View allAll Photos Tagged DIRECTIONAL
Much overcooking of a blurry photo here. I liked the feel of it, though. The guy's muscularity-from-work is striking, as is the determination of the older woman to get to wherever the hell it is she's going. I wonder if they gave each other even a moment's notice.
The denuded trees really play up the strength of the late afternoon shadows.
A monochrome interpretation of "Forest shadows" using a Topaz B&W preset that accentuates the contrast of the shadows through the trees.
Back outside the mall on this particular trip, here we see a directional sign that one would see as they are coming in from Gilmore Rd. It's neat to see some of the places that are still mentioned on the sign (minus 500 points for the Danbarry part though)
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Forest Fair Mall opened in 1989 with upscale anchors that included Bonwit Teller, B. Altman, Parisian, and Sakowitz. It also included Bigg's and Elder-Beerman as anchor stores. It consisted of 1.5 million square feet; the third largest mall in the US at the time. By the mid 1990s, all of the high-end stores left the mall (B. Altman and Sakowitz ended up going out of business altogether). By the time 2008 rolled around, ALL of the original anchors had closed.
Through the years, the mall had a handful of owners and was renamed at least 3 times over the years. It was known as Forest Fair Mall until 2004 when the Mills Corporation reopened it as Cincinnati Mills Mall after a $70 million renovation project which booted all of the inline stores and kept the theaters and what anchors had remained. Simon Malls acquired the Mills malls in 2007; in 2009 the mall was sold again and was renamed Cincinnati Mall, as the mills name didn't transfer with the sale. The mall's fourth name, Forest Fair Village, was announced in 2013, but that name appears nowhere on the building.
It could be argued that this mall should never have been built, as two other well-established malls (Northgate and Tri-County) are within 15 minutes of this mall and a third (Kenwood Towne Center) isn't too far away. Added to that is the fact that the blue-collar communities of Forest Park and Fairfield, where the mall is situated, were not able to support the high-end retail this mall originally featured. Finally, the exit where this mall is located did not develop the supporting retail as the aforementioned areas did.
At this point, I can count about 5 inline storefronts and three anchors that are open, plus one food court establishment. All of the rest of the shops show various degrees of closure - some have their gates pulled down, some have the gates pulled with plastic or tarp covering them and the store windows, and some have even had their entrances drywalled off.
When my wife saw this, she thought that it looked like a swirl of ice cream, and since I'm always looking for titles, I went with it.
I lit this with a YN560 in a 24 inch soft box, camera left at 9 o'clock for the directional light that side lighting provides. Fill light was provided by a small hand mirror camera right. The strobe was triggered by a Yongnuo RF-603N.
Other sea shells that I've photographed over the years are in my Shell album, if you like this sort of thing.
This ice plant is growing on a hillside on our property, and I thought that it looked right for exploitation this afternoon after it had opened up to the sun.
Lighting stuff: Lit with a hand held Yongnuo manual flash at full power in an 8.6 inch Lastolite soft box at camera right and just out of the frame. The flash, and my tripod mounted camera were triggered with a Yongnuo RF-603N.
Other plants, flowers, fruit or thingys that I've photographed using strobes can be seen in my Strobe Lit Plant set that has over 1300 images in it. In the description for each image, I describe the lighting setup that I used. www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/sets/72157628079460544/
On a dull and overcast morning, Colas Rail Class 70 70817 was running alongside the bi-directional goods loop as it was approaching Bamber Bridge with the 10.05 Preston Docks to Lindsey bitumen empties (6E32) on March 22nd 2021.
"Create a graphic composition using the lines, curves, shadows and reflections of the street." - Fabio Costa
Norfolk Southern Train 174, running northbound on the CSX Cincinnati Terminal Subdivision as part of the joint NS/CSX Cincinnati Directional Running Agreement as train Z101-05, fights through Winter Storm Blair in Glendale, Ohio on January 5, 2025.
Amsterdam Centraal has a bi-directional platform system. i.e. on each track/ platform, there are sections A and B, which allow passengers to embark on or disembark from two different trains at the same time, if needed. The two trains on the same track can depart towards opposite directions, or towards the same direction. Track switches between sections A and B allow the train behind the other one to get on an empty track and pull in front of the stationary train. Think of it like doing a "parallel parking." The operational efficiency is really very impressive.
Here in this photo, you can see one train is already on this platform, yet the switch allows a second train to pull into the same platform. I took this yellow train to the historic city of Hoorn.
EWS Maroon and Gold liveried 90037 on the bi directional Up Slow line at Old Alder Lane working 5M88 Motherwell TMD to Warrington empty mail vans. 19 July 2003.
holy crap!!
another crazy weekend....a wedding friday night in my city which we left at midnight so that we could drive 3 hours to Toronto to catch a few zzzzz before saturday afternoon and our second wedding of the weekend!! and a big fat greek one at that!! we got back home after very little sleep late sunday! this girl is too old for that foolishness!
and today i'm packing for VEGAS, BABY!!!! yes, four more crazy days in the city that doesn't sleep!! so i'll be bringin' you all back some sweet eye candy from the trip!
I KNOW that shooting this epic church on an angle violates at least 25 architectural photographic rules but the crazy tilt, to me anyways, emphasizes the direction that main steeple is pointing to...look to the heavens children...
my amazing flickr friend JR has been posting useless facts as of late so to borrow that strategy here's mine:
Went to check out the new developments at Strathmore Avenue, which overlooks the old HDB flats with the sloping orange rooftops. Probably one of the few 4x5 frames where I didn't bother with getting the verticals completely straight!
Fujifilm Velvia 100
Schneider Super-Angulon 75mm, Horseman 45FA
Unicolor E6, self-processed
Epson v700 Perfection
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+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Reno Air Races, officially known as the National Championship Air Races, is a multi-day event tailored to the aviation community that takes place each September at the Reno Stead Airport a few miles north of Reno, Nevada. Air racing is billed as "the world's fastest motor sport" and Reno is one of the few remaining venues. The event includes races in 6 classes and demonstrations by airshow pilots.
The probably most spectacular race class is the "Unlimited". With the exception of very few “scratch-built” aircraft, the Unlimited Class has generally been populated by stock or modified WWII fighters with the P-51 Mustangs, F-8F Bearcats and Hawker Sea Fury being flown most often, flying in speeds exceeding 500 mph.
One of the many P-51 custom racers was the "Gulf Mirage". It was a former military aircraft (ex s/n 44-73350), formerly operated by the Swiss Air Force and bought for around $3,500, that had undergone several successive modifications during its career in order to reduce the aircraft's drag and make it more and more competitive.
"Gulf Mirage" started its racing career in 1968 as an almost original P-51D which had been stripped off of any military equipment, under the ownership of Daniel Haskin, owner of Aeropart Service Inc. and WWII and Korea War pilot veteran. The aircraft's original name was "Mirage", with the civil registration N613C. The debut with the racing number 83 saw only a mediocre result, and, for the next season, the yellow and purple Mustang underwent its first major modifications.
These were carried out by Aero Trans Corp. DBA in Ocala, Florida, and included clipped wings and ailerons (the wing span was reduced by a total of ~5'), and the Mustang's characteristic tunnel radiator was replaced by two recessed radiators, which now occupied the former machine gun compartments in the wings. In this guide, the aircraft took part in the 1969 National Air Races, but severe cooling problems and numerous leaks in the almost untested radiator system prevented an active participation in the Unlimited Class races.
1970, "Mirage" was back, now tested and most technical bugs sorted out, and was able to achieve a respectable 4th place. In 1971, the modified Mustang was back, but during the main race a piston jammed and the aircraft could hardly be controlled - ending in a rugged belly landing after the landing gear had collapsed upon touchdown, which also caused a crack in the motor block.
However, the airframe was mostly intact, and Daniel Haskin started to search for sponsors for a rebuild and upgrade of "Mirage", as well as a new pilot. Through his industrial connections, he was able to win Grady Davis, vice president of Gulf Oil, who was an avid motorsport enthusiast and had founded the Gulf Oil Racing Team in 1966, for his project. In the course of 1972, "Mirage" underwent, thanks to financial and technical support, its second radical modification: the ruined Merlin engine was replaced by a bigger Rolls Royce Griffon (salvaged from an ex RAF Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk 19 reconnaissance aircraft) and its respective engine mounts, now driving a five blade propeller. The wing radiators were slightly enlarged in order to match the Griffon's increased power, and the aircraft was rebuilt with an eye to weight reduction. In the end, 600 pounds (270 kg) were removed from the airframe. The Mustang's original bubble canopy was replaced by a much smaller, streamlined fairing, and, after initial flight tests, the fin was slightly extended in order to counter the new propeller's torque and improve directional stability.
Outwardly, the new sponsorship resulted in a new name - the aircraft was now called "Gulf-Mirage" - a new, very different livery in the typical Gulf Racing colors: light blue with bright orange trim. With Peter Holm, a new pilot was found, too.
1973 saw the first start of the refurbished aircraft with the new starting number 63, but "Gulf-Mirage" did not finish its first race due to oil pressure problems, and any further flights were cancelled. In 1974 the pale blue Mustang was back - and this time everything worked fine and "Gulf-Mirage" was able to score a 3rd place in the Unlimited Class Gold Race. In 1975 the aircraft raced at the California National Air Races and finished in 2nd place - with a speed of 422 miles per hour (679 km/h).
After racing for several years with limited success, the aircraft was sold in 1983 to Wiley Sanders of Sanders Truck Lines, and it lost its characteristic blue and orange livery. After frequent participations in various air races, the aircraft was sold again in late 1989 and moved to the United Kingdom, not to return to the United States again until 1995. Since then, the aircraft has not made any public appearance yet.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m)
Wingspan: 32 ft 6½ in (9.93 m)
Height: 13 ft 5 in (4.10 m; tail wheel on ground, vertical propeller blade.)
Wing area: 197.6 sq ft (18.42 m²)
Empty weight: 7,030 lb (3,194) kg
Loaded weight: 8,750 lb (3,972 kg)
Max. take-off weight: 11,450 lb (5,200 kg)
Powerplant:
1× modified Rolls Royce Griffon 65 supercharged V12,
with a race output of ~3,000 hp (2,160 kW) at low altitude
Performance:
Maximum speed: 473 mph (763 km/h) at 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
Stall speed: 100 mph (160 km/h)
Mach limit 0.82
The kit and its assembly:
This is another group build submission, this time the topic was “Racing and Competition” – and what’s more obvious than a (fictional) Reno Racer? The Mustang is a classic choice for the Unlimited Class, with many warbirds and some exotic, dedicated constructions with high-volume piston engines. I wanted something plausible, though, that perfectly blends into the class’ pedigree, so I took inspiration from different real P-51 racers and modified my build with whatever I considered plausible.
The basic kit is Academy’s P-51D, which I like because of its good fit, surface structure and nice details like the good cockpit and landing gear, as well as the option to build the model with lowered flaps. Just the tail wheel is IMHO a little short and needs an extension at its base for a proper stance of the model.
However, in order to turn the Mustang into a mutated Reno Racer and high speed aircraft, I gave it the following modifications – everything gathered from real-world Mustang modifications throughout the years:
Clipped wings, a traditional way to reduce drag and improve low altitude handling. I cut away about 1cm from each wing – and there have been more radical modifications in real life, even including the transplantation of swept wings from a Learjet! The original wing tips were retained, though, and slightly extended so that they would match with the slightly deeper, shortened wing.
The ventral radiator was cut away and faired over; instead, two smaller radiators were integrated into the wings where the machine gun bays had been, scratched from styrene sheet material. This was inspired by Anson Johnson’s Mustang N13Y, as flown in 1949.
The spacious bubble canopy was replaced by a much smaller hood. At first, I wanted to use a Spitfire or Typhoon bubble canopy, but, after some dry fitting tests, these were still too big for a radical racer. Eventually I came up with a weird combo: the cockpit glazing from an 1:100 Tamiya Il-28 bomber (which, unfortunately, turned out to be quite thick), extended rearwards with the rear section of an 1:72 Academy Fw 190 cockpit canopy/fairing. Both had to be tailored to match each other, as well as the Mustang’s different fuselage shape, and the cockpit opening itself in the fuselage had to be drastically made smaller, with the help of styrene sheet and lots of PSR.
The engine was upgraded from a V-1710/Merlin to a Griffon engine; this was pretty easy, thanks to the transplantation of conformal rocker cam fairings from a Special Hobby Spitfire kit: they almost match the cowling shape perfectly!
In order to create a more Griffon-esque look (using the Griffon-powered RB-51 “Red Baron” Mustang as benchmark), I made the original carburetor air intake under the propeller disappear and modified the lower cowling. A new carburetor intake was scratched from a piece of a small drop tank and placed further back, just in front of the landing gear wells. Looks very Spitfire-like now!
Additionally, a different propeller with more blade area was incorporated, a one-piece five-blade propeller from a Frog Spitfire Mk. XIV. The new piece was mounted onto a metal axis and a styrene tube adapter was inserted into the Mustang’s nose. Since the new propeller’s spinner came with a slight increase in diameter (overall maybe just 1mm, but it would be recognizable), the cowling was adjusted accordingly, realized through some PSR work.
As a visual counterbalance to the bigger nose section, the fin tip was slightly extended (maybe by 2mm) through the integration of a piece from a Special Hobby He 100.
Finally, the OOB pitot under the wing was replaced by a more delicate alternative made from thin wire, and no other antennae were fitted, for a sleek and clean look.
In the end, a lot of changes - but the overall effect is IMHO still subtle, and the whole thing looks quite plausible. And there had been more radical conversions in real life!
Painting and markings:
This started as a tough challenge, since I wanted a simple livery, yet something well-known from the Seventies. One option was a black “JPS Special” livery, but I eventually came across a very nice “Gulf Racing” sponsor markings set from A.C.B.-Shop, a German car model specialist. The team’s light blue and orange cars are still iconic and popular today, and why should Gulf Oil not even have sponsored a Reno Racer…?
Painting started with an overall coat of pastel blue from the rattle can – a generic tone from Duplicolor, which comes close to RAL 5024, but it’s less saturated. Initially I thought that the blue tone was just too pale, but things became more convincing once I added orange bands (Humbrol 18, it comes very close to the decals’ tone) to the wings and the fuselage, as well as to the nose section and the spinner. The latter received a chrome silver tip, created with Humbrol’s Polished Aluminum metallizer, which was also used on the blades’ front side. Their back side became black. Black was also used for a narrow anti-glare panel in front of the windscreen.
The cockpit interior became dark grey while the landing gear wells and covers were painted in zinc chromate yellow (Humbrol 81) – an ugly but deliberate contrast to the colorful exterior. The struts were painted in aluminum (Humbrol 56). As another color highlight, the wheel discs were painted in bright red – seen on a WWII Mustang, probably a personal addition of the pilot?
Once dry, the kit received a light black ink wash, in order to emphasize the engraved panel lines. Then orange sections received black rims, created with generic 2mm decal stripe material from TL Modellbau. The lowered flaps were a bit problematic, but the curved trim under the nose posed serious problems because the straight decal stripes had to be bent into curves. Thanks to some Gunze decal softener, this eventually worked – not perfect, but O.K. for what I wanted to achieve.
Next came the major sponsor markings and the race numbers. The Gulf logos came from the aforementioned decal set while the number was puzzled together with white decal circles from a Hasegawa Ki-61 (actually foundations for hinomaru with white borders!) and single numerals, which actually belong to contemporary Russian Air Force aircraft, from a Begemot sheet with generic tactical codes in various sizes.
In the scrap box I also found some sponsor decals (from a Heller 1:43 Lancia Delta), and some stencils were taken from an Academy P-47D sheet.
Finally, after some finishing touches, the kit was sealed with semi-gloss acrylic varnish from Italeri.
Well, the “Gulf-Mirage” looks simple and plausible, but in the end a lot of modifications were integrated that shift the Reno Racer away from the standard warbird. I am actually quite pleased with the outcome, because neither the technical modifications, nor the fictional/adapted Gulf Racing livery look out of place. The combo works well!