MY VISUAL JOURNAL

This is a page devoted to the fun and enjoyment of photographing the life around me. It’s not constrained by fine art goals, or a landscape focus. It is intended to show images that I simply enjoyed making… sort of a visual journal The scenes caught my eye for some reason… known or unknown. And it has brought back a little of the spontaneity and fun in photography.

Just Waiting

There is a back road we drive occasionally. It’s not a very pretty backroad… it runs past a landfill, then past some cornfields, and finally some light industrial buildings. There’s nothing really scenic about it. Except this group of trees where the buzzards sit near the landfill. I’ve seen it in all kinds of light. I initially thought a moody cloudy day would work best, but it didn’t. And then I saw it in the late sunlight of autumn. We drove past this scene and I was angry because I didn't bring my camera. But the next day the conditions were even better and I didn’t make the same mistake twice… I had my camera with me. (11.20.24)

Urban Landscape

I have become more interested in photographing things other than the natural landscape. It has renewed my enthusiasm for photography and it has given me new ideas and subjects to consider photographing. I actually like approaching the urban setting with a landscape photographer’s compositional vision as in the scene above. I made this image when I got to the train station early to pick up Gina and JD. (10.26.24)

Camden, ME

We spent another long weekend visiting our closest friends, Al and Julia in Maine. It was a picturesque late autumn weekend and you could not have asked for better weather or better friends. On Sunday afternoon we strolled around the beautiful seaside town of Camden, Maine. I could have wandered around the harbor for hours making images, but there was wine to be drunk and food to be eaten, so we had to go! (10.20.24)

Date Night

It was dinner and a movie for Marilyn and me on a Monday night. I dragged her to see the movie Lee… about Lee Miller the war photographer in WW2. The only place showing it at 7pm was in Ambler, so why not? We had an early dinner, then went to this remarkable old time theater. We were walking in at exactly the right moment to catch some wonderful light. I only had my new iPhone 16 Pro but I am very impressed with the color and detail it produced in the image above. Oh, and it turned out to be a great movie. (10.7.24)

Airshow

We spent a sunny, breezy September Sunday in Ocean City, NJ. The sky was impossibly clear and blue… the kind that only happens in September at The Shore. We hung out on the beach, walked along the surf, walked the boardwalk and just thoroughly enjoyed the day and evening. We were treated to a small airshow… complete with skydivers and acrobatic planes. I was in the right place to position this group of nine planes next to the boardwalk lightpost… just as they made their graceful arc in the blue sky. (9.15.24)

View Into The Past

Drawn to New Hope and Lambertville by the false promise of a huge block party, we were disappointed by the reality. Who knew that when they said “block party” they meant a single “block” party. We made the best of it by walking along the canal on the Lambertville side of the river. It was a most pleasant stroll and we came upon the ruins of an old railroad bridge and this plastic chair just meant for contemplating the quietness of the area. (9.13.24)

Worlds Are Colliding

I was attracted by the painting of the pig… with creepy human hands. Then the boxing glove… or is it a heart? And then the reflections of the street overlayed on top of the paintings in the window were simply too much to ignore. I had to stop and make an image. Stare at this one for awhile and you will continue to find new things! (9.13.24)

All Quiet On The Corner

I walked outside to turn off the pavilion lights and I was immediately struck by the fog under the glowing lamp on the street corner. What had been a normal evening had suddenly turned ghostly with the rapidly lowering air temperature. The warm ground combined with that cooling air to form some quick fog that lasted just a few hours. Long enough for me to try out my new camera, hand-held, in extremely low light. (9.7.24)

The Concert

We grew up in Berks County and there was a certain feel about the place and time. And so when Marilyn suggested we go listen to the Buccaneers Alumni Drum & Bugle Corps concert in the Kutztown Park Bandshell I had no idea we would be travelling back in time. From a distance, if you squint, this image has an oriental feel to it, with a bright rising sun. See a short collection of images I made while walking aorund the park here…. Saturday, Around The Park. (8.24.24)

The Guard and The Painter

Quite by accident, we attended a show put on by The House Guard in London while we were visiting England for two weeks. On the day of the show we arrived early and saw the guards practicing. And then I saw this painter and could not put the camera down. I made images from every angle possible, in portrait orientation, then landscape orientation, in clouds, and in filtered sunlight. I came close to capturing what I wanted, but I feel it falls just a bit short. I still like it though! (7.17.24)

Preservation Hall

We spent a long Memorial Day weekend in New Orleans with friends and it exceeded our expectations. Stay in the French Quarter, leave Bourbon Street behind, and find the great jazz clubs, bars, restaurants, and shops that this old time city has to offer. It was a visual feast and we really enjoyed our visit. (5.24.24)

The Last Drop

We were in Philadelphia for a lifelong friend’s wedding. On Sunday morning, we had a rare opportunity for Marilyn and me to have coffee and breakfast with our two grown daughters… just the four of us. It doesn’t happen often. While we waited for our bagels, I noticed this gentlemen finishing his breakfast. I loved the light, the reflections, and how it all came together. A quick composition using the iPhone’s Raw mode and I created an image that conveyed the mood of that Sunday morning. (5.19.24)

My Favorite City Tree

I have wanted to get a unique image of this Chinese Hackberry tree since I first saw it. Our youngest daughter lives in the Wash DC area and I have seen this tree many times. It’s located downtown at the National Portrait Gallery across from the sports arena. We have walked past it many times and I always think some day I’ll make a good image. On this early spring day, it was nearly sunset and the light on the branches and young leaves was just right. The ironic thing is I made this image with my iPhone… completely forgetting that my Fuji X100V was hanging on my shoulder! (4.6.24)

Dinner In The Keys

Marilyn and I spent three weeks in Florida in February and it was simply wonderful. Instead of freezing and shoveling snow back home, we were relaxing on beaches, eating and listening to music outside, and just generally living in the south florida sunshine and warmth. I made this image shortly after dinner on our way down to Key West. (2.4.24)

Christmas

Marilyn and I were in the city for a fun Holiday evening with Amy, Jeremy, and Jeremy’s mom. We first braved the festive crowds at City Hall to visit Christmas Village and then had a great dinner at Bank & Bourbon. And the highlight of the evening was a raucous holiday trolley tour of Philly… singing and drinking the whole way. The city was full of light, crowded, and festive… except this one spot for the brief instant when no one else was around. Makes you realize we don’t all share the same good fortune that many of us have. (12.16.23)

Typically Maine

In September we visited our longtime friends Al & Julia in Maine. It wasn’t the best weather weekend but we made up for it with plenty of food, drinks, laughs and memories. We surprised Julia for her 60th birthday and when she first saw us, I think you could have heard her all the way back here in Harleysville! It was a great weekend! (9.9.23)

Dining Alone

I couldn’t resist the stark atmospheric beauty of this interior scene while we were on a trip to Newfoundland. The light kept changing outside… fog and clouds, then sun, then back to fog. It dramatically lit the interior of this old boat shed, turned restaurant. Inside, it was just us and this couple, absorbed in their own worlds in the palms of their hands. Eventually the room filled and the lonely stark beauty faded. (7.20.23)

Art Appreciation

We spent a week in Charleston with friends and enjoyed it very much. Great food, lots of history and culture, incredible architecture… just a really nice place to visit. One morning, we viewed some of the many galleries in the French Quarter. Not only was the art very interesting, but it was also great to walk inside these old old buildings. In one gallery, we found someone who seemed to have had enough art for the morning. And I couldn’t resist making this image. (6.3.23)

The City Lights Up

We had to pick up Amy’s car in the city to bring it home for some service. So we decided to make an event of it… we strolled the streets of Philadelphia on a cloudless late spring evening. We walked through Rittenhouse Square and just wandered the area. We ate dinner outside at a new latin restaurant called Bollo and as we were leaving, I saw this beautiful old neon sign come to life in the early evening darkness. (5.9.23)

Not Yet In Season

Growing up, we drove past this fruit stand hundreds of times with barely a second look. Now, on this cloudy, but clearing spring day, I couldn’t believe the character it had. And the story it seemed to tell. It holds the promise of the coming season, but it also shows its best days have long gone by. It reminds me of a Stephen Shore photograph and gets me thinking I should do more projects like this. Images like this seem irrelevant… until fifteen years later you look back at them, longingly. (4.19.23)

Winter In March

We have had a very mild winter with absolutely no snow…perfect. January and February were very nice and we even played pickleball outside several times. So it was with great anticipation I looked forward to March - the beginning of meteorological spring. Well, the weather gods had other plans. So far, March has been windy, cold and grey! Almost like a real winter. And The Old Dutch Cupboard, with its holiday signage still showing, seems to be mocking me as I wait for spring to arrive! (3.13.23)

Waiting At The Train Station

Yesterday I didn’t have my small camera with me and I missed a potentially great picture of trees on a moody rainy day through raindrops on the car windshield. So I vowed to take it with me, even on the smallest of trips. Today, we drove to 30th Street Station to pick up our daughter Gina who was coming for our daughter Amy’s bridal shower. While waiting, I was struck by the light, shadows, and shapes… surrounding a fellow traveller waiting at the train station. It’s good I brought the camera! (2.18.23)

Perfectly Clear

We spent a few days visiting close friends in Venice Florida after a three year absence due to the pandemic. It was great to be back in the warm sun with friends while it is winter at home. On a beautiful warm, late January day, we walked the sand at Blind Pass Beach and I couldn’t stop noticing just how clear and vibrant the colors were. What a way to spend Sunday afternoon before watching the Eagles advance to the Super Bowl! (1.29.23)

Broad Street Theater

The old theater sat empty since the day we moved in… but it held a hint of future promise. We’d see long periods of inaction followed by a small sign of work and we wondered how long it would take to turn this old theater into something great. For more than twenty years it was just a vision, and to us, it faded into the background… like it would never happen. And then, during the most improbable time (the pandemic) the vision became reality and the renovated theater and restaurant opened… almost 100 years since its first opening We love it! Date night is dinner and a movie at The Broad Street Theater. (1.20.23)

Winter Picnic

On the first full day of Marilyn’s retirement we did whatever we wanted to do. We played pickleball in the morning, then we spent two hours wandering around Baldwin’s Book Barn in West Chester. When we came out of the two hundred year old barn full of used and rare books, I saw this muted winter scene with an ode to spring in the picnic table. I couldn’t resist. We finished the day with a nice dinner at the Sedona Taphouse. It was a great way to start her retirement and the next chapter of our lives. (1.3.23)

Inspired By Wyeth

The Baldwin Book Barn should be in a Wyeth painting. The minute I saw the tree outside the old barn window with the stone wall, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was in a Wyeth painting. We were in the right area… the Brandywine Valley… where Wyeth made his home and many of his most famous rural paintings. Maybe it’s the light, or the subject area, or something unknown. But I distinctly get a Wyeth vibe from this image. (1.3.23)

Forgotten

They say a great image raises more questions than it answers. That is certainly the case here. As I was driving home one warm winter afternoon I almost came to a complete stop. If I had my camera with me I would have stopped (I know!). I continued driving home but the image in my mind wouldn’t go away. Even though we had a lot to do that day I kept thinking about it. I couldn’t shake the feeling so I grabbed my camera and raced back to see if the stuffed monkey was still there. (12.30.22)

Field Of Misfits

We were on our way to watch the Penn State Michigan game with friends and we were late. So that explains why we sped past the pumpkin patch without even slowing down. But something registered… and I made a mental note to go back. Why was this field still full of pumpkins? Long after the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays? Someone took the time to plant them, cultivate them through the growing season. And then they just left them die on the vine. Why? (12.5.22)

Time Stood Still

We pulled off the “new” modern interstate and stepped back in time as we entered Holbrook AZ. We visited because we wanted to drive along parts of the old Route 66 while on a trip to Sedona. The old road barely exists anymore and the few towns remaining have seen better days. The bright colors of the Wigwam Hotel were very eye catching. You can actually still stay in this hotel and we hope to do so in the near future! (10.27.22)

A Pastel Evening

There is only a brief five minute window when you get the perfect combination of light to end the day. You are either there or you’re not. There’s no time to “run back and get your camera”. Use what you have… even an iPhone. Minutes later, this magical pastel light faded away and we continued our walk down the boardwalk on a simply beautiful summer evening. (8.12.22)

The Man & The Window

We met friends for drinks and dinner on First Friday in Ambler, a small town north of Philadelphia. We were sitting at a corner table in a small taproom and I couldn’t take my eyes off the colors in front of me. I framed the image to give two completely different halves… different colors, and different subjects. I like it! (6.3.22)

Dinner

We took Marilyn to dinner for her birthday. While we were getting our coats on to leave, I turned around and saw this scene through a decorative wall of gently flowing water. I loved the abstract nature of the light and color and couldn’t resist making an image even though all I had with me was an iPhone. (3.22.22)