Posts Tagged ‘South Side Flats’
What rats see
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While walking to the nearby T light rail station after leaving the Sly Fox Brewery just after sunset, as described yesterday, one decided to keep on shooting and installed a lens on the camera body which is particularly ‘bright.’
What that means is that the design of the thing allows for an aperture of F1.8, which absolutely drinks in light but creates a fairly narrow depth of field. Whatever I’m focused on will be tack sharp, but everything outside of a fairly narrow zone will fall off into softness. In short, if you’re focused on something far away whatever’s close to you is going to appear fuzzy and soft and vice versa.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This makes it fairly important to carefully pick what you’re focusing on, of course. A lot of the daytime shots I present here at gathered at a narrow aperture during daylight, usually F8. Alternatively, tripod shots can be as narrow an aperture as F18, which I’ll use when I want everything in frame to be sharply focused and cause those neat little starbursts to form around artificial light.
One has a series of lens based ‘formulas’ for various circumstances. I won’t bore you with all that, however, the technical camera stuff. If you’re interested, ask me when and if I see you in person and I’ll be happy to offer a lesson.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A 20 minute ride on the T light rail found me back in the Pittsburgh Borough of Dormont, where HQ is located. This is about 5 miles away from the spots in Allentown, along Arlington Avenue, the PJ McArdle roadway, and the Sly Fox Brewery where this most recent series of posts were recorded.
Back tomorrow with something different.
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What squirrels see
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A humble narrator had regained ground level again, after having descended about a thousand feet along the cantilevered roadways of Mount Washington, here in Pittsburgh. One suddenly felt the need for some liquid refreshment, and headed over to the usual watering hole in this area for a pint of icy cold beer.
As is the case with this locale, found alongside the Pittsburgh Subdivision tracks of the CSX Railroad, it didn’t take long before the ‘show’ arrived. Choo-Choo.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One ended up drinking two pints, in the end, after a lovely and quite warm afternoon which saw me walking a pretty decent distance. As mentioned last week, I’ve resumed an old habit of consuming audiobooks and podcasts while scuttling about. This time around, I was relistening to an old favorite – 1906’s ‘The Jungle’ by Upton Sinclair. That story is set in Chicago, of course.
There’s a great version of The Jungle – which is free – available at Lit2Go – and this was the actual iteration of the novel which I was listening to. Highly recommended, but remember that Sinclair was a ‘muckraker’ and that the litany of horrors experienced by the characters in the book are a compilation of dozens of people’s troubles. Sinclair was also an activist, and his book is a part of the political story which led to the creation of the Federal Food and Drug Administration which regulates the meat industry in modernity.
It should be mentioned that the unregulated capitalism and political corruption of this era was not unique to Chicago, and that any ‘company town’ which exploited the naïveté of new immigrants thusly produced similar horror stories. Sugar in New York, Steel in Pittsburgh, Meat in Chicago – it’s all really the same tale. Stick that one in your ‘captains of industry’ bootlicker phrase book.
Incidentally, that’s the T Light Rail navigating itself onto the Panhandle Bridge, above.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Luckily, a couple of trains passed through while I was enjoying my pints, and one made it a point of recording their passage. A few people here in Pittsburgh have questioned why I’m so interested in this sort of pedantry, to which I answer that back in NYC a native ‘lifer’ would hardly notice the Empire State Building or an elevated subway line in their daily round. I experience a need to notice the fantastic, the extraordinary, the incredible – and so would you if you were carrying a camera about with you everywhere you go.
Pittsburgh is full of wonders, but to the folks who have spent their lives amongst them, it’s all just part of the day to day landscape.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One paid his bill, after getting one last shot of the west bound CSX freight train pictured above, and set off on his way back home. I’ve been trying to time things out lately so that I can hit the interesting times of day – light wise – while moving around.
My heavy back pack was once again resting on my shoulders, and then a scuttling off did I go. My plan for the day was to use the light rail to get home, but there were still a few more shots to gather along the way.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One headed up onto the so called ‘Highline,’ an elevated truss which overlooks the area where I had just been dwelling. I didn’t bother with tripod or fancy gimmick on this one, rather I was just waving the camera about and leaning in on a fence.
Sometimes, it’s just elbows that you need.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A few people have inquired as to what this watering hole I’ve been shooting from looks like, so there it is – the Sly Fox Brewery, and the outdoor seating it hosts. This joint connects to the ‘Color Park’ and is set in along the ‘Great Allegheny Passage’ trail on the south side of the Monongahela River.
The T Light Rail’s Station Square stop is about a half mile’s walk from this spot, so on the days when I leave the Mobile Oppression Platform at home, this is a great spot for me to take a bathroom break and refuel with beer and or food.
Back tomorrow with more, at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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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.
What crows see
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As described last week, a humble narrator was scuttling downhill along the face of Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington and recording a series of views from on high. After capturing a series of train photos, one continued along his way. There was a sports ball tournament playing out on an athletic field down below, and I couldn’t help but pop out a few more shots of all that.
I don’t know if the fire brigade had been dispatched or were on duty in case of an injury, but there they were.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The sports ball teams were busily pushing each other about. My understanding is that this particular field hosts high school teams from the greater Pittsburgh Metro region, but that’s second hand knowledge which has somehow infiltrated my mind.
Another bit of software – like religiosity – which never got installed in my mind is the ability to care about, or have any interest whatsoever, in sports. I’ve never been the ‘athletic’ type, and most of the people I know, or whom I’m related to that are… well, they’re generally not my favorite companions.
Want to talk about Star Trek? Superman, maybe? That’s me, as I’m a total and complete nerd. I can also talk, quite intelligently, about sewage.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Along my path, a nice shot of that Ukrainian church I’m fascinated by appeared. My next destination was a bit of a scuttle away from this spot, and along the way there were a triad of fellows watching the game. One of them was caught on the horns of a dilemma, while trying to figure out if he wanted to mug me and take the camera for himself.
He was younger than I, quite well muscled, and he also had the two friends, so I definitely would have lost this battle. Saying that, my Brooklyn honed street senses had already worked out a plan of attack (the English move) and defense which would have resulted in him having a fantastically expensive and painful experience at the Dentist’s office, afterwards. A well used camera ain’t worth all that much, so there’s that too.
Of course, being a New Yorker I spotted him and gauged his intentions from a good fifty feet away, and thereby did my usual evasion thing to sidestep trouble. Thing about Pittsburgh is that people walk around like they’re safe or something… but like sports and religion, that’s also something I ain’t got.
“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.
Chillin like a villain
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After a medium length walk, one needed to wait out the oncoming sunset, so I visited that bar I’ve been hanging out in that offers somewhat unparalleled railroad views. I ordered a pint, and sat down about 7 pm, with sunset meant to occur just before 8 pm. It didn’t take long.
That’s CSX #3356, a General Electric ET44AC model locomotive.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
In case you’re curious, this is the scene from a more personal perspective and occupation. This bar is called “Sly Fox Brewery,” and it seems to be connected to a real estate project called ‘The Highline.’ Said development sits across the tracks from the HQ of the local bicycle people, and a public park called ‘The Color Park.’ Visiting the latter is how I stumbled upon the former.
Pretty decent cup of beer, I’d mention. That’s a Pilsner. I like a cold yellow beer during warm weather, but switch over to stouts like Guinness when it’s cooler. Despite the abundance of postings from this establishment in recent weeks, I don’t actually drink all that much, rather I’m a ‘nurser’ and that pint glass lasted me around 40 minutes. At any rate, I like sitting outside and I especially like the fact that a nearby series of grade crossings for the rail tracks means that alarm bells go off in advance of the trains.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Trains are damnably difficult to photograph. First off – they’re huge. Secondly, they are moving much faster than the human eye would suggest they are. Even with the signal alarm bells going off, it’s a panic to get your settings right and compose a shot as the train comes rocketing through.
I’m actually pretty happy with the sun dogs and strobing in the shot above, as a note. I was using a counterintuitive formula for these – f11 at 1/2000th of a second at ISO 6400. That combination gave me a broad hyperfocal range, froze the action, and also produced a nice pixel density in the RAW file for me to work with during the developing stage.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I paid my tab as the sun was going down and proceeded to the so called Highline, which is probably somewhere in the neighborhood of about 60 feet or so over the spot pictured in the second shot. It’s the overpass you see in the third one directly above.
One unfurled the tripod and set the camera up for ‘low and slow’ shooting at ISO 100 and a narrow aperture of f18. The shutter speed for the shot above was 15 seconds, which preserved some of the texture of the waters of the Monongahela River and the clouds. That’s a concrete outfit at the left, and the busy Liberty Bridge is in silhouette.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As it got darker, the settings changed. The camera’s aperture got wider and the exposure times longer. One of the tricks to low light photography is being conscious of the color temperature of the scene. Digital capture happens on three plates – RGB, or Red, Green Blue. If you’ve got your camera set up with a capture temperature that leans red, it means very little representation on the blue plate and you get a noisy image. Yes, you can change the temperature in Adobe camera RAW, but I’ve learned that the capture temperature really matters.
Pittsburgh still uses old school sodium bulb street lamps, so you need to compensate for the saturated yellows and oranges which that sort of scenario creates and casts. Lately, I set my custom temperature to about 2750 Kelvin, whereas back in NYC with its modern LED street light luminaires I’d use 3800 K.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While heading back out towards the street, which I’d walk a few blocks of to get to the T light rail station, where I’d in turn acquire a ride back home, I waved the camera around a bit while it was still attached to the tripod.
Why not drive? I’m an absolutist when it comes to drinking and driving, and the whole point of the day was to get some exercise anyway. Not a drop passes the lips when I’m expected to be behind the wheel. Automobiling in Pittsburgh is difficult enough without being impaired. Additionally, it kind of ties my hands in terms of wandering and discovering, since I have to worry about the car.
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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.
CSX in the rain
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
To start with, as a humble narrator is punching away at the keyboard and writing this very post – he’s just suffered through a root canal procedure at one of the local Dentists here in Pittsburgh. This wasn’t a bucket list assignation, I would mention, instead it’s the result of me not exactly winning the genetic lottery when it comes to dentition. Ultimately, it’s just pain. I’ve felt worse.
Conversely and regarding the photograph above, captured on an evening during which I was feeling considerably less pain – since I was at a bar – one was lucky enough to witness another parade of CSX freight trains navigating along the CSX Pittsburgh Subdivision along southern side of the Monongahela River. That’s CSX #296, which is positively modern – a General Electric built AC4400CW model locomotive which hit the rails in September of 1997 – or so I’m told. It was pulling carloads of coke and coal in an eastwards direction.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Next up was CSX #916 – an ‘ES44AH’ model locomotive also built by the guys and gals at General Electric. It was hauling cargo boxes and tankers, heading westwards.
The worst mouth pain I ever experienced was the time that I got kicked in the mouth during a biker bar fight on the west side of Manhattan. This is before the gentrification dealie really got going in the Meat Market zone, and I caught the toe of combat boot as it smashed vertically into one of my front teeth. That one hurt for a long while, mainly as I didn’t have the cash on hand to visit a dentist. I still feel it sometimes, mainly when trying to eat a hard pretzel.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The life I lead now is quite different, as compared to those days. Back then, when an injury occurred which didn’t involve bleeding to death, I’d just kind of suck it up. I’ve been stabbed, beat up… heck, I once had a guy work me over with a baseball bat back in the Brooklyn days. Once, I broke my drawing hand, during an interval when I was working as a professional comic artist and illustrator. My ‘pay the rent’ job had to get done, so I propped the brush into my swollen digits and then used masking tape to sequester my broken hand around the thing in order to get the job done. To this day, my right hand’s pinky finger still sticks out at an odd angle. It looks like I’m drinking tea from a comically small cup, all the time.
That’s CSX #5206, a GE ES40DC model locomotive. As you can see, it was starting to rain, but I kept on drinking beer and pointing the camera at passing locomotives.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
By the time that CSX #568 came along, hauling cargo boxes and tanker cars, the rain had become steadier just as it was starting to get dark out. My lens got wet, as you can tell from the streaks, but there’s something I really like about that one above.
I’ve got a million injury tales, as a humble narrator is both a real klutz and has a long history of annoying people so much that they are compelled to rain blows upon me. The most recent major ‘owwie’ was that ghoulish crush injury to my left big toe that happened (at home) near the end of 2019, which is the reason why I was limping when the pandemic came around. That was a real joy, I tell’s ya. Thing is, I used to heal like Wolverine, but not so much anymore in my dotage.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A second shot of #568 was my favorite of the session, with the droplets of rain suspended in the head lamp illumination of the locomotive.
I don’t really talk about the heart attack these days, but that happened too. It’s the ‘levee breaking’ moment for a humble narrator, and the juncture moment by which I divide my life into ‘before and after.’ I guess that moving out of NYC to Pittsburgh is another such moment, and it’s something I’d have never even considered prior to that experience. The experience changed me profoundly.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After about four pints of beer, I was half in the bag and it was time to head back to HQ in nearby Dormont. Luckily, just after paying my tab, CSX #7271 came roaring through. It’s a GE AC4400CWM model. Frankly, I don’t remember what it was hauling, as I was on my way out.
The Root Canal business has been a real pain in the butt, or noggin more accurately. Expensive procedure, but I’ve been experiencing quite a bit of excruciatingly annoying pain for the last few weeks whenever ingesting cold beverages or eating anything that required serious chomping. It’s part of the whole medical journey I’ve been on since getting to Pittsburgh.
Excellent health system here in Pittsburgh, I would offer. A marked contrast to the rushed experience of NYC’s system. Same science, of course, but the Docs here take their time with you since they’re not as worried about paying their landlord’s an exorbitant rent.
“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 