Color | 2nd Exposure: The Prodigal Photographer

Red Buoy In Fog

Jan 172013

I never was too clever at naming photos!

Another photo from our foggy-morning Shutterbug Excursions meetup at Fells Point last Sunday.

One kind of image I’ve always been partial to is “a little bit of something in a lot of nothing.” This one is an example of a corollary, “a little bit of color in a lot of non-color.”

You can practice looking for situations like this and thy it out with your own photos… a little bit of something in a lot of nothing… a little bit of color in a lot of no color…. a little bit of one color in a lot of another color.

To paraphrase George Zimmer, you’re going to like the way it looks; I guarantee it.

Maryland No Responses »

Jan 162013

Fells Point Baltimore Waterfront Kayak reflections

Kayak reflections at Fells Point

Despite the foggy, dull day, we found spots of color. The reflections from these kayaks were surprisingly bright, notwithstanding the total cloud cover.

2 Park Avenue

New York City No Responses »

Jan 102013

Ely Jaques Kahn's landmark 2 Park Avenue Empire State in background

The warm brick and terra-cotta of 2 Park Avenue contrast with the metallic mooring mast and antenna of the Empire State Building, a few blocks to the west.

The colorful and striking 2 Park Avenue Building, built in 1926-28 on lower Park Avenue, was designed by one of New York’s foremost architects of the first half of the twentieth century, Ely Jacques Kahn. Constructed when this section of the avenue was just beginning to be developed with modern office towers, 2 Park Avenue represents one of Kahn’s finest essays into Art Deco or Modernistic style architecture.

In the 2 Park Avenue Building, Kahn was able to successfully integrate a new decorative type produced by the application of colorful terra-cotta panels in geometric designs to a tall, commercially successful office/loft structure. 2 Park Avenue was one of the important late 1920s buildings that helped create the visually lively and iconic city of the early 20th century.

Lower Manhattan: The Helen McAllister

New York City No Responses »

Aug 312012

Tugboat Helen McAllister at South Street Seaport Manhattan NYC

The Helen McAllister, berthed at the South Street Seaport Museum in lower Manhattan

The South Street Seaport Museum in lower Manhattan is one of several geographically-distributed museums designated by Congress that make up the National Maritime Museum. My favorite boat at South Street is the Helen McAllister, a hard-working, steam-powered tug built in 1900 that was still in service in the 1990′s.

A residual memory of this book is probably why I’m drawn to little old tugboats.

Red Stairs in Rockport

Massachusetts No Responses »

Aug 292012

Red Stairs - Rockport, MA

Back in the days that I used to post on Usefilm.com, one of the photographers that I admired, John Barclay, commented to me, “When you see red, shoot it!”

Not a bad philosophy, actually.

Walking with my wife, daughter, and future son-in-law in the lovely town of Rockport this past weekend, I saw these red steps, nicely sidelighted, just off the main street.

What can I say? All that red screamed out to me, begging to be photographed. I knew there was a good photo there somewhere. I “worked” the stairs to the extent that I could without holding up and annoying my companions, and this was my last, and favorite, of the seven exposures I made.

Rockport Kayaks

Massachusetts No Responses »

Aug 292012

Sometimes you have to work hard for a photo, and sometimes you don’t. This was one of those happy cases of the latter variety.

So there we were, having dinner on the open-air 2nd floor of 7th Wave Restaurant in Rockport. We had a beautiful view of the harbor as we waited for our order.

I happened to be sitting right next to the parapet, and as I leaned over to see what was there, I found these rental kayaks tied up for the night. Out came the little Canon S95 from my pocket, and a few snaps later, I had this.

Crofton: Adirondack Chairs

Maryland 1 Response »

Jul 172012

a row of Adirondack chairs along MD 3/301 in Crofton, MD

I see them everyday on my commute...

Great photos are everywhere. Even on an often-traveled path, or very close to home, or even just outside your door. You just have be open to them, find them, and sometimes overcome some inertia.

I passed by these Adirondack chairs, stretching in front of a fence-and-deck business, every weekday for months, knowing there must be a photo there. In my mind, I pictured the row of brightly-colored, different-colored chairs as a repeating pattern. With my Canon S95 in my pocket that whole time, the only thing stopping me was inertia.

Finally, I overcame the inertia on day recently, and got this result.

Have you seen something interesting, unusual, or otherwise photo-worthy recently that’s waiting for you to overcome your inertia. Break through now, and take that photo!

Cape Cod: Provincetown Public Library

Massachusetts No Responses »

May 302012

Steeple of the Provincetown Public Library, Provincetown, Cape Cod Massachusetts

Steeple of the Provincetown Public Library, as it looks on a perfect day in May 2012

The current incarnation of this 1860 building as Provincetown Public Library dates only to 2005. It started life as Center Methodist Episcopal Church, and the restrained Baroque Revival building served that congregation until 1958. That year, the congregation sold the building to Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., who turned it into the Chrysler Museum, which he ran until 1970. Over the next three decades, the old church became an arts center and then the Provincetown Heritage Museum before it became what it is today.

There’s a nice history of the building here.

Crofton, MD: Pancho & Pepe's

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May 302012

Roofline of Pancho & Pepe's Mexican Grill in Crofton MD

¡Me gusto los colores!

I travel back and forth for about 10 miles along MD Route 3 each workday, and every once in a while, I “discover” something that might be photo-worthy.

Last Friday, it was Pancho & Pepe’s Mexican Grill, an older building under new management and freshly-painted in Southwest colors. I parked my car nearby and walked all around the building, snapping away and making myself suspicious, as usual. I found a number of nice views of the place, but this one is my favorite.