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Saturday April 23, 2011

Post author By Woody
Post date Thursday April 28, 2011

GREAT WALL and BEIJING – We got an early start to drive out to the Great Wall. We joined the Wall at Mutianyu, about an hour and a half’s drive from central Beijing. A few things to note about the Great Wall. It’s crowded with Chinese tourists so go early. It’s really up and down, and in some places high and steep. Come prepared for a vigorous walk. I suffer from vertigo so there was one very steep and narrow segment that I skipped (rather than risk freezing and creating a problem for myself and others. Maria did it all and considered it a good training day for her planned trip to climb Kilimanjaro later this year. The approaches to the Wall are crowded with hawkers and vendors.

With my Leica M9 and a 24mm Summilux lens, shot at f1.4 with the aid of a neutral density filter.

In the afternoon we spent a few hours at the Summer Palace, an extensive network of parks and buildings around a lake on the outskirts of Beijing.

On this day last year: 1211 Park Avenue.

Tags China

Culture Icon Landscape Urban

Tuesday April 5, 2011

Post author By Woody
Post date Tuesday April 12, 2011

NEW YORK NEW YORK – Well , , , walking down Park Avenue I had a major surprise. In the plaza in front of the Seagrams Building (for me the center of the universe in many ways) someone seems to have deposited a giant yellow teddy bear. I love this thing. It fills my need for monumental odd-ball sculpture in this area, a need that had been frustrated with the passing of Hello Kitty. What we’re seeing here is Urs Fisher’s big yellow teddy bear lamp which is said to have recently sold at Christies for an eight-figure price. This is sufficiently fun that I’ve flaunted my usual rule and included two images.

On this day one year ago: A picture of Cathy Robbins at Quatorze Bis.

Tags Sculpture, Seagrams Building

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Friday February 25, 2011

Post author By Woody
Post date Thursday March 3, 2011

NEW YORK NEW YORK – A seriously bad weather day. I took the Staten Island Ferry. It’s free and offers remarkable views of New York harbor. I had hoped to get wind and rain swept views, but the weather started to break right after we left South Ferry in Manhattan. There were brief moments when shafts of sunlight broke through the overcast. I captured this during one of those moments. So what if it’s sentimental? This made the trip worthwhile – I’ll be back. Taken with my Hasselblad H4D-60 and an HCD 35-90 lens.

On this day last year: Madison Square at night.

Tags Hudson River, New York, Statue of Liberty

Icon Landscape Urban

Friday February 11, 2011

Post author By Woody
Post date Sunday February 20, 2011

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Another day with film. I’m mastering the mechanics of the Linhof film back so I had fewer ruined double exposures. Here’s a view of 23rd Street taken with my Alpa TC, a 36mm Schneider APO lens on Ilford XP-2 film. I’ve always considered the gray scale rendering of chromogenic films to be slightly odd for landscape – there is a slight infrared quality to it. This image illustrates this effect.

Take a look back at the post for February 9. The vertical line up the middle of the picture is actually a scratch on the negative. Very irritating. Another issue with film. I’m reposting the image here with the scratch repaired and minor edits. Film helps make this image appealing because its response curve has a “shoulder” that prevents the windows from blowing out entirely, and “halation” (light diffusing through the film’s base) add a glow around the windows. On the other hand the scratch illustrates one of the key hazards with film. Overall I spent 20 minutes or so spotting the scanned negative in Photoshop.

On this day one year ago: Lexington Avenue at night. Not one of my more popular images – probably because the reflections (which was the appeal of the situation for me) are confusing.

Tags Film, Lexington Avenue, New York, Night, Seagrams Building

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Thursday February 10, 2011

Post author By Woody
Post date Friday February 18, 2011
2 Comments on Thursday February 10, 2011

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – My second day shooting film. I’ve put a Linhof 120 film magazine on my Arca TC body. It makes an 6 cm x 7 cm negative. The film magazine is heavy and quirky – the film advance leaver is two stroke and there’s no interlock to prevent double exposures, so I made a fair number of double exposures. Here’s one shooting straight up from the Park Avenue island: Another view of the Seagrams building.

On this day one year ago: Blizzard.

Tags Film, Park Avenue, Seagrams Building

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Wednesday February 9, 2011

Post author By Woody
Post date Friday February 18, 2011

NEW YORK NEW YORK – Here’s a surprise for you. One of the reasons that I’ve gotten behind in writing these – I’m actually writing this on February 18 – is that I’m experimenting with . . . . film. You read that correctly. The F*** word. My plan was to shoot film for three or four days. There’s a couple of days turn around on processing, and then whatever time it takes to edit and scan. Taken with my Alpa TC and a 36mm Alpa APO Switar lens. Shot on 120 size Ilford XP-2 film, a “chromogenic” black and white film that is processed with the normal C-41 color negative process.

And . . . here’s FILM:

On this day last year: Racquet and Tennis Club.

Tags Film, New York, Night, Night phography, Park Avenue, Seagrams Building

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Wednesday December 8, 2010

Post author By Woody
Post date Sunday December 12, 2010

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Today I had breakfast with a friend near Columbia so I used the opportunity to continue my explorations of the Episcopal Cathedral St. John the Devine – the massive unfinished structure at Amsterdam Avenue and 112th Street. For more information on this massive undertaking see St. John the Divine. Shot with my Leica M9 and a 12mm Voigtlander lens. The frontal composition obviously has a lot in common with my December 7, 2010 entry.

On this day one year ago: Party for some colleagues.

Tags Church, St. John the Divine