I recently started a podcast called Tourist in Your Town. The most recent episode is Asheville, North Carolina. While there, I got the chance to take some great photos of the area and learn about the rich history of the town.
Courthouse and City Hall
We all know that I have thing for courthouses. The Buncombe County Courthouse and the Asheville City Hall stand side by side in the Historic district. The City Hall was originally built to be the courthouse, but it was never used for that purpose. The art deco architecture of the city hall is so detailed and beautiful. The courthouse is a much more utilitarian building with an overlay of Neo-Classical ornament applied.
As a person who lives in a place with little to no public transportation options, subways fascinate me. I have to admit that I find them a bit confusing sometimes. Take the blue line to the yellow line, then go to the green line, then back to the blue line. When I was in New York, I bought a metro pass intending to use the subway more than I actually did. However, there was construction going on and trying to figure out what detours and where was more than I wanted to do. So, I walked just about everywhere. I would leave extra early and stop for a snack or a beer when I got tired. It did give me the opportunity to take lots of pics. Anyway, here are some pics from the little bit that I did spend in the subway.
I feel like this person may have been on the wrong platform. Everybody was standing on my side of the platform. But there was this lone person way across the tracks. Maybe he was waiting for someone. But it adds a little mystery to this photo. It is definitely one of my favorites from the trip.
Waiting for the train at Penn Station
The mosaics in the subway were a favorite subject. Everybody around me was ignoring them and fighting their way out of the station. Don’t worry, I didn’t hold anybody up when taking these photos!
The platform at Penn StationThe platform at Penn StationAt Wall Street Station
And sometimes the entrance to the station is just as cool. This is the Bowling Green station entrance. The head house was constructed in 1905. Look at that clock! You know I love street clocks and interesting doorways. This station entrance has it all!
The exterior of Bowling Green Station
Always be patient when traveling. Sometimes plans change, but you can make that work for yourself. Leave early, take your time, and have fun!
I grew up in Danville, Kentucky. Danville is located in central Kentucky, south of Lexington. It’s a small town loaded with history. Of course, growing up, I never paid attention to any of these things. Now, when I go back to visit family, I can’t help but seek these places out. I want to share with you some of the historic places and the places that hold meaning.
Constitution Square
Constitution Square Historic Site was the birthplace of Kentucky’s statehood. The site originally had a meeting house, jail, and courthouse. The cabins currently on the site are replicas of the originals.
Ephraim McDowell House
McDowell House Museum was home of the “the father of ovariotomy”. McDowell was the first to person to successfully remove an ovarian tumor. The story is fascinating. I recommend reading about it. Visit their website for more info.
A shelf full of McDowell’s potions.
Burke’s Bakery
While not technically a historic site, it’s definitely a landmark. Burke’s opened in the 1970s and is still going strong. With donuts, pastries, cakes, pies, cookies, and more, there is sure to something to make everyone happy. I’m a big fan of the gingerbread men. My mouth is watering just thinking of them.
The sign for Burke’s Bakery and Delicatessen
Courthouse
The courthouse was finished in 1862. The Italianate style building was erected to replace the original courthouse, which burned down. The large clock tower can be seen from just about every angle in town.
The courthouse in downtown Danville, KY.
Danville Office Equipment
Another local landmark, Danville Office Equipment has been in it’s current location since 1975. They sell everything from pens to computers. They also have a service department that started out repairing old typewriters, but now offer service for copiers and printers. My father worked here for over 40 years. I worked there for several years myself.
Danville Office Equipment on Main Street
I have been to many small towns in the south. See my Tuesday Trekkin’ blog for just a few of them. Danville is one of the few that still maintains that active hometown feel. Many towns are empty with closed up and shuttered shops and restaurants. It’s great to see a small town maintaining a vibrant, active downtown.
Most photographers love reflections. I am no exception. A great deal of my photos are street photography from cities and small towns. My favorite thing is take photos of window reflections. The images are a mix of what’s inside and what’s outside, giving it a sense of place and time.
Macy’s shop window reflecting tables and chairs in Herald Park.A silver dress with red and orange leaves on the inside. City life on the outsideA colorful tableau in Budapest, featuring a yellow and green phone booth and a well dressed mannequin.The window of Cafe Gerbeaud in Budapest, Hungary
Everybody remembers going to the local fair. It’s warm outside and the day is long. You arrive, buy your handful of tickets for rides and games. I know, it’s wristbands now, but in my day, it was tickets. The music is blaring from the rides and the carnies are yelling out to passersby, “Win a prize!” The smell of corn dogs and polish sausage fill the air. Funnel cakes are obtained and eaten. And at the end of the day, the sun sets and the lights come on.
As much as I carry my camera around with me, I do sometimes find myself without it when there is a photo that needs to be taken. Cell phone cameras these days are pretty nice. I won’t get super large prints from the files, but small to medium sized prints will look excellent from these files. Here is a quick gallery of recent phoneography on the train to New York.
This is what the dining car on the Crescent line looks like at 3am. I was going through to the bathroom, did not have my camera, so I took it with my phone. The dining car at dinner, as the sun was setting. We went in for dinner. I did not bring my camera, because I was hungry and tired. But the sun coming through that window was more than I could resist. Cell phone worked great. The view from the window as we were entering New York City on the Crescent line. The camera was picking up so much dirt on the windows, so I tried the cell phone. I’m happy with this the way it came out.
“Boot Fan” is one of my most popular images. It has sold more than any of my other photos. It’s one of my own favorites, as well.
Where did the boots come from?
Everyone wonders where those beautiful boots were found. They belong to a good friend who is a boot fan. Well, she’s more than a boot fan, maybe addict is a better word. She has great taste, so I’m not knocking it. When I saw her wearing the first pair, I knew I had to do some photos of them. When I got to her house and found lots more boots, I knew we were going to make some beautiful photos.
What’s with the texture under the boots?
When looking around for someplace to shoot the boots. I noticed that she had this big, cool looking rock in her front yard. With it’s gray and red colors and the natural texture of the rock, it made the perfect backdrop. We shot several different setups. Some with boots on their sides and a little haphazard.
A pile of bootsAnother pile of boots.
We did some with single pairs. I love these images, but they are not as popular as the Boot Fan.
A single pair of boots A Single pair with flowers.
All of the above images are available for sale in my gallery. Click here, to find out more.
I did a year end review of my favorite and least favorite still life images. As promises here are my favorite and least favorite night images.
Favorite Night Photography
Night photography is my current obsession. As I mentioned in my America After Dark gallery. This image is from the Dragon Lights Festival. There is a color version of this and it’s nice. But I love the way the black and white makes it about the light and dark and highlights the shapes of the flowers and people.
A tunnel of light with people walking through.
A favorite of not just my night photography, but also my photos from Knoxville. The Tennessee Theatre marquee is lit up and people are walking through town. In the lower right corner is a young girl with a pink jacket, she makes this photo for me. I love subtle touches in photos.
Gay Street in Knoxville, TN after dark.
The Chrysler Building takes center stage in this New York skyline photo. I took this from the observation deck on the Empire State Building. I had to squeeze myself in between people taking selfies and some lovers making out. But totally worth it!
New York City skyline after dark. Taken from the Empire State Building, with the Chrysler Building as the central part of this image.
The Daylight Building in downtown Knoxville, TN. I took this while wondering around downtown. I couldn’t find anything that caught my eye. So, I was headed back to the car. And there it was. The single person, the lone bicycle, and the shops all lit up for the night.
The Daylight Building in Knoxville, TN.
Least Favorite Night Photography
It’s not that I don’t like these images but I feel like they could be better.
I don’t like the stop sign or the car in this image. As we were leaving, I noticed a better angle and it’s been bugging me ever since. I think I will have to go back and get a better pic. Also, eat pizza!
Big Ed’s Pizza in Oak Ridge, TN. Big Ed’s has been at its current location since 1970. It’s a local staple and always busy.
I think I might like this better if shot a little closer to sunset, so the 1907 and the outline of the clock could be more pronounced. Yes, I could lighten it but that would produce an unnatural grainy look.
Street Clock in Lenoir City, TN.
Thank you for visiting my most and least favorite list of night photography from this year. Feel free to share your own end of year blogs in the comments below!
Prints are available of all images in my Pixels store. Click here. You can also click on the image and it will take you directly to the store.
My current obsession is night photography. I love to see city lights after dark or small town lights. I never carry a tripod with me, so I shoot with a super high ISO or try to rest the camera on something. I use a Sony A7rII and it is great for shooting in low light with a minimum of grain. Although, I have night photos from around the world, this gallery is dedicated to America after dark.
Knoxville, TN
Knoxville is my home town, so I have lots of images from here. Here are a few.
After dark on Gay Street, featuring the Tennessee Theatre marquee. This is one of my favorites from Knoxville. The Daylight Building after dark. This is a definite favorite. All of the elements are there, the lights, the single person, and a bicycle. The Bijou Theatre Marquee in downtown Knoxville, TN.
New York City
When I visited New York, I went alone. At first, I thought I might be too afraid to spend a lot of time out after dark, especially taking photos. But I got comfortable with it fairly quickly.
The Skylight was my go to breakfast place, since it was just around the corner from my Airbnb. The food was excellent and ambiance was everything a diner in NYC should be.Street scene in New York City, NY in front of the Heartland Brewery and Rotisserie. Looking up at the Empire State Building in New York City. After going up and taking skyline photos and took this as I was leaving.
Want to see more photos from after dark, click here.
Feel free to comment and share your own images of America After Dark.
I posted about my indecision on black and white vs. color photos. This blog is going to discuss when there is no question. It must be black and white.
A Good Night for Pizza
This image was taken at night in New York City. Often, images taken at night can have an odd color shift. This image had some pretty green tinges. Yes, I can color correct the image. But sometimes it creates other weirdness or I simply don’t like the image in color.
A good night for pizza in black and white
A Good Night for Pizza with color correction
A Good Night for Pizza with no correction
Waiting for the Train
This is another image that looks better as a black and white. The color just takes away from the subject of the image.
