Union Station - Ornate Stairway

This is one of the beautiful stairways leading into Chicago's Union Station's great hall. Amazing!

How I took this shot:

This handheld vertorama was stitched from 4 HDR sequences each containing 3 shots ( -2ev, 0ev, +1ev). I would have used my tripod but one of the security guards was already watching me, I didn't want to give her a pretense to kick me out. It's happened to me more than a few times before.

Union Station - Group Critique Busted!

When I entered the great hall in Chicago's Union Station, I saw about 10 art students sketching the interior. I walked around for 15 or 20 minutes taking photos. When I was leaving, I noticed they had put their sketch pads on the floor and had gathered in a circle. I assume this was a group critique. I thought I could sneak up on them, raise my camera with fisheye lens above my head and get a quick shot. You can see I got busted.

Union Station - Washington D.C.

Union Station - Washington D.C., originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Manny and I had been told by security that we couldn't use our tripods on the floor of Union Station, so we climbed up some stairs to an elevated open air resturant. I asked the seating hostess if we could use our tripod during our lunch and she said "sure no problem". This is one of the shots we took. Union Station is a beautiful place.

Waiting and watching

Waiting and watching, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Washington D.C.'s Union Station is an amazing place with a long rich history. Although it opened to great fanfare in 1908, by the late 1970's it was deemed structurally unfit and was almost razed. Restored in the 1980's this grand train station is now considered a wonderful addition to the District of Columbia.

The tripod police are in full force here. We were told that no tripods were allowed to be setup on the floor of the station so we climbed a flight of stairs to an elevated restaurant and had a snack while taking HDR sequences.

The lonely wait here

The lonely wait here, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

You can almost see the ghosts of travelers long since departed to destinations unknown in this silent and unused waiting room in Union Station, Los Angeles.

The space between us

The space between us, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

MTA Lobby at Union Station in Los Angeles

Metro Rail Lobby - Union Station Los Angeles

Metro Rail Lobby - Union Station Los Angeles, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Amazing glass dome soars over the lobby of the MTA Lobby in Union Station Los Angeles