The Coney Island Boardwalk

I had to run an errand and drive out to Coney Island which was a treat as I got to walk along the Boardwalk on a beautiful day.  Besides the ocean, there were the usual characters soaking up the sun.  

Two by TwoHeadacheTopless

Hollywood

Took a trip to the west coast, staying up in the Hollywood Hills.  This was from the balcony of the apartment we were renting.  

The Hollywood Hills

It's so damn sunny out in LA, so you get shadows like those from the fire escape.  

California Living

This car was parked in the lot servicing Target and Best Buy.  

California Ride

I was just taking a picture of the back of the Hollywood Wax Museum.  Then my wife asked if I took the picture of Charlie Chaplan smelling the garbage.  Uh.... yeah, sure I was.... good idea.  

Scent of the Movies

Cape May, New Jersey

I only visited Cape May for the first time a few weeks ago.  This is the southern most tip of New Jersey.  In direct path of devasting Hurricane Sandy, I read that it escaped major damage unlike many of it's neighboring Jersey shore towns to the north.  So, the sights and personality are hopefully intact for futured generations and return trips.  

Here's what it looked like in mid-October.  I took this shot from the balcony of my hotel.  

Cape May Beach

I couldn't sleep the next morning, and walked along the boardwalk that borders the beach and grabbed a few quiet shots.  

Welcome To Our Beach

This is another way to the beach.  The contrasting lighting in the shot need a lot of work to even it out in post-production.   

To the Sea Beyond

This restroom reminded me of a country barn.  

Rest Rooms

The town, of course, has an antique feel to it with Victorian architecture featuring many porches.

Cape May Night Porches

Also many opportunites for compositional photos.

Cape May Steps

Victorian

I was waiting outside a tea shop and spotted this guy seemingly bored across the road.

Antique Thinker

I took several shots of this figure moving along the beach against the highlights of the sea.  This one caught the break of a wave.

Cape May Figure

Venice from the Sea

StreetObservations.com - I assembled a series of photographs taken from the cruise ship as we departed Venice a few months ago.  I was surprised that the path leaving the city took us directly past San Marco and the other prime sites.  

It was near dusk, so the lights were just starting to come out.  You can see the progression of the darkness from one picture to another.  The picture of the plaza at San Marco seems to me like it could have been taken 100 years ago or more and still look the same.  

Also, now disconnected from the ship, it strikes me how high up the view from the ship is, almost like we're flying over the city.   

Vantage Point

Parking

Up the Canal

Cafe

Gondolier at Dusk

San Marco

Moving Out

Yacht

Mykonos Compositions

The island of Mykonos in Greece is one of the most inspiring photographic locations I have ever been.  The white buildings are accented by colorful banisters and shutters.  The narrow streets are mostly without cars.  You are in the middle of everything and very close to your surroundings.  This leads to a different type of composition than the street photography I usually do.  

Here are some of the Mykonos closeups:

Centered BanisterRed Door with KeyWeathered StepsTrophy DoorBlue BanistersWelcome

Laundry Line Photography

When looking for photographic subjects, it seems to me that laundry lines make a colorful and interesting composition. It is also like getting a personal look at those who do the hanging.   Here are some Italian, Croatian and Greek laundry hangings.  It is a unifying characteristic across the globe (although not so much in New York City, except in old movies, or the outer boroughs).

Venice Laundry

Greek Laundry

Croatian Laundry

Clothes Pins

An American Cat in Split Croatia

Glimpses

Sometimes there is a sense of mystery in seeing just a little bit of a scene. Just a glimpse. You can only imagine what you can't see.  Here are some recent pictures taken in Greece and Venice that only suggest what is behind.

Ivan Meštrović

So, our cruise was stopping in Split, Croatia and we had to select something to do as an "excursion" on shore.  I personally knew nothing about Split, but my wife was thrilled that we were stopping there, as she knew something that I did not.  Split, was the home of the famous sculptor, Ivan Meštrović.  And, she was a lover of sculpture and loved his work.  Here is his Wikipedia entry. 

One of the tours featured, among other things, a visit to his home which was also his gallery.  It is majestic and overlooks the Adriatic sea.  His work is scattered around the grounds and the interior of the house is the primary gallery.  It was interesting to imagine the world of Mr. Mestrovic.

Acqua Alta

Venice has a problem.  At certain times of the year and during certain tidal periods, it gets wet.  It's not technically flooding, it's high water.  Called Acqua Alta (Italian for High Water).  Since the Piazza San Marco is on a low spot geographically, despite its popularity, it becomes filled with water.

People get around it by walking on platforms constructed over the wet spots.  This is what it looks like:

Hotel Panorama

So, it was three years since an "exotic" vacation.  I chose the itinerary for this trip to allow a chance to expand my photographic horizons, so to speak, by going to beautiful places.  It was primarily a cruise vacation, initially departing from Venice, then heading to Split, Croatia, then four stops in Greece.  All beauties when viewed through a lens (or an eyeball). 

We left 6:30pm from Newark and landed in what would be late the next day in Venice.  Then, it was a boat ride to our location of rest, the Hotel Panorama.  It is positioned on the island of Lido, overviewing the lagoon with a vista that includes St. Mark's square across in Venice itself.  Part of the hotel selection process, besides the view, was that the boat let us off directly across the street from the hotel. 

Our room was located on the corner of the building with the excellent primary vista, and the second view was looking towards the boat terminal. 

Since the island is well populated by bicycles and their riders of all ages, it was an interesting perspective to look down into the square and watch the commuters out the south window.   Also the interactions and activities down below were fascinating.  A busy-ness that, in a way, reminded me of the activity in New York.

 

After our two day stay, we took another series of boats to reach our big boat which was departing through Venice at dusk.  We could make out the yellow hotel as we passed by, headed out to the Adriatic Sea. 

My Nishiki

Twenty eight years ago I hopped on a bicycle and rode it 4,000 miles around Europe.  It was a pivotal period of my life, not only for the travel and experience of seeing the many countries, but because my career became more focused after the three months sabbatical from work. 

I still have the bike and occasionally ride it, but mostly it sits in the back of the garage. It is a Nishiki model, which I now know is no longer produced. It's somewhat rusty, but still gives a decent ride. I've replaced the handlebars so I can sit more upright to protect a strained neck, but it is otherwise unchanged. 

When I was getting ready for the trip, I got a book called "Italian in 10 Minutes A Day".  The book came with a set of stickers with Italian words that you could fasten to an object so you would become familiar with its name.  So, you would put a sticker that said "tavolo" on a "table".  Remnants of the sticker that says "bicicletta" are still barely attached to the bicycle.  Just hanging by a thread, and unreadable, but I know what it says. 

There are racks above both the front and rear wheels which supported two sets of panniers to carry the 50 pound load on the trip. The photo to the right, shows it fully loaded as I was traveling along the Mediterranean coast in the south of France back then.

I carried the load over the Apennine mountains in Italy and the Alps in Switzerland. As I was going down a mountain pass in Austria, I put my head down and wanted to see how fast I could go.  A turn came a bit too quickly and I came within inches of going over the side.  I slowed down after that. 

The Avocat seat is rather worn now.  The black color is gone in spots.  It was never too comfortable but I didn't really have any problems with it.

Each country I stopped in, I bought a sticker as a souvenir that I had visited.  They line the tubes of the bike.  They are in the language of the nation, so Sweden is Sverge. Other countries stuck on there are Belgique, France, Lichtenstein, Italy, Schweitz, Österreich, Deutsch, Danmark, and the Nederland.  These stickers have passed the test of time.  They are in very good shape. 

A few years ago, I brought the old Nishiki into a shop for a tune up.  I thought they would be impressed with it.  But they weren't.  It was just another bike. A particularly old bike.  They said it was heavy, and I'm sure it is, compared to the bikes that are available now.  But, I don't need a new bike, and I don't want one.   I know this bike well. 

And, one thing that also remains the same is that, I am really really good at shifting its gears. 

Oasis Stitching

So, I was headed out on a cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, headed towards Mexico. The port there had a number of ships waiting to take off. There were all quite large, but the shuttle bus driver pointed out one that was especially huge. It was "Oasis of the Seas", which I learned was the largest ship in the world. Some other passengers were getting off to take a trip on Oasis. They were travel agents from Canada. They were taking a one day ride to nowhere so they could review it. The ship has not yet taken its maiden voyage (hope their are enough lifeboats).

After getting on my own ship, "Enchantment of the Seas" (which was 11 decks itself). I got a view of the Oasis right across the pier. It was too large to get in one frame, so I took a series of pictures from one end to the next. The pieces looked like this.

I loaded them into my picture editor, and stitched them together to make the ship whole again. And, this is what I got. Looks a bit smaller, but it's all there. You can click the picture to get a larger view of the picture and get a better sense of its size.

The Farm's View

When I was a kid, every year we would go up to the summer home my grandparents had in the Catskill mountains in NY. We called it simply, "The Farm". Above is a painting of how it looked in my memory. The Farm was sold long ago after my grandparents passed away, but recently we went back to take a look.

The house has now been greatly modernized primarily as it is now inhabited by a wealthy family. While it still resembles the original building build in the 1800s, it has been enlarged and modernized. Several wings have been added as well as a new barn down the road a bit. This is it now:

The original horse hitching post remains where it always was right in front, looking much like it did in the painting.
What is also unchanged is the look across the street. A magnificent view of a slate wall, field, and distant mountains. I remember the view would change daily based on the weather. The focal point always was a tower built on the primary mountain called Point Lookout. After a while, the tower burned down but the main building was still visible way up on the mountain. Point Lookout remains an Inn and has a view of 5 states. It was fascinating how the view could appear so many different ways.
Our visit came on a rainy foggy day. Sadly, the mountains could not be seen. But, I still had memories and the view here was still gorgeous. I am happy that it has been kept up and improved over the years.

Opposite Vantage Points

With the Pittsburgh Steelers being in the Super Bowl, thoughts of the city came back to me. I know that each time I see a picture that I've taken, I am transported back to the moment that it was created. I can remember the activity of snapping the camera, the circumstances, and the perspective. I find this uncanny since I am rather sketchy on names and facts in particular.

One night earlier this year I happened to be in Pittsburgh, a photographically interesting city that I was totally unfamiliar with. Out of a search for lodging in a geographically relevant place for our purposes, the Renaissance Hotel was our home for three days. It was nondescript and urban from the street view. Looking up the street from the front of the building, it was seen to be positioned right in front of a bridge, the Roberto Clemente Bridge, I later found out was its name.

When arriving at a hotel, it is normal to look out the window. I found a most unusual view which was totally unexpected. Through an arch cut into the building, there was a direct view of the bridge framed perfectly by the walls of the hotel. I waited until the evening and took the time exposure here.

I knew that PNC Park, the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates was on the other side of the river. And, I occasionally would see a ball game with the magnificent cityscape and view of the bridge over the outfield wall. Well, it finally clicked in my mind that the hotel, which was strategically perched right by the bridge should be in the view during games. And, upon careful examination, I became aware that my actual room on the 7th floor is visible during any Pirates game.

It may be insignificant in the scheme of things, but whenever I will ever see a baseball game in progress in Pittsburgh, for the rest of my life, I know I will remember the picture of the bridge from the hotel room with all its details.

Rittenhouse Square

I was visiting Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia... my first visit... on a Saturday evening at dusk. A fall day, warm weather. The park was full of activity, beautiful with the orange leaves on the ground. A wedding party, at least the male portion of a wedding party, was assembled towards the center of the park, listening to guitar music. I worked my way through taking pictures and found a bench at the end of a path and sat there to observe the crowd.

No sooner than I was in position, a homeless-appearing man came into sight. He croaked, "Like to take pictures?" I nodded. "Like to take pictures of people?". I again nodded. He approached and plopped himself down next to me. One of his eyes was white, and he appeared blind in that eye. His teeth were loose and facing multiple directions. He extended his hand and I warily shook it. He was not threatening and talkative.

He started talking about the deterioration of Philadelphia and that white people didn't like to talk to him, "not you" of course he noted. He said he went to a free Bruce Springsteen concert and there was only himself and one other black person in attendance. I found this curious as I later found out the concert was for the benefit of Barack Obama. I mentioned that Bruce Springsteen had a song called "Philadelphia". "Ben" (his name) corrected me and said that was Elton John. I noted that Elton John had a Philadelphia song but it was called "Philadelphia Freedom". He agreed, and said that he had been shocked to learn that Elton John was gay. We then spoke about Michael Jackson and his woes. He rocked back and forth with enthusiasm as he spoke about each subject.

I wanted to take a picture to capture the character of this man. He readily agreed to pose, this was his purpose all along. It was dark so I needed to be steady. I took a first shot, and looked in the viewer, but didn't think it looked like him. The personality was missing. I asked for another, he posed again. Again, it didn't look right. I took a final shot, again it wasn't what I was looking for but decided to move on. He seemed pleased with the few dollars I left him. That was what he was after, afterall.

When I got a chance to transfer the picture to the computer, where I could look at it. I noticed that the flaws in his features that gave him personality (primarily his teeth and the blind eye) were missing in the shot. His pose each time was with eyes shut and mouth closed. Despite the inherent wildness of his personality, Ben was self-conscious enough of his appearance, that he wanted to look his best.

I thought about it, and realized this was the best evidence of his self. The picture had captured his character, even if it wasn't evident.

Norman Rockwell

During a visit to the Norman Rockwell Museum, there was a gallery discussion in which the artists' techniques were presented. His characterizations were created by specifically posing his models with the positioning and expressions that he wanted to portray. During the modeling sessions, he would take hundreds of photos of the characters and then paint from the photos.

His pictures are so realistic, and detailed that they are a bit like photographs, except far more perfect than you could hope to capture in a candid picture. Here are some examples, I can't put any here directly due to copyright issues.

His studio (roof of the building pictured) was relocated intact from downtown Stockbridge to the grounds of the museum outside of the Massachusetts town. The inside was left just as it was when he last used it. And, in the basement of the museum were 100s of covers from the Saturday Evening Post that he did over the year. The original art was on display, and I was surprised by how large the paintings were (perhaps 4-5 feet high). This was so there would be room for all the details that he wanted to include.

Seeing all of the personality in the works, it made me want to take it as inspiration for some of my street photography and I will be trying to focus on special moments if I can. Looking through pictures I've taken previously, these are the ones that I think are most like a Norman Rockwell painting.

Old Gentlemen in Central Park

The Deal

Abandoned Mansion

This is a historical landmark, but I will not go into the specifics of what it is. I think it's more interesting to think of it more in the generic. A woman author from the early 1900s designs and builds a summer home where she can write. She keeps the home up for 10 years or so, and then moves on due to family circumstances (husband cheating on her). The home is sold, but proves too expensive to keep up over the years and is ultimately abandoned.

After years of neglect, the interior is partially restored and is opened to visitors. The grounds and gardens are returned to their original glory. Looking at the mansion today, makes one think of what it once was. Part of the building is restored, most of it, like the picture of the window here, is barren and reflects it's genre. The contrast of elegance and neglect is intriguing.

If you must know more, here is more detail.