Thru my lens...

Duncansville: Scenery

2012-02-13T00:32:00.003-05:00

While home for Christmas, my mother decided to take us out for a little hike and to explore some nearby historic areas. I don't exactly recall the names of these places or their historic importance but I managed to grab a few nice shots. I know the scenic look out is called 'Chimney Rocks' and the stone bridge is part of an old railway system. Most of these are HDR images to bring out the texture and color; sometimes the mid-winter photos can get a bit drab.

Philadelphia: Avenue of the Republic

2012-01-23T21:03:00.003-05:00

Just before Christmas I made a trip to the Please Touch museum here in Philadelphia. I had never been to West Fairmount Park and was surprised to come across a really nice Civil War Memorial. In researching, I found that it was built in 1897 and is called the Smith Civil War Memorial. Here are a few shots of this monument to fallen heroes.

Duncansville: Pet Photos

2012-01-07T00:47:00.001-05:00

While visiting family for the holidays I managed to grab some shots of the family pets - my mother's cat and my brother's dog. Although I prefer nature and architectural shots, it was actually fun to capture the animals. Here are a few shots.

Kennett Square: Longwood Gardens

2011-12-18T22:28:00.002-05:00

Although December has been crazy hectic with work travel and end-of-year deadlines, photography is always a great release. I decided a little relaxation was in order and decided to take an early Sunday morning trip to Longwood Gardens - a bit southwest of Philadelphia. The gardens are beautiful and I can only imagine how awesome the property is in early spring with all the flowers in bloom. Here are a couple quick shots from my trip this morning.

Philadelphia: 30th Street Station

2011-12-04T21:53:00.001-05:00

This evening I took a trip over to Amtrak's 30th Street Station, just on the edge of Center City Philadelphia. Situated in University City, adjacent to Drexel and the University of Pennsylvania, 30th Street Station is considered the 3rd busiest public train terminal in the United States. The Art Deco architecture is pretty amazing and I decided to capture some shots. While I have plenty to share, for now, I've got just a few for you.

New York: Poughkeepsie & the Hudson River

2011-11-26T23:44:00.001-05:00

During my trip to upstate New York I made it a point to take a quick little trip to the Hudson River banks in Poughkeepsie. The Mid-Hudson Bridge and the Walkway Over the Hudson are great photo opportunities and I had never been down to the waterfront. Here are a few pics from that trip.

New York: Nuclear Lake

2011-11-23T22:21:00.001-05:00

I'm long overdue for a photo post. Last month I was able to make a trip back to the Hudson Valley to visit good friends and get in some good hikes. One of those hikes was to Nuclear Lake, just outside of Pawling, New York. The lake was the source of water cooling for an experimental plutonium plant back in the 1930s.

Philadelphia: City Skyline

2011-10-16T22:40:00.001-05:00

I finally found a bit of downtime to get some dusk photography of the city skyline. It's been on my list for a while and today's weather was pretty sweet. I decided to get some shots from the new South Street Bridge which offers a pretty nice view. Check it out.

Dallas: Highland Park Village

2011-10-07T18:22:00.002-05:00

Believe it or not, the oldest shopping center is located in Dallas, Texas. Highland Park Village is in the northern part of Dallas, surrounded by luxury homes in an upscale neighborhood. Of course it's fitting that most of the shops in the village are high end - Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, and Escada to name a few. At night, Highland Park Village is transformed visually by accent lighting in all of the Great Oaks that line the sidewalks. It's a pretty nice place to visit.

Vancouver: Sites of the City

2011-09-19T21:17:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share a handful of photos from Vancouver that showcase a variety of locations around the city. From the Capilano Suspension Bridge, Stanley Park and the Seawall, there are lots of sites to see - and they are all spectacular.

Fort Worth: Water Gardens - Black & White

2011-09-07T22:02:00.002-05:00

Here's some other shots from the Fort Worth Water Gardens. They were my least favorites but I cropped them a bit and added a black and white filter since the colors weren't making them feel too special.

New York: Newman's Ledge

2011-08-20T21:21:00.000-05:00

This is an overdue post from my early spring visit to New York. I enjoyed an extended weekend in upstate New York for a visit to a really great friend and his family. I really enjoy spending time with Mike and his family because they are avid outdoor enthusiasts. We always get a hike or two in during any given visit. Here's a few photo highlights from one of the hikes.

Dallas: Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge

2011-07-23T00:05:00.000-05:00

The day before my move out of Dallas, I decided I had to do one last photo shoot of the new Calatrava bridge. The last time I snapped some photos, they had just started stringing all the suspension cables. This time around, all the cables were strung and the bridge was in full tension. It's a really beautiful bridge and a great addition to the skyline. I hope that the other two Calatrava-designed bridges for the Trinity River get built.

Vancouver: Olympic Cauldron

2011-07-09T16:35:00.000-05:00

I finally got a chance to visit Vancouver, British Columbia this summer. Similar to it's neighboring city of Seattle, Vancouver is a very lush, green landscape with plenty of spectacular mountain views and watery vistas. It was also the home for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Below are some shots of the cauldron and plaza.

Dallas: Oak Cliff/Bishop Arts

2011-06-16T21:31:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos from my visit to the Oak Cliff/Bishop Arts neighborhood of Dallas. It wasn't an impressive photo session but I did snap a few interesting shots.

Fort Worth: Water Gardens - Night

2011-06-05T19:11:00.000-05:00

I really enjoy Philip Johnson's Water Gardens in Fort Worth. It's just a unique urban oasis that is unexpected and rather interesting. I never ventured through the gardens after dark and decided it was time to check out the lighting - plus it gave me a chance to use my new tripod and head. Here are a few shots.

Dallas: Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge

2011-05-30T22:03:00.000-05:00

Slowly but surely the new bridge connecting downtown Dallas with West Dallas is becoming a reality. Years ago the city paid Santiago Calatrava to design 3 bridges to connect downtown Dallas with areas west, spanning over the Trinity River. The first of those bridges is the Margaret Hunt Hill, a classic Calatrava design. The majority of the steel suspension cables have been strung, with just a few remaining. The bridge is slated to open around the end of the summer I think.

Dallas: Fair Park

2011-05-08T21:35:00.000-05:00

In the first few months that I lived in Dallas, I took a quick drive over to Fair Park to check it out. Somehow I managed to miss more than half of the park in my short walk that day... which I realized after reviewing Google Maps. In any case, I decided to finally make a second trip over to Fair Park and check out the rest of the sights. Here are a few shots.

New York: Lake Minnewaska

2011-04-30T20:03:00.000-05:00

My move to Dallas has been traumatic to a few of my really good friends.... especially Mike Todd. He and his better half live in what I consider Upstate NY. Truly, they are only about 1.5 hours north of NYC, but isn't everything beyond that datum line 'upstate'?

Well, after two years of missing the Todds, I finally managed to book a flight to White Plains to pay them an overdue visit. Hiking is always in order, and with the Catskills and other beautiful NY scenery, there is always plenty of trails to try. Here are some shots from our visit to Lake Minnewaska.

Irving: Las Colinas Mustangs

2011-04-23T21:24:00.000-05:00

I kept hearing about the Las Colinas Mustangs from various locals and even occasionally the news. Even with the random mentions, I never really gave it much thought to search them out. However, on my drive out to the new Irving Convention Center I happened to drive right by the Mustangs. I decided to pull over and snap a few shots.

Dallas: City Skyline

2011-03-20T20:30:00.000-05:00

With the announcement that March 19th was the big night of the Super Moon, I decided to head out and try to capture the big night. Unfortunately, I didn't really have the right lens or settings to really capture the super moon.

Here are a few images from last night...

Irving: Convention Center

2011-03-07T22:02:00.000-05:00

Keeping with my new goal of capturing architecture at night, I ran out to Irving at dusk in hopes of snapping a few nice shots of the building. It was my first glimpse of the building at night with the architectural lighting turned on. I'm not sure who the lighting designer was for the project, but I must say that I disagree with some of the solutions. It's hard to be a critic on the topic, as I know how tough it is sometimes to get lights installed where you want them and where they will work best. I was more concerned with the lumen output and varying intensity of the different light sources - it creates some unnecessary glare on the exterior. Overall though, I thought the project turned out pretty well.

Dallas: Wyly Theatre

2011-03-02T20:01:00.000-05:00

Wyly Theatre is the next door neighbor of the Winspear Opera House. Built at about the same time, they are both part of the Arts District redevelopment. Wyly is pretty cool in that from the exterior is looks like a simply large cube with a funky curtain wall skin design. Below are some photos that I snapped during two different visits. During one of my stops at Wyly, it was near sunset and I was able to capture the warm, golden setting sun hitting the building face - partially shadowed by the adjacent buildings. It created this defined line of warm and cold (blue and gold) that was spectacular.

Dallas: Children's Medical Center

2011-02-20T22:48:00.001-05:00

After one of our recent projects finished construction I decided to make a visit and snap a few photos of the building exterior. We designed a color-changing lighting system for the entry canopy. Although it was an overcast evening I was able to capture a really great night sky.

Dallas: Winspear Opera House

2011-02-14T21:00:00.002-05:00

A special Valentine's Day post....
I've found myself running around taking plenty of shots during the day but never trying to capture dusk shots. I love lighting and photography at sunset can be really beautiful. With this in mind, I decided to run downtown to the Arts District and snap a few photos of the Winspear Opera House which opened last year.

Irving: Convention Center

2011-02-12T19:29:00.002-05:00

Right before the SuperBowl we had som great 70+ degree weather so I ventured up to Irving to check out their new convention center. It happened to be opening weekend and it was open to the public. The facility is pretty cool; it's completely clad in copper panels and very geometric.

Dallas: Deep Ellum

2011-02-01T15:31:00.004-05:00

For a Saturday in late January, the weather was unseasonably warm - sunny, 70+ degrees and clear skies. I decided to spend a few hours of my afternoon exploring one of the neighborhoods in East Dallas. Deep Ellum is/was known for its music - particularly jazz and blues. In the early 90s the area fell into neglect, with many shops shuttering their windows. However, it's slowly starting to make a comeback as a fun weekend destination for shopping, dining and entertainment. The city's DART public train line even extended their line through the neighborhood with sleek new station stops.

Remix: HDR Shots

2011-01-25T23:36:00.002-05:00

I thought I would go back through my achieves and remix/reprocess a few images for the fun of it. I don't like to Photoshop my work because I think that's cheating, but HDR and other similar tools are okay.

Dallas: Toddler Will

2011-01-08T00:36:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been quite a while since I last posted. The holidays have been a bit hectic, particularly dealing with lots of work deadlines. As Christmas was approaching, my coworker asked me to spend an hour or so trying to capture a few photos of her son for a holiday card.

Little Will is about 20 months old and really cute - as all little kids are. I sometimes forget how much energy little kids have; Will ran around so much, and capturing smiles were hard at times.

Anyway, here are a few pics from our time together.

Fort Worth: The Stockyards

2010-09-26T19:25:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's been a while but that is always the case. Back in July my mom came to town and I took her to the Stockyards in Fort Worth. Here are a few shots from that visit.

Cancun: Chichen Itza

2010-08-07T17:49:00.000-05:00

I was lucky enough to be invited to Cancun at the end of July for a mini-vacation. For this trip I was able to make it out to Chichen Itza. I've been wanting to check out the Mayan Ruins, known as one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World. When we first arrived it was perfect sunny weather; but slowly, we saw dark, ominous storm clouds roll in. I took advantage of the sky conditions to grab some interesting shots. Then it started pouring.

Dallas: Uptown

2010-07-25T01:02:00.001-05:00

I have gotten so busy with work and other things so I find that updating a blog is near impossible. It sucks because I would love to update this site weekly. Here are a few shots I captured wandering around Uptown.

Orlando: Disney

2010-06-14T23:57:00.000-05:00

It's been a crazy busy summer and although I have a lot of photos I can post, I just struggle to find the time to do it. Last week I spent a few days in Orlando for work. I stayed at one of the Disney resorts adjacent to Epcot and my business party was treated to a private dinner and drinks, followed by a private viewing of their nightly fireworks.

Cancun: The Beaches

2010-05-10T22:51:00.000-05:00

Another long overdue post - finally! The last month has been crazy and I haven't really had the chance to take many photos. I spent 5 days in Cancun last week so here are a few shots from the beach.

Charlotte: Holden's First Birthday

2010-04-19T23:16:00.000-05:00

I was able to take a trip to Charlotte to be part of my godson's first birthday! It was a great visit and I managed to capture a few nice shots.

Dallas: Southern Methodist University

2010-03-28T21:00:00.001-05:00

With the nice weather this weekend, I thought I would take a walk around the SMU campus. I pass it all the time as I drive to work and have never taken the time to step onto the university campus. I'm a bit disappointed because some of these photos have lost their vibrancy in the upload process. They look great on my Picasa photo page, but adding them into this blog has desaturated them a bit.

Dallas: Downtown

2010-03-20T16:03:00.001-05:00

An update is long overdue on the blog. Last weekend we had some great 70 degree clear, sunny weather and decided to walk around downtown to snap some shots. I walked through the arts district to capture some of the new buildings that just went up there. Then wandered past the Dallas Museum of Modern Art and it's outdoor sculpture garden.

Ft Worth: Botanical Butterfly Gardens

2010-02-28T23:48:00.001-05:00

After enjoying the Dallas Butterfly House, I discovered that Fort Worth has a bigger and better version. I took a little trip over there and attempted to catch a few shots. It was tough because of the Sunday crowds. Here are just a few shots.

Dallas: Snow

2010-02-23T00:34:00.001-05:00

When I woke up to heavy snowfall here in Dallas, I was a bit surprised. What surprised me more was that it continued through the day until about 12 inches had piled up. Because of the borderline temperatures, the snow was very wet and it clung to all the trees. Of course I had to pull my camera out and snap some shots while at the office.

Dallas: Butterfly House

2010-02-13T20:43:00.000-05:00

I decided to take a "practice" day for photography this weekend. I figured that there were plenty of Dallas-area destinations still to explore so I wandered to the Butterfly Gardens. Although I don't own a macro lens for extreme close-ups, I figured that butterflies would be a challenging shoot since they are small and fast. Since we're experiencing a bout of cold weather, the outdoor gardens were closed; instead, I explored the butterfly house - a climate-controlled terrarium. Here are a few shots.

San Antonio: The Alamo & Riverwalk

2010-01-30T13:24:00.001-05:00

A new historic restoration of a courthouse built in 1896 took me to San Antonio for a weekend. We had to do some investigative research in the courthouse since much of its history had been covered with a century of renovations. I did manage to do a little sight-seeing and capture a few photos.

Charlotte: Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

2010-01-24T02:22:00.001-05:00

During my drive back to Dallas over the holidays I stopped in Charlotte to visit the Vallimonts and more specifically my godson Holden (see previous post). We had a great time during my brief visit and stopped at the new Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. I grabbed a few shots there, including some of the mirrored glass mosaic tile sculpture.

Charlotte: Holden

2010-01-11T23:02:00.001-05:00

Over the holidays I had the chance to visit with my godson in Charlotte. I thought I would post a few photos from my visit.

Philadelphia: Downtown

2010-01-10T15:03:00.002-05:00

While back in Philadelphia over the holidays I walked around a bit and snapped some shots. Nothing really special here, just some things that caught my eye.

San Francisco: Napa Valley

2009-12-15T22:30:00.002-05:00

I took some great Christmas-themed shots last year in Philly but I managed to lose them. So instead, I'll share some shots I grabbed during one of my trips to San Fran for work.

San Diego: Coronado

2009-11-27T20:54:00.003-05:00

While visiting San Diego, I managed to grab some sunset photos around Coronado. When capturing the San Diego skyline I forgot to turn on the vibration reduction, so for the long exposures, I got some wind vibrations. Oh well, lesson learned.

Seattle: Pike's Place

2009-11-24T23:43:00.004-05:00

I was in Seattle last week for a conference and took a break to stop down at Pike's Place. From my last visit I knew I could capture some fun photos.

Dallas: Botanical Gardens

2009-11-09T23:27:00.003-05:00

Although I don't have a macro lens, I decided to explore the botanical gardens in Dallas and capture some of the great scenery. A macro lens will definitely improve the shots, but I think I got a few great ones.

Philadelphia: Wedding

2009-10-27T23:56:00.002-05:00

Just for fun, and as a favor to a friend, I took a shot at photographing her wedding. It was very new experience for me, considering I usually am the guest in the seats with my point-n-shoot trying to get a photo over someone's head.

For my first wedding it was especially challenging because the ceremony was in a space that had very little light. I added a speedlight to my arsenal but didn't have the time to practice with it in advance.

In any case, here are a few shots.