Monumental Modern Artistic Sculptured Architecture: Frank Gehry as openers!

Asher Kelman · Feb 14, 2009

Each city develops an identity made of cultural influences that change only slowly and then someone comes along and takes a giant step in imagination and financing to bring us a new unique face to identify with the place.

In Los Angeles there was a great struggle to build a structure to contain the musical vision of the movers and shakers behind the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The design was chosen after a model of a sound stage surrounded by the audience, an intimate design with the most modern and demanding qualities for projection and experiencing music.

The challenge was to contain this desired sound box in a structure that would define the cutting edge of concert hall architecture. At the same time, an organ would be built that would be integral to the entire project. Frank Gehry brought his famous flair for the sail motif. The rest is history. The acoustics are second to none. Los Angles Philharmonic is at its peak. It's perhaps the most financially stable and successful orchestra in the USA. The maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen is a world-renowned conductor who made the L.A. Philharmonic one of the most adventurous orchestras today. Salonen sadly will be leaving us at the end of his tenure so he can focus more on composition. His handpicked his successor, Gustavo Dudamel, will take over the baton this year. This is the celebrated young "wonder" conductor from Venezuela. We were lucky to snag him. This was a remarkable feat whose boldness matches Gehry’s building! This achievement in taking such a new and still emerging super star was achieved by risk-taking Debra Border, (President and CEO of the LA Philharmonic), with Salonen to secure Dudamel way ahead of the expected bidding wars by competing orchestras. He does not disappoint! Music flows from him and he energizes and inspires the orchestra in a special youthful way. Imagine sitting in this splendid building and experiencing music at it's finest as if it is created anew by this young natural. So Frank Gehry's architecture truly houses music of the 21st Century.

I show this picture to celebrate the civic achievement in getting WDCH imagined, designed and brought to life. Make sure this is a place you visit.

We have a really wonderful ongoing thread devoted to the architecture of WDCH by OPF photographers, each finding new ways to isolate part of the Gehry magic. Visit that thread http://www.openphotographyforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=69817 and add any detail studies you have made to that collection.

Here I present my latest stitched panorama using a 5D and taken early in cold morning as the dawn broke with an overcast heavy sky. I stood in the road as if I had the right of way as a survey engineer and luckily did not get hit by cars or ticketed by the police.

I hope you enjoy this and appreciate how we can use simple setup to take impressive images. I look forward to seeing your examples of the finest creative modern structures, from Bauhaus on and Frank Llloyd Wright and more shocking!

Introduce each building. I'll return to add more to this.

Thanks for joining in.

Asher

Classical architecture could be used to start a new thread! Detail studies of the Walt Disney concert Hall go here. here.

nicolas claris · Feb 14, 2009

So! no one did jump on this occasion? we have some fine architecture photogs here!
Come on guys are so shy? or maybe to busy with Valentine…

Ken, I know have beatifull shots of Chicago (oh! how I love the millenium park! is it finished now?)
Michael Fontana! I'm sure you have some stunning panos!
Rainer, show your best!
And all others, c'mon guys, this is our world!

OK in the meantime, I'll stop buy and drop a few…

Asher and I do share a lot of common ideas (not always!), passion and admiration. Franck Gehry is one of them.

In December 2007, when I received my 1Ds3, my first wish was to shoot by night the Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao (Basque Country - North-West of Spain).

Canon 1Ds3 - Sigma 12-24 @ 12 - 1600 ISO

For editorial only, please no download, no edit. Photo Nicolas Claris - Architecture Franck Gehry - Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao

Then in February 2008, I wanted to do some tests of the Sinar HY6. And I thought it could be a good idea o revisit the Guggenheim musem. But I guessed that maybe Sinar or I would like to use the photos to show the quality of the camera, so I felt I had to ask for the permission (rights of use of the Museum image).
After a few days I got their OK! Great! hmmmm The rights were granted if we (Sinar and/or I) paid the sum of 50.000 Euros… Guess what?
I changed my mind! Hence came the idea to find another Ghery's building, not too far from Bordeaux.

Hotel Marques de Riscal was the perfect match! They gave their permission provided that we don't do any commercial with it, unless we submit the image first.
The Hotel is located in Elciego a typical small village in the Basque Country but more inland than Bilbao.

So here we are again:
2 Canon shots:

No edit, no download. Franck Ghery Architecs, photo Nicolas Claris courtesy of Hotel Marques de Riscal - The Luxury Collection - For editorial only

nicolas claris · Feb 14, 2009

And now some Sinar's!
Shot with Schneider AFD Xenotar 2.8/80 PQS lens, Sinar Hy6, Sinarback eMotion 75 LV

No edit, no download. Franck Ghery Architecs, photo Nicolas Claris courtesy of Hotel Marques de Riscal - The Luxury Collection - For editorial only

No edit, no download. Franck Ghery Architecs, photo Nicolas Claris courtesy of Hotel Marques de Riscal - The Luxury Collection - For editorial only

The video making of can be seen here

Daniel Buck · Feb 15, 2009

Here's some of Eric Owen Moss in Culver City. I'm not much of an architecture buff so I don't really understand alot of the strange looking buildings there (I used to work in one of them at my previous studio), but I enjoyed shooting them

The last one I wish I wouldn't have framed so tight.

Asher Kelman · Feb 15, 2009

Yes, Daniel,

That's a place I remember and have photographed at night. I wonder what induced the developer to go that extra step use in this exciting design. Thanks for bringing it to us, especially in film and black and white. You scored with me. I'm pleased as punch to see this.

The 2cd and last views remind me of a World War II cockpit and bombardier's rear shooting bay respectively.

Asher

Cem_Usakligil · Feb 15, 2009

Asher Kelman said:
...Here I present my latest stitched panorama using a 5D and taken early in cold morning as the dawn broke with an overcast heavy sky. I stood in the road as if I had the right of way as a survey engineer and luckily did not get hit by cars or ticketed by the police.

© Asher Kelman Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall Do not copy or download

I hope you enjoy this.....

I do enjoy this a lot, this is one of your better panos so far. I don't want to say "the best", since I know that you have the will and the potential to improve on it infinitely. So things can only get better and better

.

Great picture which conveys a great mood! Well done and thanks for sharing.

Cheers,

nicolas claris · Feb 15, 2009

Hotel Marques de Riscal with some context…

No edit, no download. Franck Ghery Architecs, photo Nicolas Claris courtesy of Hotel Marques de Riscal - The Luxury Collection - For editorial only

leonardobarreto.com · Feb 15, 2009

Nicolas, this is fantastic architecture and photography.

Do you think that DSLRs (5DMk2, 3Dx etc) can do better than this?

nicolas claris · Feb 16, 2009

Hi Leonardo
thanks for the compliments!

These are HY6 and 1DS3 shots, the Hy6 are watermarked as Hy6.

In regards to smooth gradient and dynamic range, (and they are plenty in such material used by Ghery) I think the Sinarback eMotion is the king (though the 1Ds3 perform very well).
Last year when I did these shots, I only had a 80 mm for the Sinar… I whish I had the arTec and a Rodenstock 23 mm!

This is typically a kind of "exercise" where MD do perform perfectly.

David A. Goldfarb · Feb 17, 2009

Gehry's Pritzker Pavillion, Millenium Park, Chicago, 2005

Voigtländer Perkeo II (6x6) with 80mm Color-Skopar, Tri-X in PMK, printed on Efke Emaks in amidol.

Ken Tanaka · Feb 17, 2009

Some excellent photography of some of Frank's most renown work here!

For those interested in something a little different, take a look at "Iron: Erecting the Walt Disney Concert Hall" by Gil Garcetti.

Yes, this is the same Gil Garcetti who was L.A. district attorney during the O.J. Simpson criminal trial. Now retired, he has time to devote towards his interests in photography. During the construction of the Disney concert hall he got special access to the construction site to document the building's erection. His book features some genuinely unique images of ironworkers assembling one of the most complex Erector Sets imaginable. (I watched the construction of the Pritzker Pavilion with similar awe.)

-----
And, yes, I, too, have been known to take a snap or two, or three of Frank's curves.

Asher Kelman · Feb 17, 2009

David A. Goldfarb said:
Gehry's Pritzker Pavillion, Millenium Park, Chicago, 2005

Voigtländer Perkeo II (6x6) with 80mm Color-Skopar, Tri-X in PMK, printed on Efke Emaks in amidol.

Hi David,

I like the bold almost deconstructive way that Gehry just uyses surfaces suspended by steel trusses rather than making the surfaces seem to be the external skin of an interior space. I had not seen this view before and I like it.

I like the B&W for much of his architecture. I am impressed that you did not blow the highlights of the steel as this is hard for digital.

"Off topic", just a brief moment: That Perkeo folder has and is giving great service. I presume you rely on the lens settings for focus or is the rangefinder coupled.

Asher

David A. Goldfarb · Feb 17, 2009

PMK does a great job of holding detail in the highlights, even with Tri-X, which can be easy to blow at the top of the scale (which is to say that there will be detail there, but it can be hard to print without a lot of burning).

The Perkeo II does not have a rangefinder, but I have a little shoe mount rangefinder of completely undistinguished marque ("Widor") that can be calibrated so that I can focus accurately even at the near limit of the focus range (about 3.5 feet). The procedure is to focus with the rangefinder, read the distance off the rangefinder scale, and set the focus on the lens barrel. For close up shots, I set the focus on the rangefinder and the lens, and then look through the rangefinder and move back and forth to focus.

Cem_Usakligil · Feb 17, 2009

I presume that this thread is not exclusive to Frank Gehry's works only?
Can we post any modern architecture pictures regardless of the architect?

Asher Kelman · Feb 17, 2009

Cem_Usakligil said:
I presume that this thread is not exclusive to Frank Gehry's works only?
Can we post any modern architecture pictures regardless of the architect?

Cem,

We just kicked-off with Frank Gehry: "Frank Gehry as openers!".

This thread is for any imaginative and outstanding modern and post-modern architecture irrespective of which talented architect created the wonderful structure.

Asher

Jim Galli · Feb 17, 2009

Call me a snob if you will, I cannot help that I am so old school but architecture has long been the hold out of large format where you could use perspective controls to correct the converging line syndrome so present in the smaller cameras. The photos with the leaning buildings really trouble me. I suppose that is the way of the future but............

Asher Kelman · Feb 17, 2009

Jim Galli said:
Call me a snob if you will, I cannot help that I am so old school but architecture has long been the hold out of large format where you could use perspective controls to correct the converging line syndrome so present in the smaller cameras. The photos with the leaning buildings really trouble me. I suppose that is the way of the future but............

Jim,

At first I thought you were dead pan serious! Then I realized you are reacting to Frank Gehry's designs which move us away from boxes to more natural flowing and angular shapes of rivers and hills in nature.

What leaning buildings? I guess you are using humor on us? Much of Frank Gehry' walls, of course, are leaning, LOL!

My picture of the Walt disney concert Hall is corrected and orthogonal. Still, your point is well taken, we need to look at buildings with the least distortion and with LF, there is less need for post processing to make things right.

Asher

Bart_van_der_Wolf · Feb 17, 2009

Jim Galli said:
Call me a snob if you will, I cannot help that I am so old school but architecture has long been the hold out of large format where you could use perspective controls to correct the converging line syndrome so present in the smaller cameras. The photos with the leaning buildings really trouble me. I suppose that is the way of the future but............

Smaller cameras can use perspective correction with (tilt and) shift lenses. And resolution wise, one can alway stitch ... But I agree that often, not always but often, non converging verticals are good, unless it distorts too much by the projection perspective. And then there's work like Frank Gehry's, not too many clues if the buildings are leaning ...

Of course the amount of control one has with a view camera is hard to beat, but the film workflow stinks when you have to produce results soon. Scanning also adds a nice sum to the cost per shot.

Bart

Jim Galli · Feb 17, 2009

Asher Kelman said:
Jim,

At first I thought you were dead pan serious! Then I realized you are reacting to Frank Gehry's designs which move us away from boxes to more natural flowing and angular shapes of rivers and hills in nature.

What leaning buildings? I guess you are using humor on us? Much of Frank Gehry' walls, of course, are leaning, LOL!

My picture of the Walt disney concert Hall is corrected and orthogonal. Still, your point is well taken, we need to look at buildings with the least distortion and with LF, there is less need for post processing to make things right.

Asher

The first two of Nicholas' have far too much convergence for my blue blood. No humor, just personal opine fwiw. He's asked that they not be downloaded and edited so I'll repect that and won't draw lines all over them.

Asher Kelman · Feb 17, 2009

Jim Galli said:
The first two of Nicholas' have far too much convergence for my blue blood. No humor, just personal opine fwiw. He's asked that they not be downloaded and edited so I'll repect that and won't draw lines all over them.

I see what you refer to Jim and you are correct. It is good to see the buildings without extra sloping not in the real structure. I hadn't noticed the ordinary walls which are indeed uncorrected. Now that Nicolas has the Sinar ArTec he can use Schleimflug and correct that artifact.

How many degrees would be needed?

Asher

Jim Galli · Feb 17, 2009

Asher Kelman said:
I see what you refer to Jim and you are correct. It is good to see the buildings without extra sloping not in the real structure. I hadn't noticed the ordinary walls which are indeed uncorrected. Now that Nicolas has the Sinar ArTec he can use Schleimflug and correct that artifact.

How many degrees would be needed?

Asher

Certainly there's no right or wrong in any of this, it's all personal preference. With a 4X5 and 75mm lens you would align the back at a perfect 90 degrees and raise the front to get the foreground where you want it and include the tops of the buildings. The distant buildings would be square as long as you have enough image circle and movements to accomplish the desired scene. I doubt you'd use any other movements except the rising front. Perhaps a tad of front swing would aid in the near far relations, I'm not sure. Mr. Scheimpflug won't help you much with this one I think. With the small camera your only choice is to aim at the sky to 'get it all in'. The lines suffer. Architectural Digest would I think reject images that are out of square. Or maybe I'm 10 years behind the times.

Asher Kelman · Feb 17, 2009

Jim Galli said:
Certainly there's no right or wrong in any of this, it's all personal preference. With a 4X5 and 75mm lens you would align the back at a perfect 90 degrees and raise the front to get the foreground where you want it and include the tops of the buildings. The distant buildings would be square as long as you have enough image circle and movements to accomplish the desired scene. I doubt you'd use any other movements except the rising front. Perhaps a tad of front swing would aid in the near far relations, I'm not sure. Mr. Scheimpflug won't help you much with this one I think. With the small camera your only choice is to aim at the sky to 'get it all in'. The lines suffer. Architectural Digest would I think reject images that are out of square. Or maybe I'm 10 years behind the times.

Jim,

Thanks for correcting me! Of course tilting will just alter the plane of focus and yes, lateral swing might be relevant. Raising the front in the ArTec would be what it's built to do and make the shot correct at the time of shooting. These pictures can be corrected after the fact, but in doing so, the pixels at the top are stretched and one loses resolution and image quality. If one has excess pixels in a stitched image, then this objection is mute.

As show, Nicolas' images of the Gehry architecture, the falling in walls are less obvious on first glance because we are enjoying and concentrating on the sloped surfaces that are the key feature of Gehry's work. However, we better not do this for most other buildings unless we are trying to add some artistic effect.

Asher

nicolas claris · Feb 17, 2009

No edit, no download. Franck Ghery Architecs, photo Nicolas Claris courtesy of Hotel Marques de Riscal - The Luxury Collection - For editorial only

Asher Kelman · Feb 17, 2009

Hi Nicolas,

Here I see you are saying,

"This is the way I wish to show pictures of the building, as my choice!"

Fine, that's a good artistic statement, still we should know it. With the curved buildings we don't immediately get clues to artistic intent in not correcting distortions. I'm glad now that I understand your intent. Still, I'd love to see two versions by side to learn whether our experience of the esthetics of the Frank Gehry motif is altered for us individually. That would be interesting.

Asher

nicolas claris · Feb 17, 2009

If one does not understand, above, these are also the way I like to see the Ghery's building.
May I get the right to also have my own perception of this beautifull architect work.

A vision (good or bad) of a visionnaire (good).

Don't need any edit. Thanks

nicolas claris · Feb 17, 2009

Asher I didn't see your post sent a minute before I wrote my above message.

But I don't need to change a word of it…

BTW a vision does not alter. A vision IS a vision.

Jim Galli · Feb 17, 2009

Nicolas Claris said:
If one does not understand, above, these are also the way I like to see the Ghery's building.
May I get the right to also have my own perception of this beautifull architect work.

A vision (good or bad) of a visionnaire (good).

Don't need any edit. Thanks

Fair enough. This I understand very well. When I post my selective / soft focus images most people don't like them and I couldn't care in the least. Artistic license.

Asher Kelman · Feb 18, 2009

Jim Galli said:
Fair enough. This I understand very well. When I post my selective / soft focus images most people don't like them and I couldn't care in the least. Artistic license.

Jim,

In my mind, it's wonderful to selectively wrap a chosen object in a less perfectly defined world. Nicolas might be approaching this kind of de-construction of the periphery in his own individual way, without giving it such a snobby artsy fartsy name.

Asher

Daniel Buck · Feb 18, 2009

Here's one I shot two months ago (just now developed, forgot about it!) 90mm on 4x5, with my usual Tri-x 320. It's under construction (and still is today) I do remember that I completely forgot my exposure meter, so I guessed, and nailed it! Plenty of shadow detail, and the sky isn't blown out!. I thought that was cool, because I hardly ever have to guess my exposure. I guess it wasn't a difficult exposure to guess though, nothing really tricky. But I was happy when it turned out

The composition I'm not entirely happy with, I was trying to work in the sign in the lower right (the end of the boom truck isn't cut off on the film, but my film holder on the scanner cut it off), I think I might have done better to just ignore the sign. Oh well, once the monument is finished, I'll take some more photos of it. Not sure when it's supposed to be finished.

I believe this is another Eric Owen Moss structure, I don't know for sure though, but most of the buildings along this street are by him. I also believe this is some sort of monument dedicated to "artwork" or something similar to that, but I'm not entirely sure. Anyone know?

nicolas claris · Feb 18, 2009

Jim Galli said:
Fair enough. This I understand very well. When I post my selective / soft focus images most people don't like them and I couldn't care in the least. Artistic license.

Thanks Jim for your understanding.

The shot of Bilbao was simply impossible to shoot with correction of perspective with a dslr (unless I could bring an elevator or even a crane) so I volontarly challenged it, playing with the building forms. Now with the arTec I guess I would have also shot it completely differently…

The other shot, of the Marques de Riscal was completely different, I came ther with my usual gear (1Ds3 and 12 to 500 mm lenses) and the Sinar Hy6 with a 80 mm (only, if I may say).
The primarly reason of the shoot was to test the HY6. No, sorry, let me correct, was to test me with the Hy6…
On most of images you won't see real perspective issue (the ground configuration, made possible to have the sensor plane naturally parrallel to the plane).
Then the frustration due to the lack of wider lens (and longer as well BTW) for the HY6 plus the growing feel of pleasure to shoot the building (the forms, the colors, the light!) made me get the 1Ds3 out of the bag and have a big play with it, it was like a dance with a new girlfriend… I felt free* for a short while, a kind of personnal hommage to the Architect.

Like in another thread initiated by Michael Fontana… Thank you photography!

* nothing to do with the camera/sensor format but with the range of lens. I could have stayed many more days as the light there is wonderfull and wonderfully rendered by the form of the building and the reflections of the material…

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