17th and Broadway Real Estate

17th and Broadway and the Kauffman Center, February 2011.

I was out in the fog of Sunday morning getting some new shots, among them this of 17th and Broadway in the Crossroads District of KCMO just outside of the downtown loop. If not for the fog you’d see a skyline behind the Kauffman Center from this spot if I recall. The real estate market is said to be an uncertain one in the immediate vicinity of the Kauffman Center, so I figured I’d get my shots in now just in case.

Meanwhile I’ve recently gotten a bit of extra publicity with one of my Libya protestor photos from a week ago.

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Union Station And The Link’s HVAC Reflections

Inside The Link in February

Yet another fisheye lens photo, and my fifth and final shot from my series of photos taken from inside The Link Skywalk between Union Station and Crown Center on the evening of Saturday February 12th. These kind of visually complicated things under the right lighting are pretty much my favorite things to do with photography. The ceiling and HVAC reflections in the glass wouldn’t be nearly so evident without the HDR/tone-mapped processing I applied by taking multiple exposures in-camera and blending them on my computer.

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Another Look at the Kauffman Center On-Site

The remainder of my shots from my visit to the Kauffman Center site on January 28th –

Up Close On The South End of the Building

I was a little upset over my Helzberg Hall ceiling photo below as I was unable to achieve a completely perfect symmetry with the composition.

Helzberg Hall Ceiling

Both shots taken with my fisheye lens. It seems that’s been a popular lens for me to use lately as a lot of my recent stuff has been from using the fisheye.

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Sly James Advances to General Mayoral Election

Last night I attended the watch party for Sly James, one of the primary mayoral race contenders in Kansas City, Missouri. Incumbent mayor Mark Funkhouser was unseated as Sly James and Mike Burke were the top two finishers in the primary, advancing to the general election on March 22 for holding the seat of Mayor of Kansas City Missouri.

After the crowd at Californos Restaurant in Westport received word of James’ advancing to the general election, Jason Kander – Missouri 44th District House Representative introduced Sly and he took the podium.

1) Sly James' Watch Party - after advancing

2) Sly James' Watch Party - Sly with family and friends

3) Sly interviewed by Channel 41

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The Link Skywalk in February Pt. 4

Inside The Link in February

A couple weekends ago I spent some time at sunset inside The Link for the second time this year getting sunset shots looking outward from the edifice toward the streets. In this, Union Station is at left with Crown Center at the right.

Kansas City, Missouri. February 12, 2011.

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Protest in Kansas City Against Muammar Gaddafi in Libya

Following up on the revolution in Egypt that resulted in a couple of photoblog postings on my part covering rallies here in Kansas City (One and Two), there is now a great deal of protesting and unrest in Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya, enough to bring out the local Libyan community and broader Arab American community in Kansas City for a rally at Mill Creek Park on the Plaza on Saturday. I met a man on Saturday who was actually the focal point in one of my Egypt photos who I learned was imprisoned by Gaddafi for nearly twenty years. The situation in Libya is not receiving the amount of press it should due to the tight reins Gaddafi’s regime keeps on journalists and the news media in Libya.

There aren’t a lot of ways to get information in and out of the country except through Internet social networking, and Gaddafi has been busy shutting off the Internet across Libya during the protests and clashes with Libyan citizenry. And I’m told a great deal of the world remains unaware of the killings of dozens or hundreds of protesters in Libya in recent days by Gaddafi’s military forces. There were some demonstrators present at this rally here in Kansas City living in exile from Libya who cannot return and see close family while Gaddafi is in power, so it is not hard to understand why Libyans would love to see Gaddafi gone.

1) Libyan and American flags flying on the Plaza

2) Gaddafi Sux

3) Libya's Turn - Fisheye Lens photo

4) Mubarak Awaiting Gaddafi

5) Streetscape on The Plaza during the rally.

6) Black and White with the Fisheye lens.

7) Holding a child.

8) Gaddafi's Atrocities - and this list only had room to cover the early part of his career as dictator.

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Out The Window Of A Plane

Out the Plane's Window

For two days this week I had an event photography gig I was working in Arizona – this shot was taken looking out the window of a Southwest Airlines flight from Kansas City to Phoenix this past Wednesday. Of course, the distortion from the fisheye lens makes the Earth appear round, which it is of course but the effect was exaggerated here owing to the lens construction. I wasn’t so lucky to get a window seat on the return trip.

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Union Station and Liberty Memorial in One Shot

Fisheye lens view out of The Link

This is the third of my five shots from The Link last Saturday near Union Station at Crown Center. With this fisheye lens angle through the windows we can see both Union Station at the right, some flags, and Liberty Memorial up the hill, and a tunnel with people thrown in for good measure.

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Behind Muriel Kauffman Theatre at the Kauffman Center

Backstage at Muriel Kauffman Theatre at the Kauffman Center

I don’t yet fully understand all the technologies at play inside the Kauffman Center. I’ve had them shown to me on a couple of occasions and I wish I could recite what and why this large edifice is hanging down from the ceiling behind the stage of the Muriel Kauffman Theatre but the proper response escapes me at present.

Muriel Kauffman Theatre Under Construction

A fisheye view behind the stage of the Muriel Kauffman Theatre at the Kauffman Center. As you can see there is a level underneath the stage that is made visible from this angle.

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Crown Center at Dusk from The Link

Crown Center from The Link

My second of five shots on Saturday night inside The Link skywalk over Pershing and Main downtown. Here you can see my bodily legs and tripod legs to the lower right in the reflections.

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Valentine’s Day Red Light Camera Protest

On Monday afternoon there was a protest as part of the “Nationwide Red Light Camera Protest” on Valentine’s Day at Southwest Trafficway and 39th Street in Kansas City, in protest of the city’s traffic cameras installed at that location and several others throughout the city.

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Union Station at Sunset from The Link

Inside The Link in February

I returned again to The Link skywalk over Pershing and Main at Crown Center on Saturday evening for more photos. I collected five total I want to post, this one being the first. Two were with my standard wide angle lens, as this photo above is, and three more were taken with my fisheye lens. Both work great inside a skywalk looking from inside out.

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Eighth & Broadway, Downtown KCMO

Garment District Architecture

At 8th and Broadway in downtown KC lies the old “Garment District” area. I’ve always really liked coming back to this area every now and then for further photos. Here we have the entryway area for the building on the southeast corner of 8th and Broadway – It’s the type of thing you’d never notice taking in the area from behind a windshield like most do.

I would have gone wider on this shot but accidentally left my zoom ring at 18mm instead of the minimum focal length of 16 mm I would have preferred.

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Liberty Memorial and Kansas City Skyscrapers

Part of Downtown Kansas City Missouri.

Last Friday evening during the blizzard recovery I was wanting some skyline shots with the snow. After trudging through the mess that was Liberty Memorial I realized that vantage point would be impossible, so I went near part of the Federal Reserve driveway and went wild with the telephoto. From left to right is the Liberty Memorial, the old Power and Light Building, and the One Kansas City Place building.

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The Garment District, Frozen Over

The old Garment District in downtown Kansas City, MIssouri - February 2011

On Saturday evening over by the Red Dragon Chinese Restaurant in the old Garment District around 8th and Broadway. I was right by the remainder of the Folger’s Coffee Plant in taking this shot. It’s the frigidness we’re stuck in until about tomorrow as over the next several days it’s supposed to warm up and melt off a lot of the blizzard from last week.

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The Grand Lobby in the Kauffman Center – under construction

Two weeks ago I had the chance again to go inside the Kauffman Center construction site for photography. For this post I’m highlighting my three fisheye-lens shots taken from the top level off the edge as close to the center as I could get. The Lobby will be called the Brandmeyer Great Hall.

Fisheye view looking directly south on top level.

Fisheye view looking southwest.

Fisheye view looking in a southeast direction.

The Kauffman Center as I refer to it, also known as the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, is a $400 million project in downtown Kansas City, Missouri designed by architect Moshe Safdie. The Kauffman Center will be opening this September.

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Tilted and Colorful Downtown KCMO

KCMO Skyline and LIberty Memorial Grounds

This was one of my three photos I came away with (Saturday’s post being another) from my time over near the Federal Reserve building with my telephoto lens trying to capture both parts of the Liberty Memorial grounds along with the skyline after the snowfall last week. Photo taken Friday, Feb. 4 a little after sunset.

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Protest In Kansas City of Egypt’s Mubarak Regime

On Sunday afternoon (Feb. 6, 2011) from 2 to 4 pm another large rally was held at Mill Creek Park on the Plaza for Egypt and against the Hosni Mubarak presidency currently under protest back in Egypt. This demonstration in Kansas City is the second in one week as the political situation in Egypt worsens. Those in attendance were primarily Egyptian Americans and other members of the Arab American community in KC.

1) Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 16-35 L II lens at 16mm, f/9.0, ISO 160, 1/160 sec.

2) Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 100-400 L IS lens at 275 mm, f/9.0, ISO 160, 1/160 sec.

3) Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 100-400 L IS lens at 190 mm, f/13, ISO 250, 1/50 sec.

4) Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 100-400 L IS lens at 100 mm (cropped), ISO 250, f/8.0, 1/100 sec.

5) Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 15 mm Fisheye lens, ISO 250, f/8.0, 1/100 sec.

6) Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 15 mm Fisheye lens at ISO 500, f/8.0, 1/160 sec.

7) Canon 5D original version with Canon EF 85 mm prime lens (cropped) at ISO 50, f/1.8, 1/1600 sec.

8) Canon 5D original version with Canon EF 85 mm prime lens at ISO 50, f/4.5, 1/160 sec.

CLICK HERE for my posting from last week on this subject, if you missed it.

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KCMO Skyline and Liberty Memorial Grounds With Snow

Kansas City MO Skyline with LIberty Memorial

I was intending for shots from Liberty Memorial’s overlook area of the downtown skyline, but it was closed off due to the mess the blizzard left behind. After I was leaving I looked left out my window and noticed from around in front of the driveway of the Federal Reserve building you have this view (via telephoto lens) of part of the downtown skyline.

– evening of Friday, Feb. 4, 2011 –

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Kauffman Center Exterior Up Close

From my visit to the Kauffman Center’s construction site last Friday, here are a couple external up-close shots. From this angle the Grand Lobby is the prominent feature being seen of the new building.

Facing eastward, Canon EF 16-35 L II f/2.8 Lens at f/18, 16mm, ISO 50, Shutter speeds varied.

Facing westward in the afternoon, Canon EF 15 mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens at f/18, 15mm ISO 50, Shutter speeds varied

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Kauffman Center Interior Construction Progress

Last Friday I had the chance again to go on-site and inside the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts for further construction and progress photography. For this post I’m showing the two venues in the building, the Muriel Kauffman Theatre and Helzberg Hall.

Muriel Kauffman Theatre Under Construction in January 2011.

In the instance of both photos I stood as far to the top and center of the interiors as I could and used my fisheye lens (Canon EF 15 mm f/2.8 Fisheye) with my 5D Mark II DSLR. I used HDR/Tone mapping in the computer post-processing to even out the differing levels of exposure that were inherent in both scenes.

Helzberg Hall Under Construction in January 2011.

The Kauffman Center is scheduled to open this coming September.

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