Written with light – Evocative landscape and artistic photography
Posts tagged hdr
Boston Nightscapes
1June 19, 2007
It’s been over a week since I last posted something… far too long, I apologize. Once my classes are over expect to see a lot more work from me.
Caught Watching
I almost fell into the water when taking this shot. I figured it would be a good idea to get as close to the water as possible, but little did I know that the lowest level of rocks was covered in slippery muck. Rest assured, I escaped unscathed.
Ying Yang
Can you see it?
I Remember
2June 9, 2007
Here is a shot from the Esplanade in Boston – one of the few places you can see the sunset in the city. I felt like writing a little story, so here it is. It’s kind of long, perhaps overly romantic, and definitely a bit sad, but that’s what I see when I look at this photo. Oh, and it’s not a true story. It may be, I have no idea, but I wrote it more from the perspective of the person sitting on the bench – there was something very bittersweet about the whole thing.
I Remember
I remember the forest’s edge where we used to linger on midsummer days as we watched the sun’s light yield slowly to the beckoning night – a beautiful combination of yellow hues, jaded skies, and fiery reflections burning in her eyes and lighting mine in turn. We tried desperately to hold on to what was never meant to stay, whispering slowly as lovers often do in hopes that their love will echo on for eternity – an eternity that only they can hear.
I remember the tree and the bench underneath where we used to sit, just laughing for hours. I would watch her delicate smile form carefully as her hair cascaded around her face, revealing beauty with every movement. And though our laughter would fade with the sun, we could still hear it in each others eyes.
I remember when I lost her, when they took her from me and said that our time at the forest’s edge was at an end. She would look at me with those eyes and say simply, “Remember.” Those were her last words to me, and they will echo on for eternity as I return to the forest’s edge to sit by our bench under the tree… to see her smile once again, hear her laughter fill the air, and watch the sunset in her eyes. And I remember. I remember and I smile back in hopes that I will see her once again.
East Boston – Sunset
1June 1, 2007
I don’t have much time to write these days with my classes starting up, so you’ll have to excuse my brevity in some of these later posts… it won’t last long I promise. I went to East Boston with my roommate 2 days ago to take some photos of the sunset and Boston at night. We were about 30 seconds too late to see the actual sun set, as clouds decided to cover it just as I set up my tripod… damn you Murphy’s law. These two shots are from the sunset – more night shots from this location to follow soon. Enjoy!
Logan Sunset
Contemplation
Rounded Relaxation
0May 29, 2007
This shot was taken on the North End Harborwalk in Boston (where else?). I almost walked right by this area before an open gate caught my eye and led me here. I’m not sure who the property belongs to, but I am sure I photographed it from many angles and liked this one the best. 
Longfellow Reflections
1May 27, 2007
I took this shot a few days ago from the Longfellow bridge in Boston. I wasn’t going to post it because of some posterization in the sky, but it’s been my desktop wallpaper for a while now so I must at least like something about it.
Trainset
0May 15, 2007
I’ve been abnormally quiet for the past few weeks because of camera problems, but my D200 is finally back and I’m ready to get started again, especially with the summer fast approaching. The dust problem is still there, but I don’t care at this point – it’s much better than it was and it still takes great pictures which is all that really matters. This shot was taken on the Longfellow bridge in Boston. The day started off rather cloudy, but gave way to this gorgeous sunset.
Trainset
The wind howls through time
Past my face and into the dusk
Collapsing the light onto itself
In a vortex of blissful surrender.
Breath by breath
I breathe the stillness of the moment
Breath by breath
I breathe the fury of the wind.
The argument is ended sharply
By the pulsating sound of steel
Against steel, reverberating
Into the fading light.
I close my eyes in anticipation
Waiting for the night to come
And take one last breath
Before the day is done.
Beacon Hill
2May 6, 2007
by Kalim Saliba
in Boston
Here are a few more shots from the same day as the Boston Public Garden photos taken on Beacon Hill. I could take photos of this damn hill all day it is so picturesque and I’m certainly not the only one as the streets are crawling with tourists and other photographers like myself this time of year.
The Joys of Boston Parking
This first shot is a tribute to all that is the wonderful experience of parking in Boston. Those who have ever driven through Beacon Hill know that finding a free parking spot is about as likely as lightning striking the same spot… five times. And even if you do find one it has likely been vacated because it will be turning into a tow zone the next day due to some very, very cryptic street cleaning schedules (first and third *insert day of the week here* of every month, second and fourth *insert day of the week here* of every month). I can count on two hands the number of times I’ve found parking on this hill, and I’ve been living here for a year now. Most of the time I just give up and drive to my parent’s house (not even in Boston btw) or I find a meter… or if it’s after 4 PM I can park in my garage (full time parking in the garage would cost me a whopping $450 per month). It seems as though the owner of this sign had a few run-ins with parking-spot-seekers like myself. My guess is that one too many people parked in front of this guy’s driveway. And apparently one parking-spot-seeker thought the sign a tad too elitist and decided to write profanities over said sign (if you must see what it says you can look at the full sized version, but it’s quite offensive so I don’t encourage anyone to do so). I post it here only for comic relief.
Flowery Alcove
This particular street on Beacon Hill is undoubtedly the most gorgeous, as flowery trees like these ones pretty much engulf the buildings. I setup my tripod in the middle of the road to take this shot, but that’s ok because the streets are so narrow that it is impossible for cars to drive any faster than 3 miles per hour and so I would have had time to pack up my tripod, put away my camera, and fly to Paris well before a car would have ever come close to hitting me. Anyway, I digress – The owner of this alcove is a very lucky person. Imagine waking up to the sight and smell of these flowers every morning then walking down this street to go to work…
Flower Sills & Car Grills
Flowers on the right, cars on the left (notice no free spots) and a completely uneven brick sidewalk absolutely rife with the imperfection that makes it so beautiful. If there is a place that looks any more like Europe in the US, I’d be hard pressed to find it. I am convinced that there are some sort of chemicals emanating from the streets of Beacon Hill because it is nearly impossible to walk through them without smiling at every person you see. People are just friendlier on the hill, I love it. Dog owners even pick up their dog’s “dirt” and put it in a plastic bag. You won’t see that in Europe!
For my Boston readers out there, I recently discovered a Boston based blog / fun news site of sorts that has been linking to my site occasionally. Upon perusing the site a bit more it turns out that it contains some very interesting content. I can relate to a lot of the topics being posted and if you live in the Boston area I’m sure you can too. Check it out HERE.
Boston Public Garden
2May 5, 2007
by Kalim Saliba
in Boston
Yesterday was another incredible day in Boston. Spring here just keeps getting nicer. The most interesting part about the Boston Public Garden is the number of different people who are seen walking around. They range from business men, to mothers, to lovers, to musicians, to painters, to photographers. Here are a few shots from this beautiful place.
Spring Trophy
Draped Island
Swan’s Home
Colorful Bunch
Come and Gone
1May 3, 2007
This title doesn’t really have anything to do with the photo, but it does have to do with my circumstances. My D200 finally arrived from the Nikon service shop yesterday after a week of patient waiting. Thinking all my dust problems were gone I went outside to happily start shooting on a gorgeous May afternoon. Upon looking through the viewfinder I became horrified to find that there was STILL dust on the focusing screen, even though Nikon said it had been replaced. I began using my air blower in an attempt to get rid of the dust, but it was not to be – the most prominent pieces would not leave. And so it is with great frustration and only one hour’s use that I send this camera back to Nikon again for service. At least they are paying for shipping this time. Let us truly hope that second time, rather than third, is a charm. I am going to switch over to my D50 for the next week… I can’t go another week without taking any photos.
I did manage to snap one shot before my dust discovery robbed me of my picture taking will. No poem this time, I’m still trying to relieve myself of my pissed-offed-ness. Anyway, there are worse things in life, so no big deal. I sat under this tree for 20 minutes before the wind died down enough to allow me to bracket the shots. It was a great 20 minutes.
Come and Gone
Duxbury Beach – The Destination
2April 26, 2007
by Kalim Saliba
in Beaches
Here are a few more shots from Duxbury… the destination, if you will. The bridge has been crossed!
Competition
Bridge vs. Rusted Gate – Fight! By the looks of things, the bridge is winning, but to be fair, the gate isn’t really trying all that hard.
Party’s Over
This shot is kind of sad, but it is often the saddest things in life that reveal the most beauty. Perhaps this is because only in the face of sadness are we able to appreciate what has been lost. As creatures of habit it is easy for us to take things for granted, but hard for us to understand why we took them for granted once they are gone.
So, should we go through life in search of those bittersweet moments that bring tears of retrospective appreciation to our eyes or should we transcend our own instincts and dare to find beauty in even our most well established "habits?" I leave the answer to you, but I think this party would be much better if it wasn’t over.
The Way
Just beyond this dune lies a rocky beach bathing in low tide. There are children playing and dogs running around, absolutely thrilled at the pure simplicity of fetching a stick from the water. A few brave human souls have even chosen to swim… mostly the children, who aren’t yet afraid of the danger participating in such an activity poses to certain critical extremities. I know better, and as such I am watching the children, dogs, and stick bathe from the safety of my viewfinder.