Archive for the ‘Pittsburgh’ Category
Allegheny, north shore
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After having woken up prior to sunrise and popping off a few shots from the West End Overlook, a humble narrator was hoping to visit the Mr. Rogers monument along the Allegheny River on Pittsburgh’s north side. Unfortunately, a crew of laborers were performing some sort of maintenance there and the thing was roped off. I had already fed the parking meter, so the Mobile Oppression Platform was happily ensconced and thereby I set off along the river trail.
That’s the Fort Duquesne Bridge, Pittsburgh’s famous ‘bridge to nowhere’ pictured above, with the office buildings of downtown Pittsburgh behind it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There seems to be a whole ‘scene’ here, revolving around pleasure boats navigating down the rivers and tying off along the waterfront. I’m sure there’s some form of governance, fees, all that. Saying that, boats can tie up to cleats and bollards and people overnight on them. That’s pretty cool, if you ask me.
It’s nice to live in a place where such things are ‘normal,’ and treated in a business like fashion. NYC identifies things people like to do, and then taxes the activity into oblivion and or criminalizes it. Can’t leave your house or attend a gathering without the ‘Reverend in Blue’ administering every single human interaction there, or having some bureaucratic entity doing its best to monetize you.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This odd thing caught my eye. Theory #1 is that somebody found these keys and automobile ‘FOB’ on the sidewalk and stuck them into the tree to help out whomever lost it. Theory #2 is that some drunk tried to start up or unlock a tree. This spot was equidistant between the Steelers and the Pirates sports ball stadiums, and there’s a LOT of bars found between them, so I thereby lean towards Theory #2.
Back tomorrow with something different, at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
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A better morning
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After a disappointing sunset photo session at West End Overlook Park here in Pittsburgh, described in last Friday’s post, a humble but quite frustrated narrator set an early alarm the next morning and set out to see if sunrise would provide me with better results from both effort and location.
I ran into that deer again, incidentally.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Luckily, there were banks of clouds rolling around the heavenly vault, and there was also a bit of morning fog. Both atmospheric conditions allowed for the light to carry and push a bunch of color about, so I got busy.
Learning how Pittsburgh’s light behaves has been an adventure, I tell you. This is very much a ‘morning’ sort of place.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Down on the Ohio River, a towing company was moving barges about. There was also quite a bit of automotive traffic rolling about, as you’d imagine on a week day morning. I arrived at this location before the Spotted Lantern Flies woke up. Pittsburgh is infested with these things, and Moe the Dog eats so many of them every day that it’s become part of the little goblin’s diet.
The other day, Moe stood up on his hind legs with his hands on a deck rail/bannister, while attempting to spy out where his next lanternfly snack was hiding. I called out to him, and when he looked over his shoulder at me it was a freakishly horrific sight which reminded me of something from a Tolkien story. Two legs bad, four legs good.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Looking towards the Allegheny River’s North Shore in this shot.
A humble narrator has always been an ‘owl’ rather than a ‘lark,’ as far as wakefulness goes, and have always been conspicuously awake late into the night. At the moment, I’m trying to unspool the habits of a lifetime lived in a City that never slept but enjoyed the odd nap, and am attempting to get into step with a City which wakes up early and watches the sun come up over coffees.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One has repeatedly found himself setting an alarm for 4:30 or 5 in the morning, showering while the water is boiling up for the morning ‘cuppa,’ and jetting out of HQ to get some exercise or wave the camera around at something. The quality of light seems to be better at dawn than at dusk, and mid day is nothing but harsh shadows and blown out highlights. I plan on figuring out night shooting here during the cold months.
This shot overlooks the so called ‘North side.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The deer didn’t seem at all worried about me being there while it was eating breakfast. After the burning thermonuclear eye of God itself had risen in the sky, any desire I had to shoot from West End Overlook dissipated as I was staring directly into the radioactive fireball.
I packed up my gear and hopped back into the Mobile Oppression Platform, and then drove over to the North Side water front which is pictured above. More on that tomorrow…
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“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
An ‘off’ evening
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One forces himself to get out and shoot, even when ‘I’m not feeling it.’ Such was the case a few weeks ago when a humble narrator drove over to West End Overlook Park to crack out a few exposures. It was foggy/misty out, and low lying clouds had obliterated any notion of light from the vault above. I was hoping for atmosphere, but I got ‘murk.’ The wrong time of day, and the wrong day as well. Bleh.
So, why do I present these shots as part of today’s post? Because I think it’s important to show the ‘screw up’ stuff along with your more precious shots, that’s why. As often mentioned, I’m always messing around with the various formulas I use when shooting. In the case of the shot above, that experimentation didn’t work out as intended. Technically speaking, it’s all there – sharpness, etc. – but the shot just doesn’t ’click.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On a slightly happier note, I met a deer. Pittsburgh has a deer problem, I’m told, one which revolves around an overpopulation in the abundant urban forests of the City’s suburbs and parks. The multitudinous Deer thereby find their normal food depleted and scarse due to their reproductive success, which in turn causes these sprits of the forest out onto city streets, and highways, and into the neighborhoods in search of forage causing a dangerous situation for man and beast alike. Y’see a lot of dead deer along the highways in the region. I mean… a LOT.
This situation has spawned a wonderful political argument, incidentally, which I’ve been following all summer.
– One group of ‘nature loving ex hippies’ want the government to distribute contraceptives to the deer. I’ve been waiting for a reaction by the Catholic Church to this plan.
– Another group, best described as ‘guys with pickups, beards, and guns’ have offered to just hunt and kill all the deer in Pittsburgh, so ‘problem solved’ if only the Government would get out of their way.
It got pretty political, pretty fast, this story. I enjoyed the heck out of it, while reading the local newspaper and watching the TV news. Nobody suggested releasing Wolves or some other large predator, but that’s the most effective control mechanism there is for Deer. An adult wolf eats about 50-60 pounds of meat a week, I’m told. I like that one best.
To combat this particular pickle, the Mayor’s office of the City of Pittsburgh has decided to allow an organized posse of 50 specially licensed bow hunters to cull the herd, under scientific and the State game authority’s guidance, in the various urban parks and wooded areas wherein the beasts dwell and multiply. The archers will be allowed a limited number of kills, but the meat from some percentage of their prey will be given to needy families that live on public assistance. No word on the contraceptive angle, yet, although the political estate promises new solutions next year.
The nation in a nutshell, this.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This shot is better than the first one for me. It ‘clicks’ to my eye. More or less the same settings but what’s the difference… composition? Subject? (West End Bridge over Ohio River with Rivers Casino and I think that’s Pennsylvania Route 65, aka the 65th Infantry Division Memorial Highway) I really don’t know.
That’s the whole point of forcing myself out into the world, I guess. Sometimes it pays off. Most of the time, in fact… but there’s the odd ‘off’ day where nothing much works.
Funny thing is, as I was driving home, I absolutely knew that the contents of my camera memory card weren’t all that enticing. I was annoyed by this, in fact. A humble narrator, thereby declared that he’d have to go back immediately.
I went back to HQ, set an early alarm, and was driving back to this spot, in the dark, at about 5:45 in the morning. Check that sequence out on Monday, lords and ladies – at your Newtown Pentacle.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Abandoned Bridge
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Union Railroad Rankin Hot Metal Bridge #35, aka the Carrie Furnace Hot Metal Bridge, was built in 1900 and has been out of service for some 40 years. Of late, it has been designated as part of the Carrie Furnace based ‘Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area.’ There’s talk of Allegheny County rehabilitating this span over the Monongahela River for usage by vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists. It connects the Pittsburgh exurbs of Whitaker/West Homestead on the southern bank of the river with the northern connection going to the community of Rankin.
While walking along the Great Allegheny Passage, one might notice a rather prominent fence hole – as a humble narrator did – which leads up to the span. As a note, the bridge is in a deleterious condition, and is quite hazardous. If you’re not versed in ‘urbex,’ or know how to gauge whether or not the next the step you take in a ruined industrial space is either the right one, or the one which sends you to either a hospital or an undertaker… I’d avoid this place.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
To amplify the caution, there’s several spots where the deck of the thing has deteriorated and the metal decking is nothing more than layers of rust. There’s also quite a number of trip hazards and a few instances where you’re looking through some rusted out hole at the Monongahela River, which is flowing by some fifty feet below you. You never want to have to call 911 for help, even if you could, as that would be an extremely embarrassing situation.
This span was used as a rail bridge, some 483 feet long, and is supported by three stout masonry piers. It was built to connect the Carrie Furnace and Edgar Thomson works on the northern shore to the rail network found on the south side of the river, and it also served as a connection to other nearby U.S. Steel plants in Homestead and Clairton, as well as offering ingress to the incoming rail shipments of coal and coke which fueled the various operations.
There’s lot of sharp edges, drops, and ways to get hurt up here. Also, technically speaking – I was trespassing – but there ain’t exactly a bunch of cops waiting for you up here. Still – it’s a nice spot for photos, and as I kind of know what to look out for, and am also notoriously cautious…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Saying all that, I was still engaged in my long walk from Duquesne to Homestead along the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail. I still had a couple of miles to go before meeting up with a friend at a local brewery for a couple of pints of beer and a session of grousing about the state of the world on that particular week.
The GAP trail reenters the street grid shortly after rounding around the Homestead Pump House historic site, and so did I. One scuttled forward. Ever scuttling, that’s me, God’s lonely man with a camera.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Love or money
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Man oh man, is it frustrating when you’re walking along rail tracks and the only trains you see are idle. The railfan crowd sports fancy little radios which allow them to predict the comings and goings, but a humble narrator doesn’t have nor does he want one of those things. That is, unless one of you reading this wants to get rid of one of those units, in which case – contact me and I’ll pay for shipping.
After proceeding along the Great Allegheny or GAP trail from Duquesne, one had finally scuttled into throwing distance of Homestead. Wasn’t quite there yet, still had about three miles of walking to get through. This was the ‘slog’ part of the walk – clear and cloudless skies, temperatures in the low 80’s, and the burning thermonuclear eye of god itself was irradiating me in the punishing manner of ‘Sol Invictus.’ Shvitz!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The only train witnessed was just sitting there, and there wasn’t even a locomotive attached to it, so these rail cars were basically in a parking lot. No fun. As the title of this post suggests… not for love or money did I get what I was hoping to shoot on this walk. Luckily, the purpose of this scuttle was ultimately about stretching my legs and ‘unclicking’ my back while burning out a few miles in the name of exercise. There would be beer and good conversation at the end of the effort, but right about this point a humble narrator was frustrated and uncomfortably warm. I kept on thinking about that sound Lucille Ball would make after saying ‘Ricky.’
I’ve started carrying a water bottle with me, which is something I never did back in NYC. Back home, you were never more than a 15 minute walk from a bodega or convenience store. Here, you’re on your own and need to be prepared for circumstance.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Our Lady of the Pentacle has pointed out to me that I still refer to NYC as ‘home,’ despite the fact that I haven’t dwelt there or been within the confines of the 5 Boroughs at all since December of last year. My response is “We live in Pittsburgh, but New York will always be my Home.”
I’m still very much in touch with things back home, by the way. Still keeping an eye on the Creek, and Astoria, and watching from afar. There’s a few people whose phones still ring when something concerning happens. Things seem to be going fairly poor for ‘home’ at the moment, it seems, and every bit of news I receive about the latest developments reaffirm the decision to ‘get the hell out of Dodge’ as having been the right move.
Back tomorrow.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
The Newtown Pentacle 