Providence/RI Photo of the day - by Garris

[Jenkins]

They must have fixed it... Last time I was there I noticed the fingers were broken as well. I think one or two UP members e-mailed the Parks Dept about it...

- Garris

I was just up there and his fingers are indeed broken off, but it is on his other hand, the one you can't see in that photo.

[Garris]

Garris, have you ever had any of your work published in a newspaper, book or periodical?

Won any photo contests?

Nope... Right now, I just do it for me (and share it with all of you)... I've always thought that until recently, American cities have been terribly photographed on the street level, focusing on the grime, fire hydrants, crowds on sidewalks, etc... Meanwhile, rural areas and suburbs are photographed in bucolic terms... Our photography reflects our attitudes.

I've noticed a lot of city photography has, as it's focus, the streets... It's bizarre, a very automotive mentality. As an example, here's the cover photo of White Plains, NY's official website:

That's the best they could find of their metropolis? A photo where near 25% of it is of a huge, wide street? White Plains, for those of you who haven't been there, has great public spaces and tremendous landscaping (much better than Providence) and is quite walkable. But they didn't photo any of that... No, they photo a huge highway exit...

Same for the one on the far right of this White Plains montage:

I've always wanted to, for fun, photograph cities focusing on the wonder and interest of them I see through my own eyes... I don't know how many people I've shown my photos to and they said, "Oh, I never looked at [insert city name here] that way." Hopefully, in my own small way, I change how people look at the urban areas around them...

Ok, enough philosophy...

Here's a black and white photo from North Main again, this one in contrast to the one yesterday. This is the modernist building across the street from the classical old New England architecture buildings of yesterday's photo... One of those new-old contrasts that "Dr. Downtown" hates so much but that, in my mind, makes Providence so interesting:

Have a good weekend!

- Garris

Edited March 18, 2006 by Garris

[Gusterfell]

I can count on one finger the number of times I've agreed with David Brussat on anything, but he got one thing right in last week's column. The views opened up by the demolition for One Ten are certainly dramatic:

A couple more random shots from today:

[Cotuit]

I walk down Westminster in the morning a lot on the way to work, and I'm loving this view corridor.

I don't love it enough to not want OneTen to proceed, but it is indeed great.

[Garris]

I walk down Westminster in the morning a lot on the way to work, and I'm loving this view corridor.

I don't love it enough to not want OneTen to proceed, but it is indeed great.

Gusterfell, great, great shots... The black and white is fantastic.

With the photo above, what time did you take it? The lighting of that corridor is tough, and I've tried to photograph it several times without success. The lighting you had there at that time of day was the best I've yet seen.

- Garris

[Gusterfell]

That was around 2:30-ish this afternoon. The lighting was indeed very harsh. That was the darkest of about five different attempts at the shot.

EDIT: I meant to post this one as well, continuing the theme of newly-opened views:

Edited March 22, 2006 by Gusterfell

[Garris]

For those of you who enjoy my photography, this is just a heads up that I finally finished posting my Portland, Oregon photos (several months late) on the "photos" board. Here's a link!

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.ph...ndpost&p=377515

- Garris

Edited March 26, 2006 by Garris

[MikeR]

I could have sworn that Roger's hand was broken the last time I was up there. All his fingers were gone. Did they fix it, or was I imagining things?

The fingers that are broken are on his left hand - Garris's photo showed the left hand only. Someone also splashed white paint on the broken hand. Some people just have no respect...

[Cotuit]

[Cotuit]

[Garris]

Wow, Cotuit. That North Main shot is easily the most dramatic photo of that locale I've ever seen... Nice, nice composition. I'm trying to figure out where you took it from... A RISD building? Is this the building next to XO?

- Garris

[Cotuit]

I'm trying to figure out where you took it from... A RISD building? Is this the building next to XO?

In front of the old state house. That rusted flagpole is outside the Fire Station.

[Lone Ranger]

I love this thread.

[Garris]

I love this thread.

That's one of the great things about UP is all of the photography all over the place... Some of the photography in the UP "Photos" section coming out of other cities (especially KC, Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago) is outstanding...

While I was high up in Rhode Island Hospital this evening snapping a photo of 195, I tried some "proof of concept" shots out some other windows as well. The results were mixed. The windows are amazingly dirty, really making shots appear fuzzy and giving lights wicked halos. Many of the windows also seem to have built in (??) blinds, making finding angles between them very hard (built in blinds seem like one of those ideas that must have felt brilliant in the 1960's but now is obviously really dumb).

Here are two of those "proof of concepts," and I'll post one or two more tomorrow...

Bright lights from 195 construction create some interesting lighting off the Point St bridge in this black and white:

Here's a shot I've wanted to take for a while... 95 at night with the Providence metro spead out in the distance... How great will this look once 195 is gone and Westin 2 and 110 are up??

- Garris

Edited March 28, 2006 by Garris

[DigitalSky]

Great thread Garris.. beautiful shots of Providence and around RI. I wish I owned a digital camera when I was in Providence back in 2002.

[Cotuit]

The Biltmore is blocking the view of the State House, I'm afraid we'll have to tear it down.

[Frankie811]

The Biltmore is blocking the view of the State House, I'm afraid we'll have to tear it down.

They almost did, but "Buddy" saved the day.

[Garris]

The Biltmore is blocking the view of the State House, I'm afraid we'll have to tear it down.

I was thinking the same thing...

Imagine, it's 1922...

<The scene becomes blurry, members of the Weybosset Hill Neighborhood Association are sitting on their front porches with tophats arguing as carriages and early autos go by...>

"Ah, look at that bloated buffalo going up... It's a shame, chap, isn't it? I just don't have the stomach for the style of buildings today..."

"Yes... Who in the Sam Hill zoned and approved that monstosity blocking our view!?!? Don't people have any respect for historic architecture in this town anymore??"

"Trees! We need more trees lining Dorrance there!

<The scene becomes blurry again, and we're back in the modern time>

I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same .

- Garris

Edited March 28, 2006 by Garris

[Garris]

Another "proof of concept" shot from high up in Rhode Island Hospital to prepare to follow 110 as it's being built. We don't often see skyline shots from the South of the city:

- Garris

Edited April 1, 2006 by Garris

[Lone Ranger]

We don't often see skyline shots from the South of the city:

Looking at that pic, it's hard to imagine why.

[runawayjim]

Looking at that pic, it's hard to imagine why.

i think most are taken from prospect hill... or somewhere else that's more accessible to the public. not much from the south. i would like to see a shot from the northern end of the east bay bike path... maybe i'll have to start actually using my camera and posting pics. i thought i had a great pic of galilee/jerusalem (i guess it was of jerusalem from galilee by salty brine beach), but it ended up coming out fuzzy. it was late sunset... had we finished dinner earlier, it would've been better. maybe i'll post it later... i also have some from scarborough beach.

[Garris]

Looking at that pic, it's hard to imagine why.

There's no easy vantage point. Besides standing on 195 during rush hour, I can't think of anywhere else except Rhode Island Hospital to take a Southern skyline shot... I really hope that, before they take down the 195 bridge over the Providence river, that they open it up to pedestrians for photography for just one day... There are so many awesome potential photos from there, but pedestrians aren't allowed on the bridge (I'm willing to take risks, but that one is far too great a chance of death-by-auto for me...).

i would like to see a shot from the northern end of the east bay bike path...

I posted this shot from just that point (the overlook on the East Bay Bike Path) this past September. 110 and Westin II will be particularly dramatic from here...

- Garris

[Garris]

Dipping back into my achives of unposted shots, here's the Westminster entrance to the arcade with the "Superman" building rising in the distance this past Autumn...

- Garris

Note: If this image is too big, I can place a smaller one in...

Edited April 2, 2006 by Garris

[Lone Ranger]

Why does Providence look so good in black & white?

[Jerry2]

Hey Garris....if you ever get the chance, go to the top of NewarkSt. where it crosses Academy Ave. That location, as well as the East Bay Bike Path, make the absolute best shots. Newark Street is next to Crugnale's Bakery on the Valley Street side of Eagle Square. That shot captures the incredible density of Federal Hill and makes the skyline look even bigger...