#fivedayblackandwhitechallenge

Last week a friend from the Camera Club of Ottawa offered me the #fivedayblackandwhitechallenge that is running on Facebook currently.  I accepted the challenge, I decided that architecture was well suited for the project.  

Day one   Day two   Day three   Day four   Day five End of 5 day Challenge  
 It was a fun project.  

 Darrell Larose
 https://www.facebook.com/Darrell.Larose.Photography
Ottawa, Canada

Thursday afternoon, downtown walk.

Another nice summer like Autumn day, I'd finished my coffee and took a walk downtown. Rather than lugging a 30lb gadget bag, my afternoon walks I opt to carry a single fixed focal length prime lens. Today I grabbed my Pentax ☆istD, with my SMC Pentax-M 85mm f:2.0, 49mm Pentax circular polarizer.



Kent Street Lion, Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-M 85mm f:2.0,  49mm Pentax circular polarizer.



Centennial Towers, Kent Street Ottawa. Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-M 85mm f:2.0,  49mm Pentax circular polarizer.



Twisted reflections Laurier Avenue W. Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-M 85mm f:2.0,  49mm Pentax circular polarizer.



Ottawa Journal Towers, built on the site of my first school. Kent Street Public School was located on this site. Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-M 85mm f:2.0,  49mm Pentax circular polarizer.



Standard Life Towers Laurier, with twin tower on Slater Street. Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-M 85mm f:2.0,  49mm Pentax circular polarizer.



Slater Street Tower Crane, yet another downtown condo. Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-M 85mm f:2.0,  49mm Pentax circular polarizer.



Laurier Avenue Metcalfe Street Reflection. Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-M 85mm f:2.0,  49mm Pentax circular polarizer.



Lisgar Street condo. Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-M 85mm f:2.0,  49mm Pentax circular polarizer.

Friday's walk is a  24 megapixel Nikon D600 with a AF Nikkor 24~70mm f:2.8, versus my 6.1 megapixel Pentax ☆istD.

 

Darrell Larose
Ottawa

More photos, another downtown walk.

Living downtown has perks, as I have lots of buildings etc to photograph. Today instead of my SMC Pentax-DA 14mm f:2.8 wide angle lens, I decided to just carry my SMC Pentax-FA 50mm f:1.4 and a circular polarizer.  Starting at Kent and Nepean Streets



The Hudson Park Nepean & Kent Streets, Wandering around the neighbourhood. Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-FA 50mm f:1.4, circular polarizer.



Centennial Tower, Kent Street at Laurier Ave West. Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-FA 50mm f:1.4, circular polarizer.



Bank Street Traffic Light.  Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-FA 50mm f:1.4, circular polarizer.



My bank, Bank of Montreal, Building Laurier Avenue West.  Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-FA 50mm f:1.4, circular polarizer.


The old and new, Laurier Avenue West at O'Connor Street.  Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-FA 50mm f:1.4, circular polarizer.


The new Export Development Canada HQ, Wandering around the neighbourhood. Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-FA 50mm f:1.4, circular polarizer.



O'Connor Street Alley. I saw the late afternoon light reflecting off the grate. Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-FA 50mm f:1.4, circular polarizer. Wandering around the neighbourhood. Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-FA 50mm f:1.4, circular polarizer.



Bank of Canada Building, Laurier Ave West and O'Connor Street. This is a stainless steel clad tower. Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-FA 50mm f:1.4, circular polarizer.



Laurier Avenue West at Metcalfe Street. Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-FA 50mm f:1.4, circular polarizer

Darrell Larose
Ottawa

Late afternoon walk in Centertown Ottawa.

Monday September 8, was a lovely summer day here in the Nation's Capital. So I grabbed my camera and wondered around the neighbourhood.

 



Here is the charming O'Connor Street Bridge over Patterson Creek. Designed by Francis Conroy Sullivan,  Who was the only Canadian student of famed Architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.
This is a green space oasis that runs for about a half a kilometre in a series of parks that runs just over 1 kilometre. (Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-DA 14mm f:2.8)



 

Willows & Lamp, Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-DA 14mm f:2.8



Wood & Steel, Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-DA 14mm f:2.8 (no polarizer) With Ultra-Wide lenses you often will get a natural polarizing effect.



 

Glass & Steel.  Pentax ☆istD, SMC Pentax-DA 14mm f:2.8

 

Darrell A.  Larose
Ottawa, Canada

A downtown walk.

It was a nice sunny day today in downtown Ottawa. I try to do a 4-5km walk several days per week. I started my photo exploration on Metcalfe Street.

I was prompted to look up with this arrow. I headed over to Nepean Street.

Condos almost ready at Nepean Street and Metcalfe Street. Continuing west up Nepean...

Got to Kent Street, diagonally across from my old parish church are these towers.

New condo The Hudson.

Travelling a couple blocks west I ended up in front of the old family home at Nepean Street and Lyon Street.

The house I grew up in. This was the family home of my Grand parents, later owned by my parents. 335-333 Nepean Street, built in 1867. Still standing but is surrounded now. With condos on Bay St, Lyon St and Gloucester St (behind it)

Darrell Larose
Ottawa, Ontario

Les grands feux du Casino du Lac‑Leamy : August 16, Grand Finale Show

Braving the low hanging clouds, and a sky the colour of aged pewter, I heading out for the final Fireworks display of the festival.  My new venue was outstanding, with an excellent sight line. I will fully compliment the on-duty R.C.M.P. Officers for their courtesy and professionalism. We are indeed fortunate in Canada that our Federal Government buildings and grounds are open to the public.

Yes you are seeing fall colours in the foreground. As darkness flowed in...

 

Québec's Royal Pyrotechnie (Saint-Pie, Québec) created the Grand Finale of Les grands feux du Casino du Lac‑Leamy. I had good success on Canada Day on Victoria Island in the Ottawa River (West of Parliament Hill) for shows by Portugal and Switzerland. had an excellent field of view at river level. Tonight I selected a new elevated (230' above the river) and about 800 metres from the raft where they were being launched from.

I started with my SMC Pentax-DA 14mm f:2.8, but switched to my SMC Pentax-M 35mm f:2.8 the only other lens I was carrying was my SMC Pentax FA 50mm f:1.4. The 50mm was too long for tonight's vantage point. The low cloud ceiling at below 2,000' so the cloud held the smoke in. As my friend commented; ".. pay no attention to the show behind the smoke..."

With time exposures of fireworks you have to wing it, and hope the entire burst is in the frame. This one was one of the bigger bursts and I was already at the short end of my lens. Shutter drag technique, 8-12 seconds @f:22.

Darrell  Larose
Ottawa, Canada
16 August 2014

Les grands feux du Casino du Lac‑Leamy : August 13, Switzerland

Wednesday August 13, 2014, was  Switzerland's entry in Les grands feux du Casino du Lac‑Leamy. I had good success  previously from Victoria Island in the Ottawa River (West of Parliament Hill) had an excellent field of view.  This is around 800 metres from the raft where they were being launched from.

Pentax *istD, SMC Pentax-DA 14mm f:2.8. ISO 200, 12 seconds @ f:8. Was just a bit wide for there.

Twilight view looking east; showing the Alexandria Bridge in the center, Musée des beaux-arts du Canada light in red, Notre-Dame Basilica twin steeples, and to the right of the bright lights Parliament Hill. Pretty much the same view, as on Canada Day.

I alternated between my  SMC Pentax-M 35mm f:2.8 and my SMC Pentax FA 50mm f:1.4. With my Pentax *istD firmly mounted on my Manfrotto tripod and Manfrotto head.  With time exposures of fireworks you have to wing it, and hope the entire burst is in the frame. This one was one of the bigger bursts and I was already at the short end of my lens. A remote cable release is vital so you don't shake the camera during the 6-12 second exposures.

Tonight, if the weather holds, I will be trying a spot that's closer to the launch raft.

 

Darrell Larose
Ottawa, Canada
16 August 2014

Afternoon project

I was toying with the nice natural light that my living room window has. So I grabbed my Pentax *istD with the SMC Pentax-FA 50mm f:1.4 lens and Manfrotto tripod. I ended up with the classical 1/125 second @ f:5.6 portrait setting on these self-portraits.





I decided to try Topaz Lab's Details plugin on this one. For the new hyper-realistic effect.





 



 

I've mocked the last one up as my new business card.

 



 

 

Darrell Larose
Ottawa, Canada