Grotesques

[JeffR]

University College, University of Toronto. Tokina AT-X840 AF D 80-400mm, hand held, which is not easy. But I'll be keeping this.

[NV Whino]

1. I want to see them again when the leaves are on the vines

I love these.

[JeffR]

3. I'll be heading back with a tripod when spring finally gets here to stay.

The Tokina's remarkably small for a lens this long, but heavy and hard to hold still when fully extended. Sadly, the only other Tokina fan on DU (Michael Harris) no longer posts in the Photo Group, so I'll just say again that any Nikon and Canon users here should check this brand out. They're beautifully made, optically very good and a real bargain.

[NV Whino]

5. I just checked out that lens

It doesn't look much bigger than my 28-200 mm. Great price, too. Thanks for the tip.

[Mira]

2. The more I look at them the more fun and less threatening they are. I am intrigued

by how they are done. I would hesitate to guess because it could be accomplished in many ways, but it seems like concrete poured into hand carved molds would produce this look. Do you know?
I can tell you had fun.
I, too would like to see them when there is green on the vines.

[JeffR]

4. Hand carved stone.

The building was finished in 1859, though it suffered a fire in 1890 and had to be largely rebuilt. The decorative elements were mostly salvaged from the ruins and restored to their original places on the facade.

There's a story about two stonecarvers who did much of the work on the ornament. One of them, Ivan Reznikoff, apparently started an affair with the wife of his co-worker Paul Diabolos. Legend has it that Diabolos killed Reznikoff with a mallet after a fierce argument and dumped his body into the foundation of the main tower of the unfinished building.

[truedelphi]

6. Thanks for these, jeff.