This is probably one of the most recognized landmarks in the city…

I had to go past the old neighborhood and take a couple of shots of the house I grew up in.

The neighborhood changed so much, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it were gone.  But it wasn’t, and it was good to bring back some of the old memories…

I even had a chance to have dinner with an old high school friend, Jay.  It was so good remembering the old times…

All in all, a good time, probably a little too much alcohol and food, but worth it…  Now, back to the diet…

Capn Scott

This is the lighthouse at Sandy Hook.

It’s on an old military base.

The sky couldn’t have been any prettier.

Behind the lightkeepers house…

An antique Cadillac passed by and I couldn’t resist.  And, turning it to black and white was just a given…

There were some areas 0f beach there that were stunning as well…

This is a double lighthouse called Navesink.

Very rustic and interesting architecture…

Got a chance to shoot the fresnel lens…

Barneget Lighthouse…

Shooting the lighthouse next to the Barneget Inlet.  Fitting…  a boat named “Lucky Thirteen” next to Atlantic City…  I’m sure that there is a story behind the name…

Nice contrasting colors…

A very well kept structure…

There were some rose gardens surrounding the lighthouse, and this bee was nice enough to pose for me.  If I would have cranked up the ISO and shutter speed, I could have frozen the wings…  Just not fast enough…

All in all, a nice day for shooting pics.  Again, a great time with the photography meetup group…

Capn Scott

The day was really nice, but it got warm in the afternoon.

The spring foliage is so bright green…

An HDR shot to show some of the inner structure.

This was near Valley Forge park…

Another HDR shot to show the inner structure.

This bridge was no longer in service and gated on both sides.

Nice little bridge on “Covered Bridge Road”…

Again, the spring foliage is really lush.

None of these bridges are copies of the others…

Another HDR photo to show the inner workings…

This was the longest of the bridges.

It looked like it was recently updated…

Almost like new.

The giant old beams are so interesting…

The HDR photos really show up the inside of the bridges…  Using HDR to lighten the inside of the bridge is so convenient.  It would take an amazing amount of lights to be able to do this normally.

Another great outing with the photo meetup group…

Capn Scott

Water reflection and snow just makes this shot…

Capn Scott

We left Philly early in the morning and took the train to New York City.

The snow in Central Park really set the mood.  Vibrant colors, snow, calm reflections.

Got a chance to go past Wolman Rink.  About 20 years ago, I lived and worked in the city.  I lived here for 3 years, and worked at a 60 year old skate shop.  It is gone now, but I have great memories of the days when skating was all there was to life.

The architecture and art are definitely world class.

I got a chance to go past all of the old hangouts and even met up with some old friends.  The area that has changed the most would be Times Square.  Way back when, it was just one large jumbotron and the scolling text around one building.  Now, it is totally engulfed in electronic screens.  If  you look real close at the top screen, it says, “10 days until New Year’s Eve”.  At that point, the ball on top will raise and drop for new years.

Capn Scott

Myself and one other decided to get there before sunrise and before the others to get some great night/sunrise shots as well…

stunning at night…

This was shot from in front of the Castillo San Marco, with the lighthouse in the distance.

Another shot of the bay in front of the Castillo San Marco and the entrance to the Atlantic.

Using a polarizer, I bring out the very blue sky.

From the boat ramp a short distance away.

You know me…  had to shoot the flowers as well…

Some people made a statement about climbing the stairs.  I can’t image what they would have said about the stairway to La Piedra in Colombia.

The fresnel lens.  Now this is a serious piece of glass…

Another shot of the lens bending light and exposing the hidden colors.

Looking back down the stairs.  This was shot f16, handheld and a quarter of a second exposure.

You can actually see the lighthouse from miles at sea.  I’ve used it as a reference before when I had the dive op here in Saint Augustine.

From a distance at sea, this is a navigational aid.  It doesn’t mark the present channel, but it does mark the town.  From up close, it’s just a wonderful historical work of art.

The top…

Had to shoot the screaming kids…   with a camera, of course…

This was a great outing with a great group of happy shooters.  This was also my first time to see this close-up.  Like the lighthouse (faro) en Colonia, Uruguay, this is a great photographic opportunity.  I need to add “aids to navigation” to my repertoire of photography…

Capn Scott

I’m using a graphical interface and also a calendar interface.  Hopefully this will get more people out shooting around the world.  This is still a work in progress, and any recommendations would be greatly appreciated…

http://photoworkshoptours.com

Capn Scott

Capn Scott

Capn Scott

Rooftops of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Capn Scott