9/11 Memorial

 "Reflective"

 "Droplets"

 "Those We Lost"

 "Water Falling"

"City Reflections"

Brooklyn Bridge

 "Across the River"

 "At the Park"

 "Along the Bridge"

 "Brooklyn Bridge & Beyond"

"From the Ground Up"

Times Square at Night

 "Neon"

"Parking"

 "Times Square Crowds"

"All of the Lights"

Highline Walk

"Highline"

 "Street View"

 "Trees in the Tracks"

"Beyond the Branches"

Portland: Details

"Intricate Edges"

"Abandoned"

"Snowed In"

I spent part of the afternoon walking around Portland, mostly in the Munjoy Hill neighborhood. As I walked, I kept my eyes peeled for the details around me -- in the houses, the streets, and other parts of the landscape -- which would characterize the area. Capturing details, rather than a house as a whole or the length of a street, provided a different perspective from the way I normally see. The houses in this neighborhood are grand-looking, with long front porches, turrets, picture windows, and lots of scalloping and artistic details around the windows and doors. They made great subjects for my particular focus. One house stood out among the rest because it was old, empty, and run down. The porch was caving in, the railings were no longer attached, and some of the siding was peeling away. In a well-kept neighborhood like this, the house caught my attention. At the cemetery, the late-afternoon sunlight played out across the drifted snow. These patterns of shadows contrasted well with the soft new snow, broken only by the crooked gravestones. 

POW: Southwestern Landscapes

 "Mountain Sunset"

 "Joshua Tree Silhouette"

 "Mountains in Saguaro"

"Spiky"

The sunny skies of Southern California and Arizona provide a welcome break from the long winter months back home. The landscape here is vast and open: a desert criss-crossed with mountains which seem to rise straight out of the flatlands. Trees are uncommon but cactuses abound, dotting the landscape with their strong stems and sharp spines. In Joshua Tree National Park, the sun set at Key's View, overlooking the San Bernardino Mountains and the Coachella Valley beyond. The sky is hazy with pollution, funneled into the valley from the industrial regions along the coast. The Joshua trees for which the park is named are illuminated and silhouetted as the sun sinks below the mountains. In Arizona, giant saguaro cacti fill the view in every direction. They cover the rocky mountainous landscapes where it seems no plant should grow and their dangerous spines reach extend precariously towards the path. These incredible landscapes are truly unlike any other. 

Light Painting

"Round & Round" 

"Fiery"

"Roller Coaster"

"Color Flash"

I really enjoyed the light painting assignment. It was a much greater challenge than I had anticipated, as far as creativity goes. I found that by experimenting with a variety of different light sources, I was able to get a lot of different, interesting results. I also realized that light painting is a lot more than waving a flashlight around in the dark -- although that can be cool. It requires some deliberateness and a clear idea of what effect you are trying to produce, just like in any other photography setting. As I worked more with the light painting, I was able to figure out what effect I wanted and create that.