Nikon D5000, Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8, 55mm, f/2.8, ISO 450, 1/250th Check out the Latest HDR Collaboration: Blackwell Lighthouse on Mark Garbowski’s Blog The Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 is a great lens. I like having a constant f/2.8 aperture, but this lens weighs a ton. I do like the feel of it in my hands and up…
Nikon D5000, Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5, 24mm, f/7.1, ISO 200, 1/1000th I never understood what type of person could handle this crazy job. I’d rather be on the ground shooting up. However, I hear the money is great!
August 16, 2011 - 12:06 am
That’s a great shot. Love the composition. Well done!
August 16, 2011 - 1:18 am
What do they pay? 3 million a shift? Even then, not enough… what a great shot Scott, this is totally awesome!
August 16, 2011 - 8:24 am
Freakin’ cool shot here man, I love the B&W, gives it a great abstract feel. Cool find Scott.
August 16, 2011 - 9:30 am
Awesome shot Scott – I really love your B&W work, and this has a great comp to it.
August 16, 2011 - 9:59 am
This is outstanding. The POV really adds some drama to the shot
August 16, 2011 - 12:38 pm
Forget it. I don’t care how good the money is… Nice shot BTW!
August 16, 2011 - 12:41 pm
Superb shot! Love the comp and the B&W conversion! My palms are sweating just a bit thinking of being suspended like that!
August 16, 2011 - 12:53 pm
Fabulous. What a great perspective.
August 16, 2011 - 4:27 pm
I’d do it as long as I had my camera with me – imagine the views. 
Superb shot!
August 16, 2011 - 6:47 pm
I think he may be peering into my office Great shot!
August 17, 2011 - 2:25 am
nice capture, great reflections. I’d certainly like to do that job – lots of fresh air and a bit of fun too. no good in the winter though.
August 17, 2011 - 7:48 pm
Dude, love this….don’t forget my list
August 20, 2011 - 3:45 pm
Great shot!
Nikon D5000, Nikkor 55-200 f/4-5.6, 55mm, f/22, ISO 100, ND 110, 10 Seconds Minimal architectural photography with strong contrast is one of my favorite types to shoot, outside of doing HDR! Sometimes combining brackets for these types of shots can prove effective as well, but for this one I chose a single exposure. I’m loving…
June 15, 2011 - 9:13 am
Love those bits of light on the building…well done.
June 15, 2011 - 9:21 am
Dude. Just awesome. What a cool POV, the abstract feel to this is awesome. Like something straight out of Gotham.
June 15, 2011 - 9:32 am
Love the white stripes across the glass from the reflected clouds…awesome shot Scott.
June 15, 2011 - 9:32 am
Cool shot!
June 15, 2011 - 10:06 am
Love the could movement across the building.
June 15, 2011 - 10:08 am
Awesome images Scott – love the reflections and the patterns!
June 15, 2011 - 10:20 am
Great architectural abstract. The light is fantastic.
June 15, 2011 - 11:30 am
Great lighting and reflections! Beautiful shot.
June 15, 2011 - 11:32 am
Really cool shot man. Nice work! Yer loving that Silver Efex Pro arn’t ya!?!
June 15, 2011 - 12:56 pm
Cool!
June 15, 2011 - 3:45 pm
Love the pattern and the smoothness created by the long exposure. Excellent black and white tonality.
June 15, 2011 - 9:09 pm
Great work Scott! Love the 10-stop!
June 16, 2011 - 10:20 am
The rich blacks contrasting with lighter tones keep my eyes glued to this image. Impact achieved!
June 17, 2011 - 2:16 am
Cool
Nikon D5000, Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5, 24mm, f/11, ISO 200, 3 Handheld Exposures (0,+2,-2) Continuing on what will likely be a random series of posts that will be focused around architecture, but what I plan to do is focus more on looking up! Because of this I find the tripod to be a bit cumbersome. Being…
May 13, 2011 - 9:02 am
Awesome perspective here!!
May 13, 2011 - 9:08 am
Scott, if you haven’t checked them out yet, go download the free presets from Jason ODell and Tony Sweet’s book “The photographer’s guide to HDR Efex Pro”. Available here: http://www.luminescentphoto.com/hdrguide.html then click on the link at the top that says “Download our settings”. The presets they put together for “natural exteriors” and “natural landscapes” are always a great starting point and much better than the ones that come out of the box from NIK. I find those create no halo-ing and give excellent control of high contrast skys. I usually start with one of those then continue on working the image with control points where the image needs additional love.
Also, that book is great for anyone just starting out with HDR Efex Pro or someone coming from Photomatix, or (God help you) Photoshop CS5 HDR tone mapping.
May 13, 2011 - 9:08 am
Very creative contrast between the two buildings and the turbulent sky. Love the diagonal opposites in the frame. It’s hard not to call attention to oneself, as you contort your camera-topped body, on busy city streets!
May 13, 2011 - 9:12 am
Great angle, reflections and sky!
May 13, 2011 - 9:16 am
Now there’s a great example of a dramatic black and white image! What a wonderful sky.
May 13, 2011 - 9:22 am
Nice work Scott, I found handheld HDR shots to come out pretty decent too. All the top HDR programs seem to do a great job with aligning the. Like you I also have my default tools… photomatix, topaz and photoshop.
May 13, 2011 - 9:32 am
Man, this is another wicked shot! I really like how dramatic the sky is and how the reflections on the building add to that. Fantastic work Scott!
May 13, 2011 - 10:04 am
nice work Scott, I use the whole Nik suite and am a big fan of it, great products. killer sky in this one!
May 13, 2011 - 10:07 am
Wow Scott – this is a sick view, and I really like the high contrast B&W structure. Nice work!
May 13, 2011 - 11:05 am
Absolutely jaw-dropping Scott. Amazing stuff!
May 13, 2011 - 11:17 am
Wow – you have been looking up a lot recently. I love it, great perspective and processing. I like the B&W here. Don’t kink your neck!
May 13, 2011 - 12:29 pm
Scott, I mean WOW! This is amazing! Like something out of the Matrix meets Gotham City. Incredible!
May 13, 2011 - 12:44 pm
Great image and processeing, Scott!
May 13, 2011 - 1:05 pm
That is one of the sickest skies I’ve ever seen photographed! Awesome shot!
May 13, 2011 - 1:09 pm
Love the processing and the POV is awesome. Nice work.
May 13, 2011 - 1:42 pm
Another ridiculous shot! Just awesome! Love the processing and perspective!
May 13, 2011 - 5:34 pm
Sick sky! Love the pov.
May 13, 2011 - 5:47 pm
Looking up can create a great composition, as you’ve done here! A lot of people don’t do it, so it makes it a little more unique too!
May 13, 2011 - 6:34 pm
SICK
May 13, 2011 - 9:48 pm
Great shot, Scott! I haven’t been paying attention to the news lately — I didn’t realize there was a new version of silver efex 2 out. I’l have to go get it now. You did a wonderful job processing here!
May 14, 2011 - 9:22 am
Holy crap this is awesome. Love the vantage point and dramatic sky/reflections.
May 16, 2011 - 12:15 am
Love the perpective and the toning. Do you recommend the HDR Efex Pro over Photomatix? I am trying to decide which to purchase.
May 16, 2011 - 10:57 am
Phenomenal image Scott!
May 16, 2011 - 8:51 pm
Dude, this IS KILLER! Nuf said
May 16, 2011 - 11:59 pm
I’ve been a Photomatix Pro user for over a year and a half. HDR Efex Pro is a newer program but so far I like it. I use it for different applications and like to have both programs around. If you decide to purchase, maybe you’d like to use my discount code “ScottFrederickPhoto” for 15% off your purchases!
May 17, 2011 - 12:09 am
Also, I want to thank everyone for the great comments, feedback, RT’s and awesomeness!!!
Nikon D5000, Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5, 24mm, f/11, ISO 200, 3 Handheld Exposures (0,-2,+2) I decided yesterday to take a walk around the Center City area of Philadelphia to capture some dramatic architectural shots and start utilizing some of plug-ins from the Nik Software Collection Bundle I just picked up. Nik’s HDR Efex Pro is a…
May 11, 2011 - 9:42 am
Great tone and reflection
May 11, 2011 - 9:42 am
Wow! great angle, reflection, and that sky compliments the image so much! Well done!
May 11, 2011 - 9:44 am
This is crazy cool. Love the dramatic sky and how it is reflected in the building. Awesome work!
May 11, 2011 - 10:04 am
Very nice Scott – really impressive comp and reflection!
May 11, 2011 - 10:35 am
Let’s go with drama. Love the sky and reflections.
May 11, 2011 - 10:46 am
Wow, this is a very cool shot. Very sinister mood, I love it.
May 11, 2011 - 10:55 am
Very dramatic – just an insane sky and reflection! Wow!
May 11, 2011 - 11:09 am
Amazing shot! Looks like something out of Gotham City Love the clouds reflecting down the whole buliding!
May 11, 2011 - 11:15 am
Wow – Just Wow! The feeling I get from this shot is incredible. Very powerful image. Love the processing and colors you have used.
May 11, 2011 - 11:33 am
Well done!
May 11, 2011 - 11:37 am
WOW Scott! I think this is my favorite of yours! Stunning work man!
May 11, 2011 - 12:21 pm
great shot Scott and wonderful reflections! Jim
May 11, 2011 - 12:31 pm
Really cool dark mono shot. That sky is very dramatic.
May 11, 2011 - 12:59 pm
What a stunning reflection and POV. Wonderful job Scott!
May 11, 2011 - 1:02 pm
Man this is great, nice work!
May 11, 2011 - 1:04 pm
This is great, nice work!
May 11, 2011 - 2:16 pm
Stunning composition. Great image my friend!
May 11, 2011 - 6:26 pm
Good Lord, sir, this is amazing. I LOVE those clouds and the reflection in the glass there, it looks totally like smoke! This picture is so good it’s on FIRE! Great job my friend, I love it.
May 11, 2011 - 6:28 pm
Love it scott. just started experimenting with Nik myself, hope to turn out an image this great
May 11, 2011 - 6:48 pm
Very powerful image, the Nik tools really facilitate our ability to express our imagination.
May 11, 2011 - 7:02 pm
Reminds me of an infinity pool in the sky! Love the mid-night blue tint. Absolutely stunning Scott.
May 11, 2011 - 9:53 pm
Great pov I like the angle of this shot.
May 11, 2011 - 11:16 pm
Great shot! This is my favorite.
May 11, 2011 - 11:53 pm
Fantastic treatment on this, Scott! Love Nik plugins!
May 12, 2011 - 12:52 am
Fantastic shot. I love the perspective and especially the reflection!
May 12, 2011 - 9:05 am
I *really* like this shot. It has a great ‘smoky’ character to it and I love the overall tone. Great job!
May 12, 2011 - 11:13 am
Incredible feedback on this image. I thank you all very much!
May 12, 2011 - 5:44 pm
Now this is a nice shot, super effect…
May 12, 2011 - 7:19 pm
Awesome shot! Love the angle! I really like sky reflections off of buildings…I have a few myself. Excellent work!
May 12, 2011 - 9:20 pm
Just wow. Wow.
May 13, 2011 - 7:53 am
Holy moley .. this one is sweet!!!
May 14, 2011 - 8:32 am
great reflections and subtle blue mono tones.
May 17, 2011 - 12:10 am
Thanks again guys for the the comments!
Nikon D5000, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 35mm, f/2.0, ISO 100, 1/80th Exposure Late post today! It’s unbelievably nice out but the elevated allergy levels are really bringing me down… Since I’m dealing with a major headache at the moment, I’ll just leave you with this! Minimal Monday!!!
April 25, 2011 - 3:52 pm
Nice macro man! It looks well used.
April 25, 2011 - 3:58 pm
Better late then never. At first I thought this was a shell casing. Nice shot, its very interesting.
April 25, 2011 - 4:37 pm
This is maximally spectacular! Love today’s post Scott, great image!
April 25, 2011 - 5:27 pm
Nice grunge macro Scott, great details! Hope the ache goes away
April 26, 2011 - 1:14 am
I really like what you did with this macro, very compelling.
April 27, 2011 - 4:41 pm
Thank you! Feeling better
Nikon D5000, Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5, 24mm, f/27, ISO 100, 5 Exposures, B + W ND 3.0 I had the luxury of shooting outside in the Center City area of Philadelphia on a very beautiful Monday. I was primarily shooting handheld architecturally detailed close-ups with my 55-200mm and 35mm prime. Once I reached City Hall I…
April 7, 2011 - 9:40 am
This is great. Not only because of all the crazy lines, but the way you can see the different shads on the building tiles off on the right side. I think I need to give Silver Efex a try! Nice shot!
April 7, 2011 - 9:48 am
Great architecture shot, Scott…I enjoy the black and white conversion as well
April 7, 2011 - 9:52 am
Very cool shot Scott. Love the B&W here as well, and the shadow cast across the building on the left from the one on the right. Superb detail
April 7, 2011 - 10:01 am
Just gorgeous. The light, shadows, framing, I love it all. Great image.
April 7, 2011 - 10:25 am
Great shot! never a huge fan of architecture photography, but this one works. I really think it has to do with the monochrome treatment you gave it. You did a good job with it, grats!
April 7, 2011 - 12:13 pm
Great stuff man! I was able to be in Phile yesterday but only time to shoot was to and from the train station… At first glimpse, I thought the black things on the roof were silhouettes of people looking over the roof Great patterning of the bricks with the light and angle really work well with the B&W.
April 7, 2011 - 12:19 pm
Awesome image Scott. I really like the clarity and details of the buildings.
April 7, 2011 - 12:35 pm
Perspective kills in this shot, love what the long exposure did to the sky! I just bought the license for Silver Efex Pro 2 – I hadn’t really done any B&W before playing with that software, now I’m addicted.
April 7, 2011 - 1:28 pm
I think this makes a terrific architectural shot and black & white is a perfect choice.
April 7, 2011 - 3:09 pm
Great shot, Scott. Really love how you’ve framed it. Question, Silver Efex Pro 2 worth the upgrade?
April 7, 2011 - 3:48 pm
You really “wowed” me with this one, Scott!
April 7, 2011 - 4:24 pm
Great shot, Scott! I agree- Silver effects is the best BW software I have found. Well worth the price.
April 7, 2011 - 4:51 pm
Yeah, I am getting toward the end of my trial too! It is an awesome program! This is a great shot. Love the perspective!
April 7, 2011 - 7:19 pm
Great architectural shot Scott! Great detail!
April 7, 2011 - 11:22 pm
Very nice! Great lines, light and tonal contrast.
April 7, 2011 - 11:39 pm
All of your comments are greatly appreciated. Philly is a great city, I look forward to rethinking how I’d like to display the place that has given me so much!!!
April 21, 2011 - 12:42 am
Perfect B&W treatment to an already interesting comp. Really like it.
35mm, f/2.8, ISO 200, 1/1250 Exposure, – 2/3 EV Minimal Monday!!! Have a great week everyone…
March 14, 2011 - 1:42 am
Great shot, Scott! Love the lines!
March 14, 2011 - 6:20 am
I’m liking your minimal Mondays, and this kind of work is something I should try to do more of myself. Good stuff.
March 14, 2011 - 7:53 am
Great lines!
March 14, 2011 - 8:12 am
Perfectly toned black & white; elegant.
March 14, 2011 - 8:22 am
Really nicely done, Scott. Keep it up!
March 14, 2011 - 8:28 am
I absolutely love this image! B/w works so well here. Awesome!
March 14, 2011 - 9:06 am
Nice Image Scott! Love the line!
March 14, 2011 - 9:11 am
Stunning!
March 14, 2011 - 9:51 am
Love this shot Scott! I love the lines!
March 14, 2011 - 10:31 am
Love the vertical lines on the left against the curved and angled lines on the right. Simple but effective!
March 14, 2011 - 10:43 am
Like this a lot – think the B&W is definitely very effective in this shot, and the lines/curves/repetition is super interesting to me.
March 14, 2011 - 12:57 pm
Very Nice Scott
Love the Blk & White 2
Have a Great week yourself
March 14, 2011 - 1:22 pm
Great lines, love it.
March 14, 2011 - 11:57 pm
Much appreciated comments everyone, thank you!
10mm, f/8, ISO 100, 11 Exposures Gotta love a clean tidy bathroom to get your day started. It seems as though someone has been neglecting their chores around these parts! As we get ready to start the weekend I leave you with Race Horse. The old saying goes… Well, you know! Anyway I will continue…
March 11, 2011 - 12:11 am
Wonder how that chair got in there? Great shot Scott! Cool grittiness!
March 11, 2011 - 12:38 am
Uh, that’s OK, I’ll hold it, thanks Scott. What a crazy shot, my friend, I totally love it! The textures you’ve brought to life here are so incredible, I don’t even know what to say. Wow. Seriously. Wow.
March 11, 2011 - 6:37 am
I saw the title…then I saw the urinals. My first thought was ‘what on earth do you do when you’re in there?!’.
Then I saw the graffiti and the title became clearer Nice capture, and have a great weekend.
March 11, 2011 - 7:39 am
Cool shot Scott. I’m with Jim, how’d that chair get in there? This maybe one bathroom that may force me to hold off for a different place to relieve myself.
March 11, 2011 - 8:04 am
Perfect shot! You got some great texture in there!
March 11, 2011 - 8:51 am
Sweet shot man, I love the processing on this.
March 11, 2011 - 9:01 am
Great title! Super details.
March 11, 2011 - 9:04 am
Love the title! Awesome processing in this photo, great textures!
March 11, 2011 - 10:18 am
Really love the tones of that blue wall. You nailed the shot
March 11, 2011 - 11:46 am
Might be just me, but those urinals look awfully low to the ground. Reminds me of Uncle Buck when he pees in the kids’ school! 
Nice shot, Scott!
March 11, 2011 - 12:46 pm
Sounds awesome! This is really a classic UrbEx scene… Is this the bathroom that dude walked out of from your post the other day?
March 11, 2011 - 2:29 pm
I hadn’t heard that one in a while Great image Scott, I like how you used the shapes in this very cool composition.
March 11, 2011 - 6:34 pm
OK, somebody who has my email address please fill me in on what the saying is. I’m apparently more ignorant than i realized. Love the shot.
March 11, 2011 - 10:25 pm
Very interesting shot! Great textures!
March 14, 2011 - 1:21 pm
Hmmm, it might be a bit messy, but certainly bigger than the bathroom we have at work.
Seriously though, I love the shot, great image.
March 14, 2011 - 3:11 pm
This is great Scott!
March 14, 2011 - 6:42 pm
Wow! Great HDR.
March 14, 2011 - 11:51 pm
“I gotta pee like a race horse”
Thank you all for the comments, they are always greatly appreciated!!!
10mm, f/8, ISO 200 9 Exposures I was very selective about my brackets while visiting this Abandoned Elementary School the other day. It’s been almost 2 months since my last shoot, which is crazy! Hopefully I’m back on track for some more sessions. This coat closet was glowing inside one of the classrooms. Because it…
March 10, 2011 - 6:57 am
Great perspective, Scott. You’ve effectively captured the sensation of small spaces for young people!
March 10, 2011 - 7:50 am
Is this where the naughty kid has to come to do his school work? This is a fun shot!
March 10, 2011 - 8:02 am
Really cool shot Scott – graffiti at the end of the hallway really draws my eye in.
March 10, 2011 - 9:10 am
Great capture! Nailed the processing.
March 10, 2011 - 9:32 am
Very cool, Scott. I remember sitting in chairs just like that one (sometimes I was even forced to sit in the hall all by myself!)
March 10, 2011 - 9:45 am
Love this. It almost feels claustrophobic just looking down the hallway. Top notch urbex.
March 10, 2011 - 10:02 am
Wonderful! Love it!
March 10, 2011 - 10:11 am
Way to compress that space. Love the composition and processing. I think I spent many days in elementary school in time out….you nailed the feel of it!
March 10, 2011 - 10:15 am
Great long lines and contrast. I don’t know where you find these places, but you really know how to capture them.
March 10, 2011 - 11:00 am
Lots of great texture here, and I really like the chair in the middle of the hallway.
March 10, 2011 - 11:07 am
Great shot! Love the graffiti and the chair! As always, spot-on with the processing.
March 10, 2011 - 11:51 am
Both your image and the blog entry today are utterly profound Scott. There is no way I could agree with you more my friend. Great great great photo!!
March 10, 2011 - 12:21 pm
Awesome shot, Scott! I love how you can see right into the other room in that window!
March 10, 2011 - 12:44 pm
Really awesome image! You really pulled the texture out of those walls, love the green!!
March 10, 2011 - 1:03 pm
Great composition Scott..love the colours and textures!
March 10, 2011 - 1:14 pm
I used to be an ISO 100 purist until I saw some major benefits in higher ISO’s when working in darker areas. Like ridiculous ISO’s like 3200. While I don’t like the noise that comes with the speeds I am thankful I can use software to eliminate much of the annoying color noise guaranteed on every image at those speeds. I’m using Imagenomic’s Noiseware at this time but am shopping around for alternatives. The photoshop plug-in does wonders in fixing the noise while not smoothing the details. For still life HDR I still prefer 100, with pre-Photomatix Noiseware workflows I can give Photomatix a pristine version that it can destroy with noise =)
For your school stuff and the prison pics I am thankful you stuck with a low ISO, the details in the worn, saturated colors wouldn’t be the same without the low speed. Well done.
March 14, 2011 - 1:16 pm
Wow you sure did capture everything in the Coat Closet
And love the Color’s 2 Scott
Good Job as Always
March 14, 2011 - 11:53 pm
I really loved shooting at this school, I will be back!
On the ISO note, I think I will plan to shoot at ISO 200 and higher for some urbex experiments.
Thanks everyone!
Dave DiCello - Wow, 20,000 shots to be uploaded? That’s crazy! This is a great capture Scott, I love the POV you’ve chosen to shoot this from, excellent choice of the B&W too!
Jim Denham - Great pic Scott! Love how the sign seems to work with the oddness of the man. Stay safe up there bud!
Edith Levy - This is a great capture Scott. You’re completion is spot on.
Brian Furbush - What a weird dude haha. Great shot Scott.
A.Barlow - Damn man. Is it really like that in Philly? Nice shot BTW. Kinda ironic your description of the guy and his place in the frame.
Curt Fleenor - Great framing Scott! We have a few of these guys around even down here in the hills!
Toad Hollow Photography - Incredible image here, I really love it!
Jon Stolarski - Great capture, love the B&W processing!
Chris DeAngelis - Love the framing here. Very nice street photography! I have a Tamron 17-50 2.8 and love it! Nice focal length and the 2.8 is great!
Bob Lussier - Great catch!