The Collections: New Additions

New shots from a recent trip to Washington DC have been added to Architecture, Fauna, Flora, Food, People, and Place.  Please use the links to the right to peruse at your leisure.

The Shot: Spring Blooms at Sunset

While spending time in Asheville a few weeks ago, I took advantage of a free evening to go explore the Grove Park Inn (lover of F. Scott Fitzgerald that I am, the pilgrimage seemed necessary).  Visitors and guests of the resort mingle throughout its historic grounds, which look out over Sunset Mountain and the Blue Ridge of the Appalachians.  I had plenty of time to linger, wander, roam, and wait for the sunset.

As I meandered down towards the golf course from the inn, I came upon a tree just beginning to bloom.  The sun was starting its descent and shone through the still-visible branches towards me.

Most people will avoid looking directly into the sun -- and that's good advice for the most part (shadows, solar eclipses, glare) -- but you have to know when to buck tradition and stare it down.  This was one of those times.  

Adjusting my exposure setting as low as I could to compensate for the direct lighting, I tried to capture what I was seeing there on the hillside.

Sometimes you get really lucky - this is perhaps one of my favorite shots ever:

The Series: Windows II - Asheville

A while back, I spent some time musing on windows.

My love affair with this architectural feature continued on a recent trip to Asheville.  Between the Thomas Wolfe Memorial and the Grove Park Inn, I had plenty of material:

The Shot: Gateway Stroll

I traveled to St. Louis last fall for a conference; I was lucky enough that my hotel was adjacent to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, more commonly known as simply the Gateway Arch.  

The St. Louis riverfront reminds me so much of Davenport, where the river is accessible and integrated into the downtown.  While so much of the city expands away from its banks, there is still that connection to the water that permeates its identity.

On my first evening there, I walked down to the park to take advantage of the sunset glinting across the panels of the arch as it soared overhead.  After descending the stairs that form part of the levee, I turned back towards the arch in time to capture this:

Gateway Stroll, Art & Photography Finalist, Line Zero, May 2011

The Collections: New Album Hosting

Effective this evening, the Collections will now be hosted via Picasa Web Albums.  Please continue to use the links to the right to explore.  If you are so compelled as to leave a comment, your thoughts and feedback are appreciated and encouraged!

The Shot: New York Public Library stairwells

While many artists and painters will capture the world in their art, every now and then a photographer has the chance to do the opposite.

While visiting the New York Public Library, I was wandering the halls of the second floor when I stumbled upon a stairwell with landings and angles that seemed to come right out of M. C. Escher's sketchbooks: