Frankfurt Bike 2

Frankfurt Bike 2, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

I knew that I could do a better job processing this photo given a bit more time. I thought about posting all the things I did differently with this picture from the one I posted a few days ago, but I think I'll not. Consider it one of those "spot the differences" games.

Main River

IMGP0448, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

I almost didn't post this picture to the blog, but I really like the composition. The execution is a little lacking, but I feel pretty good about the shot overall.

This was my first shot of the day, and it was pretty darn dark. Since I didn't have a tripod with me, I was shooting wide open, which means a small depth of field. The majority of the full size picture is the river, and the auto focus picked that as it's focal distance. If I had moved the focus out to infinity, I probably would have had a much better shot.

So I abused Unsharp Mask (I think I heard the pixels screaming) to at least produce a lovely thumbnail.

Paulskirche and the Commerzbank Tower

IMGP0466, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

One of the nice things about the rain, it keeps people off the street. I doubt there are many times of the day that this whole platz is clear like it was this morning.

I have another shot of this that is a little better in focus, but I like how the clouds have cleared around the cross at the top.

I also like the contrast of old and new in this photo. I wish the street to the right (out of frame) had been more attractive because I would have liked to have the Commerzbank building more toward the center of the frame.

Woolworth and Frankfurt

IMGP0475, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

I'll use this picture to get all my gripes, complaints and excuses out. Ok...I doubt this is the last excuse you'll hear for this batch of photos, but at least you won't hear the whole story again and again.

So I spent two days each in London and Frankfurt last week, and the weather was awful the entire time. That's not too far out of the ordinary for late winter in either location, but it still felt like bad luck.

Mostly it felt that way because there would be spectacular glimpses of sunlight in the middle of the day when I was busy with work. Also, work went past sundown about half the time anyway, so it would have been tough finding the time to take pictures even if the weather had been perfect. In fact, I'd probably be even more grumpy if the weather had been good because then it would have been work getting in the way.

The one day I was really able to get out and just think about taking pictures was the morning before my flight home. I got up and dressed at 5:30am so I could get into the city and then back to my hotel before 8:30 when I had to leave for the airport. I figured I'd have about an hour of daylight for shooting before I had to head home. My first step out the door of the hotel I noticed that it was darker than normal. Probably because it was raining steadily. Still I ventured out. This was the last shot of the morning, and you'll notice the other shots are noticeably darker (and blurrier).

This building was right next door to my hotel. I could see it from my room, but only from the side. From the front you can really start to see the International/Bauhaus style...and of course the big Woolworth sign. It tickled me so I stopped traffic two or three times to get this picture (I was in a rather wide median at a cross walk, but German drivers were so cautious they would stop on the off chance that I might suddenly dart into the street).

Frankfurt Bike

Frankfurt Bike, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

A quick little picture for my lovey. For two reasons. One, she likes pink. And two, to show her that I got back to my hotel in plenty of time to make my flight so she won't worry.

Frankfurt skyline

Frankfurt skyline, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

Not a very compelling picture, but the best I could do under the circumstances. It was hazy and overcast almost the entire time I was in Frankfurt. Luckily the cloud layer was high enough this night to get a peak at the skyline over the buildings. The streak is probably a plane and not a shooting star (the clouds were too low and the airport was too near for it to be anything else).

Elizabeth Still and Sparkling

Elizabeth Still and Sparkling, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

I drank this water the entire time I was in Frankfurt and it always reminded me of my wife.