Splendor

March 16, 2021

Here is an interior architecture photo for you that looks a little abstract/contemporary. This is the upper floors of the Carnival Splendor looking out at the elevators and open atrium over the lobby. I liked the colors, patterns, textures and abstract feel of this scene.

Branch Bank

August 3, 2018

This is a photo I took about a year ago, while Blair and I explored a bunch of abandoned buildings in a town outside of Pittsburgh. This was a bank with teller windows, a vault, etc…you know…typical bank items. As you can see, the back wall of the bank has collapsed. This was a great urbex spot.

To view a larger version, click HERE

Don’t forget to check out my photo galleries. I update and add to them often.

New Bank Partnership

November 16, 2016

I’ve had a nice relationship with Washington Financial bank for a number of years. They’ve been very good to me over the years by using my photos and commissioning me for their advertising photography work. Now we have a new and expanded partnership, which I’m very proud of and honored to share with you now.

Anyone who has a debt card with them can choose one of my fourteen photos to put on their debt card. You can see the debt card photos below. So if you’re local to Washington County Pennsylvania and want an amazing looking debt card with a great bank, please contact Washington Financial.

The Vault

October 12, 2016

This former bank vault is now a dinning room for 12 people inside the Pittsburgh Engineer’s Building in the downtown area. A few weeks ago, Pittsburgh held an event called “Open Door Pittsburgh”. Basically this meant that there were around 30 buildings that are not normally open to the public, open to the public on this day. Some of the buildings had guided tours and others were just self-guided tours of the spaces. The Vault caught my eye on the marketing material, so I made sure we hit that spot first.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

ATM Art

September 19, 2016

I’ve got a great relationship with Washington Financial bank. They’ve been a good client and have used my photos for years. I captured this photo (with my iPhone) after using the ATM machine last weekend. It’s always great seeing my photos put to good use and I love what they did with this photo that I took a few years ago.

Washington Financial

November 14, 2013

I’ve had a very busy schedule the last couple of weeks and I don’t expect it to slow down until Thanksgiving. We had family in town last weekend, I went to an NHL game last night, and I am photographing two football games this weekend. I am covering Pitt vs. UNC game on Saturday. Then Steelers vs. Lions on Sunday…... I have to admit; I am super excited about seeing the Lions play. I may take a 1,000 photos of Calvin Johnson. Next week I am going to the Pitt vs. Lehigh University men’s basketball game. Add work, family time, etc…. busy.

Tonight’s photo is of the Washington Financial building in Washington PA. This is one of numerous locations they have to serve their customers. They hired me to do some commercial photography in the past and used 8 of my photos for their calendars the last three years. So about a month ago, I stopped by their building to photograph this building using an unusually Point Of View. I thought I would surprise them and send them the photo.

CRANE FRONT - Fantasy Football Website

April 22, 2013

Tonight’s photo is the front view of an old semi-abandoned crane along the river in Pittsburgh. I say semi-abandoned because they clearly haven’t used this crane in years and have no plans to use it again in the future. But the concrete business is still active and they drive vehicles under this crane every day. I took this photo while on a photo walk with Dave and Brad last weekend.

Fantasy Football Website – Fantasy Monkee

I know we are months and months away from any real meaningful football, but I thought I would share this website with you. They featured/used one of my Robert Griffin III (RG3) photos on their website (look below). How cool is that????

To purchase this picture or view the entire photo gallery, click the picture above.

To see my picture on this website, click the photo above.

Vintage Bank Vault II

February 18, 2013

I got so many great photos of the vacant Washington Trust bank vault that I keep posting pictures from this day. I am sorry if you’re getting bored of them, I just can’t help it. I am hoping to go back to this location at least once more to capture a few more pictures…..

To purchase a picture or view the entire gallery, please click the picture above.

Vintage Bank Vault

February 8, 2013

On Thursday this week, Dave Truxell and I were given the opportunity to photograph the inside of a vacant bank. In downtown Washington PA, there is a tall building (probably 15 stories tall….I didn’t count or look) called the Washington Trust Building. The Washington Trust Company built it over 100 years ago and the bank occupied the main floor. The bank (Washington Trust Company) went out of business long ago and numerous other banks have operated in this space over the years.

Currently, a bank is operating in the front portion of the space, but the back portion has been vacant for years. As you can imagine the entire space is build with marble, large columns, tall ceilings, etc…like you’d expect for a grand building constructed back at that time in our history. The original Washington Trust Company bank vault is still sitting there, just waiting for me to come along a take this photo.

The vault door is 21 inches thick and weighs 36 tons. It has a cool glass cover on the inside of the door allowing you to see all the gears and mechanical parts. The door is at least 8 feet tall, if not more. I can’t even imagine how they installed this vault back when we didn’t have forklifts, etc…. The inside of the vault is approximately 12 feet by 40 feet filled with brass safe deposit boxes of numerous sizes.

Photo Technique:

I captured this with a 5 exposure auto-bracketed in Aperture mode set at f11. Merged the images in Photomatix Pro to create the HDR image and completed some minor edits in Photoshop CS6.

To purchase a print, please click the picture above.

Washington Financial 2012 & 2013 Calendar

December 27, 2012

I hope everyone had a great 2012. I know my family and I had a wonderful year and we are looking forward to an even better 2013. So in advance, have a great New Year.

There is a wonderful local bank here in Western Pennsylvania called Washington Financial. They have 10 locations throughout this area and provide great service to the community. They conduct a photo contest on a yearly basis to select pictures for their annual calendar.

In December 2011, I was notified that they selected three of my photos for their 2012 calendar. They used the following photos for 2012.

February 2012 – Trinity High School

May 2012 – American Tank

June 2012 – Lyle Covered Bridge

I was very happy and honored they selected three of my photos for the 2012 calendar. Just before Christmas, they notified me again that they would be using three more of my pictures for their 2013 calendar. This time they selected:

February 2013 – Mays Covered Bridge

March 2013 – Washington Financial Bank – Washington Mall Plaza

April 2013 – Washington County Court House

They don’t have many rules for their contest, but one important rule is that the pictures have to be from within Washington County, Pennsylvania. I realize this isn’t the biggest deal in the photography world, but I am proud of this minor accomplishment.

Like many people, I do better when I have a goal that keeps me motivated. So capturing photos from Washington County the last couple of years just to submit for this contest has kept me looking for great local photo opportunities. This small personal challenge has been good for keeping me shooting, making me creative, and driving me to find local interesting subjects.

I would encourage you to find a small goal of your own to help keep you motivated in whatever topic or activity that interest you.

Here is the link to Washington Financial’s website: http://www.mywashingtonfinancial.com/

Here is the link to all the photos selected for their 2013 Calendar Photo Contest: http://www.mywashingtonfinancial.com/_pdf/Photo_Contest_Winner_Announcement_0912.pdf

Upcoming Topics/Pictures:

* I’ll have the 3rd installment of Common HDR Photography Questions – How are HDR Photographs Created?

* I will also post a picture (or multiple pictures) from our recent trip to Miami. I captured some great sunrises, a very old Monastery, South Beach Art Deco Architecture, and much more…..

Photo Technique:

I would encourage you to find a small goal of your own to help keep you motivated in whatever topic or activity that interest you.

Upcoming Topics/Pictures:

Again have a great New Year.