) but it isn't the main subject.  This just means you can look forward to a shot where the subject is out of focus lights.  

Books, Bokeh and Beaches

The 23rd of October was rainy.  I already posted for it, but had been lucky on that day and got outside before the rain hit.  Once it hit it kept going until early on the 25th.  This forced me to stay inside on the 24th and find something worth photographing within my apartment.  

I have been reading (and greatly enjoying) Herman Melville's Moby-Dick.  In an attempt to keep a visual list of the books I've been reading, I have been taking a photo of each book.  Compelled to stay inside by the rain, I give you...something inside my apartment that is at least slightly worth photographing...

A good book

I grabbed my camera and my homemade tilt shift lens as soon as the rain stopped on the 25th.  I didn't know how much time I would have before it started again, so I ran around outside looking for something to shoot.  A train went by, I squeezed my plunger-like DIY tilt shift lens and pressed the shutter button.  

Not as tilt-shifty as I would have liked

My tilt shift lens was still attached on the 26th, so I used it again.  There are some pretty awesome "post boxes" (mailboxes) around here.  Here is one that is right outside of my apartment.  

Mail me things!

In an attempt to add on to one of my new projects (architectural photography that might not initially seem like architecture) I got this shot of a wall on Thursday.  I don't know if I can actually add it to the project (it is strange, but I think it is pretty obvious that it is indeed something architectural)  but I really like the angle.

Biggest cage ever

I woke up to the sounds of this happening on the 28th... 

I think they were trying to melt the road.  Is that normal?

I then took some pictures of my wife and her morning tea.

With only window light.  

In the evening we went to what was supposed to be a haunted botanical garden.  It would have been nice if it would have been free.  We stood in the line until finding out it wasn't free.  Then we left.

I absolutely love Halloween...but not enough to pay to walk through a garden with people dressed up in an attempt to appease crying children.

On the way back I was trying some low light shots...

...and ended up with some beautiful bokeh.

We went to Larne yesterday.  In an attempt to get people to use a new train that has just been added, they had a "try the train" day.  We tried it.  A free train trip?  Most definitely!  We got off the train and walked around...rather disappointed.  Larne seemed to be a very boring town.  With horrible crosswalks.  We almost died a few times.  What was strange was that we had looked into the town and found what seemed to be some interesting things.  Apparently they were farther away from the station than we had thought.  We chose a direction and walked that way...hoping it would take us somewhere interesting.

After a few miles we came upon a cute little park.  With a stone on the other side of it.  We made our way to the wall and slipped through a little gate and...

  much better.  We thought there was supposed to be some water around Larne.

We found the coastline path that we had read about.  We headed north on it, hoping to find a tunnel that had seemed rather alluring.

that little hole in the mountain...that's my tunnel!

We found the tunnel just as the rain found us.  We went up to the tunnel, looked around and turned around.  The half hour walk back was not much fun, what with the ocean breeze slamming the rain into our faces and soaking us thoroughly.  We found a little shelter, asked an old couple that was taking refuge there if we could join them, and they told us of a very nice little cafe that would hang our clothes up by the radiator and give us hot soup.  We went there.  The soup was good.  My roasted red pepper and mushroom panini was better.  But they didn't hang up our jackets by a radiator.  

This isn't the cafe.  It's a close up of the tunnel.