Tag: nature

Lions, Tigers, and a Gorilla

A few times a year I take a trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo to do a little photography. And recently I made another trip with a great group of friends from the Westmoreland Photographers Society. The difference and challenge I faced this year is that I have decided to only produce photos in black and white. So instead of looking for the colorful birds I was paying more attention to highlights and shadows. I’ve decided to work only in black and white to help myself look for the light and composition that will bring impact to the subject and photograph.

I hope you enjoy the Pittsburgh Zoo in black and white.

Looking Into the Sky

From time to time we should all take a moment and look up into the sky and think about the vastness of the universe. Many live in cities and towns and never have the chance to see the sky from a truly dark place where you can see so much with the naked eye. But I highly recommend taking the time to go visit an area where you can look into the sky and see the stars. These photos were taken a few nights ago while on a Milky Way walk with some old friends and a few new ones as well.

Go outside and look up….

A Short Outdoor Adventure

Some of you already know others may not but on March 1 of this year I had a heart attack. So I’ve been kinda taking it easy  lately gaining my strength and yesterday I finally took a short hike in Ohiopyle State Park. For those of you familiar with the area I crossed the bridge above Cucumber Falls and then took a lesser used trail and made my way down to the Youghiogheny River. Not a far walk but definitely a steep hill to climb back up. After that trek I also made my way down into Cucumber Falls and out to the river. All in all it was a nice trek with my camera and backpack along for the walk as well.

The Path
The path less traveled
Flowers in the Woods
A few purple flowers
Fungus
A little fungus anyone?
Fallen
A fallen tree along the path
Companion
My companion along the river. Possibly a brown water snake.

A Trip to the Park

A few days ago, a couple of friends and I spent the morning in Cedar Creek Park. This park has a great area of wild flowers throughout the growing season. I always enjoy stopping there in the spring for the Trilliums. Here are a few photos from our trip to the park.

water moving along a stream in Cedar Creek Park.
A white Trillium I recently photographed in Cedar Creek Park.
The stream makes it’s way under a suspension bridge in Cedar Creek Park.
A white Trillium I recently photographed in Cedar Creek Park.
A Yellow flower in Cedar Creek Park.
The suspension bridge along the George Trail in Cedar Creek Park.

Spring at Phipps Conservatory

A recent trip to Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens with the Westmoreland Photographers Society brought spring to life. And what flower makes you think of spring? A tulip of course.

A tulip from a recent trip to Phipps Conservatory with the Westmoreland Photographers.

53 of 366

Sometimes I just enjoy taking a ride through the country side. And you never know what you might come across on one of those rides. On this particular ride deep in the woods on a small road I came across an interesting structure that I’m assuming is a spring of some sort. Maybe you can tell me what it is?

53-365.jpg

51 of 366

Directions to the place. Take the dirt road, which will turn into a cow path across the mountain. When you reach the middle of nowhere go another 3 miles and look for the flags on the fence. You have arrived at your destination. The interesting things you find while out enjoying a ride through the mountains. #sundaydrive #2eightphotgraphy #americanflag

51-365.jpg

45 of 366

You encounter a bridge along your path, do you cross or turn around and go back to the familiar?

Tonight we take a short journey down a path and as with all journeys decisions have to be made. Do you go forward and see what lies ahead? Or do we turn around and go back to the familiar? Really when you think about all of our “paths” have the same questions but choosing to go forward can be rewarding. On this journey we encounter a bridge, so the question arises do we cross or turn around? Well I like to think I’m the person that crosses to see what’s on the other side. What type of person are you?

45-265.jpg

As you can see in the snow there are tracks. But how many ventured to cross the bridge ahead?

45.1/365

45.2/365

It looks as though some ventured across but did they see the beautiful scenery from the bridge?

45.3-365.jpg

Lets continue on and see whats on the other side.

45.4-365.jpg

From the looks of the snow no one made the complete journey across the bridge to the train station. What a shame that they turned back before seeing how things turned out. The view was great the whole way across but this journey doesn’t end here. I have to, as all of the others, turn back around because my vehicle is parked on the other side.

45.5-365.jpg

If you never cross the bridge you will never know what is on the other side.