Blower Fans

Not CERN scale cool, but great vintage steam(punk) cool.

The image will run as a two page spread. Many thanks to George, who helps maintain the system, for stepping in on short notice.

I couldn’t help but make the first here after I saw it (made it on the way out, after covering the bases). I knew it wouldn’t make it with space constraints. The reason being that without the help of a heavy caption one understandably would assume the left wall of names is also from the Civil War (which it is not, World War II, I think). Anyway, point is outside of editorial clarity or expediency I like the architecturally formal strength here. In this I think I have a sense of space and a visually longer lasting image – the building lines are there to follow, loop back on, and interlock.

Civil War Memorial

The second image as well was not published, as this whole wall was. I want to share this here because it is a good editorial image for me as it feels different than many I have made. It is closer of course, perhaps, but (and maybe it is just the subject matter) it feels more intense.

Civil War Memorial

I see myself as an image maker and this is important in that I don’t see images “taken” or “captured”, instead MADE. Sometimes this is less artistically subjective in the photography of art (aka museum photography) where the making might be more about technical making (assembly) or in this case a more subjective, but not excessively produced image that uses a little foresight and an ounce of assembly.

This exterior image of Woolsey Hall in New Haven, CT was made to accompany interior images I made of the Civil War Memorial that lists both fallen Union and Confederate soldiers of Yale (look for an upcoming mention on those).

Woolsey Hall: Final Image

Scouting Images
First, if there is time I want a scouting image. Camera phones are awesome for this and I’ve used a pano app to approximate the wider view I’ll make later.

Scouting Phone Pano

 
Base Plate
Next is actual photography. In this case all images are made from the same view (what I most often do) as samples out of time or varied by some other parameter like exposure (a parameter could be depth of focus to give you another idea). The first image is my base plate, a clean scene with an accurate overall exposure.

Image Base Plate

 
Selective Elements
1. People
This Woolsey Hall image is effectively an “editorial” image where the goal is to make a natural looking view of the building (not a more stylized or lush “beautiful building” image). While I want all of the building facade, I also want some context to place the building. Unfortunately the available context is essentially the intersection in front. That is not so much a problem as this building is an intersection of sorts itself, as a gateway to Yale’s campus. So that leads me to filling the contextual intersection space with traffic, and not car traffic, so I want pedestrian traffic. The majority of additional plates are then sampling out a good crop of human traffic.

11-026_003-people	11-026_004-people	11-026_005-people
11-026_006-people	11-026_008-people	11-026_010-people

2. Tree Branch
The branch hanging down as seen in the base plate is providing an affect I want, keeping the view contained lower in the image than floating up to the dome. It looks too heavy though and projects too far down into the frame. I want it more at the edge. Here are the plates that get the leaf parts I want (I’m just on a 4 step ladder pushing up the same branch seen in the base plate). A bonus has been that I like the wispy clouds that have appeared and given me something other than a blank blue sky.

11-026_009-tree

11-026_010-tree

11-026_011-tree

 
Finishing an Image
All the above images are laid together. The finished image of the building is made up of all these additional elements on top of the base plate. Of course I could have closed the intersection, hired models, and had assistants hold the branches – and maybe had it all in one exposure. That is a valid approach and vary well could have produced an identical image. On the other hand the cost to create the image would be much, much more. As well there is something I think composed, not contrived about the image. Here again is the Final image.

Woolsey Hall: Final Image

I photographed this back in the fall with the help of Turner Brooks and his associate Aaron, but publication was delayed an issue. There has been several previous articles on this collection and the preparation of the exhibit, but I was invited to make finished images of the space.

A feature is running along with an article in the Yale Alumni Magazine. As well Architectural Lighting magazine picked up the story for their museum lighting issue.

You can see the full set of images I made as a featured project: Cushing Center.

Project: Cushing Center

Cg

Here are a couple images, and the full set can be seen here.

Warehouse	Entry Way	Connector
Welcome	Ready Space	Parking

Update: Check out the Yale Alumni Magazine article online here.

I had a blast photographing the delivery and installation of this Potain Crane on Chapel St. in ‘ole New Haven last week. The crane sits on a concrete pad in front of Street Hall, a second to another in front of the Swartout building. These cranes support the renovation of both buildings as part to the Yale University Art Gallery renovation and expansion that started with the Kahn building.

The crane erection was an amazing process that started at 7am with setting up the support crane (the yellow one with wheels), and finished at 4pm. Note that the crane I photographed sits low on a concrete pad and up the street the first crane is high on a box structure – so they are at different heights. This makes sense when you see at day end they test crossed the cranes. All folded up the Potain Crane stands up and unfolds all via remote control. I’ll resist a boys and toys comment, as the crane/process is actually rather elegant.

Check out the image gallery and you can see the process unfold. Click on the screen grab image.

Construction Crane Erection Gallery

Thanks to the kind folks at Dimeo for letting me on site. And of course Leslie the Yale Art Gallery for having out for the day.

Chris

The Art Gallery art handlers had just recently put all the main pieces together and removed cardboard that had been protecting the floor boards. You can see all the parts pre-assembly here (scroll down some, not my image so come back). The framed in room will be taken apart after some more conservation and reinstalled at the Yale Art Gallery in a year or two. The open wall sections and ceiling will be plastered in once reinstalled. Cool!

Thanks to Emily, Eric, and Tom for letting me into their secluded workspace.

Chris

New Haven, CT at night

NH Panorama

Chris

Thanks to the staff at the Odonnell Company for lending me their view (esp. Jess Smith). You can see the final image and some of the before post parts here.

Round top window’s the port hole on this one.