#project365 [day 95] Willoughby Tower

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Chicago is known world wide for it's architecture, sometimes being referred to as a living architectural museum. he Willoughby Tower stands tall and proud over the Michigan Avenue cliff, presiding over the parade of unique architecture at its sides. It is also a victim of early 20th century urban planning. The reason for the tall tower is to comply with a former city ordinance which stated that the portion of a building above a certain height could only occupy 25% of its footprint. Thus, the tall tower to maximize revenue and prestige while staying in line with setback laws. It helps distinguish this tower from the majority of buildings in the "cliff" which are all around 280 feet tall. Built in 1929 and designed by Samuel N. Crowen & Associates, its 38 stories reach a height of 134 meters, it sits where, in 1846 the Sisters of Mercy founded Chicago's first convent.

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

#project365 [day 94] Welcome to Chicago,Il

Chicago, the windy city,  gave us a sunny and chilli welcome. The clear blue sky, and the strong sun makes it look like a summer day, but the freezing air temperature, coupled with the ever present wind, made it clear that the city had just survived one of the worst Winters in recent memory. For the first few hours in the city I was just trying to get a feel for this town, that looks so different than New York where I spent the previous week. This was taken on the North side of Michigan Ave. Probably one of the busiest streets of the center, right on the Magnificent Mile. On the other side of the road, dwarfed by the skyscrapers, stands the Fourth Presbyterian Church. Built in 1912 in the Gothic Revival style and designed by architect Ralph Adams Cram.
This marks the start of me showing the great images taken from this great city in the three days I had the pleasure to spend there. This series will probably run into the fifth month of my project.

-- Gear
Fujifilm X-PRO1
Samyang 8mm f2.8 Fisheye 
-- Post
Lightroom : Initial toning and final crop
Photoshop: Sharpening, colour blending and clean up
Macphun AuroraHDR: HDR toning

#project365 [day 93] On the way to Chicago

Leaving the cold and sunny Big Apple behind, my first US adventure reaches the second stage. Soon we will be landing on the still frozen Windy City. Home of some of the most interesting Art Deco architecture, and to me home of the greatest basketball team in history.The 90's era Chicago Bulls and the House that Michael built. The great thing of my downsized travel kit and bag, and US sized plane seats, is that I get to carry my camera at my feet through the flight. And the frozen landscape below is too inviting not to snap a few images.

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

#project365 [day 92] Jupiter, Venus and their Sphinxes

From the great collection of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art I picked out these two beautiful sculptures by French "Romantic" artist Antoine-Augustin Préault. They depict Jupiter on the left and Venus on the right siting on top of two unusual looking sphinxes. Completed in 1868, they are plaster working models for monumental stone sculptures completed in 1870 and still sit in the garden of the palace at Fontainebleau. Like Venus, the companion sculpture, Jupiter has no precedent in antique iconography and is apparently the original product of Préault's deeply Romantic imagination. You can find more of his work at the Musee du Louvre and the beautiful Musee d'Orsay, and also at the iconic Pere Lachaise Cemetery. 

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

#project365 [day 91] Domed ceiling from the Schwarzman Building

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This is a detail shot of the domed ceiling on one of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building's stairwells. It depicts a glorious ornate Beaux-Arts architecture that can be found all over the main building of the New York Public Library. And although in day 84 that it would be my last image from this building, I couldn't resist adding this one to the project. 

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

#project365 [day 90] Streets of New York City

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Roaming the streets of the big apple.

#project365 [day 89] 115 Broadway

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This is one my last doorways, and building entrances, from the visit to New York City. Located in Downtown Manhattan, a stone's throw from the Twin Towers complex, these twin Gothic Towers are a site that should be part of your itinerary. At this point they are known as the Trinity Centre, a managed office building, you can't really roam around freely, but I really liked the mood in this entrance. Also worth a visit to the Trinity Place Bar & Restaurant, which I hope to do next time.

#project365 [day 88] Triumph of Galatea

From the NY's Metropolitan Museum vast collection of musical instruments, this harpsichord designed by Michele Todini is one of the most striking. It depicts the Triumph of Galatea, reference to fresco completed about 1514 by the Italian painter Raphael, and supported by three Tritons. It originally formed part of Michele Todini's Galeria Armonica and was described in his catalogue of 1676. Todini designed several lavish mathematical and musical machines and charged admission from the aristocrats who visited his gallery. The artistic quality of the case ranks it among the finest examples of Roman Baroque decorative art; Todini's ingenuity and search for new forms of instrumental expressivity grew out of the same musical climate that led to the invention of the piano.
This was also a great opportunity to do a test run for Macphun's Aurora HDR, their latest offering, this time in conjunction with HDR master Trey Ratcliff. First impressions are great, with very simple and intuitive sliders to manipulate all the parameters and really fast feedback. I'll try to do a small review in the coming weeks.

-- Gear
Fujifilm X-T1
Fujifilm XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6R LM OIS WR
-- Post
Lightroom : Initial tone and final crop.
Macphun AuroraHDR: HDR photomerge and toning

#project365 [day 87] Sunset from the Top of the Rock

The last photo that I'm posting from the Top of the Rock, in Midtown Manhattan, is actually the first I took. Having arrived to the top observation deck just as the sun was going below the horizon to the west of the city. This was the the view that made me say that a visit to the top of the Rockefeller Center is obligatory for every visitor in New York City. The Empire State Building stands out in the middle of the frame, with One World Trade Center just behind it to the right.  The lights from the huge adverts on Times Square spills into the frame on the far right, and in the distance the Hudson is still bathing in the dying sunlight.

-- Gear
Fujifilm X-T1
Fujifilm XF10-24mmF4 R OIS
-- Post
Lightroom : Panoramic photomerge, initial toning and final crop
Photoshop: Sharpening, colour blending and clean up
NikCollection Color Efex Pro 4: Toning and Detail extraction

#project365 [day 86] Manhattan Postcard

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This is one of the most photographed views of Lower Manhattan. I have seen inumerous versions of this view, and always wanted to know where it was taken from. And thankfully my wanderings through Brooklyn's shoreline got me to the right place. Unfortunately not at the best time, sunrise will reward you with the loveliest of light falling on the skyline, but at least I had some very interesting sky to help me out. The abandoned pillars make for an interesting foreground. Specially with long exposures which render the water with a velvety texture, which contrast with the well defined pillars. But I was there at midday, and without a Big Stopper to help me out, so the water looks very choppy. Whenever I get the chance to back to NYC, this is on my list to retake. It was taken at the end of the Brooklyn Bridge Park, and you may want to venture even closer to the water than me. 

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