#project365 [day 59] Customer Service @ Grand Central Terminal

October 29, 2015

A stern face lady faces of against a pleading man at the Customer Service window on NY's Grand Central Station. Eventually she would smile at him, and he came out seemingly satisfied. But still this scene was a lot more interesting in setting up a story, the everyday scene repeated inumerous times that most of us can relate to. The ornate booths that fill the walls of the iconic station main concourse are a beautiful example of the care taken when creating this sort of building on the beginning of the 20th century, but unfortunately are falling into disuse with some being repurposed since the introduction of ticket vending machines.

-- Gear
Fujifilm X-T1
Fujifilm XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6R LM OIS WR
-- Post
Lightroom : Initial tone, final crop and vignette
Photoshop: Minor clean up and sharpening.
NikCollection Silver Efex Pro 4: Toning, detail extraction and black & white conversion

#project365 [day 58] Brooklyn classic

October 28, 2015

Back in days 13 and 24 I showed the two elements that make this image on their own. The iconic Brooklyn Bridge and the landmark Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory form the landscape of the Fulton Ferry Pier. Together they represent the most classic image of Brooklyn.

-- Gear
Fujifilm X-PRO1
Fujifilm XF10-24mmF4 R OIS
-- Post
Lightroom : Initial toning and final crop
Photoshop: Sharpening, colour blending and clean up
NikCollection Color Efex Pro 4: Toning and Detail extraction

#project365 [day 57] Church of Letters

October 27, 2015

Located in the Chinatown neighbourhood of Manhattan, New York City, the Church of the Transfiguration is a Roman Catholic church built in 1801 in the Georgian style. It was designated a landmark in 1966. On one of the corners of the building you can find a very unusual statue, it is a memorial to Father Varela, a Cuban priest who became a defender of immigrant rights when he moved to New York.
The Memorial consists of a statue of Father Varela surrounded by a mandorla of anodised aluminium letters that together spell out The Lord’s Prayer. The base of the sculpture is fashioned from black granite from the lot used to build the September, 11th Memorial.The mandorla was conceived and designed by Father Andrew O’Connor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, architect Hans Roegle and Chris Knight, a Manchester, England based sculptor.

-- Gear
Fujifilm X-T1
Fujifilm XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6R LM OIS WR
-- Post
Lightroom : Initial tone, final crop and vignette
Photoshop: Minor clean up and sharpening.
NikCollection Color Efex Pro 4: Toning and Detail extraction

#project365 [day 56] Eastern Standard Time on Grand Central Terminal

October 26, 2015

Being one of the most visited tourist attractions worldwide, with over 21 million visitors in 2013, the Grand Central Terminal in midtown Manhattan is one of the most majestic buildings of the twentieth century. Being enclosed by buildings on all sides, to gain access to the main concourse, people need to travel through a myriad of corridors filled with interesting details of interior architecture. Here you can see a watchface showing Eastern Standard Time and one of the many beautiful chandeliers illuminating the corridors.

-- Gear
Fujifilm X-T1
Fujifilm XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6R LM OIS WR
-- Post
Lightroom : Initial tone, final crop and vignette
Photoshop: Minor clean up and sharpening.
NikCollection Color Efex Pro 4: Toning and Detail extraction

#project365[day 55] 745 Fifth Avenue, NYC

October 25, 2015

Located close to the southeast corner of Central Park is a Art Deco masterpiece. 745 Fifth Av. is a stereotypical Art Deco office building skyscraper, designed by Buchman & Kahn and finished by 1931, that is 34 stories high. The entrance is a brass and brushed nickel grille with intersecting vertical and horizontal lines reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright's glasswork.
This building could easily be the inspiration for a city hall, a police headquarters, or a private detective's office in any number of pre-World War Two comic books.

-- Gear
Fujifilm X-T1
Fujifilm XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6R LM OIS WR
-- Post
Lightroom : Initial tone, final crop and vignette
Photoshop: Minor clean up and sharpening.
NikCollection Color Efex Pro 4: Toning and Detail extraction

#project365 [day 54] the Eagle Warehouse & Storage Co. 1893

October 24, 2015

Back in day 7 of this #project365 I introduced the main entrance of this building. Located right next to the Brooklyn Bridge, and part of the Fulton Ferry District. The Eagle Warehouse & Storage Company used the warehouse primarily to store furniture and silverware, the latter kept in giant fireproof vaults in the basement. In 1906, Freeman added a six-story extension to the east side, which is "entirely in character" with the original building. Between 1904 and 1928, part of the warehouse was used as the headquarters of the Brooklyn Law School. In 1980, the building was renovated into condominiums by Brooklyn architect Bernard Rothzeid. In 2002, one of the building's 85 apartments was sold for over $600k.

-- Gear
Fujifilm X-T1
Fujifilm XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6R LM OIS WR
-- Post
Lightroom : Initial tone and vignette
Photoshop: Perspective correction, cropping and clean up.
NikCollection Color Efex Pro 4: Toning and Detail extraction

#project365 [day 53] St. Bartholomew's Church, Park Avenue

October 23, 2015

Another cold morning in NYC, but this time with a glorious sunshine to help keep our spirits up and our pictures illuminated. Located in Midtown Manhattan on Park Avenue, one of the busiest avenues in New York, is a fine example of Byzantine Revival design erected in 1916-17 was designated a landmark in 1967. This Episcopal Church is noted for its pipe organ, the largest in the city of New York and one of the ten largest in the world.
One of the services available at this church, which I found very surprising, is Brunch + Bible which combines bible studies with food for the body, it even has a vegetarian option.

-- Gear
Fujifilm X-T1
Fujifilm XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6R LM OIS WR
-- Post
Lightroom : Initial tone, final crop and vignette
Photoshop: Minor clean up and sharpening.
NikCollection Color Efex Pro 4: Toning and Detail extraction

#project365 [day 52] Rockefeller Center Atlas

October 22, 2015

The largest sculpture in the Art Deco haven that is the Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan, NYC, depicts the Ancient Greek Titan Atlas. Weighing in at 7 tonnes, this bronze statue is 14m tall, that's about as high as a four-story building. It was created by sculptor Lee Lawrie and was installed in 1937 to some strange controversy, it apparently resembled the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini who as in power at the time. The statue is located on the Fifth Avenue, just in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral. It's gothic facade is clearly visible on the reflections in the glass, although somewhat more deconstructed that what it is in reality.
I decided to crop this down to a 6 by 7 format, not only because it reminds me of my trusted old Mamiya RB67, but it also makes for a more formal view giving more weight to the statue in the frame

-- Gear
Fujifilm X-T1
Fujifilm XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6R LM OIS WR
-- Post
Lightroom : Initial tone, final crop and vignette
Photoshop: Minor clean up and sharpening.
NikCollection Color Efex Pro 4: Toning and Detail extraction

#project365 [day 51] Lewisohn Building detail

October 21, 2015

Walking through Midtown Manhattan, where the streets are littered with skyscrapers, it pays to keep looking up. That is how I discovered this building which has 6 sculptures of medieval dressed men, seated with their ankles crossed. With it's lovely facade, the Lewisohn Building, completed in 1913 is a fine example of early 20th century skyscraper. You can read more about it at Daytonian in Manhattan.
These statues are located about 3 stories up from ground level, and the 40th street is a rather narrow road, which makes photographing them not a trivial matter. I had a group shot, of all six, and a few individual shots. Ended up deciding that the best way to show it was to pick the best statues, and after correct the perspective create a square format composit image.

-- Gear
Fujifilm X-T1
Fujifilm XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6R LM OIS WR
-- Post
Lightroom : Initial tone and vignette
Photoshop: Perspective correction, final image compositing and clean up.
NikCollection Color Efex Pro 4: Toning and Detail extraction

#project365 [day 50] Cloudy night in North Greenwich

October 20, 2015

At the end of a grey dull day walking around London, the view of the North Greenwich peninsula all lit up made for an interesting picture. The O2 Arena has a special lighting scheme during the World Rugby Championship taking place around England. Using blue and white spotlights that move around, instead of the usual white flood lights, these add some interesting color reflections on the Thames. The new towers, that hide part of the dome, are part of the new hotel complex that will be open early next year, and has changed the skyline of that part of town. The green light visible on the right side of the image is the laser projected from the Royal Observatory and marks the line of the Greenwich Meridian.

-- Gear
Fujifilm X-PRO1
Samyang 8mm f2.8 Fisheye
-- Post
Lightroom : HDR photomerge, initial toning and final crop
Photoshop: Sharpening, colour blending and clean up
NikCollection Color Efex Pro 4: Toning and Detail extraction