Chinese flash manufacturer Venus Optics has launched a double headed macro flash unit, claiming that it has the highest guide number in the world for such a device. The Kuangren Macro Twin Flash KX-800 uses a pair of flash heads on extending flexible arms that can be positioned in front of the lens for extreme close-up work. Another arm houses an LED light to help with focusing. Read more
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
[ By WebUrbanist in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]
Physically conjoined but separately sold upon construction, the lives of paired buildings (ones that share a common wall) can diverge dramatically as this photo series poignantly illustrates. In various cases, one half is occupied by squatters, filled with trash, burned out by a fire, boarded up, simply deserted or even entirely demolished.
Camilo José Vergara was born in Chile, resides in New York and is famous for documenting urban decay and city slums through text and images, but his Paired Houses set from Camden, New Jersey, tells a particularly powerful tale of times past and present.
This approach epitomizes a theme common to his work, which frequently focuses on showing change over time. Like twins separated at birth, these dual buildings (once mirror images of each other) are uniquely illustrative of change. They are found particularly often in Camden, a place with a long history of struggling against decline.
The common theme: buildings that share a party wall. For the unfamiliar, ‘party walls’ are not as festive as they may first sound. These are simply the shared partitions between buildings that are structurally contiguous – a common phenomena in densely-built areas. This joint element ties homes and other structures almost inextricably together – some of these share stairs, porch roofs and other architectural elements as well, all hard untangle.
Once abandoned, things tend only to get worse for the half still occupied. The other side may be used for anything from sleeping to drug use and dealing. Infestations of vermin on one side can cross back over as well. In many instances, the best-case scenario is to tear down the decaying half, like separating one conjoined twin to save the other.
What is it about the cracking paint, the crumbling brick and the ominous silent of abandoned buildings that attracts urban explorers interested in building … Click Here to Read More »»
A long, long time aglow… but as is the case with these 9 abandoned lighthouses, even the brightest shining light will inevitably fade to black. Click Here to Read More »»
Think all condos and townhouses have to be plain, boring boxes? Think again. These unusual condos and townhouses redefine urban living spaces. Click Here to Read More »»
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[ By WebUrbanist in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]
Physically conjoined by separately sold upon construction, the lives of paired buildings (ones that share a common wall) can diverge dramatically as this photo series poignantly illustrates. In various cases, one half is occupied by squatters, filled with trash, burned out by a fire, boarded up, simply deserted or even entirely demolished.
Camilo José Vergara was born in Chile, resides in New York and is famous for documenting urban decay and city slums through text and images, but his Paired Houses set from Camden, New Jersey, tells a particularly powerful tale of times past and present.
This approach epitomizes a theme common to his work, which frequently focuses on showing change over time. Like twins separated at birth, these dual buildings (once mirror images of each other) are uniquely illustrative of change. They are found particularly often in Camden, a place with a long history of struggling against decline.
The common theme: buildings that share a party wall. For the unfamiliar, ‘party walls’ are not as festive as they may first sound. These are simply the shared partitions between buildings that are structurally contiguous – a common phenomena in densely-built areas. This joint element ties homes and other structures almost inextricably together – some of these share stairs, porch roofs and other architectural elements as well, all hard untangle.
Once abandoned, things tend only to get worse for the half still occupied. The other side may be used for anything from sleeping to drug use and dealing. Infestations of vermin on one side can cross back over as well. In many instances, the best-case scenario is to tear down the decaying half, like separating one conjoined twin to save the other.
What is it about the cracking paint, the crumbling brick and the ominous silent of abandoned buildings that attracts urban explorers interested in building …
Click Here to Read More »»
A long, long time aglow… but as is the case with these 9 abandoned lighthouses, even the brightest shining light will inevitably fade to black.
Click Here to Read More »»
Think all condos and townhouses have to be plain, boring boxes? Think again. These unusual condos and townhouses redefine urban living spaces.
Click Here to Read More »»
[ By WebUrbanist in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]
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For you newborn and baby photographers out there, you know that it requires a ton of patience and time to work with these tiny little ones. You also know that photographing newborns before 10 days new is best as they still like to be curled, tucked in and swaddled tight. Well, you may or may […]
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[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Offices & Commercial. ]
Concept designs from far-fetched futurists have toyed with the idea for years, but one firm has finally made the vision a reality: towers extensively populated with intensive (meaning: large and heavy) plant life. In short: trees!
Situated in Milan, Italy, many skeptics were sure these two towers were just another pie-in-the-sky plan for an impossible building. After all, the load-bearing requirements alone for over 10,000 trees and 5,000 shrubs are extreme. Stefano Boeri Architetti (photos by Marco Garofalo) is showing them otherwise.
The added weight is not wasted, nor ornamental – the vegetation layers will reduce the need for temperature regulation within the building. They will also filter the congested air of the city and serve to help reduce the temperature (always higher in urban areas).
The pre-grown plant life was carefully selected for the structure based on the regional climate, light and wind exposure, and is even now being hoisted into final positions. When complete, this will be, on some metrics, quite literally the greenest pair of buildings in the world.
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In attempts to provide the much sought after R35 GTR with significant power gains, Greddy has put together an off the shelf twin turbo kit that enables SP Engineering to build a 9 second daily driven GTR without sacrificing the comfort of removing the interior, etc. SP Engineering was able to produce a whopping 9.62 second 1/4 mile slip at 149mph using this setup including the Type29 R-Spec XL intercooler. Another client of SP Engineering, Hing Yim, was also able to pull a 9.84 quarter mile pass. This kit provides the tuner with all the essential hardware to get their GTR up to 800+ power gains. Fuel management is not included in the kit. For more inquiries please contact any sales rep at Greddy or SP Engineering. All installation, and tuning for this video has been executed by SP Engineering techs. Please inquire with eugene@sp-power.com or turboalex@sp-power.com for any questions regarding such services. greddy.com sp-power.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Halo Combat Evolved Walkthrough: The Maw – Final Mission Part 24 of my Let’s Play series from Halo Combat Evolved So here we are the Final Mission. I will be uploading Part 25 today at 5pm GMT and then the Final Run tomorrow so keep tabs with my Channel as theres going to be a lot of content coming your way. Do any of you big Halo fans get goosebumps when you watch the start of this mission with the approach to the Pillar of Autumn? The music is just too epic and for some reason I geek right out on this Mission. As this is the final Mission can we aim for 40 likes? Would be awesome if we could hit that target! Follow me on Twitter – www.twitter.com Playlist – www.youtube.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5
People watching a full moon rise over San Francisco atop Twin Peaks
Saturdays full moon was a sight to see, but then again it always is. I never tire of seeing the moon as it is a constant curiosity, inspiration, and friend. When ever I gaze upon the full moon my first thought is that we’re not alone in this big universe and second countless generations before me gazed upon this same celestial body pondering its origin, its meaning, and our relationship to it and other celestial bodies in the night sky. Astonishing when you think about it.
With that being said I leave you with Henry David Thoreau’s “The Moon”
The full-orbed moon with unchanged ray
Mounts up the eastern sky,
Not doomed to these short nights for aye,
But shining steadily.She does not wane, but my fortune,
Which her rays do not bless,
My wayward path declineth soon,
But she shines not the less.And if she faintly glimmers here,
And paled is her light,
Yet alway in her proper sphere
She’s mistress of the night.
Henry David Thoreau
Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved
Moon People – Full Moon Over Twin Peaks
The post Moon People – Full Moon Over Twin Peaks appeared first on JMG-Galleries – Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography.
JMG-Galleries – Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography
Pentax has announced the Optio VS20, possibly the first compact camera with a second shutter button and zoom lever for portrait-orientation shooting. Beyond that it’s a pretty well-specified 20x compact superzoom, featuring a 28-560mm equivalent zoom lens with sensor-shift image stabilization for its 16MP CCD. It’s not the smallest 20x zoom camera we’ve seen but it manages to include a anti-glare-coated 460k dot 3.0″ LCD and costs $ 249/£199, so it’s not uncompetitive.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Direct link to HD YouTube www.youtube.com Test of stereoscopic wide angle HD video with twin GoPro HD video camera. Angle of View is 170 deg. for the 720P-60fps mode used for this particular video. Stereo base was about 150mm. No lens distortion correction. The video quality of this outdoor sport camera is not best at all, but useful for ultra wide angle HD video which is untrodden area in stereoscopy so far. Photos of twin Gopro 3D rigs are shown at; v-galleries.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Direct link to HD Video www.youtube.com Test of stereoscopic wide angle HD video with twin GoPro HD video camera. Angle of View is 170 deg. for the 720P-60fps mode used for this particular video. Stereo base was about 30mm. No lens distortion correction. Reduction of stereo base for closed-up stereoscopic shot in half mirror type beam splitter type equipment is very difficult task because huge mirror is required for wide angle lenses. With flipping configuration of twin GoPro HD camera stereo base of 30 mm can be realized. This is a preliminary close-up video using 30 mm stereobase twin GoPro HD video camera for my dear Persian cat, Alice. Photos of twin Gopro 3D rigs are shown at; v-galleries.com
Visit www.avantgravity.com for a higher-res version of this animation. Simply cross your eyes until the left and right images converge in the center of your field of view. (It helps to keep your head still and level.) …Enjoy the show!! The song “The Scientist” is by Coldplay. (I’m working on obtaining permission.)
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