Long Market

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17 | 1/100s | f/7.1 | ISO 400 | Circular Polarizer

Long Market in Old Town Gdansk. This is where you'll find some of the best ice cream in town. What's amazing is that all of this was completely rebuilt after WWII. This was shot from the Old Town Hall.

St. Mary's Church: Part 2

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17 | 1/640s | f/10 | ISO 1600 | Circular Polarizer

Yesterday I decided to got back to the church in order to climb the tower and take more photos of the interior. The view from the top of the tower isn't that great for photos because it's surrounded by a fence. There were also I lot of people up there and it was hard find a good spot to shoot from.

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17 | 1/13s | f/4 | ISO 1600

In order to get to the top, you have to climb this winding staircase which is located in one of the spires. The stairs themselves are really steep and so small in width (not even a meter) that you have to walk near the wall to get a good footing. There is also nothing to hold onto except the wall, and it can get pretty claustrophobic after a while. I can't imagine climbing this and having your torch blow out...

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17 | 1/13s | f/4 | ISO 1600

After reaching the top of the spire, you have to walk over to the main tower. Although there were more stairs to climb, I was pretty relieved to have the walls a little further apart. As you climb up the main tower, you pass a pair of giant bells. I don't know if they are still in use or not, and I didn't want to find out.

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@75 | 1/200s | f/5.6 | ISO 1600

At the top is an old man. He makes sure people don't do stupid things. At his age, I don't know how he climbs all those stairs. Maybe he lives up there....and that wooden door is his den. Maybe he has a raven for a pet.........I know I would.

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17 | 1/125s | f/8 | ISO 1600

Here is another man.....this one definitely doesn't have a raven for a pet. Maybe he's asking for forgiveness for all the terrible things he did..........or maybe he's just enjoying a quiet time.

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17 | 1/160s | f/10 | ISO 1600

The ground of the church is covered with gravestone slabs.

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17 | 1/30s | f/10 | ISO 1600

Inside the church is a huge astronomical clock which was reconstructed after 1945. The whole church was really damaged by the Red Army in 1945. The roof was completely burnt and the the ceiling fell in. All of the windows we destroyed and the gravestone slabs were torn apart by looting Soviet soldiers. Most of the artwork survived because it was transferred to and hidden in surrounding villages.

St. Mary's Church

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17 | 1/30s | f/10 | ISO 1600

This is the biggest brick church in the world and one of the biggest brick Gothic buildings in Europe. Construction began in 1379 and finally finished in 1496. Inside the church is room for approximately 25 000 people. This picture shows only one of the wings of the church. On the inside, the church is decorated with several masterpieces of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque painters.

ŻYCIE CHOĆ PIĘKNE TAK KRUCHE JEST

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17 | 1/320s | f/11 | ISO 400 | Circular Polarizer

This inscription is part of a verse from a song called "24.11.94". It translates to "Life is beautiful, yet fragile." On Novermber 24th 1994, 3 people lost their lives and hundreds were wounded when a fire broke out at the concert hall. All of the emergency exits were locked and people were burned alive. The band that was playing there, Golden Life, wrote this song as a tribute to the people affected by this tragedy.

Stocznia Gdanska (Shipyards)

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@61 | 1/160s | f/11 | ISO 400 | Circular Polarizer

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@50 | 1/200s | f/11 | ISO 400 | Circular Polarizer

These are the famous Gdansk shipyards, where the Solidarity movement (Solidarność) started. It marked the beginning of the end for Soviet Communism. Unfortunately it's uncertain what the future holds for these shipyards. In the past there were well over 20 000 workers here, but now there are only 3000. It would be a shame if they close it all down, not only because it's a historical icon, but because they are still in good condition.

Katowice...in colour.

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17 | 1/125s | f/11 | ISO 400 | Circular Polarizer

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@85| 1/125s | f/10 | ISO 200 | Circular Polarizer

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17 | 1/320s | f/10 | ISO 400 | Circular Polarizer

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@85 | 1/320s | f/10 | ISO 400 | Circular Polarizer

Katowice was founded in the 19th century. It's a very industrial city since there is a large deposit of coal in the nearby mountains. In 1953 the city was renamed to Stalinogrod by the Polish Communist government, but was never accepted by the population, so it was renamed back to Katowice.

Asia and Tomir

Canon 30D | Sigma 50-150@50 | 1/320s | f/2.8 | ISO 100

Canon 30D | Sigma 50-150@150 | 1/125s | f/2.8 | ISO 100

Canon 30D | Sigma 50-150@109 | 1/125s | f/2.8 | ISO 100

Recently I've been very busy traveling between cities by train, hence the lack of new posts. I went to Katowice and Krakow in southern Poland to meet up with some friends, but unfortunately I didn't take that many pictures. I actually regret not taking my camera to Krakow, because the weather was perfect for some action. The good thing is, that I will be going there again in early September. Another good thing is that if I find a job in Krakow, then I won't be coming back anytime soon. Unfortunately there isn't much work in graphic design or animation in Krakow.....actually no animation work at all. But who knows, anything might happen. I gotta say though, no city in the world has made such an impression on me like Krakow. I am seriously considering staying there for a while.

Anyways, here are some photos I did a week ago. I gotta post something, don't I?

Orlowo Cliffs

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17 | 1/640s | f/4 | ISO 800 | Circular Polarizer

Same location as previous post, but shot in opposite direction.

Orlowo, Gdansk

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17| 1/80s | f/9 | ISO 800 | Circular Polarizer

Beach in Orlowo, Gdansk.

King Borys

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17| 1/25s | f/4 | ISO 1600

I didn't have my flash unit with me at the time of the shooting, so we had to improvise. We chose to shoot in the bathroom because that's where the best lighting conditions were. All he's missing is a tub of ice cream...

Old Stomping Ground

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17| 1/160s | f/10 | ISO 200 | Circular Polarizer

This is my old stomping ground, viewed from my grandmother's balcony. I would often build big ramps (relative to a 7 year old), and ride my bike over them at an incredible speed... (once again, relative). Looking back, I'm actually surprised I never really seriously hurt myself.

Gdynia

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@30| 1/125s | f/11 | ISO 800 | Circular Polarizer

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17| 1/160s | f/11 | ISO 800 | Circular Polarizer

Gdynia is one of the municipalities of the Tri-City, which also consists of Gdansk and Sopot. As you can see, the beaches are empty due to crappy weather.

Riko

This is my buddy Riko, the hotel owner's dog where I was staying in Karwia. I would often find Riko curled up next to me in the middle of the night. Since he is so small and portable, I think I might take him back to Toronto.


Canon 30D | EF50 1.8 | 1/25s | f/2 | ISO 800

Cottage

I was over at my uncle's cottage over the weekend. Eventually I got bored and had to do something to entertain myself. I know that my uncle might sell his cottage in the future to buy a small lodge somewhere on the Baltic coast, so I decided to take some shots of the property and create a little flyer/poster.

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85 | EF50 1.8 | Circular Polarizer

Zuraw

This is the oldest preserved port crane in Europe. It lies on the Motlawa river in Old Town Gdansk. It was built in the the 13th century and was used for loading and unloading ships. It was also used for putting up ship masts. On the inside, there used to be a huge wooden wheel which was powered by human legs. It now serves only as a tourist attraction.

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17 | 1/40s | f/8 | ISO 400 | Circular Polarizer

Old Town Hall

This is located at the heart of Old Gdansk, on Ul. Dluga (Long Street). I love coming to this place because it's always so alive with people and little cafes. There is an ice cream shop almost every 50 meters, and I swear I never tasted strawberry ice cream this good anywhere else. Makes my mouth water just writing about it. There is a fountain of a naked man with a trident (Neptune) where people always pose in front of to have their picture taken. Right now this place is really packed with people because of the St. Dominic Fair, which lasts 3 weeks. Pretty much it's a giant flea market, where people sell anything from clothes, jewelry to old WWII collectibles. It's tradition dates back to the 13th century, where German, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese merchants would sell wine, silk, jams, spices, tin and cloth. So if you want a really cool and cheap bracelet or a bayonet for your rifle, this is the place to get it.

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@17 | 1/500s | f/4 | ISO 800 | Circular Polarizer

Something different...

Canon 30D | EFS 17-85@22 | 1/250s | f/5.6 | ISO 200 | 430EX Speedlite | Circular Polarizer


Canon 30D | Sigma 50-150@89 | 1/250s | f/9 | ISO 200 | 430EX Speedlite | Circular Polarizer


Canon 30D | Sigma 50-150@95 | 1/800s | f/8 | ISO 200 | Circular Polarizer


So I decided to do some people photography for a change, just to keep things interesting. I also kept some images in colour, which is something I don't usually do. I prefer to work in black and white because that way there are no colourful distractions that could ruin a perfectly good composition. Plus I also like the vintage look that a black and white photo has. It's a personal preference kind of a thing.

These shots were done in the sand dunes between the beach and the forest late in the afternoon.