Every so often there is a convergence of some ineffable and unknown factors that creates something wonderful. Peanut Butter and Chocolate. Ferrari's and twisty mountain roads. Hot Cocoa and crisp fall mornings. For me it is my Pentax SMC 24mm f2.8 lens and my Pentax K200d camera. They combine in some way to create photos that speak to me. The focal length frames up just right for me eye on APS-C and the sensor creates pleasing colors. Now neither are up to current spec, the mirror on the K200 is a bit clanky, especially compared with my K5, & the resolution is only 10MP, but I can live with that. I am willing to carry the K200 with me in my backpack on a daily basis and with the 24mm it makes a nice fairly lightweight and unobtrusive combo. Which means it is ready to go at the drop of a hat.
On successive Mondays I just HAD to take a few moments and take some photos, that is my decompression time. Plus great clouds on crisp fall afternoons make photography even more tempting. I see this flag every time I work at the University and walk back to the light rail. I wanted to put the sun behind the flag but would have been standing in a tree. Played with black and white and desaturating all but the flag, but it didn't work.
Some buildings are just wrong, design, execution, detail. In some (many) ways this is that: just plain wrong. It doesn't fit with the older buildings next to it. No graceful curves, just cubist lines and mirrored sides. Yet... beauty can be found even in things you don't like.
The contrast between organic and inorganic, straight lines and chaotic curves.
Is it a jarring monument to modern design, a sharp edged chisel jammed into the sky, or is it an accent, a foil, that emphasizes the differences enhancing both in the process?
Maybe both, or none.
I feel a photo essay coming on spending a day comparing and contrasting the old with the new...
It is a nice place for a selfie though.
