Keller Hotel

Keller Hotel, originally uploaded by margotwood.

After I got back to NYC from my Thanksgiving Day adventures with the big sis in Kansas City, it was an unusually warm Sunday afternoon in the Big Apple. I decided to take a long stroll from 34th Street and 9th Ave all the way down the West Side and then cut over to my East Village apartment.

(For those of you who don't live in the city, that's about a 50 block walk or close to about 4 miles.)

Anyways, I was strolling down the West Street highway which is a cesspool for abandoned buildings (and not-so-awesome Frank Ghery buildings) and I found this gem of a hotel.

Most of you know that I adore abandoned buildings, especially ones with their original signage. So naturally I spent a decent amount of time trying to capture this mysterious building. I took about 100 shots but this one was my favorite angle and the lighting was just right for editing.

When I finally got around to editing (last night!) I decided to do a little digging and find out what this place is. As it turns out it was once known as the Keller Hotel.

I found an amazing in-depth article on it in the New York Times (full link here) but here's the gist of what this place is:

"The hotel, built in 1898 as sailors’ lodgings, was one of many such places that once lined the West Side waterfront, offering a clean, safe alternative to the dens of ill repute that beckoned the unwary seafarer. It operated for decades but eventually became a single-room-occupancy hotel, and then a welfare hotel, before closing about 15 years ago.

Since then it has stood vacant, its ground floor marred by boarded-up windows and an accretion of graffiti, metal grills and faux stone cladding, though its lovely upper stories remain untouched. An early-20th-century sign — an Edward Hopper touch — hangs on the corner, announcing in faded capital letters, “Hotel.” The ghosts of the past breathe deeply here."

For anyone that is a history buff, particularly NY history I really hope you appreciate this photo. Any for anyone that isn't a history buff, well, I hope you enjoy it too.

Post Process: Black and White, played around with contrasts to get it just right, very slight vignette, increased detail sharpening.

Eden

Eden, originally uploaded by margotwood.

As I say goodbye to the East Village (I'm moving to Greentpoint, Brooklyn this weekend) I want to capture some of my favorite spots in the hood before I leave for cheaper rent and bigger spaces.

This is one of the few remaining vacant lots in the East Village, found on 6th street. This neighborhood used to be a crap hole. I can't stress enough how bad it was here, but now it's like Times Square. A tourist trap and land of sky rocketing rents.

This is one of my favorite spots in the EV because it's a reminder of what it used to be. What New York used to be. It's a reminder to me that if you look hard enough, you can find the past, the history, anywhere.

Is This Seat Taken?

Is This Seat Taken?, originally uploaded by margotwood.

This photo was taken at a cool, old speakeasy bar in Kansas City, MO. I was there visiting my older sister for Thanksgiving and we popped in here for a few whiskey sours. The play, while colorful, had that whole "other era" thing going for it and I wanted to snap a photo that would reflect that atmosphere.

Post-Process: Infrared setting on the black & white layer style, increased saturation, sepia tone

Prozac Christmas

Prozac Christmas, originally uploaded by margotwood.

Curious to know the inspiration for this photo? Well, there's a saying in my family "forced march of fun" and it applies to any gamily gathering, ESPECIALLY the holidays. So this year I wanted a fauxto that would reflect that sort of YOU MUST HAVE FUN attitude.

Happy Holidays everyone!

High Brow Husky

High Brow Husky, originally uploaded by margotwood.

While out on a stroll in my East Village neighborhood, I stumbled upon this beauty relaxing outside a hookah bar. I snapped some photos, but then crouched down to get a straight on shot and luckily, this pup was game to have his photo taken. A few hours later, while doing laundry in my apartment building, I discovered that this Husky actually lives in my building!

Post Process: Cropping, vignetting, increasing sharpness (for the details), boosting contrast.

Three Amigos

Three Amigos, originally uploaded by margotwood.

The saga of my vacation continues, even if it did happen over a month ago.

The same morning my Mom and I were running around at 6am running into bison in the road and photographing the sunrise, she made it her mission to find Sandhill Cranes.

Being ADD really helps in situations like these. I've always had an uncanny ability to spot something very tiny in the middle of craziness. Anyways, we were heading back to the hotel and still hadn't seen any cranes until suddenly I told her to pull the car over. Almost immediately, the brakes were slammed and I jumped out of the car before my Mom could even come to a full stop.

I started running out into a field with my Mom yelling in the background asking what I saw. Yelling back I told her, "I don't know but I think I saw something move out there!"

A minute later, she caught up and sure enough way out in the distance we saw three birds. My Mom being the expert bird watcher knew right away they were the Sandhill Cranes and now it was just a matter of making sure we got the shot.

Changing lenses as fast as humanly possible, I switched to the 50-200mm zoom lens and only got off two shots as the birds, noticing our presence, took off. Luckily, one of my shots actually caught them and this was the result.

Thar She Blows!

Thar She Blows!, originally uploaded by margotwood.

Ladies and Gentlemen who have never been to Yellowstone, meet Old Faithful. The most predictable geyser in the park, and easily the most famous of them all, Old Faithful is something not to be missed if you ever happen to venture to Yellowstone.

I have to say, I think I had hyped it up my mind because when it happened it was definitely cool, but in no way did it "blow my mind". To me, the muddy pool (posted below) was way more memorable and fascinating, but that's just me.

Post Process: Slight cross process, vignetting, cropping, color balancing (to bring out the yellows and maroons more).

Muddy Waters

Muddy Waters, originally uploaded by margotwood.

Geysers and mudpots are one of the main attractions in Yellowstone National Park. While driving, we randomly stumbled upon a series of steam vents and other geothermal creations like this mudpot. The place was so incredibly stinky that I almost threw up a few times and really didn't want to take any pictures. I wanted to go back to the car - back to fresh air.

Yet, my parents dragged me along with them and I eventually got used to the stench. Of all the things to look at, this mudpot and other steam vent called the "Dragon's Mouth" were the ones I will most remember. This one mostly because of the amazing cracked surface and the boiling mud. This mudpot was ripe for the photographic picking.

Post Process: Slight cross process, increased unsharpened mask, increased contrast, vignetting.

Buffalos in the Mist

Buffalos in the Mist, originally uploaded by margotwood.

The morning I shot these "foggy" photos was and will be one of those mornings that I will remember for the rest of my life. First of all, my Mom and I were running on zero coffee and so we used our excitement over photo opportunities to keep us awake.

This was taken right after the photo posted below this one. It was so incredibly foggy that we had to drive extremely slow because we couldn't even see 10 feet in front of us. All of a sudden, we see a black blob appearing in our view. Not quite sure what it was, we slowed down even more until we were could see a herd of about 20 buffalo were moseying down the road -- taking their sweet time too I might add.

I took this photo from the front seat of the car, looking through the dashboard.

Post Process: Slighty increased the contrast so the main buffalo was more outlined but still retain all the foggy goodness. A slight vignette was added and I made the yellow in the road line darker so it wouldn't stand out too much.

Before Sunrise

Before Sunrise, originally uploaded by margotwood.

My mom and I woke up REALLY early one morning because we were told that's when you can see the best wildlife action. The second we hit the road and saw the intense, blinding fog we realized that we were probably not going to be able to see any cool wildlife, but it did provide us with some pretty spectacular early morning sunrise photos.

Post Process: Nada. Zip. Zilch. This photo au naturale baby!

Nice Tetons

Nice Tetons, originally uploaded by margotwood.

Last week I had the (extreme!) pleasure of going on an epic family vacation to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

As a lover of nature and regular (when I can) hiker, I couldn't wait to get out there and start getting some shots that I could add to my "nature" portfolio.

There will be more pics to come, but I think this photo pretty much sums up the whole trip. It was beautiful, breathtaking and epic.

This photo is of the Teton mountain chain (apparently, a very young mountain chain). The lake is called Phelps lake and it's a very easy 2 mile hike to get there. My family packed some lunched and made our way to a secluded spot to enjoy this majestic site in peace.

Seeing things like this makes me think that if heaven did exist, it would be pointless because we already have heaven on earth....

Post Process: Played with two different curves settings, decreased the cyan in the sky (it was too overpowering) and very, very slight vignetting.

Brokeland Bridge

Brokeland Bridge, originally uploaded by margotwood.

After experiencing what is another photographer's creative slump....I decided to try my trick of going through my old photos that I had flagged to be edited but never got around to. Thus I stumbled upon this photograph.

Everyone and their mother has a shot almost exactly like this one, so the thought isn't anything new. However, what I attempted to do to differentiate myself and to continue practicing the style of taking pictures but trying to make them look authentic to a time period, I edited this shot so that someone could look at it and think that maybe it was photographed in the early 1900s.

Post Process: Black and white treatment (neutral density filter) + slight vignette.

Wonderland

Wonderland, originally uploaded by margotwood.

I finally had the chance to venture out to Coney Island (the one in New York City for all you Cincinnatians). This place is a serious time warp. Walking by all the Nathan's Hot Dog stands and random street vendors, it's hard not to feel like you're stepping into a 70s B-movie. Either way, this place is definitely worth the hour long train ride (or 20 min car ride!).

Post Process: Cross processing, slight vignetting, color tweaks here and there.

7 and B

7 and B, originally uploaded by margotwood.

This is one of my favorite corners in the East Village. Right across from Tompkins Square Park, this is truly a magical corner.

Whig Party

Whig Party, originally uploaded by margotwood.

"Different kind of wig, but still a party."

While walking home through Tompkins Square Park last week I noticed that there were more drag queens than usual out. Curious, I decided to play detective and follow one of them to see where they were going. Trailing far enough behind so they wouldn't pick up on my scent, I discovered not one, not two, but an entire fleet of drag queens all gathering at the entrance of the park.

Of course, then it finally hit me -- Pride Week. NYC Pride Week was in full swing and they were launching off on a parade through the East Village. And how did the evening end? Well, if any of you watch or read the news, you'll know that only a few hours after I snapped this pic NY state passed the gay marriage law. What a great moment in this city's history!

I took a lot of shots, but this one of my favorite. I'm trying a new editing style with this photo so hopefully you enjoy it!

Post Process: Slight cross-process; added noise, increased exposure.

Candy Store

Candy Store, originally uploaded by margotwood.

One of the things I love most about New York is that every street has its own flavor and character. This week, I took a stroll (for the first time, sadly) down Avenue B in the East Village. I love on Avenue A so I always take that street, but I decided to give B a try. While Ave A has seen a lot of gentrification over the recent years, Ave B has somehow still managed to remain mostly untouched.

There are many relics like Raúl Candy Store left on the street, relics of an era when the East Village was known as Alphabet City and drug addicts, homeless people and crime were rampant throughout the hood.

While the East Village has become much more cosmopolitan since those harsher times, I am still thankful that places like this exist for me to photograph.

There Be Dragons

There Be Dragons, originally uploaded by margotwood.

I have a thing for dragons. It all began when I was leaving home in Cincinnati for college in Boston. I had struggled with separation anxiety disorder my whole life, up until one day, my Dad walks into my room as I'm packing up my things and says "Margot, you're going to slay dragons." And I just looked at home confused. He continued, "Back in ancient times, when boys became men, they were sent off in the world to slay dragons. Now it's your turn to slay dragons."

For some odd reason, the idea of equating leaving home to slaying dragons just totally worked for me. Suddenly, leaving home didn't seem so scary.

Now, 8 years later, whenever I come across a situation that is potentially scary (or skeery as they say in my family), I just think of it as slaying dragons and the problem never seems that tough to handle. So in honor of this story, I'd like to dedicate this photo to my Dad.

Peppy

Peppy, originally uploaded by The Real Fauxtographer.

I was recently invited to attend a Mets game at Citi Field in Queens, NYC. While I'm not necessarily a baseball fan (unless its the Cincinnati Reds...sorry NY, gotta represent my hometown), I jumped at the chance to photograph that iconic Pepsi sign I need was at the field. While the angle and style of the shot isn't new or different, I am just glad that I can a shot like this to my repertoire.

Post Process: Cross processing, vignetting.

Training Mode

Training Mode, originally uploaded by The Real Fauxtographer.

Warriors in training, local crazies or performance artists? Could be any of these when it's in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village. I'm assuming by the NYU signage on their belts, they are warrior in training. If anyone knows what kind of fighting style this is, please feel free to share in the comments.

Post Process: Slight cross process followed by an even slighter black and white layer; vignette and cropping.

Rollin' Down the Roebling Bridge

Rollin' Down the Roebling Bridge, originally uploaded by The Real Fauxtographer.

The model for the Brooklyn Bridge, this is the Roebling Bridge that connects Covington, KY to downtown Cincinnati (my hometown!) I absolutely adore this bridge. The colors, construction and the fact that I can walk on it freely without bumping into a million people like on the Brooklyn one. Here's a brief history:


"The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge spans the Ohio River between Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky. When the first pedestrians crossed on December 1, 1866, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world at 1,057 feet (322 m) main span."

For more info on this historic bridge, check out it's website: roeblingbridge.org/