Ken Kaminesky Travel Photography Blog

L’ombre de Notre Dame Restaurant in Paris, France

September 2, 2010

Kaminesky-Blog-Paris-L'Ombre-de-Notre-Dame

As the name quite clearly states, L’ombre de Notre Dame Restaurant is in the shadow of the great Parisian Cathedral from which it takes it’s name. I’ll be honest, I was quite grumpy when I took this photo since I had just been told that I could not take photos inside the church with my tripod. It was my first night in Paris and I had such high hopes of getting the perfect series of interior photos however in the end that was just not to be. After the Eiffel Tower the next landmark that people think of when they think of Paris is Notre Dame Cathedral so needless to say it was high on my list of places to shoot. Sometimes fate has a way of getting you in the right place at the right time and this was just such an occasion. Earlier as I was on my way to the church I had walked right passed the restaurant not even giving it a second glance. Luckily for me I decided to retrace my steps on the way out and I remember stopping dead in my tracks as I was struck at just how typically French this facade was. It’s almost as if the scene had been constructed for a movie, so perfectly lit up, clean, and everything in the proper place.

I ended up eating quite a few of those delicious crepes in Paris, perfect food for a busy photographer on the move. An added bonus is that you can take a crepe to go and not have to deal with those rude Parisian waiters. Seriously, is it part of the job description for restaurant staff in Paris to act snotty with customers? No city can be perfect I guess and perhaps if I had to deal with tourists all day I would be a bit rude myself. Okay, okay, I’d be seriously rude and probably end up getting fired for eating all the delicious food and drinking all the restaurant’s wine while ignoring my customers ;^)

Since I was still grumpy when I took this photo it was only after I returned home that I really saw how detailed and how much of a caricature of Parisian life it was. Now it is one of my favourites from the trip to France. When I get back to Paris I think I’ll make a point of eating there, when a cafe looks this beautiful the waiter can’t possibly be rude… right?

Posted in Paris | Tags: Architecture, Building, Cafe, Canon 1DS mk3, Crepe, France, HDR, Illuminated, L’ombre de Notre Dame, Night, Notre Dame, Orange, Paris, Photo, Photograph, Red, restaurant

by Ken Kaminesky

1 comment

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September 2, 2010 - 5:03 pm Carlos Garcia - Ken, Excellent image. The processing is exquisite... dreamy...very nice. Thanks for the story too. The camera was allowed, but not the tripod? I sure would like to try one of those crepes.

Field of lilies at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

August 30, 2010

Kaminesky-Blog-Ottawa-Field-of-lilies
One of my favourite places in Ottawa is the 88 acre estate of the Governor General of Canada known as Rideau Hall. It is open to the public and a great place for a relaxing walk. As you follow the meandering paths you’ll come across everything from an old farm, to wooded areas to ornamental gardens. There are over 10 000 trees hat grow on the grounds of Rideau Hall including the very Canadian Maple trees that are tapped every year for their delicious maple syrup.

There are summer concerts, residence, art and grounds tours as well as a skating rink in the winter. Across the street you’ll find the Prime Minister’s residence but that is not open to the public. Every dignitary that visits the grounds of Rideau Hall is asked to plant a tree and you can see plaques at the base of these trees that list the names of those people who planted them. Some of the people who have planted trees there include John F. Kennedy (who apparently hurt his back digging the dirt), Nelson’s Mandela, and Emperor Akihito. I’m still waiting for my invitation to plant one, it must have got lost in the mail.

It was approaching sunset as I came upon the field of lilies in the photo and I was struck at just how much green there was everywhere. It’s fun when you can get a monochromatic photo without having to do anything other than point the camera. I’d like to try and get back to take another shot when the flowers are in bloom, not only would it look good but I can just imagine how nice it would smell. There are park benches right next to this sea of green, a perfect place to bring a book and relax.

Posted in Ottawa | Tags: Canada, Canon 1DS mk3, Estate, Garden, Green, HDR, lilies, Ontario, Ottawa, Photo, Photograph, Rideau Hall, Travel, Trees

by Ken Kaminesky

4 comments

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August 30, 2010 - 1:22 pm Tim McGuire - Ken, How do you deal with moving leaves on trees when shooting HDR multiple frames? Tim McGuire

August 30, 2010 - 8:41 pm Ken Kaminesky - Hi Tim, It's a combination of praying to the wind gods, photoshop layer masks, and a lot of patience. I rarely do it but it is possible to make an hdr image from one frame and that could be a solution as well.

August 31, 2010 - 12:34 am art lover - Interesting how in a monochromatic picture the lines, shapes, shading of colors, shadows, etc. can set the mood and kindle emotions and thoughts. You have produced a winner here.

August 31, 2010 - 7:43 am Carlos Garcia - Beautiful composition. It's like what all the parks would look like in Emerald City :)

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II at night in Milan, Italy

August 26, 2010

Kaminesky-Blog-Milan-Galleria-Vittorio-Emanuele-II
Milan is known world wide as the fashion capital of the universe and if you want to have fun people watching some of the best dressed men and women anywhere, then you’ll enjoy a visit to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The Galleria is just steps away from the famous Milan cathedral on the north end of the Piazza del Duomo. It is home to some of the trendiest shops such as Prada and Louis Vuitton, as well as some fine restaurants and quite sadly a McDonalds. The Galleria is basically just 2 streets that cross at a right angle in the middle covered by a roof made of cast iron and glass. The center is shaped like an octagon and covered by a beautiful glass dome. As is the case with many stunning original Italian designed things the Galleria has been the model for similar type malls all over the world. It was designed in 1861 and construction was completed in 1877.

It’s amazing that one small part of the world has been so influential throughout the history of mankind. From the Roman Empire to the Renaissance to modern times, Italy is always on the forefront of culture, art, design, fashion, food, and most anything else that involves some form of passion for celebrating life. Now If I could just afford some of that art, design, and fashion the trip to the galleria would have been even more fun. On one hand I’ve never really understood the allure of luggage that costs more than anything I could put into it, however if someone wanted to give me their old Ferrari, Lamborghini, or Maserati I don’t think I’d say no.

Content with window shopping and people watching during the day I was curious to see what the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II was like at night. It was Christmas time and the whole place was decorated with tasteful lights, some of which can be seen just above the windows in the photo. There was a steady stream of shoppers coming and going and the whole place had a happy feeling to it. As I was taking this shot I remember that there were 2 friends who I assume had not seen each other in a while since as they crossed paths they embraced each other warmly and began talking in typical Italian style a mile a minute waving their hands around. Unfortunately for me I do not speak Italian so everything they were so excitedly telling each other sounded like they were singing. Italian is such a musical language and if there is a happier sounding language in the world I’d like to hear it. I always get a smile on my face when I hear people speak in Italian, not because I know what they are saying but because whatever they are saying is said with such passion. For all I know they could be saying that they just bought a bag of potatoes but to me it sounds like a song.

Posted in Milan | Tags: Architecture, Building, Canon 1DS mk3, Christmas, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, HDR, Italy, Lombardi, Milan, Night, Officer, Photo, Photograph, Travel

by Ken Kaminesky

6 comments

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August 26, 2010 - 4:31 pm Jeff Titelius - Another shining example of your innate ability to capture and record magical visions of the world. Truly, you have one gifted eye!! This photo is spectacular!

August 27, 2010 - 9:55 am Carlos Garcia - Ken, Thanks so much for your artistry and mini history lessons! This, of course, is a fantastic image. Excellent perspective and geometry! How do you manage all this travel??? Thanks for "taking me along" your world excursions.

August 27, 2010 - 9:57 am Carlos Garcia - BTW, my dad could speak fluent Italian and Spanish (we are Puerto Rican). He worked with a bunch of Italian workers in a factory in New York. I just loved when he spoke Italian, and I love singing in Italian!

August 29, 2010 - 11:40 am Ken Kaminesky - @Jeff, The Galleria is a real treasure and I was lucky to be able to capture this shot. Just below the bottom crop of this image there were hundreds of people. I could never have captured the shot of an empty Galleria otherwise. @Carlos, My pleasure to share these photos with everyone. I really travel less than I'd like. The trick is to take a lot of photos and work very long days while on the road.

August 31, 2010 - 12:28 pm Keith Jenkins - Wow, that's an absolutely gorgeous photo! The details in the arches and columns are amazing. I'll be in Milan for my birthday next month and will definitely look for this Galleria! Stunning blog by the way. I'll add you to the blogrolls of my 2 blogs. Best regards, Keith (@velvetescape)

September 2, 2010 - 9:54 am Ken Kaminesky - Thanks Keith! And Happy Birthday, you will love Milan :^)

Tugboat at Port Vell in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

August 23, 2010

After a long day of walking around the beautiful city of Barcelona I found myself at Port Vell. This part of the city is a fun place to gather as there is a marina for yachts, seaside pedestrian walkways, an entertainment centre known as the Maremàgnum, a wooden pedestrian bridge and the Barcelona aquarium (Europe’s largest). Before the 1992 Olympics this part of the city was quite run down and had everything from garbage dumps to empty warehouses. This is one of the benefits cities receive when they host the Olympics, the urban renewal of districts in need of restoration and overhauls. After all the whole world will be watching and you want to make sure that your city looks world class. Within walking distance (depending on how much walking you like to do) are the Columbus Monument, La Rambla, the Arc de Triomf and National Palace. I’ll have some photos of each of those places to show you in future blog posts.

When I arrived at Port Vell the sun was just beginning to set and I wanted to take advantage of the magical light knowing that I didn’t have too long till it was gone. Not knowing the area I just basically meandered around till i found something interesting to photograph. I’m surprised that i don’t get into trouble doing this since at times I find myself in places where there are no people and I’m not really sure if I’m allowed to be there. While I can read the signs in English and French speaking countries I have no idea what “no trespassing” is in any other language or “minefield” for that matter. Come to think of it, that would be a good thing to look up before my next trip. While I’m pretty sure I was allowed to be where I took this shot, it was one of those places where no one was around. As I look at the photo now it takes me back to a peaceful moment in a beautiful city by the sea. The next time I visit Barcelona I will make sure to take the time to enjoy Port Vell a bit more than I was able to on this trip, hopefully that trip will be sometime soon.

Posted in Barcelona | Tags: Barcelona, Canon 1DS mk3, Catalonia, HDR, Photo, Photograph, Port Vell, Spain, Travel, Tugboat, Water

by Ken Kaminesky

2 comments

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August 24, 2010 - 12:52 pm Beth - Wow, Ken, awesome shot! At least you won't have to worry about signage in NYC, or minefields! Have fun...can't wait to see the images you capture! xoxo Beth

August 30, 2010 - 9:18 pm Ken Kaminesky - Thanks Beth, I can't wait to get there... I ♡ NY!

The abandoned Babcock & Wilcox boiler factory in Montreal

August 19, 2010

As promised in my last blog entry here is the second photo of the graffiti covered abandoned Babcock & Wilcox boiler factory in Montreal. It’s hard to believe that places like this even exist so close to downtown. Not long from now I’m sure that it will just be a fleeting memory and some new building will take the old factory’s place in the circle of urban life. So I am happy that I was able to get these photos while I could. I think every city has a few of these places and in some cases a lot of them such as Detroit’s abandoned houses. However in this case it’s the graffiti that makes the place kind of special. Perhaps less traumatic than the abandoned houses as well since those empty homes tend to represent more of what is wrong in the world and especially in the big cities of North America.

While the last photo gave a good idea of the overall area as well as the factory, this one allows more of a glimpse of the graffiti. From this vantage point we are looking at the very back of the building and I’m standing right under the Ville Marie Expressway that leads into downtown Montreal. Ironically just on the other side of the expressway lies the City of Westmount which is a rather posh area with some of the most beautiful and expensive homes in Canada.

When it comes to art, everyone is a critic and in this case it seems that one of the people who tagged the factory was his own harshest critic. Just take a look at the left side of the photo in the middle. The old boiler factory would make a great backdrop for a sci fi movie with a post apocalyptic theme. It looks great from a lot of different angles at sits in a place that gets little traffic. Let’s just hope it’s not used to film the sequel to Battlefield Earth which was also filmed in Montreal, it’s on most lists of worst movies of all time and rightfully so!

Posted in Montreal | Tags: abandoned, Architecture, Babcock and Wilcox boiler factory, Building, Canada, Canon 1DS mk3, Desolate, Graffiti, HDR, Montreal, Photo, Photograph, Pillars, Quebec, Travel, Vacant

by Ken Kaminesky

4 comments

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August 19, 2010 - 12:03 pm Carlos Garcia - Awesome Ken! It looks like a deleted scene from Wall-E :) I would love to explore the inside of this place someday. Detroit may be the first American city to fold... very sad. I think it's amazing that the graffiti is so cohesive... color, style, etc. Great capture.

August 19, 2010 - 12:31 pm Markus Boesch - Wow Ken... This is an amazing a very cool photo! Looks like a photograph's dream location, it is sad some day it will be replaced.. as you so beautifully put it, "the circle of urban life". Thanks so much for capturing this and sharing the photo and your amazing talent with us. I really love this photograph!!! Big love, Da Bald 1

August 20, 2010 - 1:10 pm Laura Burkle - This is an amazing photo, Ken! Being from Detroit, I am familiar with our own examples of beautiful graffiti art. While we seem to be known for our abandonded houses/buildings and crime, this magnificient city is slowly making a comeback. Like a phoenix, Detroit will rise from the ashes! :)

August 23, 2010 - 10:51 am Ken Kaminesky - @Carlos, Thank you again for the nice comment! Wall-E! This would have been a perfect location, you're right :^) @Markus, Thanks bro, I hope I can find more of these kinds of places to shoot. Do you know of any in Los Angeles? @Laura, Detroit gets a bad rap in the press so it's nice to hear some positivity from someone who lives there. Thanks for visiting and for the nice comment.

Graffiti filled abandoned building in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

August 16, 2010

Like a lot of photographers I used to live in my studio for many years. Two years ago I re evaluated what I was doing with my photography and it became clear to me that I really did not need a studio any longer. So much of my work was being shot on location either in Montreal or in Mexico that it made no sense to hold on to a studio that I never used any more. While I still miss the wide open space, I don’t miss the loud bands playing in the recording studio or bar in the building, the sounds from the dance studio directly below me, the howling dogs from my next door neighbor and especially the leaky roof. So I moved close to downtown in an area called Saint Henri and set up a home office in what used to be an old tobacco factory. The whole neighborhood has undergone urban gentrification in the last five years on a rapid scale. What used to be a rather scary place is now coveted real estate and lots of older buildings have been torn down or converted into condos and residential lofts. It’s nice to see growth like this in parts of the city that not too long ago were decaying.

Speaking of decaying, the graffiti covered building in this photo is the old abandoned Babcock and Wilcox boiler factory and it’s literally a 3 minute walk from my front door. It is hidden away under the highway that leads into downtown Montreal. It is nestled at the end of a dead end street so it’s rare that anyone would get a close look. The day I shot this photo I was on a photo walk and decided to explore what was under the highway. It didn’t take long to come across this photographic treasure and even though I was in a bad mood that day I still managed to smile and I’m pretty sure I said WOW out loud. Not only was it an abandoned building a few hundred meters from my home but it was a great place to photograph because of all the concrete, glass, metal, brick, and graffiti. Now I’m the first person to say that anyone who does graffiti on public or private buildings should be punished but I think that it looks great on abandoned buildings. Good graffiti is art that I appreciate but I get upset whenever I see spray painted tags on nice buildings. While I didn’t go inside since I saw some people in the building I did see that the whole of the inside was also covered in graffiti. It was like a modern art gallery where anyone could show their art. I think it would be quite cool if there was a way for the city to allow graffiti artists to use abandoned buildings like this as their canvas, perhaps it would let them express themselves without having to resort to vandalizing nice buildings.

I’ll have a follow up photo of the old abandoned Babcock and Wilcox boiler factory on Thursday’s blog post.

Posted in Montreal | Tags: abandoned, Architecture, Babcock and Wilcox boiler factory, Building, Canada, Canon 1DS mk3, Desolate, Graffiti, HDR, Montreal, Photo, Photograph, Pillars, Quebec, Travel, Vacant

by Ken Kaminesky

2 comments

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August 16, 2010 - 4:33 pm Carlos Garcia - I love these kinds of locations. There are some websites that explore abandoned asylums (eerie, but mysteriously beautiful) and others that explore abandoned factories, steel mills, etc.,... all awesome. This is a fantastic shot! Would love to see the interior. How was the city so nice they named it twice: New York, NY?

August 17, 2010 - 5:18 pm Ken Kaminesky - One of these days I'll get the guts to go in there and take some shots. It would be fun to do a series of abandoned buildings here at home. I've seen great ones from Japan and Detroit and even a series of old mental hospitals. Creepy stuff but lovely images. I'm in New York at the end of September, still planning the trip, can't wait!

The corner of Via del Sole and Via delle Belle Donne in Florence, Italy

August 12, 2010

I’ll be the first to admit that I have a lousy sense of direction. Sometimes I think I need a GPS just to find my kitchen but that appears to change when I travel. It seems that somehow I can find my way around easier when I’m in an unfamiliar place than when I’m at home. While on my walk the day before I came upon the corner of Via del Sole and Via delle Belle Donne in Florence and that fresco or painting behind the protective glass really struck me. I have no idea what the history of the painting is and would love to find out more. If you know or know of anyone who might then please pass on this blog post. If I get more info I’ll do a follow up. There is a close up of the painting below. Since it’s a busy corner that is filled with people walking about or driving their scooters I thought I’d have better luck taking a photo there at night. It’s much easier to get no people or traffic at night for two reasons. For one there are just less people and secondly on a very long exposure even if there are people walking through a scene I’m photographing they will disappear so long as they keep moving.

The next day was my last in Florence and I wanted to make the best of it, so I got up really early and hit all the places that I had on my list and walked for what seemed like a hundred miles. I had almost forgotten about this corner that I wanted to photograph until I thought that I was done for the day. I was ready to head back to a warm hotel room, have dinner and a nice glass of local Tuscan wine or two (ok, ok… three!) and hit the sack. Then it dawned on me that I had not yet returned to take this shot and on top of it I had not even noted the location on a map nor the names of the converging streets. I was tired, cold, hungry and needless to say a bit upset at myself at this moment. So I thought that I’d give myself 10 minutes to figure out where the corner was and if I couldn’t then I’d head back to the hotel. Somehow as if I was lead by a guiding hand I found myself standing right on the spot that I took this photo about 4 minutes later. No map, no asking for directions and no GPS. I guess that sometimes you just have to ask the universe for some guidance or help and it will come. Ok universe since you seem to be listening let’s see what you can do with my lottery numbers 2-18-25-33-37-40.

:^)

Addendum
After posting this blog on Thursday, Mark E Tisdale took up the challenge to figure out the origins of the mysterious Florentine fresco and he did it! He left a message on my Facebook photography page and I’m happy to share the information with you all here. This is Mark’s translation from the Italian Wikipedia page:

The Tabernacle of Pope St. Sixtus is located on the corner of Via del Sole and Via della Spada in Florence, where he also converges Via delle Belle Donne.
This is one of the largest shrines in the city, with a fourteenth-century fresco of Saint Pope Sixtus between St. John the Baptist and St. Catherine of Alexandria, enclosed in a small shrine with a pitched roof and two stone corbels at the base. The fresco, now sadly deteriorated at the bottom, is attributed to Niccolo di Tommaso. On one side dell’esicola is also a small compartment with lid used to store and offer the oil for the lamps. Way of the Sun takes its name from the sun emblem included in the district of Santa Maria Novella, in fact leads to the square of the basilica.

About Mark: After a decade in a cube, Mark finally thought outside the box. Inspired by a love of travel and a growing passion for photography, he’s trying to seize the moment and see more the world has to offer. http://www.marktisdalephotography.com/

Thanks for your super sleuthing skills Mark, continued happy and safe travels to you.

Posted in Florence | Tags: Architecture, Art, Building, Canon 1DS mk3, Christmas, Cobblestone, Corner, Florence, Fresco, HDR, Italy, Niccolo di Tommaso, Night, Painting, Photo, Photograph, Pope St. Sixtus, Street, Tabernacle, Travel, Tuscany, Via del Sole, Via delle Belle Donne

by Ken Kaminesky

3 comments

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August 12, 2010 - 10:56 pm Carlos Garcia - Ken, another dreamy and inviting image! You can see Jesus on the Cross in the upper part of the image, but the dude with the two ladies is a mystery. Great shot!

August 14, 2010 - 8:43 am Lauren Lionheart - Oh Ken, that shot is stunning! Such light and depth. The corner feels so personal... And congrats on following that inner voice and letting the universe guide you back to the spot ;) Peace, Lauren

August 15, 2010 - 10:28 am Ken Kaminesky - Thank you Carlos and Lauren. Happy to now have the mystery solved. Sometimes the universe is just 3 blocks away :^)

Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria di Montesanto in Rome, Italy

August 9, 2010

In the Piazza del Popolo or “People’s square” in Rome lie the so called twin churches of Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria di Montesanto. The churches were built from 1662 to 1681. I couldn’t seem to get a ton of interesting information about these two churches or perhaps I’m just lazy this morning and need more coffee to inspire me to search for more details. Then again it could just be the fact that I think I photographed about a thousand churches in Rome and feel the need to talk about something else.

I was staying at a hotel on the street that runs between the churches called Via del Corso right next to the Italian parliament buildings and on my last morning in Rome decided to go for a long walk along that road. I was lucky to be so well situated with my hotel since I was able to walk to about 80% of the places I wanted to photograph in Rome. Everything seemed to be within ten kilometers of the hotel and that’s just about as perfect as I can ask for. It was a bit dreary that morning as I left the hotel, perhaps fitting for a last day in such a special place that had given me so much opportunity to witness some of the most stunning art and architecture I have ever seen. I had no plan that morning other than to try and get a shot of a tunnel that grabbed my attention on my first night in the city. Since I had no firm idea where I should head I decided to just walk as far as I could on Via del Corso until I found something of interest. Twenty minutes or so later I came upon the Piazza del Popolo and the churches grabbed my attention. It was very cold that December morning at 5 am, my fingers were a bit numb especially as I set up my tripod to take this photo. Since I saw a police van with Carabinieri in it and since I had already had a run in or two with the police in Rome about using my tripod I decided to set up next to the central fountain in the square. This put me in a position to shoot this image directly between the churches, next to the fountain that was splashing on my camera but conveniently out of sight of the police van. For the sake of my fingers and my camera I set up and shot quickly. Even if they had seen me I think the cops were smart enough to stay in their warm vehicle. After that shot it was off to photograph the Umberto I tunnel and back to the hotel where they had all you can drink cappuccinos before 11 am.

Posted in Rome | Tags: Architecture, Building, Canon 1DS mk3, Catholic, Church, Flare, HDR, Italy, Photo, Photograph, Piazza del Popolo, Religion, Rome, Santa Maria dei Miracoli, Santa Maria di Montesanto, Travel

by Ken Kaminesky

3 comments

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August 9, 2010 - 10:28 pm Lisa Cirincione - So so beautiful... I want to get on a plane for Roma now! with all my camera gear!

August 10, 2010 - 8:33 am Jeff Titelius - Ken, This is a stunning shot of the twin churches. Piazza del Popolo was my very first stop when I first visited Rome 5 years ago. We began our Angels and Demons Tour near the very spot you stood to capture this spectacular shot. What a coincidence! Keep up the great work!

August 11, 2010 - 10:50 am Ken Kaminesky - Thanks Lisa and Jeff! I wonder if one can ever finish exploring Rome? So much to see, so much history, and so much art. Now I want to get on a plane for Roma!

La Roue de Paris in Paris, France

August 5, 2010

The Roue de Paris is a 60 meter tall Ferris Wheel that is located at Place de la Concorde at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées in Paris’ eighth arrondissement. It was originally constructed for the year 2000 millennium celebration and since that time has traveled all over the world to such places as Birmingham, Amsterdam and Bangkok. According to La Roue de Paris’ official website the wheel weighs 365 tonnes, has 42 gondolas, and sports 50,000 light bulbs. It takes 72 hours to set up the wheel and 60 hours to dismantle it. At first it seemed out of place to me in such a historic part of Paris, but it grew on me and it must be a nice way to get a view of Paris from above. There was a long lineup of people including lots of excited children with big smiles on their faces eager to ride the big wheel. There is even a V.I.P. gondola that is equipped with leather seats, a television (yes a television, sad but true) and a refrigerator with a bottle of champagne in it.

As I was setting up my tripod to take this shot I noticed this boy walking towards me and for some reason I was on guard. I’m always vigilant of my equipment that I carry with me and even go to the extent of tethering my camera bag to my belt with a security wire that has a lock on it. I also lock all the zippers of my bag with small padlocks in the hope that it will deter any would be thieves. As I was getting ready to take my shot the boy bent down next to where I was and picked something up. He came over to me to show me a “gold” ring and was offering it to me saying that I dropped it. He put it in my hand and it was heavy, perhaps too heavy and no matter what, it wasn’t mine. So I insisted that he take it back since it wasn’t mine and that I sensed that there was some kind of scam he was trying to pull on me. He was dressed in tattered clothes and I did feel sorry for him but as I learned later on that is part of the scam.

Here is how this scam works. You’re walking down the street when a person (usually a kid) who most likely looks poor bends down as you walk by and pretends to pick up a gold ring off the ground. They will stop you and ask you if it is yours and when you say no they will offer it to you anyway as a gift of good will, because their religion doesn’t allow them to wear gold or some other reason. They will place the ring in your hand, it feels heavy like gold should and they will ask you if you think it’s real gold. Looking at the ring you will see the karat mark and hey, it could be real, right? The next step is that they will insist that you keep the ring but will ask for some money in exchange for that ring so that they can get a meal. After all the ring must be worth much more than whatever you’ll give them in cash… Wrong! The ring is a fake of course but it all happens so fast and you feel sorry for the poor kid and want to be a good Samaritan. I’m sure they get a few suckers every day. It’s not the worst scam out there and the mark gets taken for very little as a rule. If it’s too good to be true, it usually is. Roughly two hours later I was crossing the Seine on the Pont Alexandre III when a young girl bent down in front of me and found a gold ring…

Posted in Paris | Tags: Canon 1DS mk3, Champs-Élysées, Clouds, Ferris Wheel, France, Gold Ring, Gold Ring Scam, HDR, La Roue de Paris, Paris, Photo, Photograph, Place de la Concorde, Scam, Travel

by Ken Kaminesky

5 comments

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August 5, 2010 - 1:15 pm Kim - Really beautiful image. I agree, it did seem a bit out of place in Paris, but I could see it blending in eventually. No one liked the Eiffel tower at first either, right?

August 5, 2010 - 1:29 pm Carlos Garcia - Very cool picture. There is a huge Ferris Wheel on Navy Pier here in Chicago. In Kenya the mothers will carry their hungry children on their backs and ask for money. They are pretty straightforward in Kenya. Where's my ring?

August 5, 2010 - 2:19 pm Jamiella - 1) Wowzers! Well, I'm glad that the prodigiously vigilant travel photographer escaped the clutches of the poor, thieving child:) 2) Another AMAZING shot. I'm slightly terrified of Ferris-wheels, but that fact doesn't take away from the beauty of your photo:) Nice work! 3) You have a new admirer! My best friend came for a short holiday, and we spent almost two hours looking at ALL of your photos and blog posts:) Keep up and spectacular work!!

August 5, 2010 - 7:18 pm Hank - Excellent shot ! I love the mood you captured with the clouds. Really sets the feel for the photo. Great story as well, I lol'd at the last line.

August 8, 2010 - 11:06 am Ken Kaminesky - @Kim -From what I have read they hated the Eiffel tower when it was installed and had plans to take it down soon after the expo! Thank goodness they didn't. @Carlos -Go to Paris, you'll get all the rings you want ;^) @Jamiella -I'm not good with heights either but I love Ferris Wheels, so long as it's enclosed. Thanks for the nice comment! @Hank -It actually happened like that and the girl could have been this guy's sister. The resemblance was eerie.

New York City… Where, what and when?

August 4, 2010

Image courtesy of Nasa

I ♥ NY

I’m planning a trip to New York City this autumn and will be looking to take some interesting photos of some cool places. While I’ve been to New York a number of times it’s usually been for business meetings or pleasure. This time my main point is to try and capture the spirit and essence of New York with my camera and I need your help.

I’m looking for suggestions of places to photograph and interesting vantage points from where I can get some skyline shots and interesting photos from windows or rooftops. While I hope to get some of the typical shots one would get in NYC I am also eager to hear some suggestions on some eclectic places that aren’t as obvious as the Empire State building or Statue of Liberty.

If you have some suggestions of places, interior or exterior I’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts. If you know of anyone who owns or works at a place that has a very interestingly designed interior I would love to get the contact name and email if you think they would enjoy having their place photographed. I’m looking to photograph as many different locations as I can at any time of day or night. If you have contacts at places like Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden, a Broadway theater, funky restaurant, hotel or bar, or any other cool place that would require permission to photograph I’d appreciate an introduction via email.

Just click on the first two buttons below to share my request on Facebook and Twitter please. Even if you don’t know of any cool spots or cant help with people you directly know but still pass on this blog page, I bet that the information gets passed on eventually to the right people who can help me. the whole six degrees of separation thing really does work.

All information is much appreciated and I hope that this will help other people looking for some photographic ideas, locations and vantage points when visiting the Big Apple.

Please use the contact form here on the blog for private messages or if you’d like to share the information with everyone leave a comment here below.

Thanks in advance!

Since the comment area doesn’t support hard returns, I’ll be posting all the suggestions that are posted there properly formatted in the main body of the blog here as they come in. Hopefully it will make it easier for everyone who wants to benefit from the great tips and suggestions.

Keep the comments, tips and suggestions coming!

April McMillan a Photographer in NYC writes:

Hey! Well, from a native NY’er, welcome back to NYC!

If you are looking for some great skyline vantage points, visit:

+ The Brooklyn Promenade in Brooklyn Heights.
This gives you an amazing view of Manhattan’s financial district AND the Brooklyn Bridge is right beside it as well.
SUBWAY: Take the 4 train to Borough Hall, walk towards the water.
OR take the R train to Court Street and walk towards the water.

+ Under the Brooklyn Bridge.
If you keep walking NORTH along Brooklyn’s Promenade, you’ll be walking towards the BB. Keep on walking and you’ll come across the park underneath the bridge. This gives you a great vantage point for a good half of Manhattan.

+ DUMBO – Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass.
This vantage point gives you an AMAZING view of the Brooklyn Bridge in the near distance. A sweet telephoto lens will allow you to magnify that sucker to a serious scale.

+ Roof of Metropolitan Museum of Arts in Manhattan.
This roof is always open to the public as they frequently have on going exhibitions up here. Trust me, this view of the ENTIRE Central Park and the buildings in the background is absolutely STUNNING! Trust me, it best to arrive here in the early hours.

+ Park at 116th street right off of the 1 train.
When you leave the 1 train walk through Columbia University to the neighboring avenue. Keep on walking until you reach the park. There is a HUGE staircase and balcony leading to the streets below. Such an amazing view of forest and urban area.

Ok, ok, I dont wanna spam you…
Good luck!

If you have any questions, ASK ME! =D

My friend Todd who is a great photographer based in NYC writes:

Ceiling @ Grand Central, Cobblesones of Soho, Chinatown (couple of cool alleyways) I like the park in CHinatown with all the old guys playing mahjong, , Top of 30 Rock, top of Chrysler Bldng, All 3 bridges, View of downtown from the incoming Staten Island Ferry, Coney Island, Industrial wasteland in Redhook and Bushwick, Cool shot of a big ass graveyard from the BQE looking W/ Manhattan in the background in Greenpoint, Long exposures of the BQE and FDR from the overpasses, Highline park, Central park of course (promenade, fountain, castle, etc.), etc, etc.

I like to photograph garbage and holes in the ground from abandoned construction projects. :)

Jeff Titelius who is a travel writer writes:

Take a helicopter ride around for the most amazing vantage points. I did this for my senior year project – amazing!

Also, seek out the Woolworth Building, lower Manhattan, for spectacular Gothic architecture. Also while in that area, Trinity Church as well.

Park Avenue (north to south from 59th Street) is amazing with Helmsley Building, the Waldorf Astoria and of course, the Plaza Hotel! Trump Tower, same neighborhood, interior is striking with metallic reflections!

Head up to 89th Street for the Guggenheim – curving architecture. You’ll also finds lots in Central Park…wander around to uncover stone bridges, ponds, lakes, and more.

Good luck and have fun!!

Posted in New York City | Tags: America, Help, Ideas, Locations, New York, New York City, NYC, Photographing, Photography, Skyline, Travel, USA, vantage point

by Ken Kaminesky

4 comments

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August 4, 2010 - 3:42 pm April McMillan - Hey! Well, from a native NY'er, welcome back to NYC! If you are looking for some great skyline vantage points, visit: + The Brooklyn Promenade in Brooklyn Heights. This gives you an amazing view of Manhattan's financial district AND the Brooklyn Bridge is right beside it as well. SUBWAY: Take the 4 train to Borough Hall, walk towards the water. OR take the R train to Court Street and walk towards the water. + Under the Brooklyn Bridge. If you keep walking NORTH along Brooklyn's Promenade, you'll be walking towards the BB. Keep on walking and you'll come across the park underneath the bridge. This gives you a great vantage point for a good half of Manhattan. + DUMBO - Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. This vantage point gives you an AMAZING view of the Brooklyn Bridge in the near distance. A sweet telephoto lens will allow you to magnify that sucker to a serious scale. + Roof of Metropolitan Museum of Arts in Manhattan. This roof is always open to the public as they frequently have on going exhibitions up here. Trust me, this view of the ENTIRE Central Park and the buildings in the background is absolutely STUNNING! Trust me, it best to arrive here in the early hours. + Park at 116th street right off of the 1 train. When you leave the 1 train walk through Columbia University to the neighboring avenue. Keep on walking until you reach the park. There is a HUGE staircase and balcony leading to the streets below. Such an amazing view of forest and urban area. Ok, ok, I dont wanna spam you... Good luck! If you have any questions, ASK ME! =D

August 4, 2010 - 4:39 pm todd - Ceiling @ Grand Central, Cobblesones of Soho, Chinatown (couple of cool alleyways) I like the park in CHinatown with all the old guys playing mahjong, , Top of 30 Rock, top of Chrysler Bldng, All 3 bridges, View of downtown from the incoming Staten Island Ferry, Coney Island, Industrial wasteland in Redhook and Bushwick, Cool shot of a big ass graveyard from the BQE looking W/ Manhattan in the background in Greenpoint, Long exposures of the BQE and FDR from the overpasses, Highline park, Central park of course (promenade, fountain, castle, etc.), etc, etc. I like to photograph garbage and holes in the ground from abandoned construction projects. :)

August 5, 2010 - 1:45 pm Jeff Titelius - Take a helicopter ride around for the most amazing vantage points. I did this for my senior year project - amazing! Also, seek out the Woolworth Building, lower Manhattan, for spectacular Gothic architecture. Also while in that area, Trinity Church as well. Park Avenue (north to south from 59th Street) is amazing with Helmsley Building, the Waldorf Astoria and of course, the Plaza Hotel! Trump Tower, same neighborhood, interior is striking with metallic reflections! Head up to 89th Street for the Guggenheim - curving architecture. You'll also finds lots in Central Park...wander around to uncover stone bridges, ponds, lakes, and more. Good luck and have fun!!

August 5, 2010 - 5:23 pm Ken Kaminesky - April, Todd and Jeff, thanks so much! There are no hard returns on this comment area unfortunately so I'll copy and paste all these great suggestions and tips properly formatted in to the body of the blog post.

The Alberta Pacific grain elevator in Dorothy, Alberta, Canada

August 2, 2010

The old abandoned Alberta Pacific Grain company’s grain elevator sits just outside of the hamlet of Dorothy in Alberta. The “wood cribbed” design of these kinds of grain elevators can be seen in many places across western Canada. Most of these structures were built in the early part of the 20th century and have long been replaced by metal and concrete elevators. Since the land in most parts of the prairies is very flat you can usually see them from miles away however I just came upon this grain elevator as I rounded a corner in the Badlands which is not so flat. The badlands are full of alien planet like rock formations and make for some very interesting driving, hiking, and exploring. You can see just a tiny example of the layered rock formations in this photo but I’ll share some more interesting Badlands photos in future blog posts.

What makes the grain elevator really stand out in this photo is the warm sunset light that is hitting it. It makes the red paint really pop out against the blue sky and green grass. Sometimes just by luck I come upon a place just at the right time when the light is about as good as it could be. This was such a case. I was on my way to photograph the Atlas Coal Mine historic site not too far away and wanted to get there in time for the sunset so I had just a few minutes to get this shot, jump back in my car and make sure I got to my planned destination on time. Often times I find that it’s not necessarily the planned destinations that give me the best photos of the day but rather the unexpected treasure that I stumble upon getting to where I am heading. Much the same can be said about life in general I suppose.

“The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.” ~ Don Williams, Jr.

Posted in Alberta | Tags: Alberta, Alberta Pacific, Architecture, Badlands, Building, Canada, Canon 1DS mk3, Clouds, Dorothy, Farm, grain elevator, HDR, Photo, Photograph, Sunset, Travel, wood cribbed

by Ken Kaminesky

4 comments

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August 3, 2010 - 12:51 am Luis - Damn fine image carrying so much of the spirit and glory of this place.

August 4, 2010 - 10:27 am Carlos Garcia - Ken, Fantastic image. It almost looks like the grain elevator doesn't belong in the scene... like some wacky form of the obelisk from 2001 A Space Odyssey. C.

August 4, 2010 - 1:47 pm Ken Kaminesky - Thank you Luis and Carlos. I must have just missed the dancing apes Luis, now I have that 2001 theme song in my head. :^)

August 7, 2010 - 7:43 am RealVisionPhotos - I like the picture really. nice work greetings Ben

Ramparts of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

July 29, 2010

Old Quebec City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and is now in the company of such wonderful and diverse places as the Taj Mahal, Teotihuacan and Grand Canyon National Park. If you’re looking for amazing places to visit then look no further than the list of World Heritage sites. Personally I think that the United Nations should hire me to go and photograph each and every one of these incredible locations, so I’ll just sit here by the phone and wait for them to call. The photo above is of Porte Saint Louis or the gate of Saint Louis. Originally built in 1694 it was torn down in 1791 and completely rebuilt due to its poor condition. The fortified walls in the photo are an example of the ramparts that surround the city and Quebec City is the only place in North America above Mexico that still has fortified city walls. Quebec City. In the 19th century there were calls to tear down the walls because they were seen to be preventing urban development. But in the end they were preserved by Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava (now THAT is a name!) who was the third Governor General of Canada. Thanks Fred, the ramparts now continue to add charm to the city and a sense of Quebec’s historical importance in the New World.

Walking around in Old Quebec feels just like walking in a small town in Europe. The cobblestone streets, the old and well maintained buildings, the cute shops, bistros and pubs all add to the charisma of the place. Sometimes people feel that they will have a hard time being understood or understanding the locals since the official language is French but no need to worry for English speaking visitors. Most people in Quebec City and Montreal speak both French and English or at least a bit of both and will be happy to speak to you in the language of your choice. It never hurts to try and speak a little bit of French though. You may learn something, meet new and interesting people that you otherwise would not. It always makes the locals smile to see someone try their best to speak to them in their own native tongue. I think this applies to visiting anywhere, throw in a few words in whatever the local language is and it will show respect to the people that call the place you are visiting home. If you own and iPod or iPhone you can find tons of great apps for learning languages or translation. This can be very handy when stuck in a situation where you really need to get your point across or in an emergency. I often use a subway guide, tourist map, city guide and language related apps when I travel and I find that it is an great way to get around without having to carry a lot of heavy books. Just be careful that you know if an app requires you to connect to the internet, those roaming charges in foreign countries can be brutal.

Posted in Quebec City | Tags: Architecture, Building, Canada, Canon 1DS mk3, Clouds, Fortification, HDR, History, Photo, Photograph, Porte St. Louis, Quebec, Quebec City, Ramparts, Travel, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ville de Québec, Walls

by Ken Kaminesky

6 comments

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July 29, 2010 - 1:50 pm BebopDesigner - What a beautiful HDR! Love it. Thanks for sharing

July 29, 2010 - 11:14 pm Carlos Garcia - Love the perspective in this shot. Thanks for the history lesson too. I'll see what I can do about that United Nations job :) Okay... maybe your life for one month. I don't know if I have the patience to create on the computer like you do :)

August 1, 2010 - 11:29 pm Ken Kaminesky - Thanks guys, it's always a treat to hear nice comments like this. I'll have to check if my phone is working properly Carlos, still no call from the UN... strange huh? ;^)

August 4, 2010 - 4:44 pm Bill Hiskett - Loving the HDR's Ken

August 5, 2010 - 2:59 am Ruth Ann Savary - I came across your site while looking at some picture's looking at the photos that a friend on Facebook,Elizabeth showed on the NASA picture of the day.Very beautiful Photographs.It almost seems wrong to call them pictures.Because they are so beautiful.I love photography,I've never really been anywhere but Florida and the states between here and Kentucky & Missouri.I live a secluded life because of depression.These photo's make me want to get over my agorophobia and go out and see even the beautiful places close to my home.I am 52 years old and I hope someday I will be able to go out and find cool places to go and take photos.Almost everyone these days have digital cameras.I have a little camera and a nice camera.Maybe I will use the inspiration to overcome my fear's and go take classes in photography.Anyways your photography is beautiful.Thank you for the inspiration. Ruth Ann

August 5, 2010 - 6:44 pm Ken Kaminesky - Thanks Bill! Ruth Ann, thanks so much for taking the time to share your story with me. I'm touched that my photos have had some positive force for you and I really hope that you get out there to see the beautiful world around you. It's waiting for you and there is so much to see! I wish you all the best and hope that you get a chance to see what you've been missing. Take care!

Angel on the Ponte Sant’Angelo in Rome, Italy

July 26, 2010

I had rather lousy weather in Rome during my stay there but I made the most of it by going to shoot interiors when it was raining. I also got up really early such as for this photo of the beautiful angel statue on the Ponte Sant’Angelo that I took on my last morning in Rome. It seemed that one minute I had blue sky and then out of nowhere dark grey clouds would fill the sky and I’d be stuck in a downpour. No matter what the weather was like though everywhere I’d go in Rome I’d end up seeing something that would just take my breath away. For those of you who are lucky enough to have visited Italy’s capital city, you know what I mean. I think that coming from North America where everything in our cities is so young as compared to Europe makes it even more incredible for me. Rome was one of the best places I have ever been in terms of interesting sights to photograph and I’d love to get back one day for another round of photography as there is only so much I could cover in a 5 day trip.

The Ponte Sant’Angelo is a pedestrian only bridge that pilgrims once used to get to Vatican City which as you can see is not far away by the dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica in the background of the image. The bridge was originally built in 134 AD by Roman Emperor Hadrian as a means to get to his newly constructed mausoleum which is now the Castel Sant’Angelo which I’ll showcase in a future blog post. The bridge has changed names many times during it’s history until the name Sant’Angelo stuck in the 7th century. Apparently an angel appeared on the top of the castle to announce the end of the plague hence the name Sant’Angelo. There is a bit of a dark side to the story as well, not that the whole plague thing isn’t dark but at least that part ended with an angel appearing. In 1450 part of the bridge collapsed due to the multitude of pilgrims there for the Jubilee and many drowned in the Tiber. Later in it’s history the bridge was used to expose the bodies of the executed. Perhaps worst of all is the fact that I stubbed my big toe on the bridge, pretty gruesome right? ;^)

Thank yous, shout outs and gratitude to my readers!

In my last blog entry I showcased a church in Paris and requested some help naming it. So I posted the question on Facebook and Twitter . It sure didn’t take too long to get the correct answer, about 30 minutes. I had a number of incorrect guesses but Camille who goes by @campersonne on Twitter got it right first. It’s l’Eglise De Saint Louis en l’Ile in the 4th arrondissement. It’s no surprise that she knew, after all she works at the KWE Group which is an award-winning marketing and public relations agency specializing in luxury travel, hospitality and lifestyle. Check out their impressive website for more details. http://www.kwegroup.com/. So the big prize of a lifetime supply of me thinking you are awesome goes to Camille who I’m sure is telling all her friends how lucky she is. Don’t be too jealous, I’ll do another “Name the location” blog post soon with an equally impressive prize.

Thanks to Camille and everyone else who helped me get the right name of the church!

Posted in Rome | Tags: Angel, Architecture, Art, Basilica, Bridge, Canon 1DS mk3, Cathedral, Catholic, Church, Clouds, HDR, Italy, Photo, Photograph, Ponte Sant'Angelo, Religion, Rome, Statue, Travel, Vatican City

by Ken Kaminesky

2 comments

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July 28, 2010 - 3:11 pm Carlos Garcia - Another stunning image. It is AMAZING that you travel so much. I wish I had your life just for a couple of months :) This is a great shot! You were able to capture an interesting foreground and background. Appreciate your historical commentary as well. We are young here in America, but there is cool stuff to shoot too :) Chicago... C.

July 29, 2010 - 10:23 pm Ken Kaminesky - I wish someone could have my life as well for a few months. In particular those months that I am sitting in front of my computer, editing, retouching, keywording and wishing I was back on the road. Thanks for visiting the blog again, come back again soon.

Name that Mystery Parisian Church!

July 22, 2010

As I was working on keywording my library of images I came upon these two photos that I shot in a church in Paris. While I’m usually pretty good with taking notes it seems that I never wrote down the name of this place. I even have a voice recording feature on my main camera which I use all the time to record the name of the places I just shot. So if you see some guy talking to his camera it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s crazy. However if you see someone talking to his tripod then yes, that means he’s completely nuts and you should not make any sudden moves. Back away slowly and whatever you do make sure that you don’t make eye contact with the crazy photographer. Or is that what you do if confronted with an angry lemur? I always get the two mixed up. Either way it’s probably best not to carry fresh bananas on your person especially in lemur territory, trust me on that one.

Since I can’t figure out the name of this church I’m turning to you lovely interweb people for help. Can you tell me the name of the church? The only clue I have to offer is what is contained in the photo and the fact that it is in Paris somewhere. I know there must be a Parisian, Francophile, Traveller, Priest or Nun out there that can help me! The first person to correctly answer the question will win a lifetime supply of me thinking that they are really awesome! If you don’t know then please pass on the link to this blog post to your friends on Facebook or Twitter. I’m really curious to see how long it will take to get the correct name of the church. If you know the answer, please leave a comment here on the blog.

Thanks for your help and hey… even if you’re not the first one to give me the answer, I still think you’re pretty awesome ;^)

Posted in Paris | Tags: Altar, Architecture, Art, Canon 1DS mk3, Catholic, Central Nave, Chairs, Church, Columns, France, HDR, Interior, Legend, Organ, Paris, Photo, Photograph, Pillars, Pipe Organ, Religion, Travel

by Ken Kaminesky

11 comments

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July 22, 2010 - 11:17 am lilo - Hello, you are absolutly shure that's is not Notre-Dame de Paris ?

July 22, 2010 - 12:17 pm Camille Personne - Absolutely Beautiful! i love the colors and contrast of this picture. This is a beautiful church in one of the cutest Parisian Neighboorhoods.

July 22, 2010 - 1:30 pm Beth - Gorgeous...can't help with the location but will share it on FB! Good luck...xoxo Beth

July 23, 2010 - 5:19 am Promotional Products - I think there is a Google result on photo search. You just have to post the photo and then Google result will tell you where in the world and what name of the photo was. The photo by the way is stunning!

July 23, 2010 - 10:46 am Jeff Titelius - Here you go my friend. It's the organ inside the Church of St-Louis-des-Invalides or Soldiers' Church in Paris. By the way, spectacular photography as usual!!

July 23, 2010 - 10:52 am Ken Kaminesky - So close Jeff and I mean REALLY close! But alas no cigar... I do have some nice shots of St-Louis-des-Invalides and I'll post them in a future blog entry. Thanks for trying :^)

July 23, 2010 - 11:32 am Daniel N. - Hey Ken, It's the Organ of the St Louis en l'Ile in Paris (L'orgue Aubertin). It's the most beautiful organ I have ever seen :) Cheers!

July 23, 2010 - 9:12 pm Ken Kaminesky - Bingo! Thanks Daniel and to Camille who was the first to answer on Twitter. Have a great week end everyone!

July 23, 2010 - 9:32 pm Jeff Titelius - I can't believe how close I was...similar names..similar interiors...similar organs...OMG!! Amazing! How far apart from each other are they? Thx to Daniel for solving our mystery. Ken, you should do more of these trivias!!

July 25, 2010 - 12:04 pm Cheap Hotels New York - Amazing pictures Ken...the most beautiful picture I have ever seen...

August 14, 2010 - 11:55 am Eddie - Great photo's!

Faeder Lake in Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada

July 19, 2010

It always makes me smile to look at this peaceful photo of Faeder Lake in British Columbia, mostly because it’s a bit deceptive. Perception is everything, in photography as with most things in life and this is a good example of that fact. The lake is tiny and shallow, especially when you compare it to some of the huge lakes in the area like Emerald Lake and Lake Louise. You see just how shallow the lake is when looking at the bottom left of the photograph, the rocky bottom is quite apparent. If you look closely you’ll get a glimpse of the highway right behind that line of trees and from the lake you can clearly hear every car and truck that passes by. Not exactly the most tranquil of environments but then again unless you know of Faeder lake or stumble upon it by chance it’s doubtful that anyone will tell you that it is a must see place on your trip to Yoho National Park. Basically it’s a rest stop with a small picnic area and if you venture in a bit further you’ll get to the shores of the Kicking Horse River after an exhausting 40 second hike ;^)

It felt a bit weird to be there all alone, perhaps it was the animal tracks I saw in the sandy shore of the lake that gave me this uneasy feeling. While I’m certainly no expert on animal tracks or animals for that matter (unless you count my cats), theses were big tracks. I’m pretty sure they were Tyrannosaurus tracks, but then again they could have been from a squirrel for all I know. Hey, I said I wasn’t an expert! The tracks were everywhere and looked kind of fresh, I’d say anywhere from an hour old to fossilized from the Triassic period. Taking all this information into consideration I decided that it would be a good thing to worry, so I did. After a a good worry session I thought that it might be a good idea to actually take some photos and got this one after another grueling 30 second hike. Feeling like quite the adventurer or as much of an adventurer as you can feel like 30 seconds away from your vehicle and picnic tables, I decided to head further into Yoho and venture on to Takakkaw Falls.

Posted in Canada's National Parks | Tags: British Columbia, Canada, Canon 1DS mk3, Clear, Clouds, Faeder Lake, HDR, Kicking Horse, Lake, Mountains, National Park, Photo, Photograph, Transparent, Travel, Trees, Water, Yoho

by Ken Kaminesky

4 comments

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July 19, 2010 - 9:55 am bethbeuter - really enjoying your work

July 19, 2010 - 6:31 pm art lover - This is a most breathe taking picture!!!!!!! ---a must have piece of art hanging on my wall. Are you going to offer prints in the near future. Please consider this. I must add that I like your sense of humour, it could be your second career.

July 20, 2010 - 9:15 am Ken Kaminesky - Thank you Beth and Art. I'm happy to say that I will be offering prints soon. I'll be making an announcement shortly so stay tuned for all the details!

July 22, 2010 - 12:19 pm Camille Personne - Breathtaking! WOW... can't find my words right now it's so AWE-inspiring

Olympic Stadium garden in Barcelona, Spain

July 15, 2010

I got up early once again to be able to get this photo at the Olympic Stadium garden in Barcelona with few people milling around and those that were there have magically disappeared thanks to good old Photoshop. As I left my hotel the woman at the front desk cautioned me that there would be a lot of people out that day as it was a holiday. To my great delight there was hardly a soul in the area around the stadium, so I had a good chance to get some nice shots of all the funky details around the Olympic park. When I get to these big open spaces and there is no one around it makes me think of what it would be like to be all alone in an empty city like in some cheesy sci fi movie. The only thing missing is zombies around every corner just waiting to attack me. Hey, when you travel alone you have a lot of time to think, perhaps too much time as in my case. I guess really liking cheesy sci fi movies helps fuel my imagination as well.

The weather in Barcelona that morning was perfect, a warm day with a crisp, cool December breeze coming off the Mediterranean. This made for perfect picture taking an was also great for walking to all the other spots that I ended up in like Castell de Montjuïc, Poble Espanyol and the marina. Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium (Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys) is the building in the middle of the photo. Unlike most of the stadiums for recent Olympic games that are build specifically for the Olympics this one dates back to 1927 for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition. It was renovated for the 1992 Olympics to hold 70 000 people. The stadium was originally named Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc but then renamed after Lluís Companys i Jover who was the was the President of Catalonia from 1934 and during the Spanish Civil War. He was executed by the fascist Franco regime in 1940.

After taking a lot of photos around the stadium I saw that there were people walking into a small door leading to the interior. As I wasn’t sure if I was allowed in I nonchalantly walked in attempting to look like I belonged there. I was relieved to to see other people follow me in and then as I got to the seating area I saw group tours, so I knew it was ok to be there. Sadly the field was being reconditioned and looked awful so I didn’t bother with a photo. Somehow both the field and seating areas seemed smaller that what I was expecting. Perhaps because of the fact that I’m used to Montreal’s Olympic Stadium which seems so cavernous on the inside and is a giant of a building from the outside. I’ll share some photos of that stadium in a future blog post.

Posted in Barcelona | Tags: 1992 Olympics, Architecture, Barcelona, Canon 1DS mk3, Catalonia, Clouds, Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc, Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, HDR, Montjuïc, Olympic, Olympic Stadium, Photo, Photograph, Spain, Travel

by Ken Kaminesky

5 comments

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July 16, 2010 - 3:20 pm Carlos Garcia - Nice composition and framing. Your processing brings so much interest to the light and shadows. What are those columns with the black rings? So many of them! Love your work on this varied and interesting environment. C.

July 16, 2010 - 8:55 pm rod rodriguez - love this Ken, any chance you'll be making some articles telling us how to do this really cool photography? great work.

July 18, 2010 - 10:57 pm Ken Kaminesky - Thanks Carlos and Rod, I think the columns are decorative, they are everywhere in the Olympic park. @Rod, No plans right now for tutorials although I'm thinking about offering a seminar next year.

July 19, 2010 - 4:25 am Chris - Another great shot ken, I love the reflection in the water perfectly framed!

August 6, 2010 - 9:58 am Fullet - Great shot, the place looks way better than I remember it. You spelled those Catalan names perfectly. Lluís Companys was executed at the very same Montjuïc mountain, that might explain the changing of the name. Greetings from Catalonia!

Central Public Library – Palazzo Sormani Andreani, Milan, Italy

July 12, 2010

This was one of those photos that I was lucky to get because I walk from place to place even though my feet keep begging me to take buses, subways or taxis. It tends to be the best way to come upon unexpected photographic treasures such as the Biblioteca Sormani which is one of Milan’s main public libraries and formerly a palace that was owned by Cardinal Cesare Monti. The facade seen in the photo was designed by Architect Francesco Croce (1696-1773), this is now the library’s main entrance. In 1783 the palace was sold to Count Giovanni Pietro Paolo Andreani who was a Milanese senator.

I didn’t go into the building but now regret it since after returning home and doing a bit of research I found out that not only is it a very large library but the Palazzo Sormani Andreani is also home to many beautiful paintings. Furthermore there is a well maintained English garden in the interior courtyard of the library that dates back to the 18th century. In 1930 the building was sold to the city of Milan and unfortunately was severely damaged during world war 2. It underwent a restoration in the mid 1950’s to once again bring the Palazzo Sormani Andreani back to its former glory for all of Milan to enjoy.

Many people who have been to Milan and even my friend Alec who lives there would tell you that Milan is not the prettiest of the cities in Italy. However it was one of my favourite places during my trip to Italy because I had low expectations and still came upon a lot of beautiful places to my delight. As is so often the case it is the people who make a place special and I met some incredibly nice people in Milan who went out of their way to make me feel welcome. Thanks to them I got to see even more of what Milan has to offer and I’ll be sharing that with you in a future blog post.

Posted in Milan | Tags: Architecture, Art, Biblioteca Sormani, Building, Canon 1DS mk3, HDR, Italy, Library, Milan, Palazzo Sormani Andreani, Photo, Photograph, Travel

by Ken Kaminesky

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July 12, 2010 - 12:38 pm Carlos Garcia - Great perspective and geometry in this shot. Love the wires, the motorcycles, the windows... so much detail to discover.

July 12, 2010 - 8:27 pm snapshutter - Gorgeous photo. HDR I assume.

July 13, 2010 - 3:46 am Italy vacation packages - I love this photo. So gorgeous. I love the symmetry. I so love it.

July 14, 2010 - 10:43 pm Ken Kaminesky - Thanks everyone! It really is a lovely building and I too loved the bikes, motorcycles and scooters in front, VERY Italian! @Snap, yes, it's HDR.

July 15, 2010 - 8:34 am Luis - Hear you on the feet and walking thing, but this vocation you have chosen is all about 'being there' to get that shot, and you were to produce this beauty. I amazed at how old it is and yet so well maintained. Love this and the HDR pp.

August 9, 2010 - 4:24 pm Star - As your own photo shows, Milan is a lot prettier than most people (even the Milanese) think. It's "multi-layered," like Rome. After all, Milan was founded by the Celts in the 6th millenium B.C., eventually went through the stages from friendly city to full Roman citizenship, and was the ipso facto capital of the Roman Empire for about 150 years, before the emperor moved to Ravenna in 402 A.D. to avoid the invading barbaric hordes. Through the subsequent ages, Milan almost always played a key role in the contacts between northern Europe and the rest of the peninsula. Each important building, or quarter, in the city is a witness to its epoch of bounty. There are so many sides to Milan that even a full three days visiting the city isn't enough. If you're interested in exploring Milan better, I'd like to invite you to "follow" my blog: My Milan (Italy). Thank you.

August 11, 2010 - 10:47 am Ken Kaminesky - Thanks for all the great info Star! I hope that people will visit your blog to get a better appreciation for Milan. I was pleasantly surprised by the city and especially the Milanese people. Milan will always have a special place in my heart.

Opera at the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo in Florence, Italy -part 2

July 9, 2010

The scene of the opera singer in a medieval robe was quite surreal as I mentioned in part One of this 2 part series. The night was cold and my feet were tired from another 20 km walk from earlier in the day yet I was captivated by the sights and sounds of the moment. I tried to stay out of sight so as to make sure that she kept singing. I’m not an opera aficionado so I cannot comment on the quality of the singing but the mood that was set by her voice and the atmosphere of the surroundings made for one of those moments that I’ll never forget. I felt like I was stepping back in time to a long gone era and distinctly remember having a rather large grin on my face as I absorbed the scene.

After 15 minutes or so I turned my back on my new found opera star and wondered to myself if she was crazy for being out at this time of night, alone in the freezing cold. Then it dawned on me that I was doing the exact same thing as her. All I needed was my very own robe.

Have a great week end!

Posted in Florence | Tags: Architecture, Canon 1DS mk3, Columns, Florence, HDR, Italy, Loggia del Mercato Nuovo, Mercato Nuovo, Night, Opera, Photo, Photograph, Pillars, Singer, Singing, Travel, Tuscany

by Ken Kaminesky

6 comments

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July 9, 2010 - 7:17 pm Carlos Garcia - Brilliant! Forgive my ignorance, these are HDR, no? Beautiful and dreamy. Love the mystery, peace, and, the colors seem alive! C.

July 9, 2010 - 10:19 pm rod rodriguez - You never fail to amaze me Ken, these are great shots, like being in a time machine, thanks for sharing. Keep up the wonderful work.

July 11, 2010 - 4:30 am Corporate photographer London - Truly stunning photos of Florence- what time of the day did you take these? Grant

July 11, 2010 - 11:25 am Ken Kaminesky - @Carlos, yes they are HDR images. @CPL, it was around 11pm. Thanks everyone for the really nice comments!

July 11, 2010 - 11:26 am Jamiella - Brilliantly done! I'm very excited to follow your work from here on out:)

July 11, 2010 - 3:47 pm Chandni - WOW !! STUNNER !!! i love them

Opera at the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo in Florence, Italy

July 6, 2010

One of the great pleasures of traveling for me is walking around a city after nightfall when everything is relatively quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of the day. This applies even more in Europe where for some reason I feel safer amongst the old buildings and cobblestone streets. Florence in particular is a city that is easy to get around on foot and there is so much to see. After dark the city takes on a whole new look and I feel really lucky to be in such beautiful places and have them all to myself. Then again, it can be even more interesting if you’re not alone as was the case when I took this shot. It was approaching 11 pm (23:00) and I was getting ready to head back to my hotel when I was startled by the sound of an opera singer.

The startling sound broke the quiet of the night like the unexpected ringing of a giant bell and I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. The singing would start, then stop almost as if it were daring me to find where it was originating from. I had been to the Mercato Nuovo earlier in the day when it was full of merchants peddling their wares and as I approached it this night it was hard to believe that only hours ago it was teeming with shoppers, merchants and tourists. Now as I drew near I could hear the singing clearly but still could not find who was doing the singing. Feeling much like Ulysses being drawn to the sound of the sirens I ventured on. Moments later I stopped as I saw a woman, dressed in what seemed to be something resembling a monk’s robe talking to two police officers. They questioned her briefly and moved on. She then bent over to pick up some rather large pages on which I imagine music and lyrics were written. After finding the correct page she began to sing and once again her voice broke the silence of the night in a surreal way that is difficult to describe. The night was cold so I could see her breath each time she exhaled. That in conjunction with the medieval robe, the deserted streets and the glow of the streetlights made for a scene I’ll not soon forget.

Come back for part 2 on Friday.

Posted in Florence | Tags: Architecture, Canon 1DS mk3, Columns, Florence, HDR, Italy, Loggia del Mercato Nuovo, Mercato Nuovo, Night, Opera, Photo, Photograph, Pillars, Singer, Singing, Travel, Tuscany

by Ken Kaminesky

4 comments

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July 6, 2010 - 9:06 pm Beth - Absolutely stunning...wow, Ken, you've really captured awesome beauty here...love the story and can imagine her singing away! I just love the way you bring inanimate objects to life through your lens. xoxo Beth

July 6, 2010 - 11:05 pm Jamiella - It's true- every photo has is just a moment in time, and, therefore, has a story behind it. Thanks for sharing! I've noticed that your photos have this grainy, embossed, yet brilliantly clear quality to them. Some photos in particular are borderline fantasy/magical in appearance. It's hard to explain, but they are absolutely beautiful! Is it your lens or you style of editing that brings this quality out in your photography? p.s. Keep up the good work:)

July 8, 2010 - 9:42 am Ken Kaminesky - Thank you Beth and Jamiella. This was a very strange scene and the image conveys the mood of the moment quite well. I'm glad I could share this with everyone and I just wish that I could have recorded her singing! Jamiella, it really is the post production on the computer that allows me to make the images look this way. I'm glad you enjoy the photos :^)

July 8, 2010 - 12:26 pm nigel - Hi Ken, Amazing photo, really beautiful lighting. I like this picture a lot. :)

Maman by Louise Bourgeois at the National Gallery in Ottawa, Canada

July 2, 2010

As it was Canada Day here yesterday I thought it was fitting to showcase a photograph from the nation’s capital. Hope none of you are arachnophobic! This sculpture called Maman by French sculptor Louise Bourgeois sits next to Canada’s National Gallery museum and directly across the street from Ottawa’s Notre Dame Cathedral. It’s a very imposing sculpture when you are right in front of it and at a price tag of 3.2 million dollars it better be. Canada’s National Gallery has made some rather controversial purchases in the last 2 decades such as Barnett Newman’s Voice of Fire which was basically a giant painting of 2 vertical blue stripes and one red one. And it only cost 1.76 million dollars, and when I say only I of course mean Holy Crap! Oh well, art id subjective and I’m not judging the painting, just the logic in spending that kind of money on 3 stripes. Perhaps if I looked at it as $586 666.67 per stripe it would look like a bargain, then again perhaps not.

I do quite like this sculpture though and Louise Bourgeois is well respected. She has her work in such prestigious museums as the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and Florence’s Uffizi Gallery. Wish I could say the same ;^) If the giant spider looks familiar and you have never been to Ottawa, there is a good reason. There are several versions of Maman located all over the world including the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Mori Art Museum, Roppongi, Tokyo and Havana, Cuba.

The spider looks like it’s on it’s way to destroy the museum resembling a scene from of War of the Worlds. However by naming the spider Maman and placing huge white marble eggs inside her pouch Bourgeois made the spider seem much more sympathetic. I’ve never been a big fan of spiders, especially after encounters with huge and poisonous ones in Australia but the more I look at this sculpture, the more I seem to like it. I wonder if Maman could be convinced to locate Voice of Fire inside the museum and show those stripes just what she thinks of them.

Posted in Ottawa | Tags: arachnophobic, Architecture, Art, Canada, Canon 1DS mk3, Clouds, HDR, Louise Bourgeois, Maman, Modern, National Gallery, Ottawa, Photo, Photograph, Spider, Travel, Voice of Fire

by Ken Kaminesky

1 comment

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July 11, 2010 - 3:48 pm Chandni - Again .. GReat work

Beaver Lake on top of Mount Royal, Montreal, Canada

June 29, 2010

This photo brings back memories of my childhood. I remember walking up the wooden stairs to the lake with my mom and sister and watching the ducks and fish swim around in the lake. Beaver Lake or Lac aux Castors in French is located in Mount Royal park on Mount Royal in Montreal. Mount Royal is a mountain or rather a hill if you ask anyone who’s ever seen the Rockies, Himalayas or Alps, that lies north of downtown Montreal. Most people in Montreal will likely tell you that the mountain is an extinct volcano but according to geologists it’s part of what they call a volcanic complex and was active over 100 million years ago. I’m no geologist, but anything other than a real volcano is just fine by me since I live only a few kilometers away.

The city of Montreal gets it’s name from Mount Royal as well. Montreal is derived from mont Réal whis is they way Royale used to be spelled in middle French. You might remember that from a section of Dan Brown’s book The Da Vinci Code, when he talked about Sang Real or rather Royal bloodlines. Middle French is a form of the French language that was spoken back in the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries and still spoken at the time New France (now Quebec) was founded in 1534 by Jacques Cartier who was also the first European person to scale the mountain one year later in 1535.

The park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted who was also the designer of a more famous park in New York City you may have heard of called Central Park. Beaver Lake is a small man made lake near the top of the mountain where people go to sunbathe, have picnics, traverse the lake in pedal boats and the kids can feed the fish and ducks. In the winter a portion of the lake is transformed into an ice skating area and on the hill at the top of the photo you can toboggan or slide down the snowy slope in huge inner tubes.

In 1998 Montreal suffered terrible devastation in the massive ice storm of the century and the trees on Mount Royal did not escape mother nature’s wrath. I remember driving up to the Mount Royal the day before they closed down the roads and it was already nearly impossible to navigate due to all the trees that were literally snapped in half and strewn across the roads. Ice covered everything up to 3-4 inches thick (7-10 cm). It was surreal walking and driving around seeing all the destruction but at the same time quite beautiful as the ice that coated the branches, fences, parked cars and lamp posts shimmered in the sunlight making everything look like a crystal palace. As I look back I was a bit of an idiot for even attempting to go there. But I did and those memories will stay with me forever. The storm caused billions of dollars of damage but now 12 years later the trees are totally recovered and you’d never know what had happened.

If you’re visiting Montreal, be sure to spend some time hiking around Mount Royal, it’s one of the city’s treasures.

Posted in Montreal | Tags: Beaver Lake, Canada, Canon 1DS mk3, Clouds, Frederick Law Olmsted, HDR, Jacques Cartier, Lac aux Castors, Montreal, Mount Royal, Photo, Photograph, Quebec, Reflections, Travel, Volcano, Water

by Ken Kaminesky

4 comments

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June 30, 2010 - 4:41 am Honeymoon bed breakfast - Wow, beautiful pictures. I also have a great time at Beaver Lake few years ago and your post bring back my memories too. Thanks for sharing and I include it my next year traveling destinations list. Best Regards,

June 30, 2010 - 7:43 am phil riebel - Hi Ken... I love your photos. I am very curious about your technique because I am wondering if I can apply it to my nature photography. If you are open to sharing some of your tricks that's great..if not I guess I will just continue to admire your work. I am from Montreal so some of these hit home for me as well. Phil

June 30, 2010 - 10:18 am Ken Kaminesky - Thank you for the nice comments :^) @Phil, it's a long process and while I can't really get into great detail about how I do it, I can perhaps point you to a few places that may be of interest to you. Email me.

July 5, 2010 - 5:42 am Sihanoukville - The photo is absolutely amazing for me it has a soul that keeps it alive, great job on it. I've been visiting your site recently and your photos as well as your travel experience is awesome.

Tour EDF – A night at La Défense in Paris, France

June 25, 2010

One of the differences between modern architecture and classic or historic buildings is the stories that go along with the structures. While a building like the Louvre or the Roman Colosseum have countless stories that can be told about them, modern buildings are somewhat dull in comparison. Visually however I rate both types of buildings and structures as equally fascinating to photograph and over the years I have developed a great affinity for modern design and architecture. Let’s take le Tour EDF’s facade as shown in this photo as an example. While not too many people may care who resides in the building (Électricité de France, France’s main electricity company) it is a rather stunning entrance into an extremely well designed modern skyscraper. Buildings serve a purpose, they have to contain a blend of form and function in order to serve their purpose and some architect do this so much better than others. The La Défense business district is full of interesting modern architecture and continues to evolve as the years go by.

I’ve put together a small collection of photographs at Behance titled Paris La Défense – The modern side of Paris

Behance is a great place to discover some very beautiful art in so many different forms. If you’re a commercial artist like me, a creative looking for artists or inspiration or just a fan of art, design, film, photography and just about any other kind of commercial or fine art I think you’ll enjoy browsing through Behance’s various galleries. At the bottom of the galleries you can post comments which are always appreciated and click on the blue thumbs up button to show that you liked what the artist presented.

I remember that while taking this shot so many people were walking in front of my camera and I was getting really frustrated. It seemed that just when I was about to get the series of images that I was looking for someone would step in front of the camera once again. It’s hard for anyone to know that I’m taking several exposures of each scene and that some exposures last up to 30 seconds so I try and time it perfectly. Unfortunately there is little chance of getting that “perfect” series of shots. So when a scene is busy with people walking by I tend to take 5 or more series of photos and then pick the ones with the least people to blend together later on the computer. Most people don’t even realize that I’m taking pictures and often I get one of those I’m sorry looks from them as they notice that they are standing right in front of me while I’m trying to take a shot. What’s funny is that they seem to notice this and stop dead in their tracks like deer caught in the headlights of oncoming cars, usually directly in front of me. At one point as I was taking this shot a young couple was walking by and failed to notice me as I was attempting to get my shot. When they did notice me they looked at each other and without speaking the man dipped the woman as if dancing a tango and gave her a huge kiss. They both laughed and waved good bye to me as they strolled off together arm in arm. You have to love Paris!

Posted in Paris | Tags: Architecture, Behance, Building, Business, Canon 1DS mk3, France, HDR, la Défense, Modern, Night, Offices, Paris, Photo, Photograph, Travel

by Ken Kaminesky

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Notre Dame des Victoires Church, Quebec City, Canada

June 22, 2010

One of the quaintest places in all of Old Quebec or Vieux-Québec in French is Place Royale. This is the place where Samuel de Champlain built Quebec City’s second habitation between the years of 1623 and 1626. After a fire in 1682 most of the houses there were rebuilt and in 1686 the area became known as Place Royale when a bust of King Louis XIV was erected at it’s centre. Two years later in 1686 Notre Dame des Victoires Church was built only to be destroyed by canon fire during one of Canada’s most famous battles that was fought between the English and French armies. The battle of the Plains of Abraham also known as the battle of Quebec took place in 1759, in the United States this war was known as the French and Indian War and in Canada the Seven Year’s War. This conflict was instrumental in the future founding of Canada as a nation. Today Place Royale welcomes tourists from all over the world with little chance of being hit by canon fire ;^)

The day before I shot this photo I had been in Place Royale to attempt to take some photos and found it far too crowded with the thousands of tourists that were in Quebec City for the annual Summer Festival. So I got there the next morning around 5 am just in time to get some great photos without worrying about getting in the way of anyone or anybody walking into my field of vision. With over 300 concerts and shows over 11 days it’s easy to see how the whole town is abuzz with the joie de vivre that the Quebecois are so well known for. This year’s line up include the Black Eyed Peas, guitar virtuoso Carlos Santana, local favourites the Arcade Fire and be sure not to miss Quebec singing legend Gilles Vigneault as he celebrates a career spanning 50 years, July 14 on the historic Plains of Abraham. I think that next time I visit Vieux Quebec to take photos I’ll do it during less festive period. Then again Quebec City is also renowned for it’s world famous Winter Carnival and Ice Hotel and I do want to photograph all the cool stuff that is associated with winter in Quebec. So much to photograph, so little time!

Posted in Quebec City | Tags: Bienvenue Au Québec, Canon 1DS mk3, Catholic, Church, Clouds, HDR, Notre Dame des Victoires, Photo, Photograph, Place Royale, Plains of Abraham, Quebec, Quebec City, Quebecois, Religion, Rue Cul de Sac, Seven Year's War, Stone buildings, Travel, Vieux Québec

by Ken Kaminesky

3 comments

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June 22, 2010 - 1:47 pm Beth - Another beauty! Wow, the festivals sound awesome...great music! xoxo Beth

June 23, 2010 - 11:10 am Ken Kaminesky - Yup, Quebec City and Montreal are wonderful places in the summer. I just wish that summer was year round!

July 3, 2010 - 9:43 pm ultrasound technician - Valuable info. Lucky me I found your site by accident, I bookmarked it.

The spectacular view from the spire of Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

June 18, 2010

I almost didn’t go to the top of the spire at Sagrada Familia and what a mistake that would have been. I was smart enough to be at Sagrada Familia first thing in the morning when they opened their doors to the public so there were not too many people to get in the way of my picture taking. I had gone the day before at sunset but when I saw how crowded it was I made up my mind to go back at a more opportune time. I did get some cool exterior shots that evening though so it was still time well spent.

Anyone who knows me is aware that I am not good with heights and that’s putting it mildly. So I sucked up what little courage I could muster and got into the lift that takes you to the top of the church. As I got to the windows and took my first glimpse of the panoramic view I was blown away. The way the blue sky and white clouds contrasted with the orange glow of the church and cityscape took my breath away. Then again it could have been a panic attack due to the height issues I have ;^). Whatever the case may be I’m just happy to have had the chance to be at the right place at the right time. Even the cranes and haze above the buildings blended in nicely in this image taking on a similar hue to the church spires. If you are like me and have an issue with heights then don’t worry as the windows are small and I never felt unsafe. That is until I boldly decided to take the stairs down as opposed to the lift… Bad decision, very bad!

I have friends from Canada and Mexico who will both be in Barcelona soon. They don’t know each other and it would be kind of cool if the 2 groups met by some chance. I hope they get an opportunity to visit Sagrada Familia and take in the view. Happy travels Gaby and Daniel!

Posted in Barcelona | Tags: Architecture, Barcelona, Canon 1DS mk3, Catalonia, Church, Cityscape, Clouds, Construction, Cranes, Gaudi, Gothic, HDR, Panorama, Photo, Photograph, Sagrada Familia, Spain, Spire, Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia, Torre Agbar, Travel, View

by Ken Kaminesky

11 comments

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June 18, 2010 - 3:07 pm Taoumi Ahmed - I just found your site in twitter. The photos are impressives. I wish that you can add more. Taoumi

June 18, 2010 - 3:58 pm Gaby - Unbelievable!!! I love it :) Great picture (the effort you made makes it even better if it is possible)

June 18, 2010 - 8:56 pm Beth - WOW!!!! This image is absolutely breathtaking...it actually makes me a little nervous just looking at the image, I can't imagine that you had the nerve to go up there!!! Thank you for sharing something that I would never see myself, even if I were in this beautiful city, as I would never, ever have the courage to go up there! xoxo Beth

June 19, 2010 - 10:47 am Ken Kaminesky - Thank you all! @Taoumi, cheers, come back soon for new photos. @Gaby, what's even greater is that you will be there soon! Bon Voyage! @Beth, it's not that scary at all for anyone with no fear of heights. Just make sure you take the lift going down! :^)

June 19, 2010 - 11:47 am Dana E - I visited the Sagrada Familia back in April of this year and this photo makes me want to go back to Spain! Gaudi and his geniusness was so inspiring! I LOVE that he looked to God's creations to inspire his architecture. I could go on for days! I enjoyed Barcelona so much! Thank you for sharing this beautiful photo and taking a risk of hyperventilation... from the heights!! ;-)

June 22, 2010 - 1:54 am Helen - Another spectacular picture, great job Ken! Do you have one from the roof top of Milan Duomo in your archives? I'd love to see it as I was there 2 weeks ago and it was IMPRESSIVE. Now that I've been to both, the Sagrada and Duomo, I'd say they are equally impressive but I do love the Duomo a bit more.

June 22, 2010 - 10:09 am Ken Kaminesky - @Dana, while Barcelona is a world class city in so many ways I find that Gaudi's brilliant designs elevate the city into a class of it's own. @Helen, thank you! I do have a series of images from the top of the Duomo in Florence. I was fortunate to be there on a very special day and have a nice story to go along with the photos. I'll be sharing all of this in an upcoming blog post :^)

June 26, 2010 - 8:36 pm Mia - This is simply Magnificent & Breathtaking ! It doesnt even look as if it is a real actual place - its so Steampunk ! This particular photograph belongs in a Jules Verne novel . Thank you for mustering up the courage to go to such heights and capture such a magnificent scene , it is simply surreal ! ( * I have big issues w/ heights as well , and I def empathize :) ) . I love all of your works - you have just gained a new fan ! P.S: I believe you will get that Nobel someday ! ( for bravery , & climbing to new heights ! Ok, so they dont award the Nobel for that - but hey ... you never know ... :D Wishing you much continued future success within life & career endeavors & oceans of joy in life :) M.

June 27, 2010 - 10:43 am Ken Kaminesky - Mia, thank you for such a wonderful comment, it's so nice that you took the time to let me know that you enjoy my photography. I hope that you'll come back for more and share the blog with your friends who also enjoy photography. I will now wait patiently for the phone to ring, my Nobel prize awaits! :^) Peace

July 6, 2010 - 7:37 am liza - Wow, that looks like a scene from Blade Runner...oops! Am I dating myself?

July 6, 2010 - 7:40 am liza - ps...The things we do for a good shot...I'm also deathly afraid of heights. I just found myself on top of the Vittorio Emanuelle Building in Rome. My knees almost buckled in the glass elevator as it was going up. But WHAT a view!

Sunwapta Falls, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

June 15, 2010

Sunwapta is a native word that means turbulent waters and the Sunwapta Falls lives up to it’s name. Not too surprisingly the waterfalls are on the Sunwapta River which originates from the foot of the Athabasca Glacier and eventually joins the Athabasca River shortly after the waterfalls. I visited the glacier later that week and even though it is huge I’m always amazed that these glaciers are the source of so much fresh water year after year. There are markers all around the glacier indicating how fast it is receding, it’s astonishing to see how fast we are losing these glaciers and it’s not just in Canada. Call it global warming, climate change or whatever you want but the truth is that in the decades ahead we will be facing so many important decisions about fresh water as a resource. It makes me appreciate that we have all that we have right now and hope that by working together we can find a way to preserve all this natural beauty for generations to come.

The trees, water, sky, and earth all blend in so nicely in this image. I love the way that fallen tree lies there so perfectly spanning the two sides of the river forming a natural bridge that I wouldn’t dare attempt to cross. While I know it’s impossible to do, I wonder what it would be like to camp on that island in the middle of the photo for a few days of communing with nature. It’s not just the sights that are impressive at Sunwapta Falls but the sounds as well. I was lucky enough to be there during a quiet time in terms of tourists when taking this photo and I could really hear the crashing white water as it cascaded under the bridge I was standing on. Two of my favourite sounds are ocean surf and flowing white water in a river, both powerful yet incredibly soothing sounds. After taking this photo I went down the trail to the riverside where the flow of the water slows down substantially. It was another nice spot for photos and it was so calm that I got lost in my thoughts and the sounds of nature, always a nice treat for a city boy who lives downtown on a busy street.

Posted in Alberta, Canada's National Parks | Tags: Alberta, Canada, Canon 1DS mk3, Clouds, Forest, HDR, Island, Jasper, Jasper National Park, Mountain, National Park, Photo, Photograph, River, Sunwapta Falls, Sunwapta River, Travel, Trees, Water, Waterfall, White Water

by Ken Kaminesky

9 comments

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June 15, 2010 - 11:11 pm Beth - Gorgeous...both the image & the story! xoxo Beth

June 16, 2010 - 2:08 am CNA License - Valuable info. Lucky me I found your site by accident, I bookmarked it.

June 16, 2010 - 11:05 am Nuno Barreto - Amazing photo! Have you ever thought of putting the unaltered photo side by side with the touched ones?

June 16, 2010 - 2:12 pm Ken Kaminesky - Cheers Beth, I'm glad you are enjoying the blog :^) @Nuno, I've thought about it but I'm not sure that this is something I'll be doing. Sometimes the originals are so vastly different that it's hard to believe that it was the starting point for what ends up being a nice image.

June 16, 2010 - 7:31 pm AnnaBella - I've been lucky enough to venture out in this part of the World and it is stunning. Nice work!

June 16, 2010 - 8:16 pm Anastasia - WOW! Breathtakingly GORGEOUS!

June 17, 2010 - 2:03 am Richard Wilson - Wow! I can't say anything to this masterpiece. I don't know but it keeps me wondering, how can i take a picture like this one? Can you help me? Just kidding, anyways thanks for the post!

June 18, 2010 - 10:36 am Ken Kaminesky - Thanks AnnaBella, Anastasia and Richard! There are a lot more photos on the way, come back again soon :^)

July 19, 2010 - 1:26 am Jared - This is an unbelievable shot. Amazing!

A lil bit about me...

L’ombre de Notre Dame Restaurant in Paris, France

Field of lilies at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II at night in Milan, Italy

Tugboat at Port Vell in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

The abandoned Babcock & Wilcox boiler factory in Montreal

Graffiti filled abandoned building in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The corner of Via del Sole and Via delle Belle Donne in Florence, Italy

Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria di Montesanto in Rome, Italy

La Roue de Paris in Paris, France

New York City… Where, what and when?

I ♥ NY

April McMillan a Photographer in NYC writes:

My friend Todd who is a great photographer based in NYC writes:

Jeff Titelius who is a travel writer writes:

The Alberta Pacific grain elevator in Dorothy, Alberta, Canada

Ramparts of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Angel on the Ponte Sant’Angelo in Rome, Italy

Name that Mystery Parisian Church!

Faeder Lake in Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada

Olympic Stadium garden in Barcelona, Spain

Central Public Library – Palazzo Sormani Andreani, Milan, Italy

Opera at the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo in Florence, Italy -part 2

Opera at the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo in Florence, Italy

Maman by Louise Bourgeois at the National Gallery in Ottawa, Canada

Beaver Lake on top of Mount Royal, Montreal, Canada

Tour EDF – A night at La Défense in Paris, France

Notre Dame des Victoires Church, Quebec City, Canada

The spectacular view from the spire of Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

Sunwapta Falls, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

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