architecture | Frank's Photography Blog

Posts Tagged ‘architecture

Dec

State Theatre

Categories: Photography
Tags: Architectural, architecture, Behind the Curtain, Easton, Historic, historic State Theatre, Low Light, Olympus, OM-D E-M1 MkII, PA, Photo, Photo Tour, Photo Walk, photo workshop, Photograph, Photography, State Theatre, Theatre, Workshop

A couple of weeks ago I did the “Behind the Curtain” workshop & photo tour at the State Theatre in Easton, PA. This is always a fun event, particularly, since we are granted unobstructed access to this incredibly beautiful gem of a facility. I tell people, as photographers, we get to see the intricate nuances of the various design components in this theatre. Most people, and rightly so, go to the theatre to see a particular performance. However, for me, as a photographer, the main show is in the many incredible masterpieces within the structure. During this event I also had the opportunity to use the new Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera. The reason I mention this is I always tell my participants to bring a tripod because of the low light. I now may need to rethink this position. All of the following images were handheld for between one second and 1/60 second at ISO 6,400. The image stabilization and image quality at this high ISO has surpassed all of my expectations. Take a look and you be the judge.

Sep

Missouri State Penitentiary

By Frank T. Smith 6 Comments

I recently had the pleasure to lead a workshop with Creve Coure Camera which was sponsored by Olympus at the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson, MO. The following images were taken during the workshop. This was my first experience at this location. I have photographed the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia many times, so I was somewhat familiar with what to expect. There were many similarities, but there were equally as many differences. One of the differences was that this facility had it’s own gas chamber. I must admit, I had a very eerie feeling in here. The prison operated from 1836 – 2004. Many of the images were processed in-camera with a monochromatic filter and a couple of them in HDR. The equipment I used was the Olympus PEN-F paired with the M.Zuiko ED 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO & the OM-D E-M5 MkII paired with the M.Zuiko ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO (an amazing combination).

Welcome to the Gas Chamber

Aug

Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis

By Frank T. Smith Closed

A few weeks ago I did a couple photo-walks & presentations for Creve Coure Camera in St. Louis. The event was sponsored by Olympus. The first photo-walk was at the Cathedral Basilica. The following images are from the day’s shoot. I have traveled a lot domestically/overseas and have photographed my share of Cathedral/Churches and this one is at the very top of the list, as far as beauty and wow factor. The cathedral was built over a 100 years ago and was designated a basilica in 1997 by Pope John Paul II.

Apr

Moving Clouds at Lehigh University

By Frank T. Smith 2 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Architectural, architecture, Bethlehem, Clouds, Gothic, Historic, Lehigh University, Live Composite, Olympus, OM-D, OM-D E-M5 MkII, Photo, Photograph, Photography, spring, Vintage

I continue to do some more daytime experimenting with Olympus’ “Live Composite” mode. This a mode that is available on the OM-D series cameras. What it does, is allows you to take a sequence of exposures and build them over a period of time. The brilliant part about this is it won’t exceed any highlights and, the icing on the cake, is it produces an in-camera RAW file. Under normal circumstances, you would “blow out” the highlights in the image. Normally this process is used in evening photography. However, with the use of a neutral density (ND) filter you can create a daytime shot that appears to be in low light. The use of a tripod is an absolute necessity. Some of these exposures are about 5 minutes in length. The result is a beautiful painterly effect in the sky from the moving clouds. Lehigh University has a gorgeous campus and, with the right conditions, makes this an ideal location for this type of image.

Apr

Lumberville – Raven Rock Bridge

By Frank T. Smith Closed

Categories: Photography
Tags: Architectural, architecture, Bridge, Delaware River, Foot Bridge, John A. Roebling, Lumberville, New Jersey, NJ, Olympus, OM-D E-M5 MkII, PA, Pennsylvania, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Raven Rock, Raven Rock Bridge, spring, Vintage

This past weekend I ventured to an area on the Delaware River known as the Lumberville – Raven Rock Bridge. The reason it was of interest to me is because it is a foot bridge. In this day and age, one rarely sees this. The original bridge was built in 1856 and what we see today was reconstructed in 1947. It connects Lumberville, PA and Raven Rock, NJ. The design was handled by John A. Roebling who is most famous for his design of the Brooklyn Bridge. All images were shot with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 MkII and the M.Zuiko ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO or the ED 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO.

Apr

Grand Central Terminal 2016

By Frank T. Smith 5 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Architectural, architecture, Grand Central Station, Grand Central Terminal, GST, Historic, Lehigh Valley Photography Club, New York, NY, Olympus, OM-D E-M1, OM-D E-M5 MkII, Photo, photo workshop, Photograph, Photography, Workshop

I had the opportunity to lead a trip back to Grand Central Terminal a few weeks ago for the Lehigh Valley Photography Club. All images & video were shot with Olympus OM-D E-M1 and E-M5 MkII. I have photographed this place many times. However, on this trip we were able to go into the belly of the beast. In addition to going to the highest point, we also went 13 stories below to see the heart of the complex. I have also included a brief video from the day. This place continues to amaze me every time I go!

** Click on image to view video **

Feb

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

By Frank T. Smith 1 Comment

Categories: Photography
Tags: Architectural, architecture, Delaware Water Gap, Historic, Landscape, Olympus, OM-D E-M5 MkII, PA, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Snow, Textures, Vintage, Winter

This is an area that I have photographed in the past. It’s know as the Zimmerman Farm. However, it’s been several years since I traveled back to this area. I shot these images shortly after the last snow storm we had. The area is still as I remember it. All of the images were shot with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II. Mother nature was more than cooperative this day. The light was beautiful and the textures on the buildings were amazing.

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Jan

Washington Memorial Chapel

By Frank T. Smith Closed

Categories: Photography
Tags: Architectural, architecture, Chapel, Historic, Memorial, Olympus, OM-D E-M5 MkII, PA, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Valley Forge, Valley Forge National Historic Park, Vintage, Washington, Washington Memorial Chapel, Winter

Last weekend during my visit to Valley Forge we stopped by the Washington Memorial Chapel which is located within the Valley Forge National Historical Park. The Images were shot with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mk II using the 7-14mm f2.8 PRO lens. The inside shots were handheld at 1/20 of a second at ISO 3200.

The Chapel was built in 1903 to serve two purposes. The first purpose is as a tribute to George Washington and his service to our country. It currently serves as a wayside chapel for the visitors of Valley Forge National Historical Park. The second purpose is as the home for the Episcopal parish that worships at the chapel.

The chapel is constructed in an impressive Gothic Revival style with a Bell Tower. The Bell Tower houses the Justice Bell, a replica of the Liberty Bell, which was used in the campaign to gain women’s voting rights. The Veterans Wall of Honor honors all veterans of the United States Armed Services.

Jan

Valley Forge National Historic Park

By Frank T. Smith 9 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Architectural, architecture, Historic, Landscape, Olympus, OM-D E-M5 MkII, PA, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Valley Forge, Valley Forge National Historic Park, Winter

On New Year’s day I had the opportunity to spend the day with some dear friends in the this beautiful park. Valley Forge park was the site of the 1777-78 winter encampment of the Continental Army. The park commemorates the sacrifices and perseverance of the Revolutionary War generation. The park consists of approximately 3,500 acres. It was very cold, but very invigorating. All images were taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 MkII and the 7-14mm f2.8 PRO lens (one exception – the image of the tree base I used the 12-40mm).

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Dec

Masonic Temple Treasures

By Frank T. Smith 1 Comment

Categories: Photography
Tags: architecture, Auction, Bethlehem, Historic, Masonic Temple, Olympus, OM-D E-M10 MkII, PA, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Treasures, Vintage

The Masonic Temple in Bethlehem, PA is being sold. As a result of the pending sale, they held an auction on Saturday. There were many photographic treasures throughout the main floor. All of the following images were shot with the new Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mk II.

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