Prague

Photographer's Note

Yes, here is the first installment of the TV Tower, often voted as The World's ugliest or second ugliest building.

When visiting the structure, the pamphlet's cover even said "Welcome to the World's 2nd Ugliest Building!"

This Transmitter tower was built between 1985-1992, and like most Communist style architecture, the design is not very pleasing to most people.

Its height is 709 feet, consisting of 3 metallic pillars, with 9 square pods. But what makes the building stand out even MORE are the BABIES.

Yes, i said BABIES. If you look very closely, you can see black dots along the tall pillars. There are actually babies crawling up the building!!!

I have several close up photo's of the large baby sculptures which I will show you later.

Before arriving in Prague, THIS was my #1 building and site I wanted to photograph. Seriously, i was like a kid at Disney World when I finally arrived here! :)
I took the elevator to the top aswell, for amazing views of Prague.

Ugly architecture can be photogenic, and this Television Transmitting Tower with its crawling baby sculptures will go down in history as my all time favorite :)

I hope you find it as ugly as i do, and appreciate the photos!

Check the WS for additional photos

Cheers
Craig

josepmarin, worldcitizen, bukitgolfb301, tyro, Budapestman, annjackman, annjackman, Robert1969, Royaldevon, snunney, delpeoples, Hansaphotos, s_lush, Noel_Byrne has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ACL1978 (6103) 2012-09-18 9:02

I often think the Czechs go overboard on this one, frankly. I can think of many far uglier buildings in the world - my own city of Boston's City Hall, for example, a crowning achievement of Brutalist architecture (and a building you'd have a field day with, Craig). The tower also suffers from being in Prague - most buildings would look pretty ugly when compared to just about anything in the old parts of the city.

Still, it's not exactly attractive, and you've done a nice job of highlighting some of the reasons people hate it here - awkward, modernist, impossible to ignore. The addition of baby sculptures... not sure if that helps or hurts, really.

Looking forward to the rest of the shots!

Andrew

mohammad_H (6668) 2012-09-18 9:02

Hi
Beautiful view of the tower in the background of blue sky and beautiful clouds
Obviously very good with image clarity
You are very comprehensive notes
Have a nice day

TopGeo (38000) 2012-09-18 9:11

Hello Craig! overviewing your personal gallery, this photo stands out very well.
the cloud coverage really adds alot to the scene, gives a buffer for the royal blue sky with silver building of the TV Tower gave a superb image.
the sharpness and overall quality of the subjects are very good.
fine work
Georgios

ManuMay (33523) 2012-09-18 9:30

Hi Craig !!

Ha, haa!!!

Ugly baby, ugly building...Beautiful capture!!!! ;)

You know how to do it to express the best from the place, a good graphical, great contrasts and colours...yes..I like it!!

Have a nice day...

Manu

karacabeylis (1289) 2012-09-18 9:42

it was erected after star wars series, i guess.

bema (25964) 2012-09-18 9:52

Hi Craig,

really an ugly building, but you mastered to capture it in a very beautiful way... especially the couded sky abouve is very fascinating, too..

have a great day, see you around, cheers Bernd

holmertz (27216) 2012-09-18 9:55

Hello Craig,
This is peculiar, certainly, but I actually think that in due time people will have got used to this and maybe even like it. If someone would suggest in maybe 20 years to pull this down I am sure there would be a lot of protests. But i admit that those babies are really weird. Why on earth....?
I looked up a number of ugly buildings on the internet and I found for instance The Longaberger Basket Co HQ in Ohio a lot uglier. In Stockholm a lot of people have long regarded the University of Architecture as the city's ugliest building :-).
Best regards,
Gert

marcan44 (6223) 2012-09-18 10:06

Ciao Craig,
many times we find beautiful the modern architecture when it is actually bad.
However, often the ugliness has its charm as in this case.
Yourself had the notebook in this tower as the building No. 1 to visit.

In WS the view from down below is stunning!
Great job! TFS !
A nice evening
Mario

JFS (32429) 2012-09-18 10:35

Craig, you got the best of it, and you got i see it spectacular, probably if I see it captured by another camera/photographer I would not thing the same...Great work!

Hasta luego amigo,
Juan

mesutilgim (68620) 2012-09-18 11:46

Hello Craig
To be ugly or not ugly, that's the question !!
If you ask it's architect, most probably he is quite proud with his project !
But in a city like Prague with one of the best antique architectures of Europe iT's absolutely eyecatching, and most probably this is what the architect wanted to do.
Good capture with many interesting notes. A perfect TE entry.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

chrisvek (5675) 2012-09-18 11:59

Hi Craig

Very good shoo with special colors and details.Great contrasts and background.Very nice job.Well done!

Have a nice week
Chris

josepmarin (55209) 2012-09-18 12:21

Hi, my friend Craig,
perhaps it is one of the ugliest buildings of the world, but undoubtedly it has a strong graphism and offers us a good visual impact, specially because of an effective low-angle shot that emphasizes its bold architectural lines in a fantastic contrast with the sky and the photogenic clouds.
The composition is powerful, and the good management of the light gives a great result in the quality of the colors.
I like also the additional WS photos, of course.
Well done.
Best regards,
Josep

worldcitizen (4930) 2012-09-18 13:29

Hello Craig,
This tower is not that bad in my opinion! I like the different levels with windows near the top. Of course compared to the beautiful surroundings in Prague, it lacks charm. The contrast is clearly evident in your previous photo, (which is also very nice BTW). :-) Why are the babies crawling up to the top? Now THAT is weird. It is definitely one of a kind. :-)

ciakgiak (30337) 2012-09-18 14:34

Ciao Craig,
Splendido lavoro, inquadratura perfetta, col bellissimo BG di un cielo fantastico.
Un carissimo saluto
Giorgio

PiotrF (1030) 2012-09-18 14:47

Hello Craig
Great picture of the tower,
sharpness and overall quality are very good
Have a nice day
Piotr

carlo62 (13544) 2012-09-18 15:16

Ciao Craig
lo spettacolare cielo attira l'attenzione e la torre offre il resto della foto.
Mi piace la presenza dell'uomo a dimostrazione dell'enorme costruzione ed è bella la parte architettonica rossa in basso.
Saluti
Carlo

bukitgolfb301 (30401) 2012-09-18 16:10

Hi dear Craig

Another marvelous shot you present!
Good panfocus and low angle.
So fresh vivd contarst of blue and white.
Perfect framework and clear and sharp description as usual. Thanks for your sharing with finest work and have a good day!

Takero from Tokyo

tyro (13585) 2012-09-18 17:04

Hi Craig,

Hee, hee, I was looking forward to seeing this one and I couldn't stop laughing when I read your note!

Yes, it is actually pretty grim really (British understatement, I suppose) but, as Andrew demonstrates, it's probably not a hell of a lot uglier than many other buildings, including Andrew's city hall in Boston.

The three big fat silver poles at the bottom aren't very nice, the "pod" things are O.K. and the skinny bit at the top I quite like - reminds me very slightly of a tall skinny round Chrysler Building - I'm sure I've seen your pictures of that. But what about those babies? God, I'll bet they're pug ugly little brats too. Are they? I guess we'll have to wait and see when you post your next instalments!

This might not be the prettiest of erections - after all, I guess it is a transmitter mast - but you have photographed it in the most appealing and flattering way. The surface of the structure has a lovely sheen and stands out perfectly against the cloudy and characterful sky - and even against those horrid bright red railings.

As always, perfect exposure, excellent composition, lovely colours and stunning sharpness. And, of course, your usual subtle and expertly applied HDR.

Excellent!

Kind Regards,

John.

P.S. As an afterthought, isn't it strange that you, an accomplished photographer, should wish to seek out the ugliest building to photograph? Is that not a bit like Leonardo or Rembrandt travelling to the other side of the World just to paint Quasimodo?

Budapestman (82620) 2012-09-18 18:09

Hi Craig,
a splendid photo of this imposing modern architecture, great details and colours, Tfs! Have a nice week! Kellemes hetet kívánok!
György

annjackman (13463) 2012-09-18 22:51

Hello Craig,
You have photographed this in a way that makes this look almost an attractive building with the silvery tower reaching into the clouds. The babies are very strange indeed! Nicely underlined in red with even a man in a red shirt in the distance. A very well balanced composition with first class management of the light.
Kind Regards, Ann

jjcordier (63074) 2012-09-18 23:20

Craig
J'avoue ne pas être très sensible à la "beauté" architecturale de cette tour mais je n'en apprécie pas moins les trois photos que tu en as réalisées.
Amicalement
JJ

Robert1969 (6330) 2012-09-19 1:00

Hello Craig,

I hope the baby's not drop their full diapers:-).
The picture has beautiful two kind of diagonal lines.
One is horizonal and that creates a lots of
depth and the vertical diagonal lines creates
a lots of highness (great point of view and
composition). Light management is also great
and the beautiful sky fits like a shoe.
The baby's are a nice extra.

Friendly regards,
Robert Alderliefste

Royaldevon (18361) 2012-09-19 1:36

Hello Craig,

I know it's a cliche but, 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'! Anyone who, like me, has had children totally immersed in 'Transformers', will have seen the like of this many times and may have grown to love it! It looks like Optimus Prime in diguise; tall, dominating, awesome! You get it! He was a hero!
The photograph uses a viewpoint which generates this sense of awe; it touches and competes with the clouds! The strong triangular f/g, the effective leads, the red base and the sharp exposure, all combine to make it a fine shot.

Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)

claudeD (24601) 2012-09-19 2:31

Hello Craig,

very fine architecture shot of this unusual but very interesting building. I like your title very much. Very well done.TFS.

With regards from Luxembourg

JC

snunney (67918) 2012-09-19 5:00

Hello Craig,
Seen on its own, this tower has a certain je ne sais quoi and I can understand why you would wish to photograph it. It just seems totally out of place in a city like Prague, that's my two pennyworth anyway!

eldancer1 (17330) 2012-09-19 9:17

It is ugly but nicely captured against the beautiful cloud formations. Modern architectures are boring and sometimes very puzzling like the brain center in Las Vegas designed by Frank Gehry, I still can't figure what it is (you should see it next you're in Vegas). Good lighting on this post with good dof with nice details. Well done, tfs.

notrap (4728) 2012-09-19 10:32

Hello Craig,
I had to think a lot before writing: is it ugly? can an ugly building be photogenic? is it really uglier than other TV-Towers? Sure it will not win any beauty-competion, but you made the best of it. With this perfect sky it does not look too bad, but I still cannot understand why you choose this to be your #1 sight. The picture is really good, did they have on their pamphlet something as nice as yours?
Kind regards,
Elvira

delpeoples (45717) 2012-09-20 23:55

Hi Craig

Yeah you're right there is some beauty in this ugliness. It reminds me of a newborn baby, so ugly and squashed and pickled, but once washed off and looked at closer, kinda cute. I've enjoyed seeing the lists of other venues that are considered uglier by other TEérs. Excellent perspective, sharpness and light control (the harsh light did you no favours at all but you triumphed). Again, really creepy with the baby thing going on, but the quirkiness is what I love about it.

Cheers
Lisa (looking out for manblading banana hammock-wearing freaks for my next photo)

Hansaphotos (5587) 2012-09-22 5:57

Hello Craig

A good close-up picture of the tower. A weird thing with the crawling babies. Good use of the wide angle. I`m sure the tower offers a stunning view. Great work:)

Best regards, Erling

gus72 (2510) 2012-09-22 18:10

Hi Craig !!
my personal view is....... the tower is not to bad, in fact is nice...however I do not like the babies....... a case of bad imagination !!!
Your photo is pretty spectacular with a dominating blue sky.
You have to very pleased with the result.
I too get very exited prior to arriving to one of my desired destinations !!!
Cheers
Gus

s_lush (15638) 2012-09-25 13:12

Hello Craig,
This unusual building does not look so ugly, quite the contrary. You have captured it under a favorable angle, against the beautifully clouded sky, with vivid colors and very high quality. Excellent presentation of Prague's most attractive building among the most unattractive ones!
Best regards,
Sergiy

COSTANTINO (42760) 2012-09-26 2:31

Hello
interesting capture and useful notres explaining tha this
structure often voted as the world s ugliest or secong
ugliest building,it is impressive with spectacular
view and looks like a space ship destinated for
the space
regards
Costantinos
the spa

Noel_Byrne (8073) 2012-09-30 9:30

Hi Craig,
Great shot and great note. I have to say, I like it a lot. I dont know if I actually like the building, or I appreciate it ugliness, bit for whatever reason, it is quite endearing. The colours and red silver and blie work beautifully, and your POV is fantastic to give a sense of scale, particularly wiht the two tiny people in the lower left. Excellent shot, thank you!
Best wishes
noel