Happy Birthday Grand Central Terminal!

Grand Central Terminal, New York City

Today marks the 100th anniversary of Grand Central Terminal, that iconic building where many people from all over the world have visited to marvel at the architecture, catch a train, visit the coolest bar in New York City, (the Campbell Apartment), go shopping or simply people watch.  When I was on assignment for National Geographic Traveler Magazine, I was assigned to cover this icon of New York architecture.  I learned many things about the massive complex, which included a tour of the underground tunnels designed for the purpose of evacuating presidents and other dignitaries in the case of an emergency.  The ceiling has been restored, but one small patch was left to show how much environmental pollution from the trains had damaged the original fresco.  There is still the hole in the ceiling from where a rocket was displayed back in the 1950′s when NASA miscalculated the height of the rocket by 6 inches, the zodiac on the ceiling is depicted backwards, (with speculation that this was a mistake by the artist), and the clock faces above the information desk remain the most valuable items in the main hall as they are made from the precious stone, opal.  Christie’s and Sotheby’s estimate the clock to be worth between ten and twenty million dollars. This image has stayed in my portfolio for many years because I find it to be a constant reminder of my love of New York City.

Happy Birthday Grand Central!

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architectural photographer Susan Seubert lands two magazine covers

It is my great pleasure to announce two covers that I photographed which are currently on the newsstands: one for a regional magazine, Oregon Home, and another for a national magazine, This Old House.  I love shooting these assignments because I get a chance to peek into people’s houses and pick up some ideas for my own!  The desert home was amazing, and we had a glorious day of shooting – sunny and bright.  The extra treat was a full moon rising as the sun was setting.  I had difficulty concentrating but we had to move fast as we were shooting several situations and had only about 20 minutes to work.  The cover for This Old House was shot in Carlton, Oregon, right on the main highway and we were again graced with beautiful, late afternoon light.  The stylist, Michele Greco, is one of the best in the industry. We did a variety of porch setups which took some time, but yielded wonderful results.  I’m thrilled the magazines used the images and I encourage you to go out and pick up copies.  Thank you!

The cover of the February/March 2012 issue of Oregon Home Magazine

March 2012 Cover of This Old House Magazine photographed in Carlton, Oregon

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Garden and Landscape Architecture Photographer Susan Seubert in Portland Oregon

One of my first assignments was for Garden Design Magazine back in 1998.  It was shooting a story about a landscape designer in Los Angeles named Chris Rosmini.  She not only had an extraordinary garden in the middle of the city, but she also had amazing collections of things.  Suitcases, alabaster statues, and other ephemera were strewn through her three bungalows.  Last summer I was asked by Portland Monthly Magazine to shoot a series of front yard gardens. The assignment was not nearly the deep investigation of space that the Rosmini story was, but fun and a way to learn about garden design from a completely different vantage point.  Here is the story which is running in the April 2010 issue.

The opening spread of Ketzel Levine's front yard garden

a boxwood hedge to keep out dogs and a more formal approach to a front entrance

Ketzel Levine's front yard private space and Marina Wynton's habitat garden

The images were made with a Hasselblad Camera shooting with Kodak 160VC film and a few of the pictures were made with the Canon 5D Mark II with a 24-105mm Lf/4 IS USM lens.

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Portland Landscape Photography by Susan Seubert

… is featured in the new book entitled, “Where the Revolution Began, published by Spacemaker Press.  It features the work of landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, who had been at the leading edge of urban design (sadly, he passed away in October).  Together with his wife Anna Halprin, they transformed notions of public space and community.  The book contains three essays by John Beardsley, Janice Ross and Randy Gragg.  I made the modern photographs of the Halprin Promenade in Portland over the last couple of years. If you would like to buy the book, you can do so here. We hope you do, as all the proceeds go to the Halprin Landscape Conservancy, “a nonprofit organization devoted to educating the public and preserving the Portland Open Space Sequence.”

Where The Revolution Began: Cover and Modern photos by Susan Seubert

The process of documenting these parks was a very interesting exercise in trying to “see” back in time and envision what these plazas might have looked like before they were overwhelmed by high rise buildings, neglect, (don’t mean to be down on Portland here, I would wager this was due to city budget restraints), and the addition of unintended architectural features (such as sculpture, planters, etc…).

This book is a magnificent testament to these public spaces and we hope will not only bring attention to these important Portland landmarks but lead to the preservation of them for future generations.  In addition to my work, the book also includes reproductions of Halprin’s drawings and some historical images for context.

Here are a few of my favorite images from the shoot which features the Lovejoy Fountain, Pettygrove Park and the Forecourt Fountain.  Most of the images were made with a Hasselblad using 80mm, 50mm or 40mm lenses.  The film was either Kodak 160VC or Kodak 400VC.  Some of the detail images and wide angle horizontal images were made with a Canon 5D.

A detail of the acclaimed Forecourt Fountain in downtown Portland, OR

A detail of the acclaimed Forecourt Fountain in downtown Portland, OR

Pettygrove Park consists of a series of mounds and paths

Pettygrove Park consists of a series of mounds and paths

The Lovejoy Fountain which was designed to have water cascading down steps and land into a serene pool

The Lovejoy Fountain which was designed to have water cascading down steps and land into a serene pool

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