Buffalo
Central Terminal: One
23/09/09 17:30 Filed in: Photography
First and foremost, apologies for not updating over the last two days, I have been swamped with redesigning a website and finishing up two video promos. I could have updated earlier today but I wanted to go out and shoot to have something fresh to show. I took a pilgrimage to Central Terminal again to explore a little bit. One of these days I’m going to be stalked by the girls from The Shining and never make it out.
I love the Central Terminal. I know efforts are underway to restore portions of it, however I’d like it to remain as is; but who am I to make such a request. My goal is to photograph the platform area’s as much as I can. I know some people who frequent my site likely know people who work with the Central Terminal Restoration Corp. and will likely show them. While the main building has no trespassing signage, which I respect, the further platforms to not. Therefore I did not break any rules to take the following pictures. In the future I will coordinate to photograph the main building, like others have, but I hopefully will be able to put my spin on it.
The remaining platforms have seen quite a bit of activity over the years, in fact I’m confident people were there within the last 6 months as there was garbage from a recent Tim Horton’s promotion. The platforms are quite the photogenic spot. Portions are dilapidated, well most of it is actually, as well as over grown with fresh greenery. From a photographic/cinemagraphic standpoint the platforms are great because you get a real opportunity to play with a really great depth of field. The general platform area is also a good place to work on technique; I brought no tripod with me as to not draw attention and because there’s a significant lack of light I was shooting with a shutter speed between 1/8 - 1/30sec with a wide open aperture, thus it was a good chance to work on low shutter speed grip and technique.
One theme I noticed on the platforms were since that said: Watch Those Labels. At first I thought nothing of it, but they were reoccurring so much that it became slightly eerie. What labels should I be looking out for I thought at one point. I guess I find it so intriguing because it is very clear that the Terminal platforms were simply abandoned one day.
I could talk for hours about my opinions and theories about Central Terminal and society, but for now I’ll let the pictures speak for me:
I love the Central Terminal. I know efforts are underway to restore portions of it, however I’d like it to remain as is; but who am I to make such a request. My goal is to photograph the platform area’s as much as I can. I know some people who frequent my site likely know people who work with the Central Terminal Restoration Corp. and will likely show them. While the main building has no trespassing signage, which I respect, the further platforms to not. Therefore I did not break any rules to take the following pictures. In the future I will coordinate to photograph the main building, like others have, but I hopefully will be able to put my spin on it.
The remaining platforms have seen quite a bit of activity over the years, in fact I’m confident people were there within the last 6 months as there was garbage from a recent Tim Horton’s promotion. The platforms are quite the photogenic spot. Portions are dilapidated, well most of it is actually, as well as over grown with fresh greenery. From a photographic/cinemagraphic standpoint the platforms are great because you get a real opportunity to play with a really great depth of field. The general platform area is also a good place to work on technique; I brought no tripod with me as to not draw attention and because there’s a significant lack of light I was shooting with a shutter speed between 1/8 - 1/30sec with a wide open aperture, thus it was a good chance to work on low shutter speed grip and technique.
One theme I noticed on the platforms were since that said: Watch Those Labels. At first I thought nothing of it, but they were reoccurring so much that it became slightly eerie. What labels should I be looking out for I thought at one point. I guess I find it so intriguing because it is very clear that the Terminal platforms were simply abandoned one day.
I could talk for hours about my opinions and theories about Central Terminal and society, but for now I’ll let the pictures speak for me:
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Sabres
20/09/09 12:41 Filed in: Photography
I’ll preface this with the following: Every time I go to a Sabres game they lose. Every time. I’ve been to five games in two years and they have lost all five. That being said, this time I brought my camera gear with me to document the game. I was surprised and delighted to know that HSBC arena has a relatively lax photography policy for Sabers. If you have a pretty decent lens, such as a 300mm on up. We were sitting in section 109, so we weren’t that far away. My problem was my lens wasn’t very fast focusing, but that’s no excuse. Perhaps I’m just too slow. Regardless, not too many shots from the game, but a couple decent ones, I guess I need to go to more and get a press pass.
Gallery can be found here.
Gallery can be found here.
Chernobyl, New York
19/09/09 07:55 Filed in: Photography
I’m fascinated with the amount of urban abandonment throughout Western New York. Any local you talk to will give you the song and dance that this building or that building is “just about to make its comeback.” We’ve been hearing that about the same buildings for twenty years, and it likely wont change anytime soon. The big hoopla are area’s like the old Central Terminal site, and the Jefferson Projects. While local government insists they will force federal government to invest in these landmarks, it remains to be seen.
I’ve been going to several spots for the last twelve months as part of a two year project about the Urban decay in the greater WNY area. Hopefully I’ll eventually be able to show this in some setting but that also remains to be seen. I’ve entitled the project Chernobyl, New York. Naturally its title gives the project a certain gloom and doom, but it’s meant to be optimistic. I’m in favor of not restoring these landmarks, but that’s a debate for an artists statement.
I encourage you to sample the preview I have posted. I’m hoping to be able to display this exhibit in winter 2010 or spring.
I’ve been going to several spots for the last twelve months as part of a two year project about the Urban decay in the greater WNY area. Hopefully I’ll eventually be able to show this in some setting but that also remains to be seen. I’ve entitled the project Chernobyl, New York. Naturally its title gives the project a certain gloom and doom, but it’s meant to be optimistic. I’m in favor of not restoring these landmarks, but that’s a debate for an artists statement.
I encourage you to sample the preview I have posted. I’m hoping to be able to display this exhibit in winter 2010 or spring.
Buffalo
16/09/09 08:22 Filed in: Video
Last night I was inspired to cut together a short using some stock footage of Buffalo that I shot last summer. I used the opportunity to use the short as a lesson in structure. I find that a lot of shorts are very frantic, perhaps it’s this new age of youtube media and if you don’t engage the viewers attention in seven-seconds you’ve failed as an editor. As I hone my vision and technique, I forced myself to be patient with this short and let the image speak for itself. It seems like a very easy concept, but a simple search on the internet shows us several examples of decent video masked behind trendy music or intense motion graphics. All of those examples are fine, if that’s the point. But more and more we find that more video’s are using these to attract hits and views, instead of critical analysis. I fully expect a portion of the audience to not enjoy my work, but I also expect that the percentage that don’t be able to tell me why. An opinion holds no bearing if the only reason they dislike my work is because it lacks in motion graphics or intense music that is also embedded in three hundred other videos online.
Editing is a discipline. As an editor, if I am not disciplined then my work will be overshadowed by the tricks I implement to attract views. I think it’s something we should thing about before we start editing. There’s nothing wrong with motion graphics or a solid music bed, there’s a time and place. There is something wrong with the abuse of these tools, especially to garner fame.
On that note, ‘Buffalo’ is a simple 3-minute short, demonstrating the elegance of the city I love. Enjoy, and if not, let me know why.
Editing is a discipline. As an editor, if I am not disciplined then my work will be overshadowed by the tricks I implement to attract views. I think it’s something we should thing about before we start editing. There’s nothing wrong with motion graphics or a solid music bed, there’s a time and place. There is something wrong with the abuse of these tools, especially to garner fame.
On that note, ‘Buffalo’ is a simple 3-minute short, demonstrating the elegance of the city I love. Enjoy, and if not, let me know why.
Buffalo from Nathan Benson on Vimeo.
Tomorrow a High of Snow with a low of more Snow
14/09/09 19:22 Filed in: Photography
My relationship with snow is love hate. I love to hate it. More importantly I love to photograph it. Luckily I own the proper coat otherwise I’d probably photograph hot water heaters or ovens for a living. Buffalo has the best summers in the world, anyone who lives here is a testament to that. Winter in Buffalo is arguably more beautiful than summer, depending how you look at it.
For my wife who insists I call the landlord if the heat falls before 67.9 in the winter, she wholeheartedly hates winter weather (loves christmas cookies and houses that smell like cinnamon though). For me, nothing is better than putting on layers and walking around the city photographing its wonder.
As it turns out, Lake Erie (at its shallow parts) gets about 15 feet solid during the winter months. It is somewhat intimidating hearing all the ice shift under your feet, especially since any second the ice could cave and I’d be nothing more than a fossil. The mound of ice above was about 9 feet high of solid ice, sand and snow. There isn’t much in this world besides steel that is as solid as that mixture of elements. But everything in Buffalo isn’t as gloomy in the winter:
For my wife who insists I call the landlord if the heat falls before 67.9 in the winter, she wholeheartedly hates winter weather (loves christmas cookies and houses that smell like cinnamon though). For me, nothing is better than putting on layers and walking around the city photographing its wonder.
As it turns out, Lake Erie (at its shallow parts) gets about 15 feet solid during the winter months. It is somewhat intimidating hearing all the ice shift under your feet, especially since any second the ice could cave and I’d be nothing more than a fossil. The mound of ice above was about 9 feet high of solid ice, sand and snow. There isn’t much in this world besides steel that is as solid as that mixture of elements. But everything in Buffalo isn’t as gloomy in the winter:
