Showing posts with label artistic photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label artistic photography. Show all posts

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Plein Air Printemps ...



"Art is the stored honey
of the human soul."
                     ~ Theodore Dreiser
                                     ~ 1871-1945

Plein Air painter catches the nature of a sweet
spring - printemps - evening on canvas
at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania in a candid image I captured
this May.   

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Doe In The Spring Snow ...




"Born free, as free as the wind blows
As free as the grass grows
Born free to follow your heart ...
Live free and beauty surrounds you ...
Stay free, where no walls divide you ...
Born free, and life is worth living
But only worth living
'Cause you're born free."
                               ~ "Born Free"
                  ~title song of the 1966 film
        ~Music by John Barry, Lyrics by Don Black  

Beautiful and free white-tailed deer doe 
steps spritely through the spring snow in the park
as the grass peeks through what remains of winter
during a March sunset.

I've been blessed to photograph this doe and her fawns since 2012, and it's a true joy to me personally and as a photographer.    

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Strummin' Into Spring ...



"... I hitchhiked all the way down to Memphis ...
Just lookin' for a place to play,
Well, I thought my pickin' would set 'em on fire,
But nobody wanted to hire a guitar man ...

So I slept in the hobo jungles, 
Roamed a thousand miles of track,
Till I found myself in Mobile Alabama
At a club they call Big Jack's,
A little four-piece band was jammin',
So I took my guitar and I sat in,
I showed 'em what a band would sound like,
With a swingin' little guitar man.
Show 'em son ...

Guess who's leadin' that five-piece band,
Well, wouldn't ya know, it's that swingin' little guitar man."     
                                ~ "Guitar Man"
                                      ~ written by Jerry Reed
                           ~ recorded by the great Elvis Presley
                                                           ~ 1967   

This guitar, mounted on the outside wall of
Guitar Villa, Nazareth Pike, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
is strummin' into spring on a sunny day in early April,
reminding me of the great Elvis Presley singing
"Guitar Man," which he recorded in 1967.    

                                

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Street Sax ...



"It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing."
                                                           ~ Duke Ellington

                                                                     ~ 1899-1974

Can you hear the cool jazz floating from this saxaphone, swingin' through the hot air of a sweet summer night? That's the image that popped  into my mind when I shot this portion of a jazzy  mural in Easton, Pennsylvania on a chilly November day. This is my artistic interpretation of the mural image.



I captured this cool mural of jazz silhouettes of musicians on the façade of the Hotel Lafayette as they literally paint the town. The mural features the shadows of musicians on keyboard, saxophone, trumpet and other jazz instruments against bright colors.


The mural is an Easton Main Street Initiative public art project created in 2012. It is a gift of the Easton Rotary Service Foundation in memory of Ted Pierce, who was the station manager of WEST radio, an outstanding and devoted citizen. He was a generous benefactor of the Easton community and Easton Rotary Service Foundation, as well as an exemplary journalist and key reporter on the Nuremburg War Crimes Trial for the Armed Forces Network. Pierce left a large amount of money for the Rotary Club to use on Easton-based projects.

The mural was designed and painted on the Fourth Street side of the building by the Freehand Mural Group of Easton.

















           







Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Blue Moonshine ...



"Blue moon, blue moon, blue moon,
keep shining bright.
Blue moon, keep on shining bright,
You're gonna bring me back my baby tonight,
Blue moon, keep shining bright.

I said blue moon of Kentucky
keep on shining ..." 
                 ~ "Blue Moon of Kentucky"
             recorded by the great Elvis Presley
                                 ~ 1954

An artistic view of "Blue Moonshine" illuminating the summer sky over Cedar Creek Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania during the
Blue Moon of July 31, 2015.

A Blue Moon is defined as any time there is a second full moon in a calendar month, according to NASA. The next will occur January 2, 2018.

"Blue Moon of Kentucky" is the official Bluegrass song of Kentucky, written by Bill Monroe, "The Father of Bluegrass," in 1946.

The great Elvis Presley - an artist who occurs "once in a blue moon," - recorded
his fantastic rockabilly version in 1954.

                                        

                                           

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Bedazzling Freedom ...



"It is the love of country that has lighted and that keeps glowing
the holy fire of patriotism."
                                                   ~ J. Horace McFarland
                                                                               ~1859-1948

A burst of patriotic beauty fills the night sky
during the 2015 Fourth of July Fireworks set off from
J. Birney Crum Stadium, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

How wonderful it would be to have fireworks - and the
fire of patriotism - in our hearts every day! 

As the fireworks ended, I heard a little boy say "Bravo!"
I couldn't have said it better myself. 

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Mama And Me ...


"A mother's heart is a patchwork of love."
                                            ~ Author Unknown

Beautiful white-tailed deer doe and her button buck
share a sweet moment in the park a few days after
Christmas. 

I've been blessed to photograph this doe and her fawns
for three years, and it's a true joy to me personally and
as a photographer. 

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Maybe It's Maybellene ...


"Maybellene, why can't you be true?
Oh Maybellene, why can't you be true?
...The Cadillac lookin' like it's sittin' still
And I caught Maybellene at the top of the hill."
                      
                                           ~ "Maybellene"
                                                              ~ 1955

Maybe it's Maybellene casting a flirty glance
as a summer day reflects in the eye of this
Volkswagen Beetle near a trail in 
Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania!

The Chuck Berry song "Maybellene" was adapted from the 
traditional fiddle tune "Ida Red" that tells the story of a 
hot rod race and a broken romance.  It is considered one of
the pioneering rock and roll singles.

The great Elvis Presley sang it live on "Louisiana Hayride" on 
August 20, 1955. 
                             

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Fording The Jordan ...



"Never give up, for that is just the place and time
that the tide will turn."
                       ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe
                                  ~ 1811-1896

Visitors to the Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania ford the Jordan Creek just before sunset in December.
For more than 50 years kids and kids at heart have enjoyed driving through the creek. 

Sunday, December 28, 2014

I'll Remember You ...


"I'll remember you ...
To your arms someday I'll return to stay...
Love me always, promise always
Oooh, you'll remember too,
I'll remember you."
                "I'll Remember You"
                   ~ written by Kui Lee, 1964
            ~ recorded by Elvis Presley, 1966

Flares of a December sunset over a field
in Orefield, Pennsylvania echo in my mind
like the beautiful song "I'll Remember You,"
written by Kui Lee in 1964 and recorded by
the great Elvis Presley in 1966. 

 

Monday, November 10, 2014

Touching In Time ...


"If the hands of time were
hands that I could hold ...

Hand in hand we'd choose
the moments that should last ...

Until the hands of time would choose
to wave goodbye."
                                    "The Hands of Time"
                                               ("Brian' s Song)
                                          ~ Music by Michael Legrand
                                                 Lyrics by Marilyn & Alan Bergman 
                                                                                   1971

Autumn leaves touch momentarily in the 
crest of the Little Lehigh Creek on an October morning
at Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania in this
long exposure capture.

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Salute For The Valiant ...


"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them."
                 John Fitzgerald Kennedy 
                         ~ 1917-1963
                35th President of the United States
                                of America
                            ~   1960-1963                        

                            and U.S. Navy Veteran 

With deep gratitude and admiration to our nation's veterans.
By your bravery and courage, we remain the land of the free!

Old Glory waves proudly in chilly, whipping November winds at Leaser Lake, New Tripoli, Pennsylvania.

Leaser Lake's namesake is Frederick Leaser, who in September 1777 with his farm team hauled 
The Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to Allentown where it was concealed in Zion Reformed Church. His homestead is located one mile north of the lake. 

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Nostalgic Harvest ...


The sun-dappled porch of Wanamaker's General Store, 
Kempton, Pennsylvania says "Wilkum" (welcome) to
customers on an October afternoon.

The quaint Wanamaker's is an authentic, family owned
general store nestled in the heart of 
Pennsylvania Dutch country.

Wanamaker's has been welcoming friends, neighbors
and passersby since the late 1800's. 

The classic Pennsylvania Dutch Wilkum Home hex sign is
often seen on porches and other entry ways, extending a warm
and friendly welcome.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Sidewalk Stop ...




Thisilldous Eatery provides a great place to stop and sit in the shade on a summer afternoon on Front Street in Belvidere, New Jersey, a charming and historic town on the banks of the
Pequest and Delaware Rivers.

Monday, June 30, 2014

By The Master's Brush ...


"If I can put one touch of rosy sunset
into the life of any man or woman, 
I shall feel that 
I have worked with God."
                ~ G.K. Chesterton
                                   ~ 1874-1936


God gives a master class in
painting the sky with this
summer sunset in June
at Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Into The Woods ...


"Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked,
in which you can walk with love and reverence."
                        ~Henry David Thoreau
                                              1817-1862 

The trail takes on a moody beauty on a cloudy evening
in early June at Wehr's Covered Bridge Park,
Orefield, Pennsylvania. 

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Frosted Sugar ...


"If winter comes, can spring be far behind?"
                   ~ Percy Bysshe Shelley,
                                                          1792-1822

                               "Ode to the West Wind"

The pond at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania looks as 
if it's been frosted with sugar on a recent winter day.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

I Dream Of Winter ...


"Faith is the bird that feels the light
when the dawn is still dark." 
               ~ Rabindranath Tagore
                     ~    1861-1941

This Black-capped chickadee was perched on a winter's afternoon today at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.