On a recent trip with a fellow photographer, I had the opportunity to experience an incredible piece of history, to capture it with my camera, and preserve it through documentation. The bridge has been closed to traffic for over 20 years and is most definitely showing its age.
Clouds Over The Old Crossing
Although this isn’t my first abandoned bridge, it is by far the largest and most interesting. The details of the construction are very impressive and even though it has been abandoned (and slated for demolition for years) it seems to be holding up quite well.
An Abandoned Beauty
I’m choosing not to share the name or the location, so if you know it, please keep it to yourself!
Always Obey The Speed LimitA Forgotten Crossing
I couldn’t have asked for more interesting clouds and a nicer soft gradient of color in the sky. It distracted me enough to not realize that I was walking on open grating for a few steps. It is always fun to look down to see a river some 80’+ below you.
The Old Open Grate
As the sun retreated, the colors became more intense and blue. It allowed me to silhouette the structure slightly against the rapidly darkening sky.
An Evening On The Bridge
Even the moon made an appearance for my final composition.
I am always looking for new angles to photograph the city of Pittsburgh. If you look at my catalog, you’d think that there weren’t any angles left to cover, but I’m constantly finding new and exciting places to view the skyline. One that has evaded me for a long, long time is a rooftop. Many, many property owners want nothing to do with people being on their rooftops. I can understand. It is a HUGE liability to let someone wander around, even supervised, some 400’+ above the busy street below. I get it. Not unlike trying to get a job without experience, there are few ways to prove your abilities to handle the situation. Well, someone finally let me experience my first Pittsburgh rooftop, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to show you what I captured.
Down The Ohio RiverThe Many Routes Of The Ft. Pitt Bridge
The roof of Fifth Avenue Place (also known as the Highmark Building) is situated closer to the Point than many other buildings, so you can get a good view of downtown.
High Above LibertyThe Tall Ones At Dawn
Seeing things from this height puts a lot into perspective (no pun intended). The rooftop is 450′ above the street below and there aren’t any tall buildings within a few blocks. It gives a GREAT view of the rest of the city.
Reflections From High Places
The block of time I was given started at 7am and ran until noon, but I only used up 2 hours. The sun at that time of day, especially in the summer, gets harsh fairly quickly and the images loose their “pop” when lit directly above.
The House Of 57Up River
My friend Dave, a fellow photographer, and a member of security bounced back and forth from one viewing angle to another, attempting to catch as much of the “good light” as possible.
Roberto And His Shadow
The view straight down the building was amazing and terrifying at the same time.
Casting A Long Shadow
Seeing the courtyard of PPG Place and Market Square from above was very interesting. Bravo to the designers for creating such beautiful spaces that can be appreciated from such different angles.
Urban CamoflaugeMarket Square From A Giant
The one drawback to shooting from the roof of a building is that you can’t easily showcase it. Fifth Avenue Place is such a beautiful and unique building. I attempted to capture it as best I could with my ultrawide lens.
At The HighmarkRooftop Selfie
As the sun rose higher, the atmospheric conditions began to set in and add a haze to anything in the distance. Also, the heavy rains from days prior muddied the usually clear(er) Allegheny river.
Pirate ParkSo Many Bridges
All in all, I am very happy with what I was able to capture. I am extremely grateful to the people that permitted me the humbling opportunity to see the city I love from a new perspective. This 51 image panorama is one of my favorite shots of Pittsburgh.
During a recent afternoon thunderstorm, I was in my office editing, with the blinds closed to minimize stray light on my monitors, and out of the corner of my eye I noticed a glow from outside. I heard it thundering and knew that it had been raining fairly hard for the past hour or so, so I was confused by the sudden brightness. I opened the blinds to see a golden glow of light from between the dark storm clouds.
I grabbed my camera and (not unlike a crazy person) ran outside to capture this odd event. There was a large break in the storm clouds that allowed the setting sun’s rays through.
Light From The Other Side
Known amongst photographers as “godrays”, they are fitting in name. I snapped away for a minute or two, capturing a flock of birds on the left part of one frame. As quickly as it arrived, the break closed up and disappeared. Moments later, it rained harder than I have seen in a very long time.
I love capturing images of Pittsburgh. That should be apparent from seeing my work catalog. Sometimes it takes a different technique to fit everything into one frame. To overcome this, I have adopted a technique that allows me to shoot multiple overlapping frames and stitch them together into one image. It is a technical and time consuming task, but is personally rewarding when it comes together well.
June 4th was a perfect day to capture the city in this manner. I first went to Grandview Park and caught the soft warm sunlight on the city from the hill at the top of the park. There were many power lines to remove, which made this one frustrating. This panorama is comprised of 11 images.
The View From Grandview
The next spot I visited was Mt. Washington next to the Monongahela Incline. The light was more direct and not filtered through the clouds as much. I planned to get all of downtown in the final shot, but saw how good the South Side looked in the light, so I ended up including it. This one is 21 individual frames.
Having a wife that rides, I have many (many) opportunities to photograph horses at practice, in their stalls, or at shows. Sunday, May 24th was a beautiful day for a show. The sky was blue, the weather mild, and the sun was shining.
Adriana on Spectacular DuckFrankie on River
I am still learning the timing of it all… when to capture during a walk, a trot, and a canter.
Olivia and Punk Rock Polka DotMandy on Charlie Brown
I also have to be wary of my unconscious nature that makes a horse believe that I am a fierce predator, intent on eating them. Who knew that I was so imposing?
My wife and I had the privilege of joining our good friends on a trip to Siesta Key, Florida in late April. It was the first vacation for us in a while, and my first trip to Florida in nearly 25 years.
To say that I was excited is an understatement.
Our flight from Pittsburgh departed in an icy slush storm. Good riddance. Within an hour, we were treated to a sunrise above a sea of clouds. I love seeing the clouds from above.
Above A Sea Of Clouds
We landed in Tampa, secured a rental car, and headed out in search of breakfast. Along the way, I spotted a sure sign that we were, in fact, in Florida. The Elvis manatee mailbox had confirmed that we were in the right spot.
Devil In Disguise
As my travel companions settled into the beachfront condo, I scrambled to run out to the beach, camera in hand, to capture the first moments of paradise. It had been a while since I had been to an actual beach with waves and nothing but blue for as far out as the eye could see.
Layers Of Surf
Beach sunsets are a wonderful thing, especially to photographers. Capturing that Cartier-Bresson “decisive moment” though, is difficult. I found myself struggling between this frame and that one for “the best” shot. A daunting task when looking through 40 frames of a gorgeous sunset.
The Rays Of The Setting Sun
One day of the trip was set aside for fishing out in the Gulf. The weather was nearly perfect, and we caught a few really nice sized King Mackerel.
Lovely Ladies On The GulfBringing It InCatch(es) Of The Day
We were greeted by a flock of pelicans when we arrived back at the dock. They had heard through the grapevine that we had a successful trip and they were eager for their cut of the spoils. There was a bit of a battle.
The Watchful PelicanThe Battle
Our third day found us in Lake Myakka State Park. Deer, Limpkin, Cranes, Egrets, Anoles, and of course, Alligators. Oh, and a canopy walk complete with a tower rising 74′ above the surrounding forest.
Mama Limpkin And ChildArched In Spanish MossGator CountryCool Breeze And Shutter Guy At The Top Of The TowerThe Canopy Walk
That evening, we were treated to a thunderstorm and lightshow over the Gulf.
Bolts Over The Gulf
My photographer companion and I visited a pier on Anna Maria Island to cross a long desired shot off of my bucket list.
Beneath The City Pier
While there, we happened to catch some dolphins.
Surfacing
The next day we hand fed squirrels at Coquina Beach, fed the gulls, and I shot way too many images of the surf crashing against the rock wall.
Feeding The HungryThe ChaseFluid Dynamics
The moonlight on the evening of the last day allowed me to do a fun portrait shoot with my wife. Moonlight beach portraits are super fun.
Moonlit Beach Portrait
As much as I enjoyed being out of the Western PA area, It did feel good to come home, especially being greeted by this view of Pittsburgh from the plane!
Sometimes you just know that the sunset is going to be incredible. Times like this find me awkwardly fast walking/sprinting to a spot to capture it before it disappears. No two sunsets are the same, and the play of light changes from moment to moment. Saturday, April 19th was a particularly impressive display by Mother Nature.
Some of you may know that I enjoy a questionable pastime of Urban Exploration Photography. It involves photographing abandoned buildings and locations. I have been fortunate to meet and become close friends with a group of like minded photographers in the Pittsburgh area. Our tight knit group is in it for the images, keeping our (literal) trespasses limited to footprints (and tripod prints) in the places that we visit and document. I’ve always been of the mind that these places that have been left behind have stories to tell, but no storytellers. There are several feelings in me that drive me to visit such places. One is a sense of adventure, the thrill of being somewhere that is just on the other side of a wall on a well traveled path. Another is at the core of what being a photographer means to me. My job, my drive, and my passion is to see. I see and capture what I see. I preserve moments.
While out exploring a new location with a “partner in crime”, we heard a lot of pounding from the direction of the spot we entered the building. Immediately we go into panic mode, processing how to deal with whatever was about to happen. Getting caught is always a concern. This feeling was worse. We were being boarded in.
The next few minutes were in slow motion as we packed our gear and headed to the exit. By the time we got there, our jailers had departed. Fortunately, they did a poor job and I was able to wrestle a hastily pounded nail out of the wall and we made our way to freedom. We get a good chuckle out of it now, but at the time, the intensity of the “oh, shit” was very real. Would I do it again? Of course. The experience of the location and the images that I was able to capture made it completely worthwhile for me. Oh, and of course, it was April 1st.
The Glow From The Stained GlassWarm Light On Both FloorsTell Me The Old, Old Story
St Patrick’s Day in Southwestern Pennsylvania was the breaking point for a long period of rainy weather. The evening’s sunset in clear skies was a treat for all of us that appreciate a colorful sky. Days and days of drab blue-gray clouds were getting old.
My wife and I were on our way into the city to celebrate with a pint o’ green beer and the rain stopped, the clouds cleared, and I immediately had to find a spot to document this wonderful event.
I decided on a spot along the Allegheny river, near the Veteran’s Bridge. I usually climb down the bank to a shallow spot with a decent view of the city, but after days and days of rain, the river level was unusually high. The fast moving water was much higher up the bank than I was used to and choosing a spot proved quite a challenge. Never one to be deterred and forgoing personal safety, I climbed down to the water line, through a small patch of thorns. Foolish in retrospect, but it allowed me to capture what I consider to be a perfect illustration of the pleasantness of the sunset and the treacherousness of the fast moving river.
