… before the snows began to fall again.
Posts Tagged ‘urban landscape’
peering up in back bay …
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, tagged Back Bay, blue, colors, Copley Square, Inspiration, John Hancock Building, Photography, urban landscape on February 3, 2014| 7 Comments »
“you need to smile more”
Posted in Inspiration, tagged design, Inspiration, life, McDonalds, memories, New York Times, Photography, smile, storytelling, urban landscape on January 29, 2014| 1 Comment »
That was my first reprimand at my first paying job as a 15 year old in Lynchburg, Virginia. I believe it was in summer at McDonald’s near the public library. The manager had placed me at a register and was watching me from the lobby. I had learned the manual well of the various phrases from “Welcome to McDonald’s. How may I help you?” to “Would you like some fries with that?” and so on. I was a bit perplexed by the smile comment but I gave it go on the next orders throughout the day. It was midweek and during a block of time when mostly older folk would come in and buy a cup of coffee or tea. And what happened near the end of my shift? Well, as I took a silver-haired lady’s two dollars and gave her some change back, she took my hand, patted it and said, “My dear, you have a lovely smile. You have a good day.” And I said, “You too, ma’am. See you tomorrow.” What brings to mind this memory of making people feel welcome? There’s been an interesting series of articles in the New York Times about people, especially seniors, sitting too long in the fast food restaurant. As with any story, there are many ways to dissect the issues but I think this morning’s article about “lessons learned” from the recent clash presents some good food for thought, not about how a business should be run but more about how over time people operate in the world: The Urban Home Away From Home.
if i could paint with light …
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged arts, Inspiration, landscape, light, nature, painting, Photography, urban landscape, urban nature on December 10, 2013| 3 Comments »
Snow began to fall this morning and so I went to the window to check on my so-called copper branches.
These branches drape over a crumbling concrete wall.
The wall is adjacent to a muffler shop. If I were to widen my shots you would see the mountain of tires, metal poles and big blue barrels.
The area is not easily accessible. It is cordoned off on three sides by a metal fence. It is only because I am next door and up high that I can see the beauty over the wall.
One day I may get up the nerve to talk with the manager and convince him to let me into the area, to climb over the tires, so that I can get up close to the tiny rambling woods.
But for now I am happy to shoot from a distance and later play with the images. As different details emerge out of the lovely chaos – a leaf still green, the illumination of paler twigs, and so forth – it feels a bit like painting with light.
simply leaves along somerville avenue
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged autumn, beauty, colors, Inspiration, leaves, nature, Photography, Somerville, Somerville Avenue, trees, urban landscape, walking on October 24, 2013| 9 Comments »
A recent festival in Union Square closed off Somerville Avenue. For the most part, I kept my hands in my pockets as I walked along enjoying the sights. But after a while, those leaves!
Good thing there were no cars as I meandered along with my head in the clouds and eyes on the ground.
I even took some leaves home.
walking in sunlight
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged childhood, Inspiration, nature, outdoors, Photography, shadows, sunlight, urban landscape, walking on June 17, 2013| 3 Comments »
In the heart of the city, adults don’t tend to say anything. They’ll pass me by and pretend not to notice me as I lean precariously over fences into private property or kneel at the base of trees.
It is the children who ask, even as their parents are sometimes trying to shush them, “What are you doing, lady?”
When I tell them that I am photographing sunlight, they ask, “Well, how do you do that?” And I say with great drama, “Well, the way I choose to photograph sunlight is as it pours over the branches of the trees and creates shadows on the ground.”
The older kids raise eyebrows in disbelief but the younger children, they sometimes nod with great understanding.
in that woburn field
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged flowers, images, landscape, nature, Photography, seasons, spring, urban landscape, Woburn on June 4, 2013| 2 Comments »
like stained glass to my eyes
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged colors, design, Inspiration, nature, Photography, stained glass, urban landscape, water, Woburn on June 2, 2013| 10 Comments »
Family Ties
Posted in Guest Contributor, Inspiration, tagged art, drawing, family, illustration, New York, streetscapes, urban landscape on March 10, 2011| 1 Comment »
The first time I traveled to NY and met my young cousin Tim, I learned two things. First, that he’d taken a photograph that I had sent to my aunt of me riding a water buffalo (hey, it was for work!) to his school as part of show and tell. Second, I learned that he had an insatiable infatuation for the subways and roadways of his hometown. Moreover, he had a remarkable talent for capturing what he saw on paper. And as the years have progressed, so has his talent and imagination.
Though he is too young to know the reference and from the wrong city, his early antics of skipping school to ride the rails all day brought to mind the legendary figure of Charlie, forever trapped in Boston’s subway system.
Until I learned how to read a subway map, Tim was my guide in the big city. And even as he was pointing me in the right direction, he’d usually be called upon to help other lost souls as well.
Many years later, as far as I know, he no longer speaks of becoming an architect or urban planner. His focus now is public policy and government. No matter what career path he chooses after college, I am glad to see he is still carrying around his pens and notebooks.
Words + Images 