Dog

Blackwood, NJ (Gloucester Township)

I have become fascinated with making an abstract out of the mundane iamges from our collection. This photo was of a closeup of the bark of a maple tree. After scanning the image, I began to playing with light and dark, contrasting and brightness. I began seeing this image of a dog. I asked Bill and he really didn't see it. So, I ask is it my vivid imagination?

The Stairway

City Hall

Philadelphia, PA

Taking a tour of City Hall in Philadelphia, PA is fascinating and beautiful. The works of both the architect, John McArthur, and the sculpter Alexander Milne Calder are wonderful and go together so well. Walk the outside or take the elevator to just below Calder's statue of William Penn and enjoy the view.

Water Plants

Long-A-Coming

Berlin, NJ

We went down to the county park in Berlin on a nice spring day. The Long-A-Coming branch of the Great Egg Harbor River meanders through it. At one of the foot bridges that crosses Bill noticied these plants growing on the bottom. Several plants had made it to the top and Bill was able to captur the play of light and the different shades of green.

Red Railing

Cape May, NJ

In 1982, Bill and I went down to Cape May, NJ in the spring. It was a beautiful day with clear blue sky. Along the promenade there were steps that led down to the street and the steps had these old red railings. I photographed the railing against a blue sky. Today I scanned the slide into the computer with the purpose of showing the rich colors. But I began to play with the contrast until I had this red railing against black background. Maybe another day I'll put the original photo online. For now I want to enjoy this version.

Green Grasses

Winslow Township, NJ

Spring is near. I can feel it coming. Spring is rebirth and that which has been a dried brown comes back to life. These grasses are a great example. In the spring they are a beautiful green. Clean and bursting with life. By fall they will be dried and brown. By winter they will be shriveled to nothing, waiting for spring so that they can grow again.

Blue Fungus

Pine Barrens, NJ

I like the pattern and color of this tree growth even if I don't know its name.

Pine Trees and Fern

Pine Barrens, NJ

If I take a look at any of our photos, a real careful and close look, I can see the many different colors. Bill's photo taken in the fall while hiking one of the many trails in the Pine Barrens, is a great example. Until he darkened the image and saturated the colors there was barely a hint of red. Now the fall colors just pop out. The reds and yellows scream at you. A question though, is this a photograph or a computerized image? Or is it both?

The Old and the New

30th Street Station and Cira Centre

Philadelphia, PA

We followed Pine Street from Front to the Schuylkill River and found these beautiful but vastly different architectural styles, 30th Street Station built in the late 20's and early 30's and the Cira Centre built 2002-2004. Add to the beauty Market Street Bridge which crosses the river at 30th Street.

Snow Boot

Pine Hill, NJ

Bill was walking in the woods near our home on this snowy day a few years ago. He found what was an old tree trunk with snow covering it. He calls it "Snow Boot" for its resemblence to a boot.

The Red-hooded Man

Philadelphia, PA

The image begins to pop out as I play with our photography program. Bill walks into the room and says that it looks like a man wearing a hood. Now I can't get that phrase out of my mind and everytime I look at the abstract I see "The Red-hooded Man". When we started the blog I didn't intend to do abstracts like these. Somehow we've discovered another side to our work. This picture began as a red bow and evolved into something different. Sometimes it is good to free ourselves from the standard photograph. A freeing of the soul.

Iced Over Pier

Atlantic City, NJ

In January 2005 Bill and I went down to Atlantic City. It was a beautiful but extremely cold day. I had heard about the ocean freezing and although that did not happen, the waves that crashed against the old Garden Pier had frozen. Bill captured it in this iamge of icicles and ice covered pilings.

Under Garden Pier

Atlantic City, NJ

I am fascinated by walking the beach, whether it's Atlantic City, Ocean City or one of the other public beaches, I find it soothing to listen to the waves. My favorite time at the shore is winter. It becomes quiet and peaceful. Yes, it is cold as the photograph above shows cold enough to form icicles of salt water on Garden Pier. It can be fun though and it was the first time I'd seen the pier covered with ice. Bill has a photo taken the same day showing most of this old pier ice covered. Tomorrow I am going to put that image on our blog.

Capitol Dome

Trenton, NJ

Two years ago we took the River Link to Trenton, NJ. There was snow on the ground and we decided to spend some of our time indoors. We took the tour of the State House. At one point we found ourselves standing under the dome. Bill looked up and liked the circular shapes. He cropped it for the blog so that only the dome is visible.

Seaweed

Atlantic City, NJ

Walking on the beach can be soothing and I haven't had a chance to get down there this year.

Man Walking into Angry Storm #2

Philadelphia, PA

It started yesterday. I was angry and annoyed. I took a look at my earlier abstract image "Man Walking into an Angry Storm" from an earlier blog. I began putting my anger into the image making the clouds angrier like my mood. It is what artists try to do. Put their feelings into their work. Today the anger and frustration continue. My mother had to go into the hospital and I'm stuck at home with ice and freezing ran covering the car and streets. I feel frustrated and want to get over to the hospital but I have to wait. Today I offer another version of "Man Walking......", adding my current black mood to this new version.

Crashing Waves

Cape May, NJ

Many years ago 1987 to be exact we went down to Cape May for a December weekend getaway. Bill loves to photograph crashing waves. In this image he nearly got soaked when the wave he photographed hit the rocks he was standing on. It happens a lot to us, we feel the waves spray as it hits the rocks or like me suddenly you boots or sneakers are soaked when the wave rolls over your feet on shore. Bill developed the image in black and white on the computer. I asked him to put more contrast into the picture and below is "Black Hole".

Black Hole

Cape May, NJ

Birch Tree

Gloucester Township, NJ

Several years ago we took a walk after a snow storm. The sun came out. I stopped at this birch tree to capture the tree against the snow.

Liberty in Distress

World War I Monument

Atlantic City, NJ

Where Route 40 and Atlantic Avenue meet in Atlantic City, NJ, stands a monument to World War I. In the center of the monument is a statue called "Liberty in Distress" by Frederick MacMonnies. MacMonnies was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1863. Bill liked the way the light from the sun cut the statue in half. Liberty's upper torso is in the dark but his face is looking to the light. Below liberty holds the fallen. The original was done with Kodachrome 64 and converted to black and white. I think black and white makes his image much stronger.

Little Skate

Atlantic City, NJ

Walking along the beach and looking for shells, I found this little skate washed ashore.

Clams and Shells

Atlantic City, NJ

Sometimes when we hear that there is going to be a storm off our coast we head down to the shore. This time my father had been down to the Casinos and when he got back he called to tell us that we should get down there and see all the clam shells along the beach. We went. This photo is from that day. There were piles of shells and gulls feasting on the dead clams.

Wildflower in Snow

Gloucester Township, NJ

I wanted to create that stark black and white image shown by this dried wildflower against snow.

Plenty

Gloucester Township, NJ

When does a photograph cease to be a photograph? When does a photograph become an illustration? This was a still life of a horn of plenty filled with fruits and vegetables. Now it is an abstract.

Winter Sunrise

Atlantic City, NJ

Rising early to catch the sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean. I think I shot off at least a 1/2 dozen rolls of film. In this one I caught the gulls searching for breakfast.

Snow and Tree #2

I asked Bill how could we show the tecture of the tree and he cropped just the tree and fence. I love the look of the tree bark.

Snow and Tree

Gloucester Township, NJ

The tree stood alone next to the chain fence filled with snow. Bill liked this scene which was captured on Kodachrome. But once he had put it on the computer he changed it to a black and white image. Tomorrow he will be putting a cropped version of this scene that I like better. It shows the texture of the tree against the snow.

Crystal Lights

Gloucester Township, NJ

Ice forming brilliant crystal lights, like a chandilier, reflecting.

Grasses in Snow

Gloucester Township, NJ

Bill worked on his images of grasses coming up from the snow. He made the snow look like a sheet of white paper and the grasses became delicates leaves against a white background. Several years ago we went to the Museum of Art in Philadelphia to see the Harry Callahan photo exhibit. This image reminds me of his work.

Moon Jelly, Atlantic City, NJ

It was a Nor' easter in the early 90's that washed up shells and jelly fish. Bill and I were walking or footsin' when I saw these jelly like objects all along the beach. When I got home I looked them up in one of our many guidebooks. It was what was left of a Moon Jelly fish.