Barry's House

The only Detroit Lions’ player in the history of the franchises, who consistently torn this place up (Pontiac Silverdome), was Barry Sanders.  Frankly….he was and is still the best running back to ever play the game.  He’d hold every running record, except he retired early.  It’s sad to see his home field in this condition.  At the same time, Ford Field is so much better than the Silverdome.  Fortunately, I had the privilege of seeing Barry play here in person, plus dozens of games on TV.

One other cool fact, not only did the Detroit Pistons play their home games in this building for a long time, but I played high school varsity basketball game on the Piston’s court in this building.  It’s an experience that I’ll never forget and therefore this building has a special meaning for me.    

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

Empire Reflection

Last fall while in NYC, MJ and I covered a large section of Manhattan.  And of course, I photographed every moment.  I captured this photo on our 2nd night as we walked back to our hotel.  I noticed the Empire State Building reflecting off this glass skyscraper and had to capture the moment.  It’s a very artsy type of photo, which I love.  I’m guessing that this won’t be something most people like, but I like it.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

Immaculate Heart Of Mary Church

This church is referred to in Polish as Kościół Matki Boskiej.  It is a historic church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, one of the city’s oldest (dedicated 1905) and largest churches.  It is located on Polish Hill and is a prime example of ‘Polish Cathedral’ style modeled on St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

I met Dave and Brad last Sunday in this area to photograph an abandoned school.  I got there a little early and decided to go inside this beautiful church.  To my surprise it was not only amazing but still had all their Christmas decorations still on display.  And they welcomed me inside and let me take all the photos I wanted.  On top of that, the abandoned school was a bust.  So I got some great photos of a great building, just not the one I expected to get inside.  I hope you like it.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

Dover Beach - Barbados

During our last trip to Barbados, we stopped by this beach for dinner a few times.  There is a great Tapas restaurant there right on the boardwalk.  Both times we ate at this spot, we witnessed a great sunset.  This was my favorite of the two evenings.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, please click the photo above.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, please click the photo above.

Boxcars

I’m not a gambling man, but I can appreciate a game of chance and the environment.   Something about the perspective in the photo with the craps table interests me with this photo.  Otherwise, it would probably be a boring photo.  Plus it is something a little different for you.  Anyway, I hope you like it.

Btw….Boxcars is slang for 12 in Craps.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

Shell Beach - St. Barts

While we were in St. Maarten, we took a side trip to St. Barts.  Talk about the lifestyles of the rich and famous.  St. Barts was too rich for my blood, but I enjoyed the visit.  I took this picture from the top of a cliff looking down on Shell Beach. 

Later, we walked down to the beach for a quick swim.  I’ve been to a ton of beaches and swam in most of the locations.  I’d say the water at this beach was the most clear I’ve ever seen.  It was amazing how clear the water was.  I think it had to do with the fact that the beach was made up of shells….thus called Shell Beach.  It didn’t have sand like most traditional beaches.  Therefore the water was super clear because there wasn’t any sand to get mixed into the water when the waves hit the beach….  At least that’s my theory.   

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

YO Ranch

Outside of Austin Texas in a small town, is a place called the YO Ranch.  This is the lobby of this unique hotel.  My favorite parts of the hotel lobby are the chandeliers.  They are made up of dozens of cattle brands of all shapes and sizes.  I don’t know if they were made for the lights or if the cattle brands were all collected to be used for the lights.  Anyway, I thought they were interesting.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

Fun In NYC

During our latest trip to NYC, I did what I’ve done in the past.  I ran out at sunset and walked the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges capturing photos from the bridges and of the city skylines.  This photo is from the Brooklyn Bridge State Park looking back at the Brooklyn Bridge well after the sunset.  

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To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

Philipsburg's Boardwalk Beach

If you’ve ever been to the Dutch capital of St. Maarten (Philipsburg), you’ve probably been to the wonderful beach downtown on their great Boardwalk.  I took this picture a week ago, while MJ was shopping in some of their wonderful stores on Front Street.

Not only is this a great beach (wide, smooth sand), but the water is crystal clear and you have great views out towards the cruise ships.  It’s a wonderful spot!!

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

KLM Close Call

We enjoyed a nice week in St. Maarten.  One of our excursions during the week was to visit the Sunset Bar at the end of the airport runway.  As you can see, the runway starts at the beach and we watched a number of big and small planes land.  This spot is popular with the locals and tourist because of how close you can get to the planes.  The KLM flight into St. Maarten is the largest flight that lands here and it barely fits.  It is the “must see” flight if you’re heading to this spot. 

It didn’t get the best weather for this excursion, but we got what we came for, which was the close encounter with the landing planes. 

Have a great Christmas later this week.

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To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

The Huddle

This isn’t the type of “huddle” that the referees like during a game.   This is the Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Bruce Arians giving the Ed Hochuli (#85) and Patrick Turner (#13) a piece of his mind.   I took this about a month ago when the Cardinals were in Pittsburgh playing the Steelers


End Of A Beach Day

Sorry for the recent absence from the website.  Work has me busy right now.  I’ll get you more routine postings and longer blog descriptions in the near future.  So for now, please enjoy this sunset photo I took from my last trip to Barbados.  What an amazing island….

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

Texas Sunset

I took this photo during my last trip to Texas.  I had some free time and climbed up this large hill to capture this view.  I sat up there for hours just watching the sun fall, set, and disappear.  I loved this weird tree growing out of the rock trying hard to survive.  So I included it in the foreground.  I also liked the contrast of the old rough tree compared to the modern bridge.  Anyway, enjoy the photo and have a great weekend.  

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

Ghost Ship At Sunrise

I can’t wait for the next Caribbean trip.  Until that day comes, I’ll have to settle on the memory of a past trip.  I took this photo at sunrise before 90% of the other tourists were even out of their beds.  Early photographer gets the photo….. 

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

Fall Color In Pittsburgh

Back in October, Brad, Blair and I did some “roof topping” photography.  Jay provided the tip and we took advantage of the information to gain access to a great spot in downtown Pittsburgh looking down on the city.   

As you can see, the fall color was still in effect.  On top of that, it was getting very dark and I used a ND filter, which means I needed a long exposure.  The long exposure created a dreamy sky, smooth river, and light trails from the moving vehicles. 

This was an amazing night and it’s what I love about the fall season.  Warm evenings, wonderful colors and just that relaxing feeling.  Do you like fall?  If so, why?  

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To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, please click the photo above.

Fisher Body Plant - Assembly Line

We had a great time visiting family in the Detroit area over the Thanksgiving weekend.  While we were there, Blair and I made good use of some free time to photograph some abandoned spots.

To my surprise, we were not the only ones with this idea.  We hit three spots on Friday morning and ran into others doing the same thing.  In fact, when we showed up to the Fisher Body Plant, there were probably 20 other photographers already in the facility. 

This photo is from the assembly line on the upper floor.    We probably spent a little over an hour in this building, but we could have stayed all day because it is huge. 

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To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

What can I say....Blair is quick.

What can I say....Blair is quick.