Building Blocks of the Imagination

Parents give Legos to their kids for many reasons. Probably there is a small secret hope that it will keep the little ones entertained and bring some quiet to the home (for at least a few minutes). But the main reason I'm sure is that parents remember how playing with Legos fired up their own imaginations - you can build ANYTHING you want! Seeing the Lego models of famous buildings and structures reminds us that what starts off at an early age as just a dream, can eventually soar and become an inspiring reality!

The exhibit is at the National Building Museum, Washington, D.C. through Sept. 2012.

Giving Thanks For Sunrises

Since this is the week we give thanks, I thought my photo efforts should be devoted to one of the two favorite times of day that every photographer loves - the light that happens when the sun makes its first appearance of the day.  So on three consecutive days, I picked three different spots in Annapolis to capture as the sun as it came up.

The first couple of shots were taken in downtown Annapolis around the dockside area. The next couple were shot while standing on Compromise Bridge that runs between downtown Annapolis and Eastport. The last portion of shots were taken near the Maritime Museum in Eastport.

Why get up early (especially on days off) you may ask?  My father answered that question on a sunrise photo he gave me a long time ago. On the mat he wrote "Everyday begins with hope and wonder."

Enjoy.

Final Colors of Fall 2011

The pretty colors of fall are fading fast so I decided to go for a stroll around the yard and over at Quiet Waters Park to capture the final fireworks-like bursts of colors happening.  Will want to come back and look at these pics when there are words like "snow" and "ice" in the weather forecast.

FALL COLORS @ DC TIDAL BASIN / NEW MLK MEMORIAL

The first weekend in October, I participated in the annual Scott Kelby PhotoWalk charity event. The next couple of weekends presented some good photo opportunities so I have now decided to try and challenge myself to shoot at least one good series of photos every week until the next Kelby PhotoWalk event takes place in October 2012.

So for those who want to keep count, the week of Oct. 30 - Nov. 5 marks #5 in the 52 part effort. 

For this series, I decided to go to an area that a lot of folks flock to every spring - The D.C. Tidal Basin area which is famous for cherry blossoms trees. Below are a couple of shots that demonstrate that there is color to be found in that area in the fall.

Also took a couple of pics of the new Martin Luther King Memorial which was dedicated last month. Its located next to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, just off the Mall in D.C.

Enjoy.

On the heels of the day trip to Ocean City, turned right around with the camera and spent some time on the Maryland side of the C&O Canal / Great Falls area on Monday, Oct. 10, 2011. Below is a selection of color and infrared shots that were captured.

Last Warm Days of 2011

The weather was so nice yesterday(10/8/11) that I took a day trip to Ocean City, Maryland to spend some time by the Atlantic.  Yep, sometimes even living Annapolis and being on the Chesapeake Bay isn't enough of a "water fix" Anyway, the visit allowed me to try and be creative with some longer duration exposures with some of the photos. Below are a few results.  Enjoy.