“Worship is one of the odder things the Christian community does…
But, with worship there is the very real potential and possibility that, by God’s Spirit, I will be enlivened, nourished, purified, opened, surrendered and so will you.”
The very elegant communion table in the Boyd Chapel of First Presbyterian Church, Winchester.
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Aside from all the obvious benefits of cycling all these years, I’ve also become conditioned to being awake for the wee hours of the morning. It also comes in handy as a photographer.
Like I said, spend the rest of the weekend shooting the good stuff. | Order a print of this image.
“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”
So after a botched attempt to shoot a marathon this morning in DC, I figured I’d take the time and go on a proper photo shoot – and apparently it revolved around lighthouses.
My Lemonade…
The Drum Point Lighthouse at the Calvert Marine Museum in Maryland | Order a print of this image.
The staircase (190 steps) of the original Cape Henry Lighthouse in Virginia Beach | Order a print of this image.
The middle of nowhere. The middle of the country. The middle of the road. And just past the middle of our RV trip.
Took a little digging, but I found the exact spot we stopped for some photos!
While everybody was taking photos inside, I figured I’d be different and shoot the outside, which is just as photogenic. I really wanted to shoot the sunset from the tower, but it closed at 4:30 so this was a decent consolation. I’ve got so many more images to work my way through, but this one really caught my eye as I looked through my library.
The Udvar Hazy Air & Space Museum in Chantilly, VA. Order a print of this image.
This image certainly conjures up many different emotions with so many different people, but one thing is for certain – it will forever be a part of our nation’s history. It certainly is an impressive piece of machinery and takes up a sizable portion of the floor!
On 6 August 1945, during the final stages of World War II, The Enola Gay became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb.
Didn’t really like to have to shoot through the glass, but this thing is so picturesque! Order a print of this image.
I must have some inner urge to photograph the interior of buildings these days. And there’s certainly a huge opportunity for that when you live in an historic town like I do. Granted, Shenandoah University isn’t a really old university, but it does have some great buildings.
Goodson Chapel Recital Hall. Order a print of this image.
I’ve always loved the novelty of this floor and figured I’d shoot some images while I was there last week.
Winchester has gone through many changes, but a lot of the current city has been the way it is ever since I moved here. For instance, I don’t remember Handley High School before the current renovations (I think I went into the school one time – not enough to remember what it was like). I also don’t know what the Handley Library looked like before it’s most current round of updates in 2001. But I do know that this room is the coolest in the library – if I were a kid now, I’d be hanging out in here.
This is the “Teen” section of the Handley regional Library in Winchester. I love all the textures in here. Order a print of this image.
I’m slowly making my way through the downtown buildings in Winchester and I’m diggin’ all the shoots and fascinating architecture I’m seeing. I really wish I’d known how to shoot back when we went to England. Anyway…
I usually don’t engage in altering an image’s content, but this time I did. Various things in the original image just seemed distracting so I went ahead and removed them (things like thermostat controls, light switches and literature racks). I’d have to put them back in if I were to submit this image for any major contest, though.
Enjoy.
The Boyd Chapel at First Presbyterian Church in Winchester, VA. Among other gatherings, this space lends itself to the 7:30 am worship service each Sunday. Order a print of this image.
The word “stacks” just reminds me of a library. I literally could have spent another couple hours in this building (and will probably go back just to shoot). I’m having fun going all “Right-Brain” on these images!
I took Waldo (my awesome dog) to the park today for our morning walk. As always, I brought my camera. But the day was dreary and there was a little bit of snow (not enough to look any good) so I wasn’t sure what kinds of photos I’d get. Then we kind of stumbled on the ducks. So I put all my gear down and get into a shooting stance (more like an awkward squat) to shoot some ducks.
I suddenly hear a massive fluttering underneath me (I was perched on a bridge). I almost dropped my camera, but then had to laugh because Waldo had discovered his inner hunting dog! It was awesome – not the picture, but the moment.
What is it that’s making me really want to go inside?
Downtown Winchester is really getting a facelift. I remember one of our first stories at TV3 Winchester was when the roof collapsed at the Taylor Hotel c. 2007. Read more about the renovation here.
The front porch of the newly renovated Taylor Hotel in Winchester, VA. Order a print of this image.
What is it about urban exploration (aka Urbex or UE) that is so fascinating to so many people these days? In the midst of a huge photography boom, it certainly stands out as unique. I’ve been to this place on several occasions and it fascinates me every time. Today I got to bring my 18-year-old son to have a peek. He was a little creeped out and I swear he thought zombies were gonna come running out any minute!
It makes you wonder about what once was. It makes you wonder who once was. It makes for good photography. It makes for fascinating photography. It’s the thrill of exploration and discovery.
It’s just really cool.
One of the abandoned buildings of the Warfield Complex in Sykesville, MD. See more images from Sykesville.
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Want to know how to take amazing pictures? Read on…
I’ve done a lot of self-guided learning in my life and have heard and read lots of advice – good and bad. It’s a daunting task to learn new things especially as you age. Get over yourself and accept the fact that there are others who are just as qualified as you are and even more qualified in many cases.
One gem I’ve heard over and over again in a variety of ways is that it’s not about your camera. It’s not about your computer or latest software. It’s all about you. It’s about your ability to see new things or to see mundane things in a new light. It will never be about your camera.
The key to taking amazing pictures is simply this – put yourself in front of amazing things.
When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
– Marcus Aurelius
I know I’m not the first person to do this. And I certainly won’t be the last. I just wanted to demonstrate how cool it is when you can manipulate light. That’s what being a good photographer is all about, after all, right? The ability to use light (or the lack of light) to create images.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
– 1 Corinthians 13 verse 13
I created this for my wife for our 13th wedding anniversary in 2007. Look closely at the scripture in the image.
I think I’m going to change it up a bit moving forward with my One-A-Day. So much about photography is about being in the right place at the right time so I’m going to post photos (hopefully never-before-seen ones) according to a daily prompt (which may also change in the future), but not necessarily taken on that day.
This image is a prime example of right place, right time. This image was taken just before the downtown walking mall was completely redone as part of a revitalization push. This view, however, didn’t change much.
ViewBug featured this photo and had me describe my process for their social feeds. See it here. Order a print of this image.
Order a print of this image.
Kudos to all the runners who completed the Run Disney Half Marathon today. And good luck to all who will be running the full tomorrow. I’ve been supporting my sister at Walt Disney World and am extremely tired from my 2:30 am start. Same time tomorrow so this will be short and sweet.
Getting to my first viewing position this morning was kinda creepy, but neat at the same time. If you ever get the chance to ride the Disney monorail completely alone – take it. It’s spooky but calming and peaceful.
Plus you just might get to see one of the theme parks before they open it.
I knew going into this that I wouldn’t create a piece of art every day. But it’s also my goal to improve my photography skills. I’m pretty happy with this one so I’ve made it available to order.
So I just had one of those “Holy crap! I’m my father now” moments. In this age of electronics and instant gratification, it’s not surprising that my son just wants to play video games all day. So I recommended that he find something else to do – maybe something outside.
But I started the conversation “When I was a kid…”
Am I officially old now?
Cedarmeade Studios 