Inside the Ferry Building
One of my favorite spots in one of my favorite cities…
Every time I visit San Francisco, I make a point to get over to the Ferry Building. It’s just a lovely structure and something about it just draws me in, every time. I have shot here before sunset and after sunset, and at all times in between. Regardless of the time of day or the associated crowds, it’s just a lovely place to see and photograph. Highly recommend if you are visiting this beautiful city!
Shopping in Milan
The lovely Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, Italy…what a sight!
Ok, I didn’t shop here, but boy did I spend some time taking photos! This is the amazing Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II which is next to the equalling inspiring Duomo, in Milan, Italy. I absolutely adore locations like this, which have these beautiful reflective floors and rich architectural details. Although there were people walking around, I took this as a long exposure so they (mostly) blurred out of the shot. So worth seeing and shooting this place. Be sure to visit if you are in Milan. It’s hard to miss, being right next to the Duomo, which you will be visiting there anyway, right?
Leadenhall Market
Leadenhall Market in London - a great place to visit and photograph!
I’ve shared photos from this lovely spot in London here before, but I love it so much that I just wanted to share another one. :-) It’s really an interesting and beautiful place, and I find it incredibly photogenic as well. Though crowded during the workweek, I have twice shown up earl yon a weekend morning and had it almost entirely to myself. Of course, that’s my preference anyways since I prefer to shoot this sort of scene devoid of people. By the way, this place was used to represent part of Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter movies. Yeah, it’s that cool. :)
That amazing arch in Munich
That amazing arch in Munich, known as Siegestor…
This is the Siegestor in Munich Germany, and it’s pretty awesome. When we visited, this was something that I kept seeing on various websites about interesting sites to see, so I made sure to check it out. The clouds were just perfect that day!
Darkness in London
It’s late in London, and I am out with the camera. Surprise! :-)
This shot was captured well after dark one evening in London. We had been out shooting and having fun all day, and were wandering around in this section of town, sort of the Financial District if I recall correctly. Anyway this beautiful building caught my eye so I climbed up onto the pedestal base of a statue, set up the tripod, and fired away. I have really grown to love shooting at night, something I rarely did in years past. But now it’s one of my favorite things to do, just wander in a city at night with a camera. So fun!
In the Ferry Building
Inside the Ferry Building in lovely San Francisco…
My favorite building in San Francisco is the Ferry Building, which is just lovely. I adore the place. This was taken on the 2nd floor a few years back. I just wandered up there and fired away. Easy!
All Aboard the Hogwarts Express!
A view of Kings Cross Station in London, which was used in the Harry Potter movies...
Boy do I love train stations in Europe!
Every time I visit Europe, I find myself in at least one train station with the camera, firing away. there's something about them that just gets me every time. I'm sure it's something to do with the freedom of movement they spark in me. You know, the feeling that you can just jump on a train and get whisked away to some other place.
It's something we don't have nearly as much of here in the US, so there's also the attraction in that regard. It's not as common to me. But in many ways it's that I always find great lines to lead the eyes and that just makes me want to get the camera clicking.
This is Kings Cross Station in London, which was used as the setting in the beginning of the Harry Potter movies whenever they were boarding the Hogwarts Express to head off to school. I just find it an interesting place, and it was great to wander here and fire a few.
Brandenburg Gate
Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, such a wonderful and beautiful monument...
A must see in Berlin!
When we visited Berlin back in April (my 2nd visit there), I made sure that we made a visit to the Brandenburg Gate. It's basically a symbol of the city. The Berlin Wall ran through here and when it was removed this spot came to symbolize freedom.
I always seek out these sorts of things when I travel. I love to soak up the history of a place. My desire was to get up really early and shoot sunrise here (and hopefully have it to myself), but that never materialized as I continued to sleep in the entire visit. So, I opted for shots like this one where I focused just on portions of this famous monument. Still worth having!
Inside the Antiquarium
Inside Munich's Residenz, staring down the amazing Antiquarium...
At the Residenz Palace in Munich, Germany
This hallway, known as the Antiquarium, was the primary reason that I visited the Residenz in Munich, Germany. I do love wandering in castles and palaces but after seeing quite a few over the years, they do start to get overwhelming and a bit repetitive to me. Sure, they are amazing, but you know what I mean.
But before we got to Munich, I had looked up cool spots in the city and this one was high on my list. So we got there when it opened, and I wandered quickly around to find this place, knowing that if I was quick I could find it nearly empty. I succeeded and spent quite a while in here. It really is pretty amazing that this was someone's home. So opulent!
Sunset at The Empress
Sunset at The Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia...
Lovely Victoria, BC really sparkles!
If you haven't visited Victoria, British Columbia yet, I think it's well worth it. It's not a big place but it's packed with charm and beauty. The Empress Hotel is the centerpiece of the beautiful harbor and I got out to shoot it during sunset one evening. I had some lovely clouds and with the harbor in front of it, it's hard to take a bad shot!
Night on the Old Bridge
The Old Bridge in Heidelberg, Germany, done up with a couple of different looks. Which do you prefer?
There's just something about German architecture.
I absolutely love Germany. It's such a gorgeous country and I have adored the architecture there for many years. I also love bridges, and when I knew I was going to visit Heidelberg, Germany I knew that I wanted to get several shots of the Old Bridge there (aka the Alte Brucke). Although I was only there 2 nights, that was plenty for me to get out and capture this beautiful bridge.
I shot on the bridge looking both directions and I shot from the side of the bridge, doing everything I could think of to really capture it. This was one of my very last shots that night, as I was wrapping it up and heading back to the hotel.
This is the gate at the end of the bridge which is closest to the Altstadt (Old Town). I love those onion domes and the whole looks just screams Germany to me.
When I first edited this photo, I edited it this way:
I really like this shot and had absolutely no intentions of changing it up. But I have been experimenting with a lot of color shifts lately, and in particular one look that is fairly popular: the orange and teal look. So I decided to give this one a go with the orange and teal look, and ended up with what you see below. After spending a lot of time experimenting with orange and teal, I actually think that I like it better for this shot. What do you think?
The rooftops of Prague
A collection of 4 photos over the rooftops of Prague, some tips on where to shoot there and more!
So many great views in Prague!
Prague may be one of the prettiest cities I have ever seen. It's certainly in the top 2 or 3 (I have a soft spot for Paris!). The city really is gorgeous, and I love that there are multiple spots where you can climb up and get an aerial view over the rooftops. You can't do that very easily in a lot of cities. You don't even have to be sneaky about trying to get these views. No breaking in necessary. They just come with the territory.
For example, a couple of these are views from the towers on either end of the Charles Bridge. From them you can see rooftops in three directions and the amazing bridge in the other. Another one of these views is from the top of the Old Town Hall building, which is right in the middle of their Old Town Square. You can even take an elevator to the top, and then you can literally see for miles. You can see St Vitus Cathedral in the distance, and a multitude of things much closer. That might be the best view in town.
So if you ever go to Prague, be sure and visit these spots and have the camera ready (and make sure it's secured to you somehow, just in case, since you may be leaning over the side at times). You'll be glad you did! And don't hesitate to return to these spots a couple of times. With weather changes you will get different results. You can see the below photo is from the same spot as the last one but they are totally different due to the sky differences.
And by the way, if you are looking for photo spots to capture on your trip to Prague, I have a list right here of the Top Photo Spots in Prague. I collected these over my last visit there and there are over 20 spots to photograph. It's really an amazing city. Enjoy it!
Sunset at The Marble Church
Sunset over the Marble Church in Copenhagen...
Ah, lovely Copenhagen - I miss you!
I dearly love the city of Copenhagen. The people are great, the scenery is fabulous and of course that means there are lots of things to photograph there, too. I've had the good fortune to visit 3 times and each trip there has been really enjoyable.
One thing I love to do when I visit foreign cities is to just wander with the camera. I always find something of interest. This is Frederik's Church, better known locally as The Marble Church, and it's fabulous. It's a stunning display of architecture and a site I try and shoot each time I visit.
I captured this one under a lovely sunset, after finishing shots at nearby Amalienborg Palace (home of the Royal Family, I think, and very beautiful too).
Blue hour at the BC Legislature
A lovely sunset ends over the Legislature in Victoria, BC...
I've wanted to shoot this for years and finally made it here!
I have been to Victoria, BC before but it was prior to me really being a photographer. Over the years I've seen countless shots of the BC Legislature building here and just wanted to get my own chance to shoot it. Finally it happened.
We spent 3 days or so here on this family road trip (which is still happening...we are now in California) and one evening I got out to shoot around the harbor. I had hopes for a good sunset and Mother Nature delivered! It's wasn't amazing, but the light was great with some color in the sky and I was quite happy to stand here and fire away. It's great when a long-imagined photo opp comes to life!
New York Public Library
A gorgeous reading room in the New York Public Library...
I tried several times to get in here, and it finally happened.
One several of my visits to NYC, I wanted to visit this reading room in the public library, but it was under construction. It felt like I would never get in. But finally on one of the trips, all the construction work was finished and I finally got my chance to see it.
It's pretty wonderful to see in person. I definitely think it's a must see when you visit NYC. For more tips on where to shoot in NYC, check out my list of the Top Photo Spots in NYC.