New additions - July 2013

Greetings, all.

This summer, I had the opportunity to travel to nine cities around northern/eastern China; it was amazing on so many levels - and a bit exhausting. I did manage to eek out a bit of time with my new camera and got some great shots. You'll find the newest additions in Architecture, Flora, Food, People, and Place.

The Sites: Millennium Park & The Bean

Chicago is a city of breathtaking architecture.  It tells the story of America's growth and prominence through its very skyline.  Monumental towers and facades dot the landscape.  It's a magical place and, personally, my favorite city in the US. 

Chicago Skyline from Lincoln Park

Nestled within all those soaring spires is something relatively new that's become as much a symbol of the city as the Hancock building or the tower-formerly-known-as-Sears.  


Adjacent to Grant Park, with its Buckingham Fountain gracing the credits of Married with Children (anyone? anyone?), Millennium Park is a swath of land reborn to host swarms of tourists, concerts, and general urban gathering.  It sits on the north side of the Art Institute of Chicago and offers a stunning panorama of some of the most iconic buildings in the city.


But everybody comes for The Bean.

Its formal name may be Cloud Gate, but let's be honest: nobody calls it that.  Mention "The Bean" and everyone knows exactly what you're talking about. Its steel plates are immaculately polished to create a seamless surface that reflects everything around it, especially the people swarming its perimeter.  Light dances off its silvery canvas and you cannot take the same picture twice, as the details are always shifting between the people, the light, and the angle of the buildings around it.


It's easy to spend a lot of time here.  I did & it still wasn't enough.

The Collections: New Additions

New photos have been added to Architecture, Fauna, Nature, People, and Place.  Please use the links to the right to explore at your leisure.

The Events: the Official Launch of Naked & Hungry

This past weekend, I headed to McIntyre's Fine Books in Fearrington Village for the official launch of Naked & Hungry:

Naked and Hungry will be published by Ingalls Publishing Group in Boone, N.C., and available for purchase through your local bookstores starting on November 1, 2011.

You can also pre-order a copy directly from Barnes and Noble and have it shipped directly to your home.

Pre-order Naked and Hungry Today!

The Collections: New Additions

New shots have been added to Architecture, Flora, Food, Nature, People, and Place.  Please use the links to the right to explore the collections.

The Sites: New York City - Historic Building Day

Last year, I traveled to New York City for an extended weekend.  It was an opportunity to visit a friend I hadn't seen in years and finally explore a city I'd previously only experienced through its airports.


Each day was a different theme, either intentionally or by serendipity: Museum Day, Family History Day, Solemn Remembrance Day.  Because it was New York City, every day was Delicious Food Day.


My favorite was Historic Building Day.


There are few cities in the US - and arguably the world - that contain so many iconic images and places.  From the arts to politics to transportation to architecture, simply walking through the city is like walking through a giant cultural museum.


We'd already spent some time wandering the West Village, sitting in Washington Square Park under the shadow of the Empire State Building.  

We'd walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at night, with the Manhattan skyline beckoning us as we came ever closer.  

But Historic Building Day was a tour of some of the best gems to find in the city, both for the sheer beauty of the architecture as well as for the cultural mystique that they hold.

New York Public Library

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Grand Central Station

Flags of the United Nations

Rockefeller Center

Audrey Hepburn's hangout

Solow Building

Lincoln Center

The Projects: Portraiture with Ashley Memory

Over the past few months, I've posted a few times about events for my friend Ashley Memory and her upcoming novel, Naked & Hungry.  

While working with Ashley on stock photography projects, she asked me if I'd consider doing some headshots to assist in promoting her novel.  As you can see from my collections, I'm not exactly a portrait photographer - and I don't really see myself going in that direction at the moment - but it sounded like a good way to expand my skill set and get some experience with a very sympathetic and understanding client. 

We've done several morning shoots, with locations including the NC Arboretum and the Forest Theater on the UNC campus, as well as Ashley's house in Pittsboro with gorgeous fall foliage as a backdrop.  We've gotten a little more adventurous each time and our third session at the Forest Theater produced the author's photo for her book cover.

In addition to the skill development side of things, this has also given me some of my favorite shots, even if they're not going on any book jackets any time soon. 

The Events: Naked & Hungry at the Spa at Bell House

This past Friday, Spa at Bell House in Pittsboro, NC hosted my friend Ashley Memory for another reading from her upcoming novel, Naked & Hungry.  Spa at Bell House offers a variety of services to provide complete wellness care and those in attendance received chair massages to help unwind & be ready for an evening of literary entertainment.

As we sat on the charming front porch, enjoying sweets, sweet tea, and each others' sweet company, Ashley read us a pair of passages featuring the character of Margaret, a high-strung gal who so desperately needs a day to kick back and relax.

In case you missed it, mark your calendar for October 21 when Ashley returns to Spa at Bell House, this time with crepes.

The Sites: Korean War Veterans Memorial

On my recent trip to DC, I took a day to visit each of the war memorials on the National Mall, beginning with the Korean War Veterans Memorial.

We arrived in the late morning amid a light drizzle, which cast a shadowy light across the space; I can only imagine how hauntingly beautiful this must be in the silence of a thick morning fog.

Nestled near the reflecting pool and the Lincoln Memorial, the space is thoughtful and thought-provoking.  19 figures march in formation; when reflected in the soaring granite walls, their numbers double to 38, symbolizing the 38th parallel.  The granite wall is etched with nameless faces, depicting the land, sea, and air troops that served.  It is an interesting contrast to the faceless names of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which sits on the opposite side of the reflecting pool. 

 

Following the wall takes you to the point of the memorial's triangle, where the path meets a reflecting pool with a simple phrase:

Looking back at the silent figures on patrol is eerie, even with dozens of other visitors around you. 

As you continue around the memorial path, gaining distance from the scenes etched into the granite, the faces fade in detail.  It seems a harsh metaphor inherent in the space, this distance and this fading from memory.  The phrase is often tossed around for political impact, but there is a true gravity to its reality: indeed, freedom is not free. 

The Events: Coffee & Crepes

Last week, I headed over to Coffee & Crepes in Cary for another reading by Ashley Memory from her upcoming novel, Naked & Hungry.

Celebrating her main character H.T.'s love of all things food, we sat outside, where we socialized, chatted about the book, and sampled fresh blackberry crepes before Ashley read from the book.  As the evening drew to a close, a nearly full moon rose over the trees.

Be sure to join Ashley for future readings - stay tuned to her site for upcoming events!