Monday, December 31, 2012

Best of the Year, 2012 (11 of 12)

The top 12 of 2012, in no particular order.

C H E R N O B Y L - 2 0 1 2

Walk the streets of any city, and after a few hours you begin to think you have a feel for that place. But out of curiosity, you seek out a higher view. You find a nice hill to climb, or find a statue or a building with a dominating view, and you get a totally different feel of the place. On the ground, you are like ants, and you get an ant's eye view. On higher ground, you soar like a bird, and then, only then, can you really begin to see and understand what a place is about.

Pripyat is like that.

Read more at link below photo!  



Sunday, December 30, 2012

Best of the Year, 2012 (10 of 12)

The top 12 of 2012, in no particular order.

My wife often calls these birds, "Ibis," but from what I can determine, they are white storks. Of course, some of these things get confused in the translation from Russian to English.

This is the original of the photo posted about a month ago.




My Fine Art America website

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Best of the Year, 2012 (9 of 12)

The top 12 of 2012, in no particular order.

St. Nicholas Church, Kiev - This one was quite a challenge, because anyone who passes by this church knows that this shot is not possible.  The biggest challenge is wires.  Then there's always the cars driving by and the cars parked on the sidewalk.  But I managed to pull it off with a little help from Photoshop.




My Fine Art America website

Friday, December 28, 2012

Best of the Year, 2012 (8 of 12)

Classic GAZ Automobile.

I wouldn't have thought that a car picture would turn out to be one of my favorites, but it turned out so well, plus there were some extra hoops to jump through to come up with the final result.

The top 12 of 2012, in no particular order.




My Fine Art America website

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Monday, December 17, 2012

Best of the Year, 2012 (1 of 12)

Slam Dunked

The Top 12 of 2012 ~ In no particular order.  

I'll be presenting my top 12 photos of 2012 over the next two weeks.

Abandoned gymnasium, Pripyat, Ukraine

Part of the C H E R N O B Y L - 2 0 1 2 series.




My Fine Art America website

Friday, December 14, 2012

Friday, December 7, 2012

Looking Like Christmas

Experimentation with a program called Fractalius, with some additional work in Photoshop.  Very cool outcome, if you ask me.




My Fine Art America website

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Spooky Trees

It was a dark and spooky afternoon...

I don't remember exactly how I did this. But my best guess is Fractalius. Following by some shopping. Photoshopping, that is!

My Fine Art America website


Friday, November 30, 2012

Arrival

I don't do a lot of birds, especially when I'm in the city, which is dominated by pigeons. :-( But get outside the city a bit and the variety of birds increases, although not always the size.

This is definitely the largest species I've seen around Kiev. My wife has often referred to them as Ibis, but the best I can tell, (which might not be all that good), this is a White Stork.

Some other time I'll post the original photo, but for now, here's a version I've played with a bit.


My Fine Art America website


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The Chair, Pripyat

C H E R N O B Y L - 2 0 1 2

Some have wondered how this chair came to find a home on the street instead of in the hospital. My theory?

Photographers!


My Fine Art America website


Monday, November 26, 2012

Old Town Kiev

An older section of Kiev, with many buildings dating back to the late 19th and early 20th century.


My Fine Art America website


Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The Mighty CCCP

Soviet Era Locomotive on permanent display just down the street from the Kiev Central Railroad Station.

So... what is this CCCP?

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Russian: Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик, tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik) abbreviated to USSR (Russian: СССР, tr. SSSR) or the Soviet Union (Russian: Советский Союз, tr. Sovetsky Soyuz), was a constitutionally socialist state that existed between 1922 and 1991, ruled as a single-party state by the Communist Party with its capital as Moscow. A union of 15 subnational Soviet republics, its government and economy were highly centralised.

Soviet Union

My Fine Art America website

And a wonderful Thanksgiving to all!


Friday, November 16, 2012

Not Tonight Dear, I Have A Splitting Headache

There are a number of such whimsical outdoor art displays such as this in and around the Kiev area.

My Fine Art America website


Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Zen in Black and White

This is the same art posted under the title "Zen Mountain" but with a black and white treatment.

The mountain pictured is Mt. Tahtali, near Kemer Turkey.


My Fine Art America website


Monday, November 12, 2012

Lavra Pilgrimage

Not really a pilgrimage; it's more like a tour group. But pilgrimage sound more impressive. The gold domed building in the background is the Cathedral of Sts. Anthony and Theodosius at the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.

Sts. Anthony and Theodosius were sainted founders of Russian and Ukrainian monasticism. They established the Kiev Pechersk Monastery in the mid-11th century.



Oh, and I'm now selling some of my works here.  Feel free to stop by and view and say hi!

My Fine Art America website


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Somewhere on the Sea of Cortez

Baja California, Mexico, somewhere between Loreto and Puerto Aqua Verde, Mexico.

I did post this a while back, but have done quite a bit to this photo since then. This is one of those photos that I really liked, but could never get it to look like it did when I was there. (Believe me, it looked a bit different than this in real life).

There is no easy way to get to a place like this, especially overland. If there is a road anywhere nearby, it is likely unpaved. Worse, it may be a one lane road without guardrails, winding through steep hills. On the rare likelihood you encounter someone else on the road going in the opposite direction, one of you had better be pretty good at driving backwards until you reach an area wide enough for two vehicles.

The group I was with took an easier way. We arrived at this point after about four hours of paddling a kayak. A power boat would have been easier, but that was not the purpose of this trip.

This photo was processed with a painted effect.


Monday, November 5, 2012

Church of Michail, Metropolitan of Kiev

In a city of big, historic, gaudy, churches, this one ranks well below the rest.  Plus it's a bit off the usual tourist routes.


Friday, November 2, 2012

View from the Hotel Polissya

C H E R N O B Y L - 2 0 1 2

Walk the streets of any city, and after a few hours you begin to think you have a feel for that place. But out of curiosity, you seek out a higher view. You find a nice hill to climb, or find a statue or a building with a dominating view, and you get a totally different feel of the place. On the ground, you are like ants, and you get an ant's eye view. On higher ground, you soar like a bird, and then, only then, can you really begin to see and understand what a place is about.

Pripyat is like that.

On the ground, you experience the encroachment of nature, the streets and parks and playgrounds mutating into paths through a wooded forest. In such an environment, there couldn't possible a threat of radiation. But on high, you get a distinctly different view. You see a city and what certainly was a wonderful place to live and to raise a family. And you see a place, that at the height of its grandeur, was abandoned to forces beyond its control. You see what was, and envision what could have been. And you get a firm reminder that no matter how much man likes to think he can control nature and the planet, that it is all transitory. One mistake, one careless moment, and what took decades to build is abandoned to the capricious will of Mother Nature, and left to return to her domain.

Looking at Pripyat from on high, one sees destruction and man's work falling apart. But what actually happened here? Some might think the Chernobyl accident caused the blown out windows and the crumbling facades. But you'd be wrong. And twenty-six years of neglect and weathering only explains a part of the story. The story of Pripyat's destruction is much more basic than that. Most of it was manmade. Here's what happened.

A long time after the initial evacuation, former residents were allowed back to gather furniture and belongings of their former life. As long as it was not overly radioactive and as long as they could transport it themselves, they were allowed to remove it.

Parts of Pripyat were further occupied on and off for an additional 12 years, because clean-up workers needed a place to stay. Clean-up workers took whatever furniture and other goods they needed.

Next were the looters. When the Soviet Union fell, millions were thrown into poverty. And poor people did what poor people have always done. They did whatever they could to survive. The government clamped down hard on looters, because all kinds of radioactive goods started to appear on the black market. But the damage to Pripyat was done.

Later, once radiation levels had dropped substantially, the government awarded contracts to salvagers to remove and recycle anything of value that fell below a certain level of radioactivity. Pipes, radiators, electrical wiring, window frames.

And lastly, for many years, former residents of Pripyat were allowed to return for one day a year, to reminisce about their former homes and lives. Families would bring their teenagers, but teens, being teens, would drink and smash whatever they could find.


Monday, October 29, 2012

Portrait of a Melonhead

Seen on vacation in Camyuva, Turkey.  Guess they're not big on carving pumpkins there!


Friday, October 26, 2012

Autumn at the Kiev Sea

It's what the locals call it.  Of course, it's not a real sea.  It's a resevoir created by damming the Dnepr north of Kiev.


Wednesday, October 24, 2012

OMG! It's a Clown Car!

I wish I had gotten another photo of this car, one with the clown in all his glory. But there were quite a few people walking around, and I wanted to get a quick shot before someone got in the way.

Besides, I didn't even see the clown until a couple of days later.


Monday, October 22, 2012

Zen and the Sun

Seen at the Kiev Fall Flower Show, 2011.

Yes, the kimono is made of flowers.


Saturday, October 20, 2012

Chernobyl #4 from Hotel Polissya

C H E R N O B Y L - 2 0 1 2

This is a photo I was not supposed to have gotten. At times, the rules about entering buildings can be quite strict; at other times they seem to be more lax. On our trip, our guide was quite serious about us following the rules, of which every one of us broke at one time or another. On other trips, entry into buildings seems to have much fewer restrictions.

The cranes on the right are part of the project to build a new containment structure. Implementation is expected before Chernobyl's 30 year anniversary in 2016.


Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Classic GAZ Automobile

Seen at the Retro and Exotica Motor Show in Kiev. Likely from the early to mid 1960's.


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Hints of Autumn

Part of a Project 52, one photo a week project.

Of course, I still do other photography outside of the project!


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Bogdan Khmelnytsky Statue

Bohdan Zynoviy Mykhailovych Khmelnytsky (c. 1595 – 6 August 1657) was a hetman of the Zaporozhian Cossack Hetmanate of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (now part of Ukraine). He led an uprising against the Commonwealth and its magnates (1648–1654) which resulted in the creation of a Cossack state. In 1654, he concluded the Treaty of Pereyaslav with the Tsardom of Russia, which led to the eventual loss of independence to the Russian Empire.

Bogdan Khmelnytsky


Monday, October 8, 2012

Rolling Reklama (advertising)

Old Soviet Era automobile finds new use as a rolling billboard. Lenin would so not approve.  Especially for a tanning salon!


Friday, October 5, 2012

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Go Forth and Multiply, My Little One.

In commemoration of the launch of Sputnik 1, October 4, 1957, 55 years ago tomorrow. Seen at the State Scientific and Technical Library of Ukraine, Kiev

Sputnik 1 (Russian: "Cпутник-1" Russian pronunciation: [ˈsputʲnʲək], "Satellite-1", ПС-1 (PS-1, i.e. "Простейший Спутник-1", or Elementary Satellite-1)) was the first artificial Earth satellite. The Soviet Union launched it into an elliptical low Earth orbit on 4 October 1957. The surprise success precipitated the American Sputnik crisis, began the Space Age and triggered the Space Race, a part of the larger Cold War. The launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments.

Sputnik was also scientifically valuable. The density of the upper atmosphere could be deduced from its drag on the orbit, and the propagation of its radio signals gave information about the ionosphere.

Sputnik 1 was launched during the International Geophysical Year from Site No.1/5, at the 5th Tyuratam range, in Kazakh SSR (now at the Baikonur Cosmodrome). The satellite travelled at about 29,000 kilometers (18,000 mi) per hour, taking 96.2 minutes to complete each orbit. It transmitted on 20.005 and 40.002 MHz which were monitored by amateur radio operators throughout the world. The signals continued for 22 days until the transmitter batteries ran out on 26 October 1957. Sputnik 1 burned up on 4 January 1958, as it fell from orbit upon reentering Earth's atmosphere, after travelling about 60 million km (37 million miles) and spending 3 months in orbit.

Sputnik 1.



Monday, October 1, 2012

Friday, September 28, 2012

Pomegranates

Not in my garden.  This doesn't grow this far north, as far as I know.  Seen at Simena Sun Club, Camyuva, Turkey.

Processed using my HDR+ process.


Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Assumption Church, Kiev

I'm not sure if there's anything historic or notable about this church, but it looks very much like a church in Chernigov Ukraine that dates back to the 11th century.


Monday, September 24, 2012

Chester Train Station, Chester VT

This one goes back a ways, back to the days of film. Does anybody remember film?

I've tried various processing methods on this one before, but none of them really worked for me. But this one I like. A lot.


Friday, September 21, 2012

Chernobyl Monument and Reactor

C H E R N O B Y L - 2 0 1 2 

It's been a while since I've posted some of my Chernobyl/Pripyat photos, and I still have quite a few not yet posted, so here goes...

This area is generally a restricted area when it comes to photography, but there is this place right in front of the reactor, near this monument, where photography is allowed.


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Monday, September 17, 2012

Zen Mountain

As promised, I'm back with some new photos.

This is Mt. Tahtali, south of Kemer, Turkey


Friday, September 14, 2012

Spring Rain on Evergreen

I’m working on some new photos to add soon, but for the time being, here are some favorites from the past.  There will be more new stuff coming soon, I promise!

This photo was taken quite a few years ago, when I was still living in NJ, USA. Although it was taken in the USA, this is the sort of photo that could have been taken in many places. This photo has a painted effect applied.


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Gnarly

I’m working on some new photos to add soon, but for the time being, here are some favorites from the past.  There will be more new stuff coming soon, I promise!

Seen at Simena Sun Club, Kemer Turkey.


Monday, September 10, 2012

The View of the Dneiper

I’m working on some new photos to add soon, but for the time being, here are some favorites from the past.  There will be more new stuff coming soon, I promise!

Mariinsky Park in Kiev has a number of scenic views overlooking the Dnieper and the Left Bank of Kiev. This is an evening view from one of them. This photo is about four years old, but it wasn't until recently that I returned to it and did some processing that makes it awesome! The structure in the center of the photo is the Moscovsky Bridge.


Friday, September 7, 2012

Lavra on a January Day

I’m working on some new photos to add soon, but for the time being, here are some favorites from the past.  There will be more new stuff coming soon, I promise!

Kiev Pechersk Lavra or Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Ukrainian: Києво-Печерська лавра, Kyievo-Pechers’ka lavra), also known as the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, is a historic Orthodox Christian monastery which gave its name to one of the city districts where it is located in Kiev, Ukraine.

Currently, the jurisdiction over the site is divided between the state museum, National Kiev-Pechersk Historic-Cultural Preserve, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchy) as the site of the chief monastery of that Church and the residence of its leader, Metropolitan Volodymyr.

Kiev Pechersk Lavra


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Scene from an Old Roman Town

I’m working on some new photos to add soon, but for the time being, here are some favorites from the past.  There will be more new stuff coming soon, I promise!

Myra is an ancient town in Lycia, where the small town of Kale (Demre) is situated today in present day Antalya Province of Turkey. It was located on the river Myros (Demre Çay), in the fertile alluvial plain between Alaca Dağ, the Massikytos range and the Aegean Sea.

Myra, from Wikipedia