Flow

Most people are familiar with Niagara Falls and the dynamic flow of water that drops over a wall of rock. Pictured above is another type of flow from the falls... hydro power. About two thirds of the water headed for the falls is diverted to power generation by US and Canadian power plants. Here power lines running through Buffalo NY, are headed to homes and businesses though out the state.

The HDR question

There are people that love HDR, and there are people who hate HDR.

I guess I place myself somewhere in the middle but closer to the dislike camp. On first seeing HDR it can be quite seductive: bright colors, over-the-top detail, seeing into the shadows, no blown highlights... and an almost surreal vision. Of course, like many things, a little can go a long way but people into HDR tend to go a lot longer than needed. There are some famous photographers who have created a personal empire based on their talents with HDR.

Generally I stay away from multi-exposure HDR but Lightroom now has built-in capability so I though would give it a try. Certainly not a great example, but it is fun to try different approaches realizing it is only a diversion, not a direction.

Of course, strictly speaking, I actually use a bit of HDR in most of my images by manipulating highlight and shadows using controls and curves. But that can be done without the full HDR give-away look. It is also possible to use multi-exposures and masking to obtain HDR, and that can be done very successfully.

International spectacle

All my life I have lived within 65 miles or so of Niagara Fall and have visited there dozens of times since I was little. However, over the last 10 or 20 years... not so much. I had occasion to again visit over the weekend and was surprised how much things have changed. No, the falls still look about the same, but what was different was the crowd that was doing the looking... I heard almost no English and I think the majority of tourists were oriental. Even the rain did not dissuade them.

Which I guess explains why there were so many Indian and Pakistani restaurants within walking distance... of course in addition to the obligatory Hard Rock Cafe.

On the dusky scene below, feel free to click for a larger version.

Niagara SkyWheel

The Sam Patch

A replica of an early Erie Canal packet boat that plies the waters for tourist excursions. This gray day it is carrying a load of seniors, and I wonder how long it will be before I join the group.

Sam Patch was a daredevil who jumped Niagara Falls, then set his sights on Rochester's 99 foot High Falls. His first attempt went well but the encore did not.

The updated canal joins the Genesee River near the High Falls, but in Sam's day it crossed the river on a aqueduct.

Starfire Motel

I have passed a number of these old time motels around Niagara Falls... relics of '50s and '60s family vacationers. They look pretty seedy these days and and are not busy establishments. Niagara Falls is still a wonder of the world and a great place to visit for a day or a few hours, but these motels are neglected and frozen in time.

I plan to do a series of these signs but never seem to find the time when passing by. This shot was a spur of the moment, and to make matters worse I did not have a proper camera with me (which is very unusual) other than my iPod.  So, with a photo taken with a music player, you can't expect much... but with a bit of post processing I think the result is kind of in keeping with the subject.