Nattapol's PhotoBlog

..

2007-12-13T16:51:00.001-06:00

.., originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Lowertown, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Motorcycle in Bangkok

2007-11-29T01:12:00.001-06:00

Motorcycle in Bangkok, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

I was wandering around elevated walkway at Pathumwan intersection near Siam Square, waiting for her to do shopping nearby. I was looking to capture some pictures of Bangkok rush hour at that moment but the problem is I was not really in the mood for photography. Bangkok’s thick air really ran out my idea and creativity. I looked up in hope for architectural scene of some new shopping malls but what I saw was the heavy concrete structure of the sky train station.

Then I looked down to the street below, it was grid locked with incoming cars from all direction. After all, Pathumwan is one of the busiest intersections in this city. Policemen cleared out the center of the intersection while allowing motorcycle to cross the red light once in awhile. So, as much as I could do, I aimed my camera toward those 2-wheelers and tried to do some panning shot. It was not the best panning stuff in the world but at least I had some fun during that brief period of my Bangkok rush hour experience.

Motorcycle is, somewhat, part of Bangkok’s public transit system. It is fast, versatile, and of course risky especially for out-of-towners who rarely or never jumped on the back of this vehicle. Wikitravel lists Motorcycle as ‘the last resort’ for traveling mean in the city. However, I bet if you happen to be in Bangkok for longer than 2-3 weeks, you should have a good chance to experience it. On a good day, with a good rider and messy traffic, this motorcycle experience would pretty much beat out most of the rides available in amusement parks.

Minneapolis at night

2007-10-23T23:48:00.001-05:00

Minneapolis at night, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Early night in October, from my favorite location in Northeast Minneapolis
Long Exposure at approx. 20 sec, f/14 or so. Tripods in very calm wind.
Nikkor 105mm VR.

Weisman Art Museum

2007-09-21T01:42:00.001-05:00

Weisman Art Museum, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Minneapolis at Night

2007-08-27T22:40:00.001-05:00

Minneapolis at Night, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Another image from one of the last week foggy night in Minneapolis. I shot this one in RAW format, then converted to jpeg and still did not really impress with the look and feel. So, I adjusted the highlight & shadow and desaturated it down a bit and eventually got this image.

Just another day in Photographer's life

2007-08-18T16:16:00.001-05:00

Olympus 35mm, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

see more at http://www.fiveoclockstudio.com/

I-35W Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis

2007-08-05T23:12:00.001-05:00

I-35W Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

I was on the way home on Hennepin Avenue when I heard this terrible news on radio. Once I got home and everything was settling down a bit, I decided to go to the scene to see it with my own eyes. I biked down to 5th St SE pedestrian overpass and took this picture. There were plenty of choppers in the sky. Traffic was bad around the area because of all the onlookers and emergency crews. I could see only stunning expression on people's face. It is really tragic especially when it happens so close to home.

Pillsbury A Mill

2007-07-23T14:14:00.001-05:00

Pillsbury A Mill, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Old Mill on the east side of Mississippi River stands quietly in a beautiful night in July.

This area is currently under redevelopment project, which includes modifying the old structure to residential building, and also adding new parks along the riverbank

Reflection of Basilica of Saint Mary

2007-07-15T19:30:00.001-05:00

Reflection of Basilica of Saint Mary, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

On the Stone Arch Bridge

2007-06-18T23:27:00.001-05:00

On the Stone Arch Bridge, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Minneapolis skyline as seen from east end of Stone Arch Bridge

Weisman Art Museum

2007-06-11T01:58:00.001-05:00

Weisman Art Museum, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

I dig up an old image taken back in 2005 or 2006 to play with the shadow - highlight function in Photoshop CS. With overlay double layer and boosted up saturation, the good ol' Weisman got a new weird look as you see in this picture. ;)

Somewhere in China Town, Montreal

2007-05-31T09:32:00.001-05:00

Somewhere in China Town, Montreal, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

I just get back from a trip to Canada and New York. It was a relatively short trip but quite fun. Since we travel with the parents, our choice for dinner were mostly based in China towns of wherever city we were at.

I took this one from a quiet corner in pedastrian mall in China Town of Montreal, Canada. I like the simplicity of this scene; few colors, one bike and one window.

Fern

2007-04-10T23:48:00.001-05:00

Fern, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

One of my favorite places in Twin Cities is Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Como Park in Saint Paul. It is a fresh green oasis during long Minnesota winter. The conservatory recently went through major renovation. It has larger exhibit space and a brand new fern room equipped with small man-made waterfall. I usually spend more time in the fern room than in other exhibit rooms without particular reason.

About this photo: I try to play with lines, texture of different kinds of fern, and use the dof available from 105mm f/2.8 vr macro to add more dimension into this one.

High rise

2007-03-26T09:38:00.001-05:00

DSC_014248, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

This 225 South Sixth is actually the tallest building in Miinneapolis, Minnesota. It is slightly tallker than the well known IDS Center which locates some 5-6 blocks away. The 225 South Sixth has had various of official names in the past years, and also some good nicknames such as "Halo" and "Stanley Cup Tower".

Stone Arch Bridge

2007-03-13T11:39:00.001-05:00

DSC_016839, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

I took this picture on Sunday after the second storm of 2007 hit Twin Cities. Snow fell heavily from Wednesday night to Saturday morning. Sunday was much better day with clear blue sky, warmer temperature, and bunch of snow covering the ground.

This spot near Stone Arch Bridge is quite popular among Twin Cities photographers. There are plenty of great pictures taken from this particular angle. It is easily accessible from Saint Anthony Main in SE Minneapolis. A short hike down the steps leads to river bank an this nice view of Stone Arch Bridge and Minneapolis skyline.

For this picture, I use circular polarizer to enhance the sky color and make the bridge color more saturated. Then I did level adjustment in Photoshop in order to make the snow-covered river looks as white as it actually is.

Snow day

2007-03-04T01:21:00.001-06:00

DSC_016690, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

We got plenty of snow in Minneapolis over the last 8 days. Total accumulation ranged from 20-30 inches.

About this picture, I shot from MCTC skyway over Hennepin Avenue looking north, then applied Lomo script later in Photoshop.

Last Autumn

2007-02-23T14:21:00.001-06:00

DSC_012285, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

I read an article written by a professional landscape photographer. He mention that it is a good idea to take notes about photos that were taken. Once you have to of about something to write about, you would be forced to put more thoughts on photo you would take. So here it is:

I took this picture sometimes back in early Fall last year at Minnehaha Creek in Minneapolis, with the 85mm f/1.8 lens. It was quite windy that day, made it real challenging for my autofocus-only eyes. Only few pictures turn out 'sharp' enough for post processing. For this picture, I did layer mask, keep out the bokeh area and applied USM to leaves area. Then I duplicated (overlay) layer and desaturated the top one and merge them. Nothing is too spectacular here by the way. :)

Publication

2007-02-17T02:22:00.001-06:00

..., originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

One of my Weisman Art Museum pictures got published in METRO Magazine, a local publication in Minneapolis - Saint Paul metro area. It is quite a neat feeling when seeing my work on bookstand.

A little info about this shot:

I stood on the upper desk of Washington Avenue bridge (lower desk is non-pedestrian access) about mid-way from east bank and west bank. It was a late afternoon with soft golden sunlight, which works nicely with asymetric shape of the building's front facade. Then, I did some works in Photoshop to bring up colors and contrast. The result is as we see in this picture.

A little info about the building:

Frank Gehry designed this building in early 1990s not too long before his famous Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. You might notice some similarity between these two spectactular buildings.

...

2007-02-07T16:09:00.001-06:00

DSC_016278, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Manhattan at Night

2007-01-31T01:27:00.001-06:00

Manhattan at Night, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

DSC_015005

2007-01-19T17:16:00.001-06:00

DSC_015005, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Paris !

DSC_016151

2007-01-19T16:54:00.000-06:00

DSC_016151, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Frank Gehry's design

2006-12-17T15:20:00.000-06:00

DSC_6028, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum

Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Paris

2006-12-07T22:41:00.000-06:00

DSC_015001, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Paris

Musée du Louvre

2006-11-27T09:03:00.000-06:00

DSC_014620, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

"GRAIN BELT BEER"

2006-11-07T15:19:00.000-06:00

DSC_014183, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Manhattan

2006-10-30T00:46:00.000-06:00

DSC_8578, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Minneapolis

2006-10-20T21:02:00.000-05:00

DSC_014067, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

From a hill in NE side of the town

....

2006-10-05T08:55:00.000-05:00

...., originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Autumn has arrived.

.....

2006-10-02T16:18:00.000-05:00

DSC_013128, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Loring Park, Minneapolis

"Road trip"

2006-09-25T02:05:00.000-05:00

DSC_012960, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

NYC - 2006

2006-09-11T17:52:00.000-05:00

DSC_8482, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

We remember.

No Title

2006-09-09T02:44:00.000-05:00

DSC_012286, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

I have been trying to utilize the 50mm f/1.8 more often in these days. It gives nice bokeh and impressive colors. It is also quite fun composing picture without ability to zoom in and out.

Untitled

2006-09-04T14:38:00.000-05:00

DSC_012270, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Minnehaha Creek, Minneapolis

Minneapolis Minnesota

2006-08-30T09:12:00.000-05:00

IDS Center and 225 S 6th

DSC_011737

2006-08-24T09:07:00.000-05:00

DSC_011737, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Flickr

2006-08-24T01:53:00.000-05:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

"Weisman Art Museum"

2006-08-14T11:03:00.000-05:00

DSC_011427, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

In Minneapolis, Minnesota

"Bench"

2006-08-10T10:32:00.000-05:00

DSC_9208, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

L o r i n g P a r k in M i n n e a p o l i s , M i n n e s o t a .

"Highway"

2006-08-06T11:51:00.000-05:00

DSC011153, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

When life is completely out of focus.

"Spoon Bridge and Cherry"

2006-08-04T00:20:00.000-05:00

DSC_0031, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Johan Santana

2006-07-31T12:11:00.000-05:00

Johan Santana, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

I went to MLB game on Sunday. The Minnesota Twins played Detroit Tigers at Metrodome in Minneapolis. Although not really being a fan of MLB, I really enjoyed the afternoon and even got a good glimpse at Johan Santana, Twins starting pitcher, during pregame warm up.

Curiosity

2006-07-29T11:15:00.000-05:00

DSC00827, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

"Curiosity"

I took this picture with an old 1.9 mp Sony camera back in a 2002. I was waiting for stop light and found this group of student standing on sidewalk.

Location is across the street from the Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis. The greenish-black backdrop is part of WCCO building.

"Construction"

2006-07-28T01:49:00.000-05:00

DSC_9885, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

In Minneapolis, Minnesota

"Saint Paul"

2006-07-25T23:26:00.000-05:00

Saint Paul, Minnesota

DSC_9741

2006-07-24T19:57:00.000-05:00

DSC_9741, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

"Third Avenue Bridge"

In Minneapolis, Minnesota

"Lower Manhattan"

2006-07-21T13:18:00.000-05:00

DSC_8574s, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Lower Manhattan - from Brooklyn

Iowa

2006-07-20T11:21:00.000-05:00

Iowa, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

"Iowa"

DSC_9815

2006-07-13T19:06:00.000-05:00

DSC_9815, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Mill District locates on North-Northeast edge of downtown Minneapolis on the bank of Missisissippi river. It has long historical importance to birth and growth of the cith of Minneapolis. Almost a hundred years ago, milling was major industry in this area. There were many flour mills and related structure such as major train station and countless warehouses.

During 1950 - 60s most flour mills closed down. The growing downtown district nearby made it more difficult for industry to survive in modern city re-zoning. In the 90s, mill district was set to reganing its past glorious. There have been many new developments in this area, tailoring to new wave of those urbanites. Its close proximity to downtown district, park and miles of river bank make mill district very attractive for modern dwellers.

Today, mill district is fully transformed into residential district with numbers of condominium, loft and apartments. There is a museum, 'Mill City Museum", which exhibit the district glorious past. There is a new Guthrie Theater, a well known regional theater.

I took this picture while waiting for the 4th of July firework. I was standing on Hennepin Avenue bridge looking down the river.

DSC_9637

2006-06-30T17:41:00.000-05:00

DSC_9637, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

I went to the new Minneapolis Central Library in about a week ago. The architecture is pretty impressive especially when get closer or get inside the building.

About this picture, since I have seen many great pictures of this library from flickr site, so I tried to illustrate or capture the image of this interesting building from different ange. Here, I stood in front of the east entrance near the bus top on Nicollet Mall. Then I looked up to the building and found this nice reflection of downtown skyline on the giant glass wall. It is always nice to work with reflection especially on a nice blue sky afternoon.

DSC_9731

2006-06-26T00:55:00.000-05:00

DSC_9731, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

In Minneapolis today, we have a celebration for the new Guthrie Theater located on the west bank of Mississippi River (downtown side). There was a huge firework display at night. I think it is probably better than the 4th of July fireworks in Minneapolis last year. The display tonight was lengthy with variety of fireworks.

I stood on the Stone Arch Bridge with my friends who came up from Ames, Iowa. They did not orginally plan for the fireworks, but it match their schedule well enough. Late Sunday night in Minneapolis is pretty quiet. So let the fireworks do their magic.

DSC_9551

2006-06-24T14:46:00.000-05:00

DSC_9551, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Inside the new Minneapolis Central Library

DSC_7652

2006-06-23T02:27:00.000-05:00

DSC_7652, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

DSC_8577s: Lower Manhattan

2006-06-23T02:25:00.000-05:00

DSC_8577s, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Lower Manhattan skyline in New York, as seen from Brooklyn

DSC_0629: Seattle at night

2006-06-23T00:09:00.000-05:00

DSC_0629, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

From Kerri Park looking toward downtown Seattle

Guthrie Theater

2006-06-22T23:45:00.000-05:00

Guthrie Theater, originally uploaded by jpnuwat.

Guthrie Theater, designed by Jean Nouvel, is the newest crown jewel of architectural projects in Twin Cities. It is located on the west bank of Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis.