Posts Tagged ‘Mount Washington’
Descending again
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Descending from the prominence of Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington, via the PJ McArdle roadway, is where we left off yesterday and that’s what the shot above illustrates.
This roadway is cantilevered out from the face of the landform, and leads down to the flood plane level of the Monongahela River’s southern shore. The area which it makes its landing in is called either the South Side Flats or simply ‘south side.’
There’s a shot along this route that I’d really like to capture a decent iteration of for the archives, which is the Monongahela Incline riding on its funicular trackway over the road.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Like a lot of ‘shots I want,’ the practice is to haunt the location and get versions of the composition during different times of the day and weather conditions over time. There’ll be dozens of iterations, usually, until I get whatever the heck it is within the brain box that I’m going for.
All of the scouting I’ve been up to for the last couple of years is now moving into actual photography time.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is the sort of thing I’m going for, although I should have used a different lens to try and get some more blurry drop off and ‘depth of field.’ I shot this one with a zoom lens at f8, and the focal was dialed all the way out, which ‘flattens’ things too much.
A lens swap occurred prior to the next group of shots, as an 85mm f2 prime lens was affixed to the camera.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The 85mm was set to f2.8, but I still didn’t get the blur and drop off in background focus – bokeh, as it’s called – that I was hoping for. As mentioned, this is a shot I’m going to work until I get it right. I dig it.
The 24-240mm zoom lens is an omnivore and ‘walk around’ lens, allowing me quick focus across a large range, but it operates best with a narrow aperture like f8. The narrow aperture also restricts it to daytime usage, sans tripod.
The prime lenses are restricted to a fixed objective size, but offer larger apertures (f1.8 and up) that allow me to get a bit artsy fartsy and capture images in dark or shadowed locations.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I swapped the zoom lens back onto the camera, performed a quick inventory of the camera bag to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be, and thereupon one continued with his scuttling.
Your humble narrator was literally the only pedestrian along this route, except for the fellow at the bottom of the hill (mentioned yesterday) whom I’m pretty sure was well into the process of becoming a zombie.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Along the way, this scene caught my eye. Goes to show that no matter how much effort mankind puts into something, nature always ends up winning out. Comforting, no?
Back tomorrow.
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…rise and look around you…
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One last ‘portrait shot’ of Pittsburgh’s Downtown was gathered, and your humble narrator packed the tripod back up into its assigned spot on my camera bag and got moving. A couple of overly ambitious trail routes leading away from this location had been considered for my walk, but I’m not 100% on the ankle front yet and discretion is the better part of valor.
Best to stick to paved surfaces for now, and take advantage of the sloping nature of one of these roads to exercise and stretch the tendons and discrete musculature surrounding the ankle and heel of my left foot.
Forward, ever forward…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I ended up chatting with the guy in the shot above, who was smoking a cigarette while drinking a coffee. His name was Gus and he’s lived up here for more than twenty years, according to our conversation. Nice guy.
I’m told by friends that my habit of talking to strangers is weird.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Closer to the incline, you start seeing signs of life (other than Gus). Right about here is where another random conversation with strangers occurred, as a young mom with a Canon Rebel spotted my camera and started asking questions about lenses, technique, and such.
After a quick and salubrious exchange, I was back on my way.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned, it was ‘leg day,’ and the shot above offer some suggestion as to why I chose this particular route up and down Grandview Avenue. The buildings on the left enjoy uninterrupted views of the Three Rivers/Downtown area. There’s a few restaurants and cocktail bars ‘with a view’ sprinkled in along this route, but it’s mostly residential in this stretch.
The bum ankle was performing as expected, I’d mention. A bit of discomfort, but I’m not getting the weird sensation of tightness in my heel anymore.
Stretch and strengthen, don’t ‘protect’ the ankle, push on.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I desperately wanted to walk the entire length of Grandview Avenue and access a different and quite well wooded pathway along natural surfaces, one which snakes down the face of Mount Washington, but again – have to reign in my ambitions until I’m ready to surmount real physical challenges again.
Can’t wait for that actually. That’s a problem I’m trying to keep in check.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The pathway I’d use to get back down to the flood plane level along the Monongahela River would be the PJ McArdle roadway, which has been mentioned here and trod upon many times. Along the way, I encountered an apparently unhoused fellow whom I think might have taken a step over towards Zombie. The bad smell, a blackened discoloration at the ends of his limbs, milky white eyes… it all said zombie.
There’s a history of this sort of thing happening in Pittsburgh, just look at the Pittsburgh incident of 1968, and also the one that was centered around nearby Monroeville in 1978.
Back tomorrow with more.
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on a clear day…
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A walk down Pittsburgh’s Grandview Avenue was recently undertaken, and whereas I wasn’t specifically intending to do any ‘portrait shots’ of Pittsburgh when leaving HQ… how can you just ignore the set up from way up here?
That’s downtown Pittsburgh pictured above, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, where their admixture creates the Ohio River. Commanding views all around.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This one looks westwards along the Ohio, and catches a CSX freight train leaving the frame at center left. The tracks at far left that are set further up the hill are Norfolk Southern’s, and that highway looking primary arterial roadway is called West Carson Street. This is the southern bank of the Ohio River, as a note.
The tripod got set up for these, given that I was dialed all the way out on the zoom lens. I plan on finding some walking pathways through that shot above this summer. The West Carson corridor offers sidewalks, but it’s a high speed road and walking along it could best be described as ‘no bueno.’ The speed limit is 35 mph, but it’s fairly common for people to do 70 or 80 along this lightly policed stretch of road.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This shot looks across the river at the Ohio’s northern bank, with I-279 rammed through an industrial zone. A subsequent walk, which will be detailed in future postings, was recently undertaken in this zone. As is often stated, I remain fascinated by parabolas, and sweeping curves of high speed roads and their ramps.
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.
All the way up
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Recent endeavor found your humble narrator marching about on Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington, specifically on ‘Grandview Avenue,’ a local street which hugs the ridge of the landform and which provides commanding views of the city and its confluence of the three rivers. This is also a fairly hilly route, with a couple of substantial ups and downs, so a recent exercise day started there. Luckily there was a construction site, which I used to gauge the proper exposure for this particular set of conditions by focusing in on some construction equipment.
The goal for the day was to walk around five miles, horizontally, while also planning in a lot of sloping pathways. All good for the ankle.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was a lovely day in Pittsburgh, breezy and in the high 60’s with no expectation of rain. I was packed up in the usual manner, as far as camera and gear go, with one new exception. Got myself a wide brimmed fishing hat for long walks in direct sun like this one.
On sale at Costco, cheap.
I really like Mount Washington, it should be mentioned, and apparently so do a lot of other people. Rental units, and housing valuations, up here along Grandview Avenue are pretty high by Pittsburgh standard. Views are a serious magnifier of real estate pricing wherever you go, I guess.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a hiking trail (partially pictured) on Mount Washington’s face which I’m going to try and tackle when my ankle is fully recovered. Theoretically that’s going to be the end of the summer, according to all the Docs. Imagine it, I’m visiting this site and you’re not hearing me endlessly complain about breaking my ankle last year. What can I tell you? It was a profound and life altering injury, and it’s still very much present in my day to day.
Back tomorrow with more – at this – 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.
Mud splatters
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Well, I finally missed a day, yesterday, disappointing all those who expect regularly posted missives from your humble narrator to appear in their inboxes as normal, on a Monday. At any rate, there you are. Sorry, and ‘Oops.’
Pictured is an apartment complex in Pittsburgh’s Green Tree neighborhood. Don’t know much about it, other than marveling at its observed size and bulky brutalist architecture. There’s a few large apartment complexes in Green Tree, and I often wonder why. Most of the community is housed in one family suburban style homes, yet…
Recently, I learned that quite a few of those suburban style homes are built on top of a subterranean freight rail tunnel, and also where that tunnel emerges back onto the surface. It’s a bit of a hike, involves a bit of fence climbing and woods walking, activities which I’m not ready to chance yet.
Something to look forward to.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A recent social engagement in Pittsburgh’s Strip District found me waiting for a cab afterwards, and standing under the 16th street David McCullough Bridge while sheltering from rain. McCullough, a noted historian and Pittsburgh native, wrote what I consider to be the best book on the building of the Brooklyn Bridge (1983’s ‘The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge.’) McCullough narrated the audiobook of it as well, which I listen to periodically.
It seems like life is returning to normal, finally, or at least whatever ‘normal’ is for one such as myself. I’ve been walking as much as the weather and schedules allow, and following the instructions from the team of doctors who cared for me during all of this busted ankle related drama. Continuing the stretching exercises from ‘PT’ and all that.
See… I mentioned the ankle. Promise that I’ll stop talking about that situation soon. Should be nothing more than just another war story within a few months.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Circumstance recently found me in one of the lesser populated sections of Mount Washington’s Grandview Avenue, where this view awaited. I’m planning on heading to this location again with the full kit, setting up the tripod and getting busy. This is pretty far from the overlooks and inclines, this particular spot, and a less common point of view.
Back tomorrow with something different, at this – 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.
The Newtown Pentacle 