For non-US or non-TV familiar folks, this is the NBC broadcast building in Chicago, with the 'peacock' logo in the crown below the pole at the top of the building. Looking west toward Lake Michigan, I took this shot from the Crown (where the past few postings have come from). Thank you for your visits/views/favs. And for putting my Milky Way over Kona shot in Top Twenty this week. Very grateful!
PS. I just really love how Chicago has all this water around it, in the midst of the skyscrapers and high-rises. The tiny sailboat and river cruisers, against the urban jungle are so neat.
Another fabulous image Taffy! So much to look at! Keep them coming! Saw a raccoon last night on Louise's back step and the chance of an eagle shot at their friend's house! Fingers crossed! Lunenburg like a chocolate box - so pretty! We were wishing you and Junko were here with us! Fav for you wonderful scene!
Btw the trip back eas very smooth. We had a scare at Munich Airport. When we had passed throigh security one of the group was missing. We learnt he had been held up by the security people. When all was over the 'stupid' guy forgot a penknife in his trouser pocket. It was a souvenir he had bought earlier.
@jamibann Chicago is on Lake Michigan's shore, so the city spans over 35 miles of shoreline. The city founders/designers created an ordinance that does not allow construction on the east (lake) side of Lake Shore Drive so it's all parkland that goes from the city's far south side to the near north suburb's beginnings. It is one of the aspects that makes Chicago such a beautiful city. The view I took was sort of direct middle of the city proper and the metropolitan area that goes almost equal mileage north and south. Someday, I hope you can visit!
@sangwann Oh my! What an experience for him. That happened to me once when traveling with my husband who had left a scissors in his dop kit and he'd packed his kit in my carry-on! So I was stopped and had no idea what they were talking about when they kept referring to sharp scissors. Very embarrassing!
@pamknowler I'd love to be there as well! I know you'll have a wonderful time and can't wait to see all your photos. I hope you have more color there than we have on the island. It's rather disappointingly green at the moment and VERY windy! So even with the sun out, the idea of going out for a photo walk is not that appealing. I'm huddled on the couch in a fleece instead, working on the computer and contemplating spending the day returning long-delayed phone calls!
@rosiekerr I agree -- Chicago is so special because of the lake and the river. I would imagine it will become similar as the area near the Mississippi continues to develop in your home town. Too bad about missing CAF this year -- but we should definitely plan another time!
@nickspicsnz Thanks Nick! For nightscapes, I do usually use a tripod for longer exposure (usually 100 ISO, f7.1 - f22 depending on the lightbursts I'm trying to get - the tighter the aperture, the better the burst), and then exposure from 5 to 20 seconds. But for this, since it was a reception, I really couldn't do long exposures and had to do handheld. So what I did is rest the camera on the ledge (it was strapped around my neck of course), and put the shutter on 2 second delay. Then, I set up brackets for 3 shots for 2 reasons. One was to hope that one of the 3 would be clear (not shake). The other was if they were all clear, I could use HDR to balance sky and dark spots and have better detail. Then, I just held the camera as tightly as I could on the ledge's edge, didn't breath, and clicked. The ledge worked pretty well as a tripod-substitute. And the longest shutter speed was about 2 seconds.
Fabulous night cityscape. One day I will be in a city and will be able to capture such a scene. Thankfully I am able to learn from the likes of you how best to get a decent cityscape.
What a great vantage point Taffy, gives a whole new view over your city. Having read your method description above only increases my admiration of your photographic skills.
@nickspicsnz Glad it was useful -- I learned so much from friends on the site that it's always good to continue to 'pay it forward.' You'll do the same I'm sure.
You're in your element with this sort of shot... and it shows. I find this has a rather peaceful feeling which is a little odd given that it is a bustling metropolis!