The Kerry House - tone-mapped

This is the Beacon Hill home of Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. It is a beautiful building in a beautiful neighborhood. Yet, I have passed it by at least a dozen times. Its formal majesty is not inviting to me. The street is narrow, so if I use a wide-angle lens the sides of the building lean in to the middle, and I've just never connected with it. Yesterday as I passed, I decided to try again. Even though it was a sunny day, the light was even. There were lights at the door and reflections in the windows. The mid-summer foliage was lovely against the red of the brick. Might as well give it a try.

Of course, Photoshop can straighten out those leaning buildings. And Lightroom can light up the shadows a bit and crop an unfortunate bit of curb. At what point do you stop diddling with an image? I couldn't resist. I made a couple of copies and brought them into HDR-Pro. I had already saturated the image, so it didn't take much diddling. It just popped. I could get used to this really fast.



I didn't want it to be too garish, but I really like the color and the detail that HDR picks up. Of course, this isn't real HDR. You need three separate exposures for that, not one image used three times. Nevertheless, I could spend a lot of time playing with this stuff. And publish it under another name!

Beacon Hill Reflections

Yesterday I wrote that I always use a polarizing filter. Yup, always. That made me think - would the world come to an end if I let in a stray reflection or two? So this morning I went out in search of reflections - not to a pond, nor a harbor, but to Beacon Hill, in Boston. Many of the windows and doors reflect buildings across the street. Sometimes it's possible to capture the reflection of a gaslight or a church steeple. But I wanted to push it. There's on-street parking on the Hill, and I realized that the cars could be used as mirrors. This is my favorite. What do you think?

Back in Boston

Moving from Maine to Boston is always jarring. You trade the noise of crickets for the noise of airplanes. The smell of seaweed for the smell of traffic. YUK! But Boston is a such beautiful city. I can shoot both sunrise and sunset in several locations with water in the foreground. Boats and skylines and reflections. Boston Harbor. The Charles River. Such a gorgeous city.

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I've been shooting sunrise and sunset for the last week. At this time of the year, that's a little tough, so I spend the middle of the day on the computer and schedule a nap each afternoon. Mid-day light usually doesn't work in the city, because the tall buildings cast shadows that make too much contrast for traditional photography. Today I'll make an exception. Redcoats and militiamen will invade Boston, with fife-and-drummers wandering the streets. Who could resist?

Boston Spring 4/5/10

Spring is coming to Boston like a landslide! Flowers that usually are due on Patriots Day - April 19 - are opening now, on April 05, two weeks early. The daffodil fields in North Point and Paul Revere Parks are brilliant with white, yellow, and green. Back Bay saucer magnolia are within a couple of days of being peak. And, since the weather forecast is sunny and very warm, the cherries on the esplanade will be out next week. With every generality, there are exceptions. This cherry in the Public Garden is already as full as it gets. Spring is here, or coming in fast.