Downtown Kansas City
Downtown. Spring has begun to show its face again after hiding for a few weeks. In the mid-west it is one of the best, if not the only, time to enjoy the outdoors. In a few weeks we will be sentenced to 4-5 months of heat that wouldn’t be as bad if we didn’t have the secondary sentence of the heavy weighted humidity to accompany it. Though that looms in the short distance, we still have a few more weeks to enjoy outside, or even inside with the windows open. I took to the downtown streets and just let my camera take me where it led. I ended up walking a few miles around the downtown area on this pleasant, partly cloudy night. 
It led me over the bridge, and up the hill to the site of what would have been the third hall of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The hall would have housed the Kansas City Ballet, but funding fell through and they ended up in a great building down across from the IRS and next to Union Station. I really like this perspective as it is a great “spring” skyline shot.
Then it took me right to the front door for the Kauffman. I couldn’t resist taking a longer exposure to enhance the streaky, fast moving clouds. This building, if you can’t tell, is one of my favorite subjects in Kansas City….it also doesn’t hurt that I live within walking distance.
The final stop was as I walked back into downtown and the way the light was cast on the metal clad bridge stating it’s location. The skyline beyond was giving way to night, and the buildings begin to light the streets. Overall it turned out to be a fun springtime walk, and I have these to share!
Chicago
Chicago is one of my favorite places to visit, and this time we went over one of its biggest holidays(St. Patricks day). We took some time to enjoy the lesser known parts of Chicago, at least by tourist standards, but I actually really enjoyed the little neighborhoods we explored. That being said, I only really captured a few little pieces from Chicago, and it may epitomize the tourist spots, but here is the first batch of shots from the weekend.
Supporting Cast
Downtown. The word itself paints a picture in one’s mind, but sometimes the picture it paints leaves out the in between. The key components that fly at a much lower altitude than their sky scraping counterparts. Sometimes underappreciated, underwhelming, and right under your nose. These players are the supporting cast, and without them, downtown would simply not be what it is. These are a few buildings in downtown Kansas City that support the arts and culture, and even though the architecture is on a smaller scale, it is no less significant than the towers rising around it.
Downtown Skyline
The Kansas City skyline, while not formiddable, definitely has a very unique character. There is also a brand new addition, with the recent grand opening of the Kauffman Performing Arts Center. I have been wanting a good overall panoramic shot of the skyline, and last night provided a pretty good backdrop. Let me know what you think!
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.
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.
(Christopher)Bond Bridge
Tons of concrete and steel have been set in place over the past couple of years to replace the Paseo Bridge to safely guide motorists on I-35 across the Missouri River. This cable stayed bridge is just another part of the revitalization taking place in and around the downtown area of Kansas City, Missouri. Though the bridge is already carrying traffic across the river, construction crews continue to demolish the former Paseo Bridge. I am looking forward to being able to take some images when the job has been completed.
Broadway Bridge
This is a Kansas City icon that was built in the 1950’s to carry Highway 169 right into downtown past the Charles B. Wheeler Airport. It is one of the few bridges spanning the gap between North Kansas City and Downtown, and can be a nightmare for morning commuters, but with the addition of Bond Bridge on I-35 it should be aliveated a little. When I look at this bridge I see a thousand mid-western communities, and basically the icon for 1950’s infrastructure in America. All that being said there is something exciting about the way the bridge glows against a waning twilight sky just falling into its daily slumber. Enjoy!
Springtime Weather
Spring in the mid-west is always an exciting time because you are coming out of what always seems like the “harshest winter.” I love that there are a few weeks where it never gets cold enough to need a jacket, and it never seems to get hot enough to turn the air on. There is another kind of excitement that comes with the changing of the seasons, and that is thunderstorms. I have been in the mid-west for a little less than 10 years, and I am still in awe of the raw power that mother nature expresses through her thunderstorms in this area of the country. Wind driven rain continuously pounds on your windows in unrelenting sheets, its path it always lit by the powerful fingers of electric light reaching from horizon to horizon, and it always annouces its arrival with a heavy roar that can be heard for miles. Just like a theater performance on a giant stage, every storm has its own unique signature, but it is always an entertaining performance. This just so happens to be the latest installment in a neverending tour. ENJOY!
Clock Tower Twilight
Rising above an urban courtyard, the power and light clock tower is sometimes overlooked. The tower has a spiraling turbine that turns the wind energy into electricity. A strip of lights runs vertically up the twisting edges of the turbine and as that turns in the long exposure it leaves a light trail. There are still more images to come in the next few weeks, but for now enjoy the latest and greatest!
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.
Liberty Memorial
Though I have shot this memorial quite a few times, it always seems to draw me back. I always seem to find something new to explore, and I can never be quite satisfied with just a few shots. Since Kansas City has been a dumping ground for mother nature over the past couple of weeks, I thought it would be a good time to get out and capture a wintery landscape overlooking the skyline. I braved the near sub-zero temperatures for almost 2 hours, and enjoyed every second of it. The memorial was built to honor those who served in World War I, and it houses a World War I museum below the monument.
Power + Light 1 (The Sprint Center)
This is part of a new series of photos I will be taking in the downtown Power and Light District of Kansas City. I got out there just before the sun faded behind the horizon, and I really enjoyed the colors that emerged from it! I find it entertaining that no matter where I go to shoot, there are people that take the time to stop and ask what it is that I am shooting, and what it is for. At the moment, it is a hobby, but I am hoping that sooner rather than later, I will be doing this for a client.
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. 
Sundays
Ever since we moved downtown we have walked down to the local farmers market in the River Market area. There is a very ecclectic mix of shops surrounding the outdoor market area, and on Sundays there is usually a live blues band playing. There are all kinds of fruits, vegetables and spices for ridiculously low prices, and its a great excuse to get outside and enjoy a little bit of the downtown area.
Kansas City Icons
I am not typically the biggest proponent of Black and White imagery, I find color far more interesting for the depths of the colors you can express. That being said, I do believe black and white is a great way to study, and understand how color affects your images. I took one of the Bartle Hall Convention Center in Black and White and am happy with the results. The other shots are from the Western Auto building in the Crossroads district. I waited nearly a half-hour for the clouds and lighting to be where my vision of the shot to line up correctly.
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
Ryan Estes Photos 