The Scout
Just outside of the downtown area, perched atop Penn Valley Park, sits “The Scout” statue. He keeps watch to the west for any impending trouble for the downtown area. This area is one of the most picturesque places to view the Kansas City skyline, but it seems far less traveled than the nearby Liberty Memorial. I have wanted to explore this shot for a while, and after shooting it once, I am sure I will be back in the future. On my way back home I made a brief stop at a new installation art piece by John Salvest. It sits on the west lawn of the Federal Reserve in Kansas City. Look carefully because there is a hidden message buried in these foreign shipping containers.
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Kauffman Performing Arts Center (Entry)
With the opening of the Kauffman only a few weeks away, the site has started to open up little by little allowing me to explore more than I have ever been able to. This week I wanted to focus on the front of the building because I already have so many shots of the shell. I also focused on the backlit sign on the corner of 17th and Broadway.
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Moraine Park
Lying at the heart of Rocky Mountain National Park, is a giant, lush green meadow formed thousands of years ago by glaciers. Small boulders area scattered throughout the meadow as a reminder of the ice giant responsible for sculpting the landscape into what it remains today. Wildlife runs rampant in the park, and Moraine Park seems to attract everything from Chipmunks and Marmots all the way up to Elk, Deer, and Moose. Finding out early in our stay that the park is best viewed in the early morning hours, we spent one of our mornings taking in a sunrise in Moraine Park. A river snakes its way through the lush meadow grass and marsh at the beginning of its journey away from the Continental Divide. This was one of my favorite locations to shoot in the park, and I hope it shows!
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Camping
A couple of weeks ago we went camping at John Redomond Resevoir in rural Kansas. For the last few months I have been wanting to start a new series of photography that will primarily focus on the rural landscapes of the midwest. The idea is to showcase the beauty that can exist in the middle of America’s heartland that is so often passed over for more picturesque destinations. Rural landscapes may not have the most prominent landscapes, but what makes them beautiful can be traced directly to how they absorb natural light as well as the simplicity of the composition. I hope to get out at least a few more times before the end of summer, but for now enjoy the first installment.
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Holy Family Shrine
Presidents day weekend is always a time for me and Katy to disappear somewhere for a mini-vacation. In the past we have been visiting different national parks around the country. This year we decided to something a little different and stay a little closer to home. While it may not be the most exciting vacation we have ever taken, there were definitely some interesting things to do and see in Omaha, NE. Just West of Omaha, and just off of I-80 on the South side, rests a quaint, simple chapel. It’s the kind of architecture that ,during the day, becomes a part of its surroundings before one has a chance to even notice they have passed it, and at night becomes a glowing lighthouse on the prairie. I was lucky enough to be able to experience it through overcast, sunny, and twilight. It really is amazing how your impression of a place can be drastically altered by the proper light. I think you will find that this place is made only more beautiful by the different light that passes through or eminates from it.
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John Deere
Over the weekend I was poking around in some of the archives and played around with some photos taken out at Powell Gardens in Missouri. There was an old, beat up, and rust eaten tractor just sitting in the middle of a field. I tried to give it the antiquated and timeless look for something that will probably ride out its days soaking up the sun and the rain. I know I had some fun with these. Let me know what you think.
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J.C. Nichols Memeorial Fountain (Country Club Plaza)
Known by all who live in Kansas City, the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain sits on the east edge of the Country Club Plaza. This is probably the most photographed fountain in Kansas City, and up to this point I hadn’t really given it due respect. The fountain is adorned with sculptures that actually were perched on the crest of a home in Long Island, NY long before making the journey to Kansas City in the 1960′s. The four horses supposedly represent four rivers spread across this Earth: the Mississippi, the Seine (France – Paris), the Volga (Russia), and the Rhine (Europe). I hope these pictures help show the character this fountain brings to the Plaza.
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Downtown
For those of you who don’t know, I recently put my artwork on display at Cellar Rat Wine Merchants in the Crossroads district of Kansas City. If you live in, or somewhere near Kansas City, I urge you to go see my art and buy a bottle or two of wine! Thank you to all of you who made it out on First Friday, I had a great time talking to all of you!
That all being said I have been holding out on putting these photos from a downtown shoot I did a few weeks ago. There are images from all over the downtown and a few from Liberty Memorial overlooking downtown. If any of these images strike you, and you wish to have it grace the walls of your home…..head on over to my newly refurbished website( www.ryanestesphotos.com ) and purchase it. Prints start at just $30! I hope you enjoy!
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West Bottoms Round 2
For those of you who have not heard, I will be putting my art up on the walls of Cellar Rat for the month of October. During this time you will be able to purchase anything that is on display or in my look book. That being said, I have made a list of places I want to shoot over the next month or so to maybe fill in the gaps and add a little more diversity to my portfolio. I spent a few hours last night wandering around the construction ridden district of the west bottoms. It was a gorgeous night as the clouds that covered the city all day dissapated and allowed the soft warm glow of the sunset wash the buildings that rest just below Downtown Kansas City. Here are some of the new shots!
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Union Station Kansas City (Twilight)
Union Station
Sitting at the base of Liberty Memorial on the outskirts of Downtown Kansas City is a place still used as a transportation hub of the midwest. Although its primary function may not be to ship eager passengers along the winding railroads of the nation, it still breathes life into the cultural heritage of Kansas City. There are events, exhibits and restaurants that still thrive in this mammoth neo-classical building. I have been photographing Kansas City and its icons for about three years now, and I cannot believe I had not added this shot to my portfolio. I have fallen in love with exploring the light that exists between light of day and the darkness of night. The name used to define this astrological time is Civil Twilight. The thing that makes my photographs explore the contrast between the electric blue dwelling in the sky and the manmade sodium hallide lighting that washes the hardened paved surfaces that cover our urban landscape. I hope that you enjoy my interpretations of this hour that drives my passion for photography.
St. Lucia (Jade Mountain)
As many of my friends and family already know, I was recently married(thus the reason for such a long hiatus from this blog) and while the wedding was great and everyone had a blast, we could not wait to go on our honeymoon(see why below). We stayed at Jade Mountain on the western coast of the island. It is a beautiful little place located just to the north of Venezuela. Here are a few images to show what it was like. (I am so happy to try and get back to some semblance of a normal life again now that the main event has taken place).
IR Shots
This past weekend I recieved an infrared filter for my birthday, and this is the first shot I took with it. This particular exposure was a 600 second exposure. I am sure there will be more to follow soon. Enjoy!
Architecture
For this post, I thought I would let you know a few tips on how and this is the key, when to shoot architecture. Obviously I am stating my preference, but I will tell you why this is my beilief. When you shoot architecture, you should always at least try to inclued something that gives you scale(people, cars, lightpoles, trees, etc.). If you are shooting for details, then just make sure you use your compositional rules, but other than that have fun. The best shots for architecture show depth which means high contrast light, small aperture, and again contrasting light. For the past couple of shots I have done I have chosen to shoot at twilight. This is because most street lighting, or building lighting has a natural orange or yellow hue to it, and given that the sky between night and day has a very strong, rich blue you get a natural pallette of complimentary colors. Also, lengthened exposures give you the ability to have car trails and things that give your image movement. Here are a few examples of what I am talking about. 
Downtown KC
I just recently moved into the downtown area with my girlfriend, and since I have been here the weather has been flaky at best. There is a long hallway in the entry that needs some new artwork, so this past weekend I went out with the intention of capturing some abstract architectural details that are distinctly Kansas City. It is great to see the downtown so alive at the moment, and it keeps growing everyday. The few pictures I have included in this post show the contrast between some of the historical buildings, contemporary buildings and future builidings.
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- The club in the President Hotel
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- Kansas City’s Downtown Arena
