Masthead header

Snow Panthers

Good morning everyone!  I apologize that I wasn’t able to make it to all of your shots from yesterday, jury duty and then catching up with work in the evening is certainly eating up a lot of my time.  I will do my best to stop by your new posts tonight!

As promised in my last post, today we have some more shots of the Pittsburgh during the snow storm, specifically of the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.  Since I was there early enough in the day, before the student traffic picked up and the plow trucks came out, I was able to capture some most of my images with fresh snow on the ground.

The first stop that I made was of the statue of the Panther, the Pitt mascot, located just outside the student union building.  I took a low angle on this one to include the iconic Cathedral of Learning in the background.


As I made my way closer to the Cathedral the barren trees and wet pathway framed the Catedral nicely.


Through the Cathedral (with a quick stop to warm up!) I found myself facing Heinz Chapel with it’s lone spire piercing the grey morning sky.  I don’t think that I’d had ever really even noticed the tree standing next to it before, but I thought that they made a good pair.


This is one of my favorite shots from my trip there.  I had taken this shot in the summer a few years back and knew that if I ever made it back in the snow I wanted to try to recreate.  This is the pathway that leads from the Cathedral of Learning to Heinz Chapel.


Next up, the doors on Heinz Chapel.  This was a bit more of an impromptu shot, as the red doors really seemed to glow against the otherwise bland colors I was seeing during the day.


Turn around 180 degrees and this is the view that you see of the Cathedral, again, a shot that I’ve taken before, but just never in the snow.


Walking back towards the Cathedral, this tree seemed to be ensnaring the building with its snow covered branches.


Eventually I made my way up to the 36th floor and the Honors College, where I last was over the summer to get some shots of the city at night.  The doors were locked, but I did manage one shot out of a side window of the Carnegie Mellon campus (above) and the steps from the 35th to the 36th floors (below).

Thanks a lot for stopping by today everyone.  I’ll be catching up this evening!

show hide 13 comments

Rich McPeek - January 24, 2012 - 11:52 am

Terrific shots Dave! I haven’t been up to Oakland in so long. I need to get up there for some shooting .. with a camera!

Jim Denham - January 24, 2012 - 12:47 pm

Nice set Dave – I especially like the last image and the warmth of the wood. Good stuff!
Jim Denham recently posted..Letters

Len Saltiel - January 24, 2012 - 12:58 pm

Excellent series Dave. The image with the Heinz Chapel is my favorite of the group.

Curt Fleenor - January 24, 2012 - 1:07 pm

Great set Dave, really is beautiful in the snow.

Jimi Jones - January 24, 2012 - 2:14 pm

Awesome series of images, Dave!
I won’t even attempt to pick a fav, they’re all outstanding, man. Nice work.

Adam Olson - January 24, 2012 - 2:36 pm

Nice set of shots here Dave. The snow is gorgeous.
Adam Olson recently posted..Fort Zachary Taylor – Part Two

Mike Criswell - January 24, 2012 - 3:17 pm

Great series Dave, love that area, let me know when you have some time open, we can watch the weather and maybe get together on a Saturday

A.Barlow - January 24, 2012 - 5:11 pm

Nice set sir. Really like the 7th image down with the tree in the foreground.

Rick Louie - January 24, 2012 - 9:19 pm

Love that shot of Heinz Chapel Doors! Very cool!

Marc Collins - January 24, 2012 - 10:01 pm

What a great series of shots Dave. Beautiful snow scenes
Marc Collins recently posted..Lions Gate Bridge

chantal - January 25, 2012 - 10:52 am

there are some beauties between this set, the last one for example, love symmetry!

Edith Levy - January 26, 2012 - 5:26 am

Great set of images Dave…once again. I particularly like the POV of the Heinz Chapel doors and the tree in front of the cathedral. excellent shots.

Simon Morris - January 26, 2012 - 10:18 am

Wonderful series of photos Dave – nice work!

SHARE ON FACEBOOKTWEET THIS POSTBACK TO TOPCONTACT MEEMAIL POST TO FRIEND

Out in the storm

Well, we finally got a lot of snow in Pittsburgh.  True, we did get that dusting around New Year’s, but it didn’t really stick around and neither is this round.  Supposed to be low 50’s this week, so it’s all going to melt again.  I did however get up very early on Saturday morning, right in the middle of the storm, to head downtown and grab some awesome pictures both during and after the snow hit.  Wandered around on the North Shore before making my way up to Oakland, where the University of Pittsburgh is located.  Those shots will be for another time though.


When I first got there, you could barely see the city, as evidenced by the first shot above.  The tops of the buildings were barely visible and the sky had this pinkish purple tint.  As I moved along the Allegheny River, the sky turned more bluish purple, as you can see in the second shot.  The water wasn’t quite as still as I would have liked for some better reflections, but hey, what are you gonna do?


I’ve take a bunch of shots of the Clemente Statue that stands outside PNC Park, but it had a whole new look to it in the snow.


After heading up to PNC Park (and starting to freeze as I had taken my hat off and put it over my camera since the snow was really coming down) I decided to take a walk over the Roberto Clemente (formally 6th Street) Bridge (seen above).  The plow trucks were very intermittent, so there was still a decent about of snow on the road.  And given the fact that it was a Saturday, there weren’t a lot of people out and about.


I walked across the bridge and grabbed a few shots on my journey, adding some depth of field for your viewing pleasure.


The light was hitting the underside of the support at a great angle and it looked pretty awesome in HDR.


I knew there were two shots of benches that I wanted to get (sorry for the overload on them the last couple of posts).  One was right off the bridge on a pathway across from PNC Park that I had shot a couple of summers ago.  Decided to go with a B&W processing on it that might end up on my wall.


Finally I made my way down to old faithful, the Boardwalk below the North Shore.  The vintage tone gave me the exact look that I was hoping for.

So that’s Round 1 of the shots.  Stay tuned for more in the next couple of days.

Thanks for stopping by folks.

show hide 18 comments

Jimi Jones - January 23, 2012 - 11:59 am

Great series of images, Dave! I really like the last one with the bench by the river. Good stuff!
Jimi Jones recently posted..First Snow of 2012

Len Saltiel - January 23, 2012 - 12:30 pm

Awesome winter scenes Dave. The one of the Clemente bridge is terrific with the leading line right through to the vanishing point.
Len Saltiel recently posted..Cliff Walk Golden Hour

Edith Levy - January 23, 2012 - 12:37 pm

Wonderful series of shots Dave. If I had to pick the last one is my favorite.
Edith Levy recently posted..Rooftop View

Jim Denham - January 23, 2012 - 1:07 pm

Great work here Dave! Love the shots of the Clemente statue and the Clemente Bridge! Well done!
Jim Denham recently posted..Right As The Mail

Rick Louie - January 23, 2012 - 1:24 pm

Excellent winter scenes! I love pictures with virgin snow (no foot prints)! Love the last image with the bench. Wonderful!

Chris Frailey - January 23, 2012 - 1:57 pm

Nice job capturing a variety of areas. I really like the park bench shots and the middle of the road shot looking into the bridge.
Chris Frailey recently posted..Sunset at Joshua Tree Park

Adam Olson - January 23, 2012 - 2:02 pm

Great shots Dave! It looks so empty with no one out and about, except for you behind the lens. That’s the best part about walking around in the middle of a storm.
Adam Olson recently posted..Fort Zachary Taylor – Part One

Curt Fleenor - January 23, 2012 - 2:04 pm

Outstanding Dave! I love the shots on the bridge, not often you can get those without traffic in them. The muted colors in the last image are fantastic.
Curt Fleenor recently posted..Limbo In The Snow

Chris Nitz - January 23, 2012 - 2:11 pm

Good set, but I’m diggin the b/w bench shot. The footprints along with the tire tracks adds a nice touch of life to an otherwise still moment.
Chris Nitz recently posted..Sauced: The Vader Play

Eden - January 23, 2012 - 3:20 pm

Great work Dave! Cool DOF in the fifth shot :)

A.Barlow - January 23, 2012 - 4:07 pm

oh wow, that looks like a ton of snow. Shots look awesome. Really like that bridge.

The way it’s looking might be taking a trip out there during spring break. Send me some cool photo spots will ya? :)

Jim Nix - January 23, 2012 - 8:49 pm

lovely shots Dave, a great series, and stay warm out there bro!!

LensScaper - January 23, 2012 - 9:22 pm

Great series, Dave. The Clemente statue would be No 1. The snow just picks out the creases in the statue and adds depth to it.

Chris Cowman - January 23, 2012 - 11:56 pm

Cool winter series, Dave. Wish I was around Pittsburgh this past week to get out and shoot in it. As much as I want to get some winter Pittsburgh shots, I’m hoping the spring comes sooner than later.

Chris Cowman - January 23, 2012 - 11:57 pm

Cool winter series, Dave. I wish I would have been around Pittsburgh this past week and would have been able to go out and shoot. As much as I would like to get some winter shots, I’d prefer if Spring comes sooner rather than later.

Jerry Denham - January 24, 2012 - 3:53 am

Absolutely gorgeous set Dave.

Chantal - January 24, 2012 - 9:16 am

A stunning set of photos today, love it a lot

Rich McPeek - January 24, 2012 - 11:49 am

Great set of shots Dave! Love em!

SHARE ON FACEBOOKTWEET THIS POSTBACK TO TOPCONTACT MEEMAIL POST TO FRIEND

Friday blues

Not that anyone really has the blues on Friday, unless you have to work the weekend, in which case you might.  No, Friday blues refers to a collection of shots that I took when good friend and photog Zach Frailey of Uprooted Photographer fame was in town over Christmas.  We made our way down to the North Shore, hoping to catch some fog over the city but instead just got a great morning blue hour.  I couldn’t decide if I liked some of them better in color or B&W so I thought that I would let you all decided.  Let me know what you think!


This was actually the first image I took that morning, I loved the reflections of the chain in the little puddle.

 


Though I also liked it in B&W!

 


I love taking pictures of these benches on the little boardwalk area.  The question is color…

 


…or B&W?

 


Having some fun with bokeh

All of these shots were processed in Photomatix and onOne Perfect Effects.  The majority of them got a slight Dreamland filter as well as Blue Dawn Leonidas, Tonal Contrast and Turbo Boost filters.  The B&Ws were processed in Silver Efex 2 after receiving the same filters in Perfect Effects.

I hope that you all have a great weekend!

show hide 13 comments

Jim Nix - January 20, 2012 - 1:53 pm

love these shots Dave!! my particular fave is the last one, I just love that pure bokeh action!! great stuff!

Edith Levy - January 20, 2012 - 2:45 pm

Thanks so much for giving us such a tough job on a Friday..LOL. They’re all incredible shots both in color and B&W but I think I have to say the second image in B&W is outstanding and my absolute favorite. Definitely wall ready.
Edith Levy recently posted..Coastal View

Rachel Cohen - January 20, 2012 - 2:46 pm

Really nice series of images Dave, and cool processing! I think my favorites are all the color shots!
Rachel Cohen recently posted.."On Frozen Ground"

Len Saltiel - January 20, 2012 - 3:18 pm

These really are sick Dave. Love them all. Great comps and they are processed to perfection. Have a great weekend.
Len Saltiel recently posted..Beach Dreams

Rick Louie - January 20, 2012 - 4:07 pm

Really digging that bench scene in color! So much detail! No blues here! Have a great weekend!
Rick Louie recently posted..BaoHaus

A.Barlow - January 20, 2012 - 5:47 pm

Color ones look really cool, but I really like the mono versions. Excellent.

Eden - January 20, 2012 - 6:52 pm

Great work Dave! I really like that bokeh shot :)

Adam Olson - January 20, 2012 - 6:59 pm

I love that B&W! Fantastic shots!
Adam Olson recently posted..Palm Beach

Marc Collins - January 20, 2012 - 9:30 pm

You sure make Pittsburgh look beautiful Dave. I’d like to visit this city next time I cross the Atlantic!

Caryn Caldwell - January 20, 2012 - 11:33 pm

Wow! These are really pretty. I especially like the BW, because so many people leave their HDR images in color, and this seemed unique. Great series!

Curt Fleenor - January 21, 2012 - 2:01 am

Man these are all so awesome! I love the B&W of the bench.

Chantal - January 21, 2012 - 7:38 am

well, with photos like this, no need for the blues

Marius - January 21, 2012 - 6:55 pm

I like 2 & 4 the most. Thanks for sharing!
Marius recently posted..The End of Religion

SHARE ON FACEBOOKTWEET THIS POSTBACK TO TOPCONTACT MEEMAIL POST TO FRIEND

It’s not always black and white

Well, this image is, but not what the image depicts.  This is a shot of the supreme court in New York City, whose steps you have probably seen countless times on episodes of Law and Order.  I have been called upon this week to fulfill my civil duty serving on a jury in a building like this in Pittsburgh and that’s the reason that I wasn’t around at all yesterday.  Today and tomorrow may be a bit sporadic as well, but I will catch up the best that I can!

I hope that you all have a great day!

show hide 13 comments

Jim Denham - January 19, 2012 - 12:16 pm

Cool image and dig the black and white treatment! Good luck on the jury duty!
Jim Denham recently posted..Decatur Depot

Andy Gimino - January 19, 2012 - 12:29 pm

I really like that bright spot of sun above the building! It really draws you in to the rest of the image!!
Andy Gimino recently posted..Ice Caps

Len Saltiel - January 19, 2012 - 12:36 pm

Love the tones in this image Dave. Good choice of B&W.
Len Saltiel recently posted..Nature’s Courthouse

Curt Fleenor - January 19, 2012 - 1:15 pm

Very nice Dave! Good luck with jury duty!

Rick Louie - January 19, 2012 - 2:20 pm

Wow, that tower looks like it’s going to blast up into the whole in the sky! Love the B&W treatment!
Rick Louie recently posted..Flatiron Building

Rich McPeek - January 19, 2012 - 2:21 pm

Hey Dave nice shot! Like the B&W! Enjoy the jury duty! Good Luck!

Eden - January 19, 2012 - 3:00 pm

Good work Dave :) Really like how the sun is coming through in that one spot.
Eden recently posted..January 19, 2012: Two New Prints Available

Chris Frailey - January 19, 2012 - 3:21 pm

Digging that bw processing.

Jimi Jones - January 19, 2012 - 3:48 pm

Nice shot and I really like the B&W processing, man. Good stuff!

Abarlow - January 20, 2012 - 3:49 am

Sweet shot man. Love the mono.

Edith Levy - January 20, 2012 - 5:05 am

Really terrific image Dave. Not used to seeing B&Ws from you and I love this one. Wonderful composition and processing.
Edith Levy recently posted..Icy Waters

chantal - January 20, 2012 - 8:59 am

but this B&W is stunning

Chris Maskell - January 20, 2012 - 9:02 am

Great image. Funny I can hear a base kicking in (in my head) just looking.
Chris Maskell recently posted..Girls School L – The Upper Rooms

SHARE ON FACEBOOKTWEET THIS POSTBACK TO TOPCONTACT MEEMAIL POST TO FRIEND

Better late than never

Well I know that I am a little late in posting this but I wanted to share a list of my top shots from 2011. Last year was a great year in photography for me; in January I started blogging everyday as well as launched a print purchase website, in May I bought my own domain and started my own website but most importantly I grew in my photography in so many ways throughout the year. I met so many great people, went to a bunch of new places and with each passing day I learned more and more.  I can’t wait to see what 2012 has in store for me but it’s sure to be an exciting year no matter what!  I also want to thank all of you who have been so supportive along the way…it makes blogging and photography so much fun and I really enjoying following all of you! I tried to narrow it down to 11 in ’11, but I just couldn’t pare it all the way down!  So here is my top 11 of 2011, with one bonus one as well! With that being said, here we go!12.  Reflections at Kennywood – I took this one back in June at Kennywood Park, the local amusement park in Pittsburgh.  It was somewhat of a stormy night, but the pond in the center of the park was so still, it offered up some great reflections.  11.  Mike Rupp in the spotlight – This was probably one of the luckiest shots that I’ve ever got.  Taken at a Penguins/Devils game towards the end of last season, all the players were just coming on the ice and I happened to catch the spot light perfectly over Mike Rupp as he skated on the ice.  Even got him to sign a big copy!  10.  Brooklyn Bridge from the South Street Seaport – A classic shot of a classic subject, I knew that I had to recapture the Brooklyn Bridge from the South Street Seaport with my D700, as the last time I was there I had my old D40X.  9.  Mark, lead guitarist of Act of Pardon – This is a shot from the first concert that I shot, a show by Act of Pardon at Peter’s Pub in Oakland, which is on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.  To capture this I turned off the flash, dialed the 70-200 down to 2.8 and captured lead guitarist Mark during a solo.  8.  The Boardwalk at Ocean City, Maryland – Having gone to Ocean City, Maryland so many times as a kid, I was excited to get there as an adult this summer.  This is shot from the far end of the Boardwalk early in the morning.  7.  Joel Hanrahan(s) of the Pittsburgh Pirates – One of our work outings this year was to a Pittsburgh Pirate game where they played the Baltimore Orioles.  I had been trying to get this shot on a couple of other occasions, but was never able to get the right angle.  Well, I finally got it this day, and this is a composite shot of Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan.  6.  Bench on the North Shore – One of my favorite places to shoot in Pittsburgh is the North Shore, along the Allegheny River, especially at dawn and dusk.  I took this on a stormy morning, with the Andy Warhol Bridge reflecting in the wet boardwalk.  5.  Sidney Crosby in his return to the ice – I couldn’t have a top shot list of 2011 and not include one of Sidney Crosby.  I was one of many fans crammed against the glass to get shots of Sid during his first game back from a concussion.  He has since been reinjured, but we are all hoping for a speedy recovery!  4.  Tiger cubs fighting at the zoo – I don’t get to the zoo very often, but on this particular occasion I was in the right place and the right time.  THe two tiger cubs were having a little wrestling match with the one on the left having the upper hand, at least for the moment!  3. View from 7 World Trade Center – I had the great opportunity to make it up into 7 World Trade during the summer, where my brother was interning, to get this amazing view of lower Manhattan, with the Empire State Building being a speck in the distance.  2.  Cowboys Stadium – For our one year wedding anniversary, my wife got me a vacation to Texas to see the Dallas Cowboys battle the Seattle Seahawks, a game which Dallas was victorious in.  We had an awesome time visiting Ft. Worth, Dallas and staying in Arlington and I got so many great shots, including this one of the “House that Jerry Built”, Cowboys Stadium. And here it is, my favorite picture of 2011, and to be honest, one of my all time favorites…1.  Manhattan from the Top of the Rock – A few spots ago I shared one of lower Manhattan from 7 World Trade Center, but for #1 we head closer to midtown and the Top of the Rock in Rockefeller Center.  I loved the way that the Empire State Building lit up the skyline and how you can see the clouds streaking across the night sky.  New York is such an amazing city! Well, that’s it for my top shots of 2011.  Here’s to many more in 2012!  Thanks for stopping by today guys, see you all tomorrow.

show hide 19 comments

Bob Pease - January 17, 2012 - 11:24 am

I love the composite Joel Hanrahan(s) of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s very well put together and must have been hard to get with so many people moving around. This is a great collection, thanks for sharing!

Andy Gimino - January 17, 2012 - 12:02 pm

Fantastic images one and all Dave! I really enjoyed number 11 the best though. What a lucky image capturing the skater in that spotlight! I liked the story that the image told…Nicely done!
Andy Gimino recently posted..Why Did I Shoot That? 8/8/2011

Len Saltiel - January 17, 2012 - 12:07 pm

These are just stunning Dave. I remember most of them but some are new to me. I’m sure that 2012 will be a great year for you.
Len Saltiel recently posted..Crowfoot Glow

Curt - January 17, 2012 - 12:12 pm

You really had a terrific year filled with some great images! I’m still not sure how you manage to produce so many shots everyday but however you do it keep it up man!

Jimi Jones - January 17, 2012 - 1:37 pm

Awesome post, Dave. Congrats on a successful year. Looking forward to more fun throughout 2012 and beyond.

These images are really outstanding and speak to the quality of work you do. I remember them all but it’s so nice to see them here in a “Best Of” roundup.

Keep rockin, my friend!

Adam Allegro - January 17, 2012 - 1:40 pm

Wonderful shots!!! I remember many of these, but not all of them. Thanks for sharing. The sport photography ones are sweeeet. Imagine if you had unrestricted access at the events, what an awesome job you could do… Well done my friend! Here’s to an even more awesome 2012!!

Marc Collins - January 17, 2012 - 1:43 pm

Dave, you have certainly got an eye for super dramatic shots and your processing is excellent throughout.
Too many amazing shots in this list to choose a favourite but for me the shot of Mike Rupp at centre ice is best. Looking forward to seeing more in 2012…
Marc Collins recently posted..Central Park

Rick Louie - January 17, 2012 - 1:51 pm

I really dig the Mike Rupp in the spotlight shot! Really captures the moment! Very nice set of images!
Rick Louie recently posted..Black Canyon of the Gunnison – Layer Mask Tutorial

Rich McPeek - January 17, 2012 - 1:57 pm

These are all awesome shots Dave! Never grow tired of your work! Great stuff!

Adam Olson - January 17, 2012 - 2:54 pm

Agreed on the better late than never! You have some awesome shots here. I love the hockey player shots. Glad you shared this even though it’s late.
Adam Olson recently posted..Rays

Mike Criswell - January 17, 2012 - 4:20 pm

Great series Dave, many more to come in 2012

A.Barlow - January 17, 2012 - 7:05 pm

Those are awesome man. Love those ninja cats :) That concert shot for Act of Pardon is also very very good.

Steven Perlmutter - January 17, 2012 - 7:19 pm

What a great way to summarize the year Dave. I’ve really enjoyed following your blog, and I’m looking forward to more great images from you this year.

LensScaper - January 17, 2012 - 8:54 pm

That’s a tremendous body of work, Dave. I’m looking forward to your work throughout 2012

Eden - January 17, 2012 - 9:12 pm

Your work is awesome Dave, and has such a unique glow to it. I hope 2012 is even better than 2011 for you. God bless!

Jim Nix - January 18, 2012 - 3:28 am

oh yeah way cool Dave!!

Chantal - January 18, 2012 - 8:36 am

My favorite would be ” The Boardwalk at Ocean City, Maryland “

Phillip Burrow - January 19, 2012 - 2:59 am

Beautiful work Dave! My favorite is the boardwalk too, but that baseball picture is pretty awesome as well. (…and I don’t even like baseball.)

Ryan Sexton - January 20, 2012 - 10:42 am

Dave, you had a fantastic year in photography. I cant wait to see what you do in 2012, keep up the great work!

SHARE ON FACEBOOKTWEET THIS POSTBACK TO TOPCONTACT MEEMAIL POST TO FRIEND