Pittsburgh Skyline

Joined
Oct 17, 2007
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Orland Park, Illinois
Two nights ago I wrapped up my road trip with a photograph of the Pittsburgh skyline. This was the final picture of my 22 day road trip (click here to view my trip itinerary).

I captured this image from an observation deck off Grandview Avenue above the Monongahela River. Thankfully, the observation decks are still open. The surrounding sidewalks off Grandview Avenue are mostly closed due to safety concerns. The sidewalks are breaking apart and pedestrians are warned not to step on them or risk falling quite some distance.

This observation deck provided a great view of the city. And, the clouds brought drama into the scene. My biggest concern was whether the storm would hold off long enough for me to capture the photograph in the best light. I could see the thunderstorm approaching from the northeast. You can probably see the lightning strikes at the horizon in the left portion of the frame. These are actual lightning strikes. I did not add them in Photoshop.

The storm did hold off. I was able to navigate the tricky drive back to my hotel before the rain started. My hotel was located near the Cathedral of Learning on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. You can see the Cathedral of Learning in the distance. If you move along the horizon from right to left it is the second building that you come across...a 42 story academic building (the tallest academic building in the Western Hemisphere). I will share photographs from that location in a future post.

Once it started raining, it came down hard for hours. The severely saturated grounds were partially attributed to a freak accident that occurred in the metro Pittsburgh area a few hours later. A tree that was 80 feet tall fell through the roof of a house. A man was pinned down while laying in his bed and later died. Click here for that news story.

And here's the photograph...for now it is uncropped. I plan to experiment with some different crops---including a panorama:

p3539144323-5.jpg
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Joined
Oct 17, 2007
Messages
27,360
Location
Orland Park, Illinois
What's not to like? Simply a fabulous picture, and so dramatic.
Thanks Nick...the drama took a bit of luck. My road trip lasted nearly three weeks and I think this was about the only day when there was a cloud in the sky.
I grew up in Pgh. This brings back great memories. Really well done.
Thanks for sharing
Gary
Thank you, Gary...based on my limited time in Pittsburgh (and I have many more images to share from that city), I am very impressed with the area.
Amazing image Glenn.
Thank you, Walter
There are probably several crops that would work well but I have a difficult time believing any of them would be better than this. Well done! Looking forward to other photos you made on your trip.
Thanks Mike...whenever I pick a crop, I just can't get myself to take away any of the dramatic sky!

Glenn
 
Joined
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Idaho
Amazing photo. The horizon in the center of the photo works so well with this image. I don't think you could crop it to make it better. This is absolutely fabulous and one of my favorites of the many you have shared here on the cafe. I really love the way the bridges and the diagonal lines in the clouds mirror each other and take your eye into the city!!
 
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Jul 25, 2017
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Pittsburgh, PA
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Ian
Glenn,

Nice shot of my hometown! I wish you would've let me know you were coming through, as I could've tried to make time to introduce myself.

There are plenty of places to get great images of the city. Mount Washington (where you were) offers some of the best.
 
Joined
Oct 17, 2007
Messages
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Location
Orland Park, Illinois
Amazing photo. The horizon in the center of the photo works so well with this image. I don't think you could crop it to make it better. This is absolutely fabulous and one of my favorites of the many you have shared here on the cafe. I really love the way the bridges and the diagonal lines in the clouds mirror each other and take your eye into the city!!
Thanks Terri...I appreciate your kind words!
Great picture! I like the composition and light conditions. For me it doesn't need another cropped version tbh :)
Thank you, Frank...I think I'll stick with this original full frame image (no crop).
Glenn,

Nice shot of my hometown! I wish you would've let me know you were coming through, as I could've tried to make time to introduce myself.

There are plenty of places to get great images of the city. Mount Washington (where you were) offers some of the best.
Thanks Ian...I was only in Pittsburgh for a little over 24 hours. But, I did photograph a lot of locations: three churches (First Presbyterian, Trinity and the Heinz Memorial Chapel), the Cathedral of Learning, Phipps Conservatory and the City-County Building. I'll be sharing some of those images once I get around to processing them.

Glenn
 
Joined
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North Springfield VA
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Bill Walderman
Don't crop! This is perfect as is.

How difficult is it to access the observation deck? I want to visit Pittsburgh and would like to get a shot like this, but with knee replacements I'm not exactly agile. And I'd rather not fall long distances through cracks in the pavement.
 
Joined
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Orland Park, Illinois
Thanks Bill...the observation decks are very easy to access. I parked across the street and walked about 200 feet on level pavement to reach the deck. It's literally positioned just off the curb and across the sidewalk of Grandview Avenue.

The surrounding sidewalks that run along the street are roped off...you can see the large cracks in the concrete. The sidewalks are about to crumble down the hillside. There's going to be a massive and very expensive renovation there very soon.


Glenn
 
Joined
Jul 6, 2019
Messages
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North Springfield VA
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Bill Walderman
Thanks Bill...the observation decks are very easy to access. I parked across the street and walked about 200 feet on level pavement to reach the deck. It's literally positioned just off the curb and across the sidewalk of Grandview Avenue.

The surrounding sidewalks that run along the street are roped off...you can see the large cracks in the concrete. The sidewalks are about to crumble down the hillside. There's going to be a massive and very expensive renovation there very soon.


Glenn
Thank you, Glenn. Again, congratulations on a stunning photo.
 

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