TR: Krakow, Poland

[Fuzz]

Moved from Colorado to London last month; a big reason was to travel more. So the first opportunity came in the form of a work trip to Krakow, Poland, last week. Arrived really late on Monday night (circled above Krakow for an hour, diverted to Katowice due to freezing rain at Krakow, almost denied entry by the passport officer wanting to see my "papers", a 90-minute taxi ride to Krakow in horrendous weather).

Since I was at work, got to explore in the evenings only. It was very cold, like Summit County-type cold. Highs barely broke 20F. Snowed quite a bit. I managed to get in about an hour or so of walking around each night. Krakow is a very picturesque city, very reminiscent of Prague. The snow made it look magical. And it did keep the crowds away. Somewhat typical Eastern Europe-style food -- meat, cabbage, potatoes. Lots of vodka. The cytrynowka (lemon vodka), a Polish specialty, was my favorite -- you don't really taste the alcohol, so it's easy to overdo it; but I definitely felt it when standing up. Some cool bars tucked away down side alleys. Went to one which is a combo bar/art gallery. There were no signs outside or anything -- our Krakow natives just knew to go through what looked like an entrance to an apartment building, and upstairs to the bar.

The Old Town is where most of the tourist attractions are, anchored by Market Square in the center. The ring of parks/greens surrounding Old Town is very charming. Wawel Royal Castle is quite grand -- unfortunately I never got to go inside the grounds because I got out too late. Kazimierz is supposed to be very pretty (architecturally), but most of the streets were to dark to see/shoot anything.

Overall, very impressed with the city. Never felt unsafe -- walked around after midnight with my camera out, backpack on my back with tripod on it with no problems. Definitely hoping to go back with more time in hand to explore more.

1. Wawel Castle from outside the hotel:

Wawel Royal Castle, Krakow by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

2. Polish winter:

Krakow by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

3. Old Town park:

Krakow by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

4. A magical time in Krakow:

Krakow by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

5. Town Hall Tower in Market Square:

Town Hall Tower, Krakow by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

6. Market Square on a calmer evening:

Market Square, Krakow by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

7. Krakow tram:

Krakow by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

8. Gertrudy street:

Krakow by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

9. Old Town park, around 1am:

Krakow by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

10. Powisle:

Powisle, Krakow by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

[grubbers]

Great shots. I'll be in Poland for about 2 weeks in June for a family reunion of sorts, really looking forward to it. I think we'll be closer to Warsaw though, as that's around where my grandparents were from. I should probably learn to speak at least some Polish.

[bushman]

Sent my son to Krakow last Thanksgiving break, to visit a buddy who was studying there. He loved it and he said the partying was non-stop and the vodka very good. It was very cheap as compared to Norway where he spent the summer after Grad. high school. He said he would go back in a heartbeat. Me too.

[Benny Profane]

Thanks for this TR. I was there in 1973. A very different time. My roots from my father's side are in Bialystok. Long story.

Very nice pictures.

[DasBlunt]

Nice shots. No blond, big tits, polish women shots?

How was the neo Nazi presence?

[Benny Profane]

How was the neo Nazi presence?

wtf? Nazis?

[DasBlunt]

wtf? Nazis?

yeah, notorious and the soccer fans are worse.

[splat]

That much snow in Krakow means the Tatras are loaded with bottomless fluff.
Short drive to Zakopane and you woulda been neck deep.

[Benny Profane]

That much snow in Krakow means the Tatras are loaded with bottomless fluff.
Short drive to Zakopane and you woulda been neck deep.

You been there?

[Tippster]

Always wanted to go there. IIRC Krakow was never bombed extensively leaving most of the old buildings intact, like Prague.

Drink some Piwo and Zubrowka?

[splat]

You been there?

Yeah, me and phUnk ripped that place a new asshole and almost got ours ripped in the process.

[garyfromterrace]

4. A magical time in Krakow:

Krakow by FuzzSummit, on Flickr

[/QUOTE]

My favorite of your all amazing shots. Great work. This shot so reminded me of the month I spent in Goerlitz a coupla years ago. Thanks for bringing back the memories. Poland is great for so many reasons.

[systemoverblow'd]

Absolutely stunning as always fuzzy. I just don't get how every damn shot, week after week is so goddamn epic from you. Great eye.

Place looks amazing. Always wanted to see where my grandparents came from. Definitely on my to-do list. Thanks for sharing.

[Fuzz]

I'll be in Poland for about 2 weeks in June for a family reunion of sorts, really looking forward to it.

This was my first trip to Poland, and I was pleasantly surprised -- liked Krakow more than I'd imagined.

Sent my son to Krakow last Thanksgiving break, to visit a buddy who was studying there. He loved it and he said the partying was non-stop and the vodka very good.

According to my local colleagues, Krakow has the highest student population and the highest ratio of student to non-student ratio of anywhere in Poland. So it's quite a "young" city.

How was the neo Nazi presence?

No neo-Nazis that I came across. And I am quite far from being white, blond-haired, and blue-eyed. Some pretty good looking women though.

That much snow in Krakow means the Tatras are loaded with bottomless fluff. Short drive to Zakopane and you woulda been neck deep.

Since we lived in Summit, I don't even have a bag for my skis or ski boots. Just completed settling in, so will be looking to take some trips to the Alps soon. One of my new colleagues has a ski chalet in France (Les Arcs I think), so I'll have to become best friends with him. Plus the Ski Club of Great Britain is just down the road from me.

Drink some Piwo and Zubrowka?

Local beers I tried were Tyskie (brewed by Piwowarska) and Zywiec. Tried several types of vodka, of which the cytrynowka was my favorite.

Absolutely stunning as always fuzzy. I just don't get how every damn shot, week after week is so goddamn epic from you.

Thanks, but I really lucked out with the weather -- the snow made everything look very nice. And I think because I didn't have any preconceived notions or expectations, I was able to "see" without any pressure.

This trip to Poland really makes me want to return to Prague -- I was there when I was just getting into travel photography and feel like I could do much better this time around. Headed to Barcelona next month, and trying to decide between Hong Kong/Singapore, Australia/NZ, Istanbul/Ephesus, and/or somewhere else throughout the rest of the year.

[smmokan]

Fuzz- tell me more about some of these shots (in general). Lenses used, handheld or w/ tripod, ISO setting?

I'll be honest, looking at the images you've posted in the last several months finally pushed me over the FF edge... I bought a 5D II today.

[Fuzz]

Fuzz- tell me more about some of these shots (in general). Lenses used, handheld or w/ tripod, ISO setting?

Hey Steve, glad to...

You already know my quiver; I carry everything when I travel (the Dakine Quest backpack is superb). You can see the EXIF for the individual shots on Flickr (click on Settings under the Additional Info section in lower right). In general, my lens use is as follows:
- Sigma 15/2.8 fish is obviously a selective use lens. Used it more than I thought in Krakow (generally seems to be the case in Europe). I use it less as a wide-angle lens and more for the perspective control, so the cramped quarters of urban environments with their small details do work well with this lens.
- Canon 16-35/2.8 is mostly for the "postcard" shots. Didn't use it much except for tripod shots.
- Canon 35/1.4 -- used this quite a bit as usual.
- Canon 50/1.4 -- used this quite a bit in Krakow for subject isolation and shooting from a distance inconspicuously. As usual, it hunted for focus quite a bit, and missed focus quite a bit in the low light. Would have loved to have the Sigma 85/1.4 instead (been salivating over it for a while after renting it last year -- great AF, super sharp).
- Canon 70-200/2.8 IS II -- used it a lot (no surprises). Loved it for the shots looking down the narrow streets/paths and subject isolation. Only downside is that it is very conspicuous and hard to do much "street photography" with it.

1. Exposure 44; Aperture f/10.0; Focal Length 50 mm; ISO Speed 100
2. Exposure 0.04 sec (1/25); Aperture f/2.8; Focal Length 70 mm; ISO Speed 3200; Exposure Bias +1/3 EV
3. Exposure 0.025 sec (1/40); Aperture f/2.8; Focal Length 170 mm; ISO Speed 3200; Exposure Bias +1/3 EV
4. Exposure 0.033 sec (1/30); Aperture f/2.8; Focal Length 100 mm; ISO Speed 3200; Exposure Bias +1/3 EV
5. Exposure 0.067 sec (1/15); Aperture f/2.8; Focal Length 15 mm; ISO Speed 2000; Exposure Bias +1/3 EV
6. Exposure 30; Aperture f/10.0; Focal Length 16 mm; ISO Speed 100; Exposure Bias 0 EV
7. Exposure 0.025 sec (1/40); Aperture f/1.6; Focal Length 50 mm; ISO Speed 1600; Exposure Bias +1/3 EV
8. Exposure 0.025 sec (1/40); Aperture f/1.6; Focal Length 50 mm; ISO Speed 1250; Exposure Bias +1/3 EV
9. Exposure 0.077 sec (1/13); Aperture f/8.0; Focal Length 35 mm; ISO Speed 3200; Exposure Bias +1/3 EV
10. Exposure 0.033 sec (1/30); Aperture f/1.6; Focal Length 35 mm; ISO Speed 2500; Exposure Bias +1/3 EV

I almost always shoot in aperture priority mode with auto ISO. I do Av because I want to control the DoF I want. Auto ISO because the 5D2 maxes out at ISO3200 in auto mode, and that is clean enough for me.

Mostly shoot pretty wide open -- f/1.4 lenses at 1.6 or 1.8 (to control fringing and aberrations a bit better), and f/2.8 lenses at 2.8. I do close down to get more DoF if it fits the scene, but I'm shooting mostly handheld so somewhat limited in how much I can close down and still keep shutter speed up. Usually when I close down and get slower shutter speeds, I shoot in burst mode in the hope that at least one or two will come out shake-free.

Usually don't close down more than f/8 - f/10 -- it's enough to get a large DoF but not enough for diffraction to creep in. In daylight, I can shoot handheld at those apertures, but when it's dark out, I use a tripod. I rarely use a tripod though -- mostly for the "postcard" shots. In the series above, shots 1 and 6 were with a tripod. Shot 9 was at f/8 but handheld.

I do go full manual for the tripod shots (bulb mode, ISO100, Vello wireless Shutterboss). When I do want to control shutter speed (e.g. for motion), I typically move out of auto ISO, and then change my aperture to indirectly control the shutter speed -- close it down for slower speeds, and open up for the reverse. Might seem convoluted to do it indirectly like that (rather than in shutter priority mode), but just works for me.

I only use the center AF point, especially in low light. The outer AF points on the 5D2 are pretty close to useless unless in bright light with good contrast (I'll sometimes chance the outer points in such conditions). So I mostly focus and recompose.

[Benny Profane]

How about post processing?

[systemoverblow'd]

Would have loved to have the Sigma 85/1.4 instead (been salivating over it for a while after renting it last year -- great AF, super sharp).

Not to derail the thread but... did you really love it that much? Since selling my Rokinon 85 1.4 I have been really missing that focal length in a fast prime. I was looking at the 85L and the Sigma (just because I want AF this time). From what I have read, the 1.2L really doesn't seem worth the extra thousand dollars over the 1.4 Sigma. The weight, size, better focus and price of Sigma is very intriguing.

Have you played with both? The Siggy worth the grand? I'm not opposed to spending money since you see I am looking at the 85L, but its a lot if something doesn't deliver.

[PassTheDutchie]

Great shots. Krakow's been on the "need to get there" list for a long time. I've heard it favorably compared to pre-tourist-hordes Prague.

trying to decide between Hong Kong/Singapore, Australia/NZ, Istanbul/Ephesus, and/or somewhere else throughout the rest of the year.

I-Bul for the win.

[Fuzz]

How about post processing?

All PP with LR4.3. I have a bunch of presets that I created or downloaded and then tweaked, so I often start with one of those and then modify as needed.

Not to derail the thread but... did you really love it that much? Since selling my Rokinon 85 1.4 I have been really missing that focal length in a fast prime. I was looking at the 85L and the Sigma (just because I want AF this time). From what I have read, the 1.2L really doesn't seem worth the extra thousand dollars over the 1.4 Sigma. The weight, size, better focus and price of Sigma is very intriguing.

Have you played with both? The Siggy worth the grand? I'm not opposed to spending money since you see I am looking at the 85L, but its a lot if something doesn't deliver.

Remember, I'm talking about the Sigma 85/1.4, not the Canon 85L. I played with the Sigma only, and really liked the focal length + f/1.4 DoF combo and the sharpness. Didn't even try the Canon 85L for comparison because I'd compared the Canon 50L with the Canon 50/1.4, and didn't see enough difference to justify the L -- so I extrapolated that experience to the 85 as well and didn't even look at the 85L. At almost half the price, the Sigma 85 would be good enough for me.

The 85/1.4 would be good to use when I want a longer length without the conspicuousness of the white monster that is the 70-200.

[Fuzz]

Great shots. Krakow's been on the "need to get there" list for a long time. I've heard it favorably compared to pre-tourist-hordes Prague.

I thought Prague was prettier, but the hordes of people definitely detract from it and almost feels "Disneyfied". Krakow feels more like a real city with local people, shops, restaurants. Although I have a hard time comparing since I was in Prague in August for vacation and spent two full days just exploring and in contrast, I was in Krakow in January for work and got only about 3-4 hours total to explore at night. I definitely need to return to Prague with a bit more time soon.

I-Bul for the win.

I was just in Istanbul a few months ago -- loved it, but would love to take my wife and son + go back myself for a longer trip and explore outside Istanbul as well (e.g. Ephesus). The attraction of the others is that we have friends who live in HK and Singapore, and family in Australia.

[PassTheDutchie]

Ah yes--great I-Bul TR/shots! Remember it now. I only had about five days there and feel like a barely scratched the surface... Such a wonderful mixture of history and cultures.

[smartyiak]

Those shots are great. Would sure like to get there someday to check out where the family come from.

[systemoverblow'd]

Not to further derail this thread from Poland stoke but I have to ask... Do you find your camera underexposes 1/3 stop consistently with Av? I usually shoot M so I don't know. Do you pretty much keep exposure comp set to +1/3 no matter what lens you shoot when in Av? Is this your body specifically or is the 5D2 known for under exposing in Av?

[pepperdawg]

Fuzz- tell me more about some of these shots (in general). Lenses used, handheld or w/ tripod, ISO setting?

I'll be honest, looking at the images you've posted in the last several months finally pushed me over the FF edge... I bought a 5D II today.

Kodak 110 with a flashcube.....post processing at the local FotoMat.

(for those older then 35)

Seriously - thx nice pics/TR - more please.