City Elements

The first time I visited Philly, I crossed the Delaware river riding from New Jersey on the Ben Franklin bridge and was amazed at the view of the city from the bridge. I thought it would be a great place to take pictures from. When I moved to Philly, I found out that the bridge is open to pedestrian traffic and I immediately decided that this would be my favorite place in the city.

This week, I finally got the chance to walk on the bridge, hang out and take some pictures of the city. It really has lived up to my expectations and so far is my favorite place in the city. On this trip I focused more so on elements of the bridge itself than the view of the city, capturing patterns in the urban landscape. So here's a few shots from that trip, more forth coming later this week.





This last shot was from this pretty little park sitting on the river bank looking at the bridge. This might be my second favorite place, but more on that later.

You say I'm different. It's because you don't know me anymore. I've changed. I'm more me now than I ever was before.

Sometimes I wonder why I write

South Beach

I want to go back to Miami. I was only there for a week once, but it has so much potential. Everything was so sparkly and wonderful. To start, the drive in to South Beach across the MacArthur Causeway was eye catching, I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the road. I was surrounded by clear blue water and boats that made my eyes jump from the cruise ships on the right to the marina on the left and back.

Arriving on the island, I was confronted by Art Deco architecture and pre-1960s cars parked in front hotels that all referenced another era. I felt as if I was in a different world.

It's not the beach that made it great, I've been to better beaches but they didn't have the same kind of atmosphere. The city scene combined with the natural scene and laid back vibe is what made it so welcoming to me. Is it my paradise? No, waaaayyyy too many people, but it is a place that I would like to visit often and have a more extended stay.

Paradise

I want to go to a beautiful place, my own little paradise. There would be a beach of course, with grass blowing on the sand dunes and sparkling blue water. There would be an endless supply of beauty for me to discover, be inspired by and capture with my pen, camera or brush. The sunrise and sunset would always be different and worthwhile to see, so I would never miss it. I would walk along the beach and feel the sand between my toes, the sun's warmth on my shoulders, and the light sea breeze on my cheek. Don't you think life would be pleasant? I wonder if my utopia exists.

Music

I still haven't come up with a name for this weekly feature thing.I was thinking about calling it "Sharpening my Tools" since this whole exercise is meant to resharpen my skills as I build my portfolio. However, it sounds a little lame when I say it out loud. Anyway, the theme I've chosen this week is music. I chose music because, if you know me, you know I love music. I love all kinds of music, I'm eclectic like that.

I chose to shoot these two instruments, the saxophone and acoustic guitar, because they are so versatile. They can be used in any style of music. I went with that idea because they reflect my music tastes. I hope you enjoy.

Click on the images to make them larger.



Don't forget to suggest another theme.

What's in a Name?

I need to come up with a name for this new weekly project that I'm working on. Last week I called it weekly check-up, but that was because I hadn't thought of anything yet and that made sense at the time. It's not the permanent name that I want to keep so if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to let me know.

So far the guidelines are that I pick a theme or subject or medium for the week and come up with either a piece of art or photography executing that theme. The theme can either come from suggestions or my own head. I will reveal the final piece in a blog post at the end of the week, either Friday or Saturday.

If you have a title or theme suggestion, shoot me a comment.