TurnipFarmer's photostream  

Follow Me -> Twitter * 500px * Google+

Green Park Underground Station, London, England

When sorting out my photos yesterday whilst doing a bit of spring cleaning :-) I came across this photo again and had a thought of a different way to process it and it also gave me the opportunity to use the selective colour in Silver Efex Pro 2.

I just tried to keep it simple with only one colour just coming out. I feel it compliments the B&W really well. Also another thing I always like when I visit this tunnel is the sheer length of it. When taking photos it creates this illusion that it just goes on for ever and ever. I really like the vanishing point and leading lines.

Anyway, I hope all my followers are well. I will try and catch up with your uploads today, some great photos I see that have been uploaded. Anyone here in the UK going out with their camera to capture the Diamond Jubilee celebrations? I look forward to seeing them on Monday, hopefully I will get out with my camera this weekend.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Photo Details
Sony A700
Samyang 8mm F3.5 MC Fisheye
RAW
f/11
8mm
ISO200
1/5s exposure

Software Used
Lightroom 4.1
Silver Efex Pro 2
Photomatix 4
Noiseware Pro

Information
Green Park tube station is a London Underground station located on the north side of Green Park, close to the intersection of Piccadilly and the pedestrian Queen's Walk. It is in Travelcard Zone 1.

The station is served by the Piccadilly line, between Piccadilly Circus and Hyde Park Corner, the Victoria line, between Victoria and Oxford Circus, and the Jubilee line, between Bond Street and Westminster.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Park_tube_station

Follow Me -> Twitter * 500px * Google+

Grosmont Railway Station - Sir Nigel Gresley LNER Class A4 4498 - North Yorkshire, England

This is a re-worked photo that I felt I could edit it better and this is the result. What I have always liked about this photo is how natural the Train Driver and Secondman behaviour is. Taking in the sun and enjoying a nice cup of tea before continuing on their way.

I always like photos of steam trains as seeing scenes like always reminds me of how it once was on the UK network.

The Sir Nigel Gresley for those who don't know much about trains is the same class locomotive as the more famous train named Mallard which holds the world speed record for steam trains. It achieved 126mph in 1938 on Stoke Bank on the East Coast Mainline.

A little history for you there :-)

Photo Details
Sony A700
Minolta AF 70-210mm f4
f/4.5
40mm
ISO100
1/200s exposure

Software Used
Lightroom 4.0
Silver Efex Pro 2

Information
Built for the LNER in 1937, and the 100th Gresley Pacific built. Her Doncaster Works number was 1863. It was originally numbered 4498. It is a 4-6-2 locomotive to the same design by Sir Nigel Gresley as the more famous Mallard.

Locomotive 4498 was actually due to receive the name Bittern, originally suggested for 4492 (later Dominion of New Zealand). So the story goes, an LNER enthusiast who worked in the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, realised in time that 4498 was the 100th Gresley Pacific locomotive and the suggestion was made that the locomotive be named after her designer. The name Bittern was later carried on 4464.

Sir Nigel Gresley was allocated to Kings Cross 'Top Shed' from new. As LNER locomotive 7, she was reallocated to Grantham on 23 April 1944, but sent back to Top Shed on 4 June 1950. Top Shed kept 60007 until the depot was closed, then Sir Nigel Gresley was reallocated to New England shed on 16 June 1963. Sir Nigel Gresley was then allocated to St Margarets shed, to work the Edinburgh - Aberdeen trains, until final shed allocation was to Aberdeen on 20 July 1964.

Sir Nigel Gresley received a repaint at Doncaster Works 25 February 1938, and larger coal space was also provided as the locomotive was displayed at an exhibition in Manchester. Sir Nigel Gresley was also used for the opening of the Rugby testing station from 23 August - 8 October 1948. 60007 was placed onto the rollers without her tender and run up to high speeds to monitor the coal and water usage of the locomotive.

Sir Nigel Gresley is the holder of the post-war steam record speed of 112 mph gained on 23 May 1959 and carries a plaque to that effect. As with Mallard's record, this was descending southward from Stoke Summit, but unlike Mallard's run which was a special attempt, this was with a full train of passengers returning from an excursion to Doncaster works. The excursion exceeded 100 mph on two other occasions on the same day. Unfortunately, because of a paper strike at the time, the logs of these are not as accessible as for some other workings.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_A4_4498_Sir_Nigel_Gresley

Follow Me -> Twitter * 500px * Google+

30 St Mary Axe (AKA The Gherkin) and St Andrew Undershaft , London, England

This is another from the archives from a trip into London with fellow friend and photographer Mark Hepples (AKA Camel Kegs), feel free to check out his photostream.

At first all those many months ago now I first discounted this photo as everytime I processed it I never felt it was right. That is until I got Silver Efex Pro, all this was done in Silver Efex Pro 2 with a little help from LR4. The original photo I never knew those streaky clouds were there and Silver Efex Pro 2 does a great job in bringing them out.

The only thing that I'm not sure about it the noise. Not sure if its too much or not. I have not purposely added it, this was from the camera. I have everything turned off with regard to noise reduction as I like to do at post processing.

Now a question for you all, is it best to noise reduce before I edit in Silver Efex Pro 2 or any other editor? I'm inclined to say 'Yes' and I should have done it on this one but I may have got away with it on this one. If you do it after you seem to loose a lot of the detail you have just worked hard to process.

Anyway the weather here in the UK has been awesome last few days and its set to go into the Weekend too! :-) I'm am hopefully gonna try my hand at some start trails tonight as long as it stays clear fingers crossed.

Photo Details
Sony A700
Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR
RAW
f/13
17mm
ISO200
15s exposure

Software Used
Lightroom 4
Silver Efex Pro 2

Information
30 St Mary Axe (formerly the Swiss Re Building, informally referred to as the Gherkin) is a skyscraper in London's financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened at the end of May 2004. With 40 floors, the tower is 180 metres (591 ft) tall and stands on the former site of the Baltic Exchange building, which was severely damaged on 10 April 1992 by the explosion of a bomb placed by the Provisional IRA.

After the plans to build the Millennium Tower were dropped, the current building was designed by Norman Foster and Arup engineers and was erected by Skanska in 2001–2003.

St Andrew Undershaft is a Church of England church located at St Mary Axe, in Aldgate ward of the City of London, near the Lloyd's Building. It is a rare example of a City church that has managed to escape both the Great Fire of London in 1666 and the Second World War bombing during the London Blitz of 1940-1941.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_St_Mary_Axe
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Andrew_Undershaft

Follow Me -> Twitter * 500px * Google+

Bank-Monument Underground Station, London, England

A little bit of experimenting going on here and I quite like the outcome. Bank-Monument is one of my favourite stations of the network and this is a photo of the travelator there. I have taken static images of the travelator before but thought I would try one actually on it. I had to have a steady hand but manage to get one that was in focus of the few images I took :-).

Let me know what you think, is it a 'Marmite' type image? ;-)

Photo Details
Sony A700
Samyang 8mm F3.5 MC Fisheye
RAW
f/11
8mm
ISO200
0.5s exposure

Software Used
Lightroom 4

Information
Bank and Monument are interlinked London Underground and Docklands Light Railway stations that form a public transport complex spanning the length of King William Street in the City of London. Bank station, named after the Bank of England, opened in 1900 at Bank junction and is served by the Central, Northern and Waterloo and City lines and the Docklands Light Railway. Monument station, named after the Monument to the Great Fire of London, opened in 1884 and is served by the District and Circle lines. The stations have been linked as an interchange since 1933. The station complex is the eighth-busiest on the London Underground network and is in London fare zone 1.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank-Monument_station

Follow Me -> Twitter * 500px * Google+

The Bridge of Aspiration (The Royal Ballet School), London, England

Just having a look through the archives this morning and came across this one from Open House London last year. I'm not sure how I missed this one in the archives, oh well here it is.

I was able to take a photo of this awesome bridge due to the annual Open House London event. Basically all the buildings that are not normally open to the public open there doors for one weekend a year giving you some great photo opportunities and this was one of them.

For those who are interested in going this year you can order the book with all the buildings that are going to be open now at 2011 prices, I think its £6.50 and it will be delivered to you in August.

You wouldn't believe though how hard it was to get this photo with no one on it, naturally everyone walks on it when they see it so I patiently waited for my group to move off it, I took this and a few other photos and looked behind me with my group disappearing into the distance, whoops, I quickly followed but glad I took this photo :-)

Photo Details
Sony A700
Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR
RAW
f/6.3
17mm
ISO100
1/60s exposure

Software Used
Lightroom 4
Photomatix 4.1

Information
The Royal Ballet School is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the Royal Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in London. The school comprises a lower school (11-16yrs) based at White Lodge, Richmond Park, and an upper school (from 16yrs) based in purpose built studios on Floral Street in Covent Garden, adjacent to the Royal Opera House. The school exists exclusively to provide specialist co-educational training in classical ballet, with graduates achieving employment with professional ballet companies worldwide. The Royal Ballet School is most noted for training some of the most celebrated ballet dancers and choreographers of the 20th century, including Dame Margot Fonteyn, Dame Beryl Grey, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Darcey Bussell and Alessandra Ferri. The Royal Ballet School also trained Dame Monica Mason, a former ballerina of the Royal Ballet, who is now the companies' Artistic Director. Graduates of the school have also achieved employment in musical theatre, contemporary and jazz dance, television and film.