"Gateway to the West"

Perfect! Gorgeous scene, great sky and reflections! Mike

 

I decided while visiting St. Louis last week to avoid the traditional tourist snaps. Obviously,

the Arch has been photographed millions of times and what could I do with it that would be

original. Needless to say, the last day there I would succumb to the photographers curse, the

one that compels a photographer to try and execute their own "take" on a familiar subject. I

have yet to see another image taken from this vantage, but I am sure someone else has

happened upon this scene at some time. I welcome others to share their "take" on this

American Icon. I would not expect a high score for originality, but it might be appealing

aesthetically. Thanks for any observations!!

Mark, this is a stunning and original shot of the arch.....you should sell it to them for a postcard! I'm going to be in St. Louis this weekend and your shot makes me want to go find this spot!! Check out my Arch folder in my portfolio for some different views I got of the arch from the Amtrack train. Also, if you get to St. Louis often you MUST go to the City Museum if you haven't been there, not only for the FUN it is, but it is a photographer's dream place! I have a folder of it too, and the first 19 shots in my New Photos folder ( minus the dog and trees! ) were taken there.

Thanks Mike, Lex and Jeanne! There are two reflection ponds on either side of the arch, more towards the downtown side. This one is behind the cathedral on the south side. I was fortunate to be here at the peak of Spring flowers. There were so many other compositions available at this moment, but the light faded quickly and I was truly on the move to get back to the hotel. This was serendipitous, mainly because I arrived moments earlier and had no notion of how I was going to photograph the arch. My initial intent was to shoot from the Illinois side with the sun setting behind the arch, but there were no clouds in that direction. Because the clouds were coming from the east is why I picked this spot. How fortunate!

Fantastic! It's like seeing Half Dome from a never-before-seen vantage point. Looks like a portal to another dimension. And...I see a bit of an Escher-esque quality on the Arch with the play of light and shadows.

I know I commented on your other similar shot, but these shots are so outstanding that it bears repeating......this is ONE GREAT SHOT!!! My brother lives in Kansas City, and this almost makes me want to hop in the car and drive over to see him via St. Louis to re-create (or try) this beautiful shot. Did you like my idea to submit these to the St. Louis tourism board.....really, they would love this for a postcard! You should do it! If you don't, would you mind if I submitted it on your behalf? I won't charge much for being your agent. LOL

Thanks William and Christal. I actually have begun searching for some potential markets for this image. I have found that many postcard publishers pay poorly, meaning they pay you a one time fee no matter how well the postcard does. Many times they want exclusive rights, which limits or eliminates a photographers resell potential. I am better off publishing it myself, but that also leaves me with the marketing. Thanks for offering Christal. If you can find something truely profitable, I am all for making it worth your while.

Seems like a gateway to a different dimension! Very nice!

This is just outstanding! There's abstract quality beside the expertly handled exposure and processing. Very well done!

I was TOTALLY kidding about serving as your agent and trying to take a cut of your work. I WOULD, however, love to see you promote your photos because they are so extraordinary and worthy of being seen. I was just trying to encourage you to market your work for all to enjoy. In fact, my postcard idea is rather lame anyway. This shot is worthy of being hung in the finest galleries. Maybe a trip to St. Louis would behoove you at some point in time. You could approach some of the galleries with this and/or the gift shop there at the Arch itself. As I remember it was quite a nice gift shop with lots of art work. But you could probably do the same thing over the Internet. Anyway, I have to be careful about 'teasing' on the Internet. Things don't always come across the way they were intended, and I certainly would not want to capitalize in any way on your wonderful work! I'm going to try to email you to make sure you see this.

A fellow pentaxian, this is the best picture I've seen of the arch as yet. And having that tree in bloom was most certainly a bonus. Glad you succumbed! I have to admit to giving you a little over average for originality.. only because you had to go across the pond to get the shot! Cheers, Haig

Very wonderfully capture

very nice angle and composition.

Halo's ring!

A very beautiful landscape with sweet colors and composition.

This picture is wonderful. I won't say much about it because so much has already been said and I don't want to repeat, but you did a fantastic job. I live near St. Louis and have been to the Arch grounds many times and have obviously failed to see this beautiful setup.

I found the Arch very difficult subject, and I had little time to take a great photo (20 min). After a long and tiring day at the Zoo we need to get back on the road ( 3 hours). I kick myself for not doing a bit of homework and knowing better places to take some great shots.

This by far is one of the best shots I have seen from the reflection pond. Fantastic  colors and composition...

Bravo'

Thanks Shenandoah, among a handful of others I have neglected to recognize! Sorry!