Top Diaries

It's very low contrast. IS that on purpose?

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 07:08:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: ASK THE EXPERT (4.00 / 4)

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 07:10:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

It was not on purpose, thanks! I have not had any experience really of converting IR to a suitable final product. I really like this shot, shame about the flare.

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 08:50:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: ASK THE EXPERT (4.00 / 2)

this is well worth a look. I came across it randomly - it is the site for photojournalist Brent Stirton (never heard of him...) I notice that his style seems to be to introduce another source of light, either directly from the front, such as fill in flash or from slightly off to the side which makes the key object/people stand out. It also gives a surreal air to the photos.

What I am not sure about is whether he is working with just a good flash or if he has introduced more lighting than that. Many of the shots seem to be set up rather than being candid or spontaneous.

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 04:44:08 AM EST
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Looks like dual side flash most of the time, occasionally diffused elevated top flash. Also, much use of wide lenses for drama.

Two side sources with different levels can give a nice sculpted look, and you have a lot of potential to vary the effect with different settings.

Very nice work. Thanks for posting the link.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 10:22:09 AM EST
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Thanks, it's interesting to see how he uses the lighting to really make those shots stand out. I noticed his fondness for wide angle too!

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 10:31:29 AM EST
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Re: ASK THE EXPERT (4.00 / 2)

OK expert(s), which train station is this?

DoDo?

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 06:40:43 AM EST
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It's not in the U.S.

by asdf on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 02:41:22 PM EST
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Pray tell how you know that to be so?

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.

by Ephemera on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 06:47:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Well, first off, I should have said "I don't think it's in the U.S." because I'm not 100% certain.

However, there aren't many electrified train systems in the U.S.; mostly they are in the New York area, and this doesn't look like one of the systems I'm familiar with, so my guess is it's not in the U.S.

Could be wrong, though! :-)

by asdf on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 08:16:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

It's okay, you just weirded me out by saying it definitely wasn't in the US. I looked at the picture and noticed that the station, and more important the carriage livery, bore a striking resemblance to ones I've seen in Conneticut which go all the way to Rhode Island from New York.

But the engine looks all wrong, so I think you're right. My guess would otherwise be Switzerland, but only because it is a nice shade of red.

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.

by Ephemera on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 09:05:04 PM EST
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I was trying to guess based on the appearance of the people, but this particular batch doesn't look particularly American or particularly European either...

by asdf on Sun May 4th, 2008 at 12:05:57 AM EST
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My first thought was London Waterloo. But then I don't recognise the train so I decided not that.

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Sun May 4th, 2008 at 03:26:56 AM EST
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Am I right those are wooden sleepers?

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sun May 4th, 2008 at 05:02:02 AM EST
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Well spotted. (More visible on this (large) photo on the same station.)

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sun May 4th, 2008 at 05:09:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

This is a DB [Gernam Railways] series 120 loco with DB IC cars, and a new station that looks very much like an airport station - my instant guess is the new Frankfurt airport station. But even if yes, from an angle unfamiliar to me; I'll check this and two other possibilities.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sun May 4th, 2008 at 02:14:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Airport, heh no. But on a high-speed line, and (reputedly) windy nevertheless. Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe? (Somewhere here?)

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sun May 4th, 2008 at 02:39:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

God damn! You're good!

Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe

That's it. We had to change there coming from Frankfurt on the ICE to Paderborn.

Now be honest, did you do a little detective work with regard to the date on the photo and where I purported to be in some of the other photos above (i.e.; Frankfurt to Paderborn) or is this all talent? Though I guess deductive reasoning is itself a talent too....

I think I'm leaving too many clues for you! ;-)

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sun May 4th, 2008 at 05:26:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I just know railways well :-) (For my method, check this diary if you haven't.) There aren't an awful lot of choices in newish main stations in Germany with a roof. This was the third one I looked at (after the Frankfurt and Cologne airport stations), though I had a hunch.

Now, if you only passed through here, I recommend a visit, and a visit just to the name-giver of the station: Wilhelmshöhe has a monument you can climb, and a big park on the way up the hill, from your plant photography I suspect you'll love it :-)

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sun May 4th, 2008 at 05:38:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I was going to suggest Frankfurt, not because of an encyclopedic knowledge of trains, but because it was where you posted the fire photo from, and it also looked vaguely familiar from the last time I was there.

Dodo still wins easily by naming the exact train and the exact station. :-)

There are various reasons it couldn't be in the US. The people look European, the design is European, and I think the building in the far background gives it away by being archetypally European.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Mon May 5th, 2008 at 06:24:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]

This is about an hour north of Frankfurt, we had to change trains here on the way to Paderborn coming from F-furt.

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Tue May 6th, 2008 at 03:08:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Not Frankfurt. Kassel is some 150 km away, a medium-size city and onetime industrial center in the Northeastern edge of Hessen state.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Tue May 6th, 2008 at 04:44:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: ASK THE EXPERT (4.00 / 2)

The ramp in the back is pretty unusual, and I don't know any other modern station in Germany like that.

The park also has an excellent art gallery, perhaps the best in Germany outside the major cities. One particularly interesting part of it is their Rembrandt collection. The prince bought lots of fakes as well as genuine ones, but the museum decided not to keep them all on display, properly labeled. In most cases, it is indeed very hard to tell the difference between the originals and the others, but I found it hard to believe that the landscape paintings could ever have been considered to be by him.

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Tue May 6th, 2008 at 02:07:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Spice Pages: Bear's Garlic (Allium ursinum, ramson)

The ramp in the back is pretty unusual, and I don't know any other modern station in Germany like that.

To be honest, I didn't at first realise that it's ramps in the background, I first thought they are some sort of roof-holding girders. Had I realised, indeed the identification would have been instant.

Those ramps were a failed idea. No later high-speed line station [this one is on one of the first two lines in Germany, Würzburg-Hannover] took up this design. And the roof form was ideal for allowing through and enhancing winds, earling the station the funny Chinese-sounding nickname Palast der tausend Winde = Palace of the thousand winds, which I alluded to above. Gioele, have you experienced those winds?

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Tue May 6th, 2008 at 03:27:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]

SPRING (none / 1)

"SPRING"

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:46:14 AM EST

Re: SPRING (4.00 / 5)

A nice spot of sunbathing under a daisy. Taken on a blustery day, again with wrong DOF.

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:17:05 AM EST
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Re: SPRING (4.00 / 6)

From last weekends hike:

by Fran on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:34:04 AM EST
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Re: SPRING (none / 1)

The lush green of spring! Looks like a nice and fresh day there.

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:35:56 AM EST
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mayday sunset (4.00 / 7)

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:34:59 AM EST
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Re: mayday sunset (none / 1)

And a very nice sunset it is too.

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:36:13 AM EST
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Re: mayday sunset (none / 1)

thanks, your majesty...

each one's different!

shakes puzzled head...

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:03:46 AM EST
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Re: SPRING (4.00 / 4)

And these ended up as a soup and in a salad:

by Fran on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:36:20 AM EST
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Re: SPRING (none / 0)

< ignorance alert> What are they?

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:37:49 AM EST
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Re: SPRING (4.00 / 3)

English ramson (Old English hramsan) is of unclear origin; cognates are found in several Germanic (e.g., Swedish ramslök and regional German Ramsen) and Slavonic languages (e.g., Serbian cremoš [цремош] and Russian cheremsha [черемша]). There are, however, a few possibly related words in other Indo-European tongues: Greek krommyon [κρόμμυον] and Sanskrit krimighna [कृमिघ्न] "onion", and maybe Welsh craf "garlic".

And a recipe, if you want to try it:

Cooking Recipe Soup of Ramsons (Bear's Garlic) with Photo

Cooking time: 20 minutes Ingredients, serves 4
1 bunch of the leaves of Ramsos (chopped about 5 tablespoons)
1 onion
25 g butter
25 g flour
3/4 l bouillon
1/4 l cream
salt, white pepper

Bärlauch or bear's garlic is considered a delicassy here and this time of the year you find it on many menu's of good restaurants.

by Fran on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:45:20 AM EST
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Re: SPRING (none / 1)

Thanks Fran...reminds me of when I was on a hike when I was about 13 or 14 and found a patch of wild garlic...the narrow leaved variety...I plucked one of the flower stalks and carried it all the way home...by the time I got home it was just limp and withered...so I went out to the back garden and threw it under a hedge figuring it would rot back into the ground.
Hmmm...not only did it rot back in but it also populated my parents garden with thousands of plants...there are banks of it every year around the edge! We even took some for our last garden...and I'm not sure but I think Colman may have brought some up to our new house too!

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. Oscar Wilde

by Sam on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 10:56:51 AM EST
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Re: SPRING (4.00 / 6)

Driving home on Tuesday I whipped out my Canon Elph (handily in my bag) and took some shots of spring.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:57:40 AM EST
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Re: SPRING (none / 1)

Really like the second one. Fairly dramatic sky too.

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:25:09 AM EST
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Re: SPRING (4.00 / 5)

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 11:11:37 AM EST
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Re: SPRING (4.00 / 8)

New growth on a hawthorn hedge.

Tree late to bud.

Rising rape.

Not really to do with Spring, other than being taken today.

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.

by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:05:46 PM EST
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Re: SPRING (none / 0)

Where's the bridge?

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 06:54:26 AM EST
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Re: SPRING (none / 1)

Now, that would be telling. It's just an old agricultural bridge. There used to be a farmhouse on the other side which it bridged to, but now that is gone, I think the council are trying to get rid of their responsibilities to maintain it.

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.

by Ephemera on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 10:49:59 AM EST
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Re: SPRING (none / 0)

and another footpath dies, and then you can sell the land as a business park because noone uses it anymore.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 10:55:22 AM EST
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Re: SPRING (4.00 / 6)

My Grandson at a park on the Potomac today. The park was full of children on "field trips."

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:01:13 PM EST
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Re: SPRING (none / 1)

he's gorgeous!

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:08:52 PM EST
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Re: SPRING (none / 0)

Thank you! He is cute, even if it's my opinion.. Doesn't look like me at all. Has his father's hair color and dimple. His face and eyes come from my wife's family.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 10:26:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: SPRING (4.00 / 4)

Here are some lovely spring tulips....

Location: Paderborn, D

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 06:24:27 AM EST
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Re: SPRING (4.00 / 4)

Spring cleaning....

at one of the 2000 odd springs of the Pader....

Well, it is a spring, isn't it?

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 06:30:51 AM EST
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Re: SPRING (4.00 / 3)

Spring cometh and the barbecue cometh out....

This is the height of German technology!

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 06:37:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Some late entries (4.00 / 3)

Spring trip to the ruin of Drégely Castle, North of Budapest...

A look Southeast with ruins...

A look Southwest into the greening Börzsöny mountains...

A look Northwest with more ruins -- and an approaching spring shower:

Some rocks and incredible green:

At the end of a nice if wet day, I caught the 100 year old nostalgic train in sunshine:

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sun May 4th, 2008 at 03:05:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

PHOTOS AS USUAL (none / 1)

"PHOTOS AS USUAL"

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:46:35 AM EST

Re: PHOTOS AS USUAL (4.00 / 3)

A view from the 6th floor of a new development apartment block overlooking the now very dated St David's hotel (the ice rink is the blue tent in the background), Penarth and the Cardiff Bay barrage area.

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:15:15 AM EST
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Re: PHOTOS AS USUAL (4.00 / 4)

Another Cardiff Bay barrage photo. Amazing history in this area, with part of the Docks (on the left) still in operation and plenty of new build spoiling the style of the area. On the other side of the water is Penarth. Bottom RHS is the lightboat and the tube which is a visitor centre.

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:21:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: PHOTOS AS USUAL (4.00 / 5)

Chateau in my Neighborhood. Shot from my car.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:59:42 AM EST
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Seies from estHer (4.00 / 6)

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:42:57 AM EST
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bathroom window (4.00 / 10)

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 09:23:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]

cypress sunset (4.00 / 7)

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 09:26:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

wildflower (4.00 / 4)

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 09:50:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

one step at a time (4.00 / 5)

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 11:51:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Rafi77630 (4.00 / 5)

learning the accordion.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 12:32:57 PM EST
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Algiers (4.00 / 4)

Some Photoshop doctored photos of American Ambassador's residence in Algiers.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:04:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: PHOTOS AS USUAL (4.00 / 8)

OK; this is my first one...hope it works.

Morning over Nice...and Antibes...and l'Estérel

Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.

Frank Delaney ~ Ireland

by siegestate (siegestate or beyondwarispeace.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:22:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

It works very well!!

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:31:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Great Première, beautiful picture! :-)

by Fran on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:33:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

that's gorgeous, siegestate

keep 'em coming!

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 08:19:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: PHOTOS AS USUAL (4.00 / 8)

"Do you think he ever thinks of us up there,"

Place Massena, Nice

"Don't you think these people might be right about climate change?"

"I think the sea level seems higher these days."

"I think you're right"

"We think shopping is not good for the development of thinking citizens."

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.

by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 05:46:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Awesome!

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.

by poemless on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 05:49:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The first one is like an homage to Avenue des Gobelins by Atget. No?

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.

by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:08:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: PHOTOS AS USUAL (4.00 / 3)

How very erudite :-) It is "like" an homage - but isn't one; I just responded to what I saw, as I suppose he did. In fact I only really noted the link to the statue when looking at the image on the computer, and then cropped it to emphasise that. I then played around with combining the figures in the window with another photo of the statues and experimented a bit more with Photoshop Elements. The possibilities it offers are, as Poemless would put it, "awesome" :-)

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.

by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:34:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

This is excellent Ted.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 03:32:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: PHOTOS AS USUAL (4.00 / 4)

Thanks LEP. I hope you like this one too:

Sailing by the Crab.

Cf. http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2005/37/image/a

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.

by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 06:35:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Yes!

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 06:38:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]

carina (4.00 / 4)

she's a love

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 08:43:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

From estHer (4.00 / 4)

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 03:37:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: From estHer (none / 1)

Looks like my grandson's favorite heroine, Dora.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 10:56:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: PHOTOS AS USUAL (4.00 / 4)

There was a small fire at a construction/demolition site in downtown Frankfurt.... I couldn't see any flames or smoke but I arrived a little late....

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 06:45:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: PHOTOS AS USUAL (none / 1)

That's that building on Konstablerwache, at the end of the Zeil! I was there many times... (Last time last August, I was offered drugs here one night...)

I remember that once two decades ago, there was some show event sponsored by the watchmaker Citizen, with the big attraction being motorbikes running up a cable that was attached to the building you picture, I mean attached rather high.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sun May 4th, 2008 at 04:51:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: PHOTOS AS USUAL (none / 1)

Genau!

And I had my Citizen watch repaired at the Karstadt(sp?) right there across the Zeil a couple of months ago.... full circle....

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sun May 4th, 2008 at 06:40:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]