In the Depths Below Amsterdam

Behind the Scenes │ GH2 + Lumix 20mm F1.7 │ 20mm F3.5 1/60s ISO2500In the depths below the historic canal houses of the capital city, construction crews are labouring away at a new subway line. Once a year, the tax paying public is invited to descend into the 30m deep, subterranean caverns to witness how their money is being spent. The expression “bottomless pit” comes to mind until you see how complex the undertaking in the swampy ground, way below sea level is. And maybe that's part of the reason why the massive construction project opens its doors to the public every spring.

Leaking │ GH2 + Lumix 7-14mm F4.0 │ 14mm F4.0 1/60s ISO800The huge caverns were dim and dark. I couldn't shake the feeling that there was water seeping in everywhere.

Site Office │ GH2 + Leica 45mm F2.8 │ 45mm F2.8 1/25s ISO800All the photos in this set, except the last one, are from the mezzanine level of the future Vijzelgracht Metro Station. The photo below was taken in the EYE Dutch Film Institute. They'd set up some very theatrical lighting in the not yet completed theatres.

In the Spotlight │ GH2 + Lumix 20mm F1.7 │ 20mm F2.8 1/20s ISO800

Underground Web

Web │ GF1 + Lumix 7-14mm F4.0 │ 7mm F4.0 1/40s ISO250This is a photo I took in Tokyo's Iidabashi Station. The design by Makoto Sei Watanabe features a network of green tubes growing up the staircase towards daylight.

Not Quite Symmetrical 2

CC16 │ GF1 + Lumix 7-14mm F4.0 │ 7mm F4.0 1/2s ISO100Although a photo can feature a symmetrical composition, seldom will you find a situation where both sides are identical. Even man made objects that are designed and manufactured to be symmetrical will have slight differences from side to side, even if it's just how the light hits it.

On a side note, the top photo is one of the entrances to the Marymount Station on Singapore's new Circle Line. It illustrates an increasing attention to design that goes beyond the predominantly practical considerations which drove early station designs.

NE1 │ GF1 + Lumix 20mm F1.7 │ 20mm F2.8 1/15s ISO100

Feet

Black Legs │ GF1 + Lumix 20mm F1.7 │ 20mm F4.0 1/20s ISO100I have so many photos from my recent trip to Japan, that I'm going to continue posting these over the next days. These two continue yesterday's post about photos taken of the ground below our feet. In Japan you need to look down since directional signs are often found there. The photo above was taken at Osaka's Umeda Station complex. I used a slow shutter speed to achieve some motion blur from the feet hurrying by. The bottom photo is taken in a subway car, this time in Tokyo. I features an interesting combination of lines, checkers, spots and sunlight.

Patterns │ GF1 + Lumix 20mm F1.7 │ 20mm F3.5 1/60s ISO100