Art Nouveau Parisian Metropolitan Station

Art Deco Paris

You can find more exquisite examples of Art Nouveau in and around Paris that just about anywhere I have been. There are whole areas of museums sure, but even walking around the city you find beautiful organic utility. This metro station is just across the river from Île de la Cité. I suspect it’s been installed or restored because of the prime tourist location, but that doesn’t at all detract from the beauty. I am headed back to Paris next year and cant wait to sit in its cafe’s just taking in the atmosphere.

Photo Technical Info

  • Aperture: ƒ/4
  • Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
  • Taken: 8 October, 2011
  • Focal length: 50mm
  • ISO: 100
  • Shutter speed: 1/250s
  • Title: Art Nouveau Parisian Metropolitan Station

In the Depths of Union Station

Metro Walls

I love the tube, the metro, the subway, the L…public transit is the way I like to get places. With the exception of Hawaii, I generally hate to drive in unknown places. Public transit lets me see people going about their daily lives, how they get places in a way no other transportation can. I am also fascinated by the honeycomb-like walls of the D.C. Metro system. I often wonder if this was an aesthetic choice, of one that provides stability to the tunnels. Anyone know?

Photo Technical Info

Barcelona 1138

Homage

On many lists of the coolest subway stations in the world you will find the Drassanes Metro Station in Barcelona, Spain. It is oddly (to me) the Metro station located closest of the port area of the city and at the end of La Rambla, Barcelona’s massive pedestrian thoroughfare. I say odd because this station seems straight out of a sci-fi movie. Even more so than the shot recently that I took of the Dupont Circle Station in D.C. The station is bathed in a stark, white minimilism that reminded me immediately of THX 1138. What do you see?

The Future is Dupont Circle

Pushing More

On Monday I talked about about limits and pushing myself as well as my photographs. Today is a continuation of that theme. I really liked this composition in the Metro by Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. The problem was it processed very poorly in my normal HDR software. I generally use HDRSoft’s Photomatix 4, but the image didn’t look or feel right. Since I am trying to push myself this week I decided to use a piece of software that I almost never use, Nik’s HDR Efex Pro. Perhaps I should give it a second chance more often because the processing came out GREAT!

Soylent Green is People!

I always think the D.C. Metro looks like something out of an 1970’s Sci-Fi movie staring the incomparable Charlton Heston. Given that visual as a starting point, I decided to push my processing both in terms of colorization as well as very heavy grain.

Warning! Only watch this video of you have seen Soylent Green and know the ending OR never plan on watching this most awesome film!