Nice block of flats in the center of Kielce, near Silnica river

Now this, in contrast, is a nice block of flats built recently near the Silnica river flowing through the center of Kielce, right in the downtown. It's still for rent!

Communist block of flats under a scary sky

Communist block of flats from the 1980s, looks really scary with this freaky sky behind it. There's even this red car on the left still with communist registry plate.

Sunset among office buildings in Kielce

Liked this sunset so much I had to do some more shots of it.

Kielce City Archives at sunset

Really interesting shot at sunset, showing the crossroads in the center of Kielce, with a former synagogue turned city archives in the middle. 

4 o'clock in the morning - Kielce City Square

Interesting shot at 4 o'clock in the morning. It was in May, so the sunrise is already in progress - in the north! This is Kielce City Square.

Sienkiewicza at night

Another night shot, corner of Sienkiewicza and Duża streets. Again, nice sky on these HDRI shots made with 7 exposures.

Kielce City Square in the evening

Kielce City Square in the evening. Nice sky. It was a hard shot, made with 7 individual shots from -3 EV to +3 EV.

St. Albert Church in Kielce, night shot

Saint Albert Church, shot during the night hand-held. Composite image from 3 different HDR renderings. Very noisy, because of small shitty camera.

St. Albert (Św. Wojciech in Polish) was a sick fuck who wanted to convert pagans to Christianity. Died horribly during the process. Hail to the murderers of St. Albert!

St. Cross Church, Kielce

A bit noisy look at the Saint Cross Church in Kielce, during early blue hour in winter.

Bishops' Palace Tower

One of the towers of the Bishops' Palace in Kielce old town, near Cathedral.

Cathedral in Kielce, front from a garden

Front entrance to Kielce Cathedral, seen from interior garden shared with Bishops' Palace.

Cathedral in Kielce, sunset

Another shot of Kielce Cathedral, different angle, different time, different mood...

Cathedral in Kielce, overcast sky

Incredible shot of Kielce Cathedral, upon the Cathedral Hill in the centre of the old town. 

Dramatic clouds over Castorama in Kielce

Yup, so I take such pictures a lot, they look real amazing - the stormy evil clouds over an innocent-looking construction mall and a parking lot, or whatever. This picture, as all on this blog, is a composite of two (or more) HDR photos made with Photomatix, using different algorithms, with a lot of detail enhancer on the clouds.

Kadzielnia - the statue up close

So we got up close and personal with this communist statue in Kadzielnia reserve, and it's simply ugly. Typical socrealist "art". Some slogan about the duty to live in peace - yeah, right. Ugly faces of communist occupants adorn the top of this abomination. Geez...

Kadzielnia - the statue

This is how the famous communist statue looks like from afar. It stands erect upon a hill and a flight of stairs leads to it so it may remain reverable after all those years. All those damned years of communist oppression...

Kadzielnia - the rock, at the top

Finally at the top of the rock and through the cave, we take a look at the surroundings. In the forefront, some guy from England, awe-struck at the sight. A great example how new Photomatix algorithm (Contrast Optimizer) takes care of human skin in HDR shots - huge improvement.

Kadzielnia - the rock, part III

Almost at the top, we take a glimpse at the foreboding and dreaded edge of the rock, where witches dance and evil sleeps eternally.

Kadzielnia - the rock, part II

We are approaching this forsaken rock through the left hand path. Incredibly evil looking, witch-harboring piece of stone. And exactly what it used to be in the pagan times. A place for witches and their cults. "Kadzielnia" - from the verb "kadzić" - to cast spells.

Kadzielnia - the rock

Still at Kadzielnia geological reserve park in Kielce. This is a distinct rock, where a small path leads on the left. Many people try to climb it to the top - and fall down. I don't pity them. Indentation seen on the left is simply a leftover from the exploited stone when this place functioned as a quarry, and often fills with water after severe rainfalls.

Kadzielnia Amphitheater

Side view of the Kadzielnia Amphitheater, in the Kadzielnia geological park. A place of great acoustics, among the rocks of the defunct quarry, houses the venue for musical concerts. In the distance - the Telegraf Hill, with radio tower - the highest hill in the municipality. On the right side - a glimpse of a statue dedicated to national-social emancipation (you know, how the Soviets liberated Poland from national-socialist Germany...).

Galeria Echo interior road, chemtrails

Yup, that's the right turn from the previous picture, with the view of the internal road of Galeria Echo mall, and even more chemtrails. In the distance, Sady estate, a 70s communist block is hulking ominously.

Sunset, chemtrails and University of Technology in Kielce

Entered the multifloor parking lot of Galeria Echo mall and made this picture of chemtrails viciously slashing the late autumn's sky during acrid golden hours... This structure at the forefront is Kielce University of Technology's library or something. Never been there.

Path to Silnica

This is a path leading to a valley where the small river-cum-brook flows, Silnica. The main "river" of Kielce. These are the suburbs so the river still flows through forest before it goes into Kielce lagoon. This neighbourhood is derelict, but quite quiet.

Looking at the Kielce University of Technology over low density housing

What we have here is some houses built near a major drive-through before it was a drive-through, and before there was a mall nearby, built in the place of vast garden grounds known as Bocianek since almost the Renaissance. On the horizon we can see the buildings of Kielce University of Technology (PŚK). Nice sky.

Inside of St. Joseph the Worker Church

This is how this church looks like from inside, focusing on the altar and the central impaled figure of Nazarene. On the left are the mighty church organs.

St. Joseph the Worker church in Kielce

Near Kielce's lagoon there's this church, St. Joseph the Worker church, with excellent acoustics for organ concerts. Unfortunately lots of Catholics linger about.

Voivodship Labor Office, Witosa St.

A crappy governmental institution, built and paid for by taxpayers' money, basically in the outskirts of the city, where no one goes, maybe except homeless people. Nice sky, though.

Zalew Kielecki, cloudy spring weather

This is city lagoon in Kielce (Zalew Kielecki), near a municipal cemetery. The water quality is simply disastrous and denizens are forbidden from swimming in it, despite the pond being a popular place for summer water sports during the communist era. But, as you can see, the ducks don't care about the dead being slowly washed away from the cemetery into the water. Still, the surroundings are pretty nice, especially during the early grim spring season.

Apartments at Zalew Kielecki

These are exquisite apartments, built overlooking Kielce lagoon, a city pond full of dirty water near a municipal cemetery. Photo taken in spring 2013. 

Fields of the Dead, a lonely tree

Fields of the Dead, a lonely tree in the heath, just east of Kielce. September 2013, nice clouds and chilling atmosphere of coming autumn. A mighty warrior stands among the grasses, overlooking his rightful domain.

Fields of the Dead, storm is coming

Again, Fields of the Dead, early golden hours, September 2013. The storm is evidently coming, and the surroundings are calm and quiet. Nice sort of wild corn in the foreground. We are 500m from the nearest city street though.

Fields of the Dead, azure sky

These are so-called Fields of the Dead, located in the eastern part of Kielce, where the city gives way to hunting grounds, heaths and moors. This interesting photo was taken in September 2013, during early golden hours.

Cityscape - view from a mountain

This is Na Stoku estate, full of blocks, as seen from a hill near Masłów, north-east of Kielce. Early hours of the morning, August 2013. Blocks are bathed in the pink light of the rising sun. The rest of the city is hidden behind the hill Na Stoku is built on.

Hello

I've been doing HDR photography since 2008 and I'm totally immersed in this technique, despite being a total amateur and having no professional equipment as of yet. Still, I try to capture nice photos with interesting qualities, mood and atmosphere from diverse places in my country of birth, Poland.