Yes. The tittle is a reference to Stephen King's Dark Tower. In Finnish the book tittle is translated The Black Tower, witch suits even better to the Tower Hotel in Tampere as it is, well, black. But there the similarities end. I hope. I don't know who could be the Randall Flagg or Roland Deschain of Tampere. Although the Tower Hotel still gives some people bad vibes, I think I'm slightly turning in to neutral about this huge monster in the middle of smaller concrete buildings.
Camera: Canon EOS 550D - Shutter Speed: 1/640 sec - Aperture: f/6.3 - ISO Sensitivity: 1000 - Focal Length: 270 mm
Photo taken from Näsinneula.
The dark hotel is a good landmark. If you find it, you will find the railway station, the main street Hämeenkatu that leads you to the Keskustori (Central square). Tampere is a big city in Finland but considering the whole world not at all big. But it's constantly growing.
Camera: Canon EOS 550D - Shutter Speed: 1/1000 sec - Aperture: f/3.5 - ISO Sensitivity: 200 - Focal Length: 18 mm
Photo taken from railway station, a museum train cart in front.
Camera: Canon EOS 550D - Shutter Speed: 1/100 sec - Aperture: f/6.3 - ISO Sensitivity: 400 - Focal Length: 270 mm
Photo taken from Keskustori.
At the feet of the Tower, are the remains of the old railway roundhouse. Now there's the Hotel lobby and a couple of restaurants. It is what it is. Even in snowstorms and -20°C winter days. Big, bold and black.
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| Camera: Canon EOS 550D - Shutter Speed: 1/60 sec - Aperture: f/5 - ISO Sensitivity: 100 - Focal Length: 45 mm - Photo taken February 1st 2018. | Camera: Canon EOS 550D - Shutter Speed: 1/50 sec - Aperture: f/4.5 - ISO Sensitivity: 100 - Focal Length: 18 mm - Photo taken January 9th 2016. |
I'm a big fan of architecture and architectural photography. Lines, arches, angles, light and shadow, visions, colors, small details and wide spaces, the relation of the surrounding buildings and different perspectives. That's what makes taking photos of buildings so fascinating. Even the ugly buildings built after the 50's are beautiful in their own way. Ugly concrete, straight lines, dull colors, unspeakable ceramic tiles that remind you of those white 70's swimming pool floor tiles. Gray or dark with plain white. Ordinary, generic, blunt and boring. Those structures do have their own kind of beauty in their ugliness.
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| Camera: Canon EOS 550D -Shutter Speed: 1/200 sec - Aperture: f/6.3 - ISO Sensitivity: 100 - Focal Length: 184 mm - Photo taken from the Ratina shopping mall square near bus station. In front Tampere Orthodox Church. | Smartphone: Samsung SM-C101 - Shutter Speed: 1/6 sec - Aperture: f/5.4 - ISO Sensitivity: 100 - Exposure Compensation: -2 EV - Focal Length: 17.9 mm |
I'm not a big fan of turbo stuffed city centers. Destruction of old buildings because it's cheaper to built new than to repair and preserve old. Also I don't like the sorrowful fact that every year peaceful parks and nature seems to be further and further away from the city center.
When building new the architectural visionaries always have few trees in their plans, but the trees usually never make it to the completed square, near the structures, beside the roads. Promises are made to plant new trees after cutting down the old ones, but too often promises are broken. And after a while forgotten. "What trees? We have nature here in Tampere elsewhere, don't come crying to me because of few trees and a shrunken park."
Camera: Canon EOS 550D - Shutter Speed: 1/1000 sec - Aperture: f/6.3 - ISO Sensitivity: 100 - Exposure Compensation: -0.3 EV - Focal Length: 270 mm
Photo taken from Härmälänsaari (Härmälä island) July 7th 2017.