tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51793789063154991872024-03-08T16:05:42.693-06:00GatewayPhotographs of St. Louis' Gateway Arch by Robert CroweBob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-89109547986754305732010-05-27T00:01:00.003-05:002010-05-27T06:45:30.506-05:00Silhouette<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3579/3405149371_0b4d471fe6_o.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 433px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3579/3405149371_0b4d471fe6_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">An oldie but a goodie excavated from the archives. Sort of makes me think of the opening scene in </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/"><span style="font-style: italic;">2001</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">. If I had a music player on this blog I'd put on </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.2112.net/sphere/virtualsongs/audio/Strauss%20-%20Also%20Sprach%20Zarathustra.mp3"><span style="font-style: italic;">Also Sprach Zarathusta</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">.</span><br /></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-81122792328391347032010-05-06T00:05:00.001-05:002010-05-06T00:05:00.488-05:00Apex<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3162/2984982371_cc55f8504f_o.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 406px; height: 600px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3162/2984982371_cc55f8504f_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">We almost always look at the Arch from the side, more or less. Well, what if you look straight up at it from underneath? This is the point where the pieces come together, the keystone. The narrow rectangles are windows in the observation deck. They are angled down at about 45 degrees. Bring your Dramamine.</span></span> </div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-74864127084755143822010-04-29T00:05:00.001-05:002010-04-29T00:05:00.955-05:00Post-Industrial Arch<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/4562278266_c9c59af1d2_o.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 406px; height: 600px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/4562278266_c9c59af1d2_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The Arch sits in a leafy park but there are old, run down industrial areas to the north and south. It all looks rather nice from the south with sunshine on it.</span></span><br /></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-36315969191808399742010-04-22T00:05:00.001-05:002010-04-22T00:05:00.456-05:00Apparition<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/4490829399_91c936b8ee_o.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 403px; height: 600px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/4490829399_91c936b8ee_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">I<span style="font-family:arial;">'m going to try </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;">real hard</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> to do at least one post a week on Gateway and keep it going.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:85%;" >Sometimes the Arch seems not quite real to me. I mean, how did <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eero_Saarinen">Eero Saarinen</a> and a bunch of space aliens drop this far-beyond-human scale metal epiphany in an ordinary Midwestern city? Sometimes when I walk or drive by I start thinking <span style="font-style: italic;">what the hell is that doing here?</span> Building the Arch was one of the few acts of real vision in the modern history of this sometimes indifferent burgh. </span><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-37374548246678267842010-04-15T20:23:00.003-05:002010-04-15T20:39:35.486-05:00A Much Neglected Blog<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4062/4489630481_b40a77cdec_o.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 432px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4062/4489630481_b40a77cdec_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I've been terrible about keeping Gateway up to date. Time is the issue. Work, shooting for and maintaining <a href="http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/">St. Louis Daily Photo</a>, whah whaa whah. I'll try to be better.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> I shot this from the top of the water tower in <a href="http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/parks_div/compton.html">Compton Hill Reservoir Park</a>.</span> </span></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-22947644033901215722009-12-25T20:54:00.007-06:002009-12-25T21:05:55.490-06:00Renaissance.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2564/3868198502_d3bb583c39_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 434px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2564/3868198502_d3bb583c39_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Gateway</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> has been moribund for four months. Good intentions but not enough time. The new plan is to post images that have appeared in the Thursday Arch Series on <a href="http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/">St. Louis Daily Photo</a> and any other images I come up with. They don't need to be new Arch pictures; they just need to celebrate the monument. So Gateway is back with levels on levels of arches.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><br /></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-52378595119073998272009-08-27T06:00:00.001-05:002009-08-27T06:00:04.416-05:00Another Hammer Blow<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2583/3853726375_21ab430d53_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 433px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2583/3853726375_21ab430d53_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I've posted a number of pictures lately on </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/">St. Louis Daily Photo</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> of the sculpture </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/2009/07/citygarden-tom-otterness-kindly.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Kindly Geppetto</span></a> by <a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.tomostudio.com/exhibitions_subway.html">Tom Otterness</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> in downtown's </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.citygardenstl.org/">Citygarden</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. The last couple of them (</span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/2009/08/geppettos-hammer-again.html">here</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> and </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/2009/08/geppettos-hammer.html">here</a><span style="font-family:arial;">) have been titled Geppetto's Hammer because this old woodcarver in in the process of whacking little Pinocchio to bits with a gigantic mallet. Not kindly at all. I find the work dark and fascinating.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">But here's another hammer: a view of the north leg from inside the curve. It looks to me like a titanic blow from </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor">Thor</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> or </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_%28folklore%29">John Henry</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> or maybe </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF5apksk_ps">Maxwell</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> blasting our city center.</span></span> </div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-90810583155414057942009-08-20T06:00:00.004-05:002009-08-20T13:46:55.056-05:00Salvage Job<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3569/3835147556_7ef02a1e60_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 391px; height: 580px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3569/3835147556_7ef02a1e60_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">An exercise: this photo has a close relative appearing today on </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold;">ST. LOUIS DAILY PHOTO</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">. They are parts of a seven image sequence of the same subject, shot at 2/3 stop intervals from -2 stops to +2 stops. The aperture remained the same and the shutter speed varied. They were intended to become part of a seven layer HDR of the Arch. However, when I blended them in Photomatix, the sky came out with a marked box-shaped weave pattern in. It looked like fabric. Actually, it looked terrible. If any HDR experts can explain that to me I'd appreciate it.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">So, I started playing with the individual pictures in the sequence. This one was +1 stop (ISO 100, f 6.3, 1/100 sec., spot metering). I always shoot in RAW so I could mess around with the image a lot. This is what came out.</span></span> </div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2507/3835147518_70907b4b8f_t.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 68px; height: 100px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2507/3835147518_70907b4b8f_t.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Click to see the companion photo on <a href="http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">ST. LOUIS DAILY PHOTO</span></a>. Which do you prefer, assuming that either one does something for you?</span></span>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-2929052597013891712009-08-10T06:00:00.001-05:002009-08-10T06:00:01.306-05:00Detour<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2674/3805777691_dfa64e3199_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 433px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2674/3805777691_dfa64e3199_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You could read all sorts of things into this. I'll leave the interpretation to the viewer.</span></span><br /></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-91271925321129145342009-08-03T06:00:00.002-05:002009-08-03T06:28:14.802-05:00Small City, Big Sky<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2647/3782702213_de9b66aa35_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 431px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2647/3782702213_de9b66aa35_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The writer </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Franzen">Jonathan Franzen</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> was born in Chicago but grew up in </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.webstergroves.org/">Webster Groves, Missouri</a><span style="font-family:arial;">, the town where I have lived for 22 years. He wrote a novel, set mostly in St. Louis, called </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Seventh-City-Bestselling-Backlist/dp/0312420145/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1249264541&sr=8-3"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Twenty-Seventh City</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">. That was the city's U.S. population rank at the time. It's fallen considerably since, what with devastating suburban sprawl, although </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis_Metropolitan_Statistical_Area">we remain the 16th largest metropolitan area</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> if you believe Wikipedia. It doesn't look like much in this view from across the Mississippi but the Arch is ever glorious and we are covered by the boundless Midwestern sky. </span></span><br /></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-261968654913167522009-07-27T06:00:00.001-05:002009-07-27T06:00:04.153-05:00Summer Arch<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/3759780387_dba37c1ac7_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 435px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/3759780387_dba37c1ac7_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sunday was a day you could have ordered out of a catalog, to use an old expression, with the Arch surrounded by the expressions of summer. And it pays to keep a wide angle lens in your bag.</span></span><br /></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-5476508362952993382009-07-23T06:00:00.001-05:002009-07-23T06:00:02.309-05:00Horizon<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2548/3735798817_923fb78092_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 639px; height: 431px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2548/3735798817_923fb78092_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you look at the Arch from the side, the very top has the most gentle of curves. You notice the slope when you are in the observation deck inside the top but it's no big deal. Then, as you move down the leg, things go downhill in a hurry, to borrow an expression. When you stand at the foot, you see a horizon part way up, like the way the earth drops away on the ocean.</span></span><br /></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-817721528204332132009-07-20T06:00:00.003-05:002009-07-20T07:01:20.810-05:00Magic Mirror<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2669/3734997043_a73c9b2298_o.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 640px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 435px; CURSOR: pointer" border="0" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2669/3734997043_a73c9b2298_o.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I've been neglectful of this blog, although I do get something posted on </span><a style="FONT-FAMILY: arial" href="http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/">St. Louis Daily Photo</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> every day.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> It's not that I've lost interest in the Arch but rather that my time is spread so thin. Taking and editing the pictures themselves has become a compulsion. Everything gets shot in RAW, everything has to be sorted, all the final choices get edited in Photoshop. It's become compulsive. Maybe I should look for a local chapter of Photographers Anonymous. </span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic;font-family:arial;" >Hi, my name is Bob and I'm a photographer</span><span style="font-family:arial;">.</span></span> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Anyway, I got back by the monument over the weekend, trying to slow down and think. The result was a series of Lensbaby shots about the surface of the metal and how it interacts with what's right around it. My friend </span><a style="FONT-FAMILY: arial" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisacpayne/">Lisa</a><span style="font-family:arial;">, a painter and photographer who is working in Morocco these days, said that this image felt like a childhood memory. I hope it has some sense of wonder.</span></span> </div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-33253014208784690542009-06-25T06:00:00.002-05:002009-06-25T06:00:07.135-05:00Summer Sky Arch<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3544/3648902820_9b318e583e_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 432px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3544/3648902820_9b318e583e_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">This photo has a similar look to the one posted today on my </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/">St. Louis Daily Photo Blog</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> but this one is an HDR. It gives more detail and dynamic range than you might otherwise get. The image sort of looks like an avalanche is about to engulf the monument.</span><br /></span></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-58745101634705588832009-06-18T06:00:00.001-05:002009-06-18T06:00:17.827-05:00Peek Over The Wall<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3365/3637520220_003828593c_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 431px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3365/3637520220_003828593c_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">A more traditional, if that's the right word, HDR, with slightly garish color and big tonal contrast. I have mixed feelings about these in color. They are eye-catching but loud. There's a black and white version of this photo on Flickr </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobcrowe/3636706069/">here</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. You can see which you prefer.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The bad thing about shooting the Arch from the new overlook in Illinois are the eight damnable high voltage lines that run right through the middle of your picture. In many of the previous photos from this location I have Photoshopped them out. It's a slow, tedious process. I decided to leave then alone this time.</span></span><br /></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-61258695025900257582009-06-10T06:00:00.002-05:002009-06-10T06:00:01.752-05:00Soft Touch<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3566/3594140782_d14bb97f4a_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 483px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3566/3594140782_d14bb97f4a_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Nice light. More </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3566/3594140782_d14bb97f4a_o.jpg">Lensbaby</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. What else is there to say? Well, maybe that this was shot from </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eads_Bridge">Eads Bridge</a><span style="font-family:arial;">.</span></span><br /></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-86999388784516114692009-06-04T06:00:00.001-05:002009-06-04T06:00:02.607-05:00From The East Side<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2456/3593183467_b70cd47512_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 408px; height: 580px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2456/3593183467_b70cd47512_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">This is from the same series of photos as today's post on </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/">St. Louis Daily Photo Blog</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. St. Louisans refer to all the Illinois suburbs as the East Side. This is obviously an HDR. When you look at views like this it's hard to accept that the Arch is exactly as wide as it it tall. It's true, though.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">As mentioned today on St. Louis Daily Photo, the much-anticipated overlook in East St. Louis, Illinois, opposite the Arch opens on Saturday. It could lead to a repetitive motion injury of my right index finger.</span></span> </div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-8808929053062781292009-05-28T06:00:00.002-05:002009-05-28T06:00:00.719-05:00A Gamble<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3394/3559487343_79b70aa3bd_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 435px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3394/3559487343_79b70aa3bd_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">St. Louis factoid: this place is awash with casinos. There are three in sight of the Arch. This billboard rises from the parking lot of one of them in Illinois opposite the monument. It advertises that it has the loosest slot machines in the whole country (that is, the highest payout percentage) but it's still a bad bet.</span></span><br /></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-9547575822515468022009-05-21T06:00:00.003-05:002009-05-21T09:36:45.920-05:00Lightening<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1067/1465656840_db34df2dbd_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 386px; height: 580px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1067/1465656840_db34df2dbd_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">This is an old photo, taken almost four years ago. I was just starting to explore the monument, trying to find different ways to look at it. This is the north leg reflecting the afternoon sun, creating a streak down the stainless steel.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:85%;" >OOPS - Thursday mid-morning: I just noticed that I posted this picture in March. Oh, well.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:85%;" > Better get some new material this weekend.</span><br /></div></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-24826559719315025762009-05-11T06:05:00.001-05:002009-05-11T06:44:23.777-05:00Long Time No See<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3412/3520945698_7580f9e380_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 433px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3412/3520945698_7580f9e380_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I'm sorry that posts here have been so infrequent. There are a dwindling number of Arch photos in the inventory and I haven't had time to shoot there in weeks. Finally got by last Saturday.</span></span> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Another problem is finding a fresh approach. Thousands of snaps over the last few years, a hundred and something posted here and on </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/">St. Louis Daily Photo Blog</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> and what's new to say? Photographic technique offers options. The original of this image, shot from </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://bridgepros.com/projects/eads/">Eads Bridge</a><span style="font-family:arial;">, looked pretty mundane. With a little Photoshop razzmatazz, there's something worth looking at.</span></span> </div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-82333308213519430252009-04-24T06:00:00.002-05:002009-04-24T06:00:01.113-05:00Sci Fi Arch<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3091/3162692633_2e81a37445_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 433px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3091/3162692633_2e81a37445_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, another silly HDR, shot just before sunset. I should have Photoshopped two moons into the sky. </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;">Take me to your leader</span><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></span><br /></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-86564192078969227892009-04-09T06:00:00.001-05:002009-04-09T06:00:01.155-05:00Shooter<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3332/3425560412_1505519abc_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 391px; height: 580px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3332/3425560412_1505519abc_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Team member <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12604789868552400554">ShadowyOne</a> shoots the monument. I'm learning to make better use of my wide angle lens. The Arch is so big that you need one if you want anything in the foreground. Hooray for digital cameras with full-sized light sensors.</span></span> </div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-10662776428374499202009-04-02T06:00:00.003-05:002009-04-02T06:31:55.236-05:00Low Rider<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/2350822134_32727d18cf_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 387px; height: 580px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/2350822134_32727d18cf_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I think I used this photo on my <a href="http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/">St. Louis Daily Photo Blog</a> way back when. It didn't get a lot of response but I like it a lot. People will pose for you if you are polite and friendly. Love his eyes and low rider jeans.</span></span><br /></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-53373872667660135642009-03-26T06:00:00.002-05:002009-03-26T06:33:47.437-05:00Elements<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1067/1465656840_db34df2dbd_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 386px; height: 580px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1067/1465656840_db34df2dbd_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">This photo of the Arch was taken three and a half years ago, around the time my obsession began. Compare it to <a href="http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/2009/03/thursday-arch-series_26.html">today's picture on St. Louis Daily Photo</a>, shot earlier this month. This shows the reflection of the afternoon sun streaming down the plates of the north leg. There is some simplicity and purity that I've lost in recent pictures of the monument. Let us know what you think.</span></span><br /></div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179378906315499187.post-64949464940387263632009-03-19T06:00:00.001-05:002009-03-19T06:00:02.181-05:00The Basics<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3551/3348327538_dab32cf41e_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 432px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3551/3348327538_dab32cf41e_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">A shot that couldn't be simpler or more straightforward (except it's an HDR - not immediately evident). Just an illustration of why I love it so much.</span></span> </div>Bob Crowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276510331824603844noreply@blogger.com4