stone barn

Llanhamlach, Wales
I've spent the past few days in Wales outside of Cardiff. While Llanlamlach is further inland to the northeast, this is fairly typical of the rustic Welsh countryside - though where I am at the moment is in the coal mining areas suffering significantly from the lack of a sustainable local economy.

birmingham bells

Temple Row / Birmingham, England
The Cathedral Church of Saint Philip is a Church of England cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of Birmingham. Built as a parish church and consecrated in 1715, St Philip's became the cathedral of the newly-formed Diocese of Birmingham in the West Midlands in 1905. St Philip's was built in the Baroque style by Thomas Archer and is the third smallest cathedral in England. Interestingly, the bells of St Philip's play an important role in the training and development of bell ringers. Since 1949 the Cathedral has been a regular peal tower - the "long practices" on Thursdays, and more recently Mondays, have proved a training ground for in excess of 500 accomplished 12-bell ringers in the last 50 years. That explains why on Mondays and Thursdays I hear non-stop ringing from the bell tower from 7-8pm (or longer).

feeding frenzy

Trafalgar Square / London, England
Someone dropped a bag of seed. When you're hungry, nothing much else matters.

father & son

High Street / Birmingham, England
It's rare to see the accordion being played much anymore - especially by a young boy. I suspect it was largely due to the particular song they were playing, but the scene had a very melancholy feel to it.

marathon man

Flora London Marathon / London, England
Today was the London Marathon - low 60's and brilliant sunshine - a perfect day for spectating. These runners were captured passing under the Jubilee Bridge at about the 25.5 mile mark - just a half mile (plus 385 yards) to go. Up until 1908 a marathon was 26 miles - but is now 26 miles, 385 yards. Why you may ask? Because, for the 1908 Olympics in London, it was decided that the royal family needed a better view of the finish line. The organizers added an extra 385 yards to the race so the finish line would be in front of the royal box. I guess it was that or "off with their heads". This extra 385 yards was adopted as the "official" marathon distance in 1921. Oh, and no surprise - a Kenyan won with a time of 2:05. An American did make the top 10.

movin' on up..

Upper East Side / New York, New York
..to the East Side, to a dee-luxe apartment in the sky; movin' on up, to the East Side, finally got a piece of the pie. (as seen looking out over The Pond in Central Park).

burgers n' kebabs

Old Town / Krakow, Poland
It must be a European thing - burgers and kebabs. Never just burgers or kebabs but always together, and usually also offering pizza and southern fried chicken. One stop junk food.

shades of blue

Turquoise House / Fort-de-France, Martinique

One of the things I love most about shooting in the Caribbean is the vibrancy of the colors in everyday life - whether it be clothing, food, nature, art or architecture.

familiar peaks

Sydney Opera House / Sydney, Australia

From a different perspective - peaks of the Sydney Opera House - one of the most recognisable images of the modern world and also one of the most photographed.

CPW in the abstract

Central Park West / New York, New York

Taken from within the fountains of Columbus Circle, looking north up Central Park West - after one too many drinks in Hells Kitchen, you might think.

blue lily

The Lake @ Central Park / New York, New York
A beautiful blue water lily was proudly showing off its stuff in the waters of The Lake.

awakening

Pollywogg Hollër / Belmont, New York
Even the little wood nymphs are waking up to this Spring weather ...

forget the april showers

Dane County Farmers Market / Madison, Wisconsin
..bring on the Spring flowers. Another beautiful Spring day in the city with forecasted temps in the high 70's. Bring it on.

the essense of a kiss

Rochester Farmer's Market / Rochester, New York
What would life be without fresh garlic.. sad, indeed. Everyone remembers their first garlic-enhanced kiss.

spring is in the air - almost

The Lake @ Central Park / New York, New York
Tomorrow it is supposed to hit the low 70's in New York City - spring is definitely in the air - which means Central Park will soon begin to blossom with colorful activity washing away the greys of winter.

loud mouth

East Village / New York, New York
A sampling of the often loud and colorful graffiti found throughout the East Village. This was on the side of a one story cement wall - definitely more interesting than grey concrete.

grrrr-animals

Tobago Cays / Southern Grenadines

This piece of standing drift wood had the presence of a ferocious animal standing guard on the beach. Nevertheless, it did not keep me from wandering further into the center of the small cay.

attack on warsaw

Aleja Solidamošci / Warsaw, Poland

The already dark, rainy day was made even more ominous by these gigantic construction cranes looming overhead as if poised for attack.

celebrate yourself

Râşnov Fortress / Râşnov, Romania
We should view this Easter celebration as an opportunity to work towards a renewed energy in all facets of our lives - make it happen.

bugle boy

Waterloo Bridge / London, England
It was a beautiful sunny Spring day and the smooth jazz only made it better.

no hobgoblins here

Redcross Way / London (Southwark), England
Taking the train down from Birmingham to London last Saturday, I struck up a conversation with another wanna-be photographer - and he recommended that I find myself in Southwark around mid-day as there was an amazing open market where I could find good fresh food and drink. Around 1pm I jumped on the underground to the London Bridge stop; found the market and got myself a fresh warm baguette, some hummus, olives and a cold pint of Guinness - then headed towards the Thames to enjoy the brilliantly warm afternoon. Walking along Redcross Way, I came upon this underpass.

wash day

Koningin Wilhelminastraat / Willemstad, Curaçao
Looks like no one is home - but at least the wash is getting hung out to dry.

you spin me right round

Colmore Row / Birmingham, England
I like how this shot pieces together. The curves all seem to line up perfectly. I can envision everything starting to spin like an intricately geared machine. From one of my favorite areas of Brum taken last Sunday while strolling in the late afternoon - just off the square of St. Philips Cathedral, a baroque church designed by Thomas Archer and opened in 1715.

perched ..

Sonora Desert Museum / Tucson, Arizona
..and ready for take off. It will likely be a long day in the office today but tomorrow morning I head back to NYC. I'm ready - a month-plus is a long time to be away from those you care about. It is looking to be a nice Easter weekend with family and friends.

inner peace

Bath Row / Birmingham, England
St Thomas' Church on Bath Row was was built in 1825 and was one of two Greek Revival churches in Birmingham designed by Henry Hutchinson, a British architect described by some as a genius though having met to an untimely death at age 31. The church was bombed in 1940 by enemy action but the tower and west porticos remain standing; now serving as a monument to Peace, linking into a beautiful sanctuary of urban tranquility.

myspace

Bankside / London, England
Looking down on Bankside, the riverwalk on the south side of the Thames, from the Waterloo Bridge - these three shadows were occupying their own space - which the strollers seemed to respect.

reflections on a circus

Oxford Circus / London, England
Today was one of those beautiful Spring days in London - perfect shirtsleeves weather. I spent it wandering around the city and covered a good bit of real estate. This triangulated glass facade offered some perfect reflections of Oxford Circus.

picture not required

Puke Pub / Pukekura, New Zealand
The owners of Puke (think "cookie" though the logical pronunciation probably holds true, as well) Pub have made innovative use of their township’s location slam bang in the middle of the South Island bush: their pub specializes in local ‘wild food’. Roadkill of the Day heads the menu. ‘You kill it, we’ll grill it.’ There are also Bambi burgers. But the Puke Pub’s speciality is possums. New Zealand’s authorities have been trying for nearly 60 years to eradicate their country’s most despised pest and the Puke Pub is doing its bit to help. The Pub serves its possums in pies, or cooked up into a dish called Guess the Mess (possum, pita bread, salad and quirky sauce). And ladies, take note in these hard economic times, employment available - picture not required.

candles in the wind

Franciscanska / Krakow, Poland
It was a year ago today that I was in Krakow on the 3rd anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II. I am not a particularly religious person - I was there on business. Upon my realization of what was going - the outdoor concerts in the Old Town squares, the seas of lit candles everywhere you went, the clear adoration these people had for this man - I was really quite moved.

repair required

Av. Rodrigo de Bastidas / Santa Marta, Colombia
Last night (and technically into this morning) a major installation occurred - now requiring repair. I am April's fool.