Vienna

I was trying to think of an appropriate photo for Halloween and I came up with this.

This is the Kunsthaus Graz in Graz, Austria.  Proof in my mind that just because we can do something doesn't mean we should - It think it is quite an ugly thing.

Generally I don't like it when people say of a building 'It looks like a _____'.  Always seems to me that a building should look like a building not what ever folks want to liken it to.  This however had even me trying to search for a comparative descriptor.  Looks like a giant Haggis or part of a very large persons intestines.  Neither a good thing to be compared to aesthetically and therefore it ranks as a very spooky building.

Vienna

Something we don't have a lot of in the west are vernicular railways or elevators for the purpose of moving people from one earthen plateau to another.  This is the elevator in Graz that takes you to a hilltop with spectacular views of the city.

Vienna

It seems to me that Austrians don't like to be too far from food.  And Beer.  This sign is testament to this.

Vienna

Salvadore Dali was an odd duck for sure; but I like his work.  There was a small Dali exhibition on at the Museum of Contempory Art.

Vienna

Now this is a cool thing - it's a hammock house.  Open to all, there are four floors of hammocks over top of a bike lock-up.

A great idea and very popular.

Vienna

Not a typical Viennese photo, I took this photo in a grocery store - these are empty bottles for your freshly squeezed orange juice.

Vienna

There are two of these odd concrete structures in this park and we stood slack jawed trying to figure out what they were.

Each is constructed from crudely cast concrete and is about 8 or 9 stories high.  Up close they are distinctly weathered and look very unwelcoming.

These are flak towers built by Hitler after he realized how much damage allied bombs could do.  The towers were equipped with anti-aircraft guns.

It would cost too much to take them down so there they stand.

Vienna

These young musicians were excellent and played with great enthusiasm.

Vienna

Tourists.  Man, what a strange bunch.  Here are these 4 humanesque figures stiking a pose in a Vienna square and everybody has to have a go at striking a pose matching that of their favourite figure.

Who would travel thousands of miles to wind up doing this?

That's my lovely wife Terri.  I had my picture taken along side the figure two rows back.

Vienna

World War I is geneally thought to have started with the assasination of Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria during a visit to Sarajevo on 1914 June 28.  This is the car in which he rode  when shot - you can see some of the bullet damage, for instance there is a hole above the rear wheel just ahead of the point where the folded roof ends; it is the apple size point at which there is no paint.

His still-bloodied uniform is also on display.

Vienna

These canons at the Military Museum in Vienna are well past the days of utility but they look elegant with their turquoise patina.

Vienna

This flower shop seems to have burst at the seams.

Vienna

The Hotel Sacher in Vienna first served their now famous Sacher-Torte in 1832.  There are many imitators but there's something rather special about having a slice at the point of origin.

Vienna

These are the spires of St. Stephen's Cathedral in central Vienna

Canon G11 capture.

HDR Images

Oloneo Photoengine allows control over the tonality of the image in addition to producing an HDR image.

Photo today and yesterday taken at the St. Albert Grain Elevator Historical park.

HDR Images

We'll get back to Vienna shortly; in the meantime I wanted to get 2 images in front of you.

There are various ways of creating a High Dynamic Range photo - usually with some sort of specialized software made for the purpose.  The results can be a little weird or even hyper-weird.  I have 2 software programmes for creating HDR Images...well 3 I guess if you count Photoshop.  I prefer to have control over the weirdness and for that my new favourite tool is Oloneo Photoengine.

Here is a sample photo created by blending 3 exposures in Oloneo Photo Engine.  Sort of has an old postcard look to it.

Canon 5DII with Canon 17mm TSE; shifted for perspective control and tilted to control the depth of field.

Vienna

Proper photos to follow; but here's one more bit of Austrian weirdness to deal with.  This is part of a display in a Swarovski store.

Vienna

More iPhone Autostitching; here a group of young musicians put on a brief outdoor concert.

Vienna

Here's a little iPhone modern art.

Vienna

This is the Museum of Technology rendered via the iPhone Autostitch app.  I think this is a composite of about 14 photos.

Vienna

I love the way the iPhone Hipstamatic takes weird stuff and ratches up the weirdness.  This is part of a sign that had had the glass face smashed.  It looked quite spectacular up close; even better in this photo.

Vienna

Emerging from the depths at our home station of Taborstrasse.

Vienna

Not much to say about this; on tha platform waiting for the train at Karlsplatz I think.

Vienna

The Vienna subway system is fast and efficient - even if the names of the various stations are bit hard to remember.

Vienna

just say 'Double espresso bitte......' and presto, this magic elixer arrives.

Vienna

Aida is a chain of coffee shops sprinkled around Vienna.  It has a sort of retro feel to it.  Coffee is excellent as are the cakes and strudel.

Vienna

These revellers were on board just one of several trailers taking part in a parade promoting various night clubs in Vienna.  Not too many people my age on board.  Wish there was audio to go with because this was loud, baby.

Vienna

REgularly readers of this blog will recall that I had some camera gear stolen while in Vienna.   Lenses mostly.  I was a bit put off by that (no kidding) and has a result left the big camera in our apartment most days and took the iPhone and the G11 instead.  I found it rather liberating.  The iPhone got a pretty good work out - here's a detail shot of the floor pattern in the Museum of Natural History.

Vienna

Here's another iPhone Autostitch photo; this is the rotunda of the Museum of Natural History in Vienna.

Vienna

Just prior to heading to Austria I added a photostitch app to the iPhone.  It is very easy to use and produced excellent results.  When parts of the scene are in motion - people walking through for instance - the results can be unexpected but in some cases even better for the ghost like imagery.

Fall Details

This mushroom, about 7.5 cm in height, is doing it's best to make its way through the long wet grass.

Fall Details

Alberta Thistle is tough stuff to deal with in the garden as it prickly beyond measure.  The seed heads however are quite soft in the fall.