Digital – Page 17 – 2Eight Photography

Night Time in the City

After showing you an overall scene of the city of Pittsburgh, I thought that I would show you a photo that I took on a walk downtown one evening. Yesterday I talked about looking around you to see what the city has to offer. After walking through this corner countless times, one evening I stopped and took a few minuets to look around, then the idea for this photo came to me and the next night I was standing there with my camera and tripod. I think the results were worth it. Feel free to let me know what you think.

This photo was taken using a fisheye lens and a slow shutter speed to get the streaking of the lights. I will say that my work kept me from getting out today to take any photos but I was able to pull this one from my archives.

Weekly Photo Challenge: My 2012 in Pictures

This is my 2012 in photos. Some of these photos were taken with projects in mind such as the abandoned buildings, some were just subjects I came across, and others were planned trips to some of my favorite places like Gettysburg. I hope that you have had a great 2012 and are looking forward to an even better 2013. Enjoy and let me know which photo you like the best.

Gone but not Forgotten

Nemicolin Mine Abandon

4Th of July

A Lilly in the Water

The Lightning Strikes

Down the Barrel

Pittsburgh Church

Heinz Chapel

The Butterfly and the Ant

Abandon

Protecting the Fallen

Return to Nature

Take Off

A Christmas Tree

You Can’t See Me

Is Anyone Home

Taking Cover

Snacking

General Warren

Pittsburgh Foreworks

Pennsylvania Monument

Nemicolin Mine

I Can’t Believe It

4th of July

Homestaed Stacks

Hoemstead Stacks

Cucumber Falls

Tied Up

Just Another Corner

An Angel in the Sun

Gettysburg, one of my favorite places…

Wow I was just noticing that I haven’t posted since July. Wow how the time flies. Well I guess a small update is in order, since the last posting I have received a promotion at work which has taken all of my fun time away. Isn’t it funny how that happens? We work so that we can do the things that we want to do but then work gets in the way of all the things that we want to do. What a vicious cycle….

Well I did manage to get out one day and took a ride to one of my favorite places to visit, Gettysburg, Pa. I have spent many days wandering around the battlefield and always manage to see something new or different. This trip was no exception. I managed to come across a statue of a solider hiding behind a rock near the bottom of Little Round Top. Now the exciting thing about this is that I have been driving past this spot for years now and I have never seen this statue before. It goes to show you that sometimes we miss the obvious when looking for the extraordinary. And sometimes the obvious turns out to be the extraordinary.

Well I hope you enjoy the photos and I’ll try to post a little more frequently.

This is the view that a Union Soldier would have seen from atop Little Round Top during the battle of Gettysburg in July 1863.

One of my favorite statues in Gettysburg is this one of General Warren which is found on Little Round Top

This is the hidden treasure I was referring to in the beginning of this post. I like the shadows in the black and white version of this photograph.

A Walk Through the Garden….

Recently I had a little free time and decided to stop by the outdoor gardens at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. The inside always proves to have great flowers, patterns, and details to photograph. In my opinion the outside has some very interesting things to photograph as well. Included are just a few shots from the walk but I think I was able to come up with a few interesting photos.

If you in the area I would recommend stopping by and taking a walk around the outside of the building. The best part is that there is no charge to visit the outside gardens.

Churches of Pittsburgh…

Just wanted to do a quick post of a couple of churches in Pittsburgh, Pa. I photographed these in the early spring and just got around to processing them. On Sunday I will be making a trip to Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh and hopefully I’ll have a chance to photograph a few more of the churches.

Hope you enjoy.

When You Hear the Word “Independence”…

Well, with yesterday being July 4th and the celebration of our countries independence day I thought I would reflect a little on what independence really means. The dictionary defines independence as being “the fact or state of being independent”. But I like the definition found in Wikipedia:

Independence is a condition of a nation,country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usuallysovereignty, over its territory.

In 1776 this country declared its independence. And over the years we have lost many of our soldiers, friends, and loved ones keeping that independence and freedom. We live in a great country and each of us owe a debt to those who have given us the right to live here in freedom. It’s great that we have days like July 4th, Veterans Day, and Memorial Day to remember those who sacrificed so much for our way of life. But should we forget about them the other 362 days of the year. Every day we wake up we should be thankful for what we have, no matter how little or great it is. And when you see a soldier or veteran take the time to say “Thank You” for what they have given so that you can live in this great country.

If you are reading this and you are a soldier or veteran I want to personally thank you for the freedom that you have given to me.

THANK YOU!!!

I shot the following photos on our independence day.

A Walk Through the Strip District….

From time to time I like to take a walk, with my camera, through a part of Pittsburgh, Pa called the Strip District. Now, to say this area is dynamic would be an understatement. This place changes by the second, and you never know what your going to find. The photo opportunities never cease to amaze me. I make this walk several times a year and always find something new and interesting to photograph.

If you have the opportunity to visit the “Strip”, or if your city has something similar, I highly recommend taking that walk with your camera in hand and look for the unexpected.

I hope you enjoy the photos.

Familiar but Different….

From time to time we revisit a familiar place and yet somehow it seem different than the way you remembered. Recently I had a few hours to spare, which by the way never occurs, and I took a ride Ohiopyle State Park. I have visited and photographed the water fall know as Cucumber Falls many times before and quite often I just go for a walk and don’t take any photos at all.

As photographers we are often faced with this dilemma of seeing the same subject over and over agin. Often this causes me to not want to take a photo of this particular subject. The question arises, “How do you make the Familiar Different?”, well my answer to the question is a very simple one. Simply choose a lens that you wouldn’t typically use and only photograph your subject with that single lens. I will offer a suggestion here though, I would pick a lens that really doesn’t fit the subject. In my case, at the ever so familiar Cucumber Falls, I chose to use a fisheye lens.

I guess that I’m trying to make myself see a familiar subject in a slightly different way.

Let me know what you think of the photographs.

Things you see when your out and about…..

As a photographer I often leave the house with a preconceived notion as to what I’m going to photograph. For me this is one of the hardest things to work around. Reason being, very often I don’t look at the many other photographic opportunities that are just around the corner. I know this is a problem, so lately I have been trying hard to work around this issue. So, yesterday I had the opportunity to take a ride through the mountains around my area. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, just went for the ride and stopped and took a few photographs along the way. I found the day to be very rewarding and was able to get a few neat shots. I would appreciate any comments about the photos.

A Trip to the Zoo…

Recently the photography group that I belong to took a trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. I’ve ben there several times in the past, but each time I manage to find a different view, expression, or animal to photograph. So if you have time this summer plan a trip to the zoo and have a nice day out. Let me know what you think of the photos.