Hot Time, Cell Phones in the City
Street photography isn’t my thing. Funny to say that after posting loads of NYC city street photos the last week but I mean being a true street photographer is not my genre. Photographing people unaware hasn’t really appealed to me and I felt awkward or intrusive. But in an hours time walking down Fifth Avenue I took 165 photos of people on their cell phones. A lot of them while crossing the street without looking. It wasn’t a plan and I made a little movie of the photos but the end result was monotonous and boring. Even though I got it down to a minute thirty three seconds it was a snoozer. You can determine if the ones I have chosen to illustrate my experience produce boredom in the viewer.
In a couple of the photos you can see three or four people on phones at once.
This is not going to be an ongoing effort to capture people using technology in public. The good thing is it allowed me to get more comfortable on the sidewalk photographing people. Of course, it wasn’t a fair playing field as they were definitely distracted and ignoring me which is how I was able to lift the camera to my eye and take their picture.
How have cell phones affected the way we live? Our human interaction?
There are posters around the city that say HEADS UP showing a guy on his cell phone and a vehicle turning into the crosswalk.

Bumper Stickers Gone Wild
At the red light, waiting to go into the Liberty Tunnel. I blurred the numbers on the license plate.
Bumper stickers have been around a long time but I haven’t seen them on too many cars lately. Until I drove home from school.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Merge
This week’s challenge was something to think about on my trip from Pittsburgh to Columbus Friday afternoon. Sorting through images I had in the archives. (in my mind, obviously) Nothing jumped out. And then-
an opportunity presented itself, right in front of me. Standstill traffic. On Route 70 West, Friday afternoon.
A 3 1/2 hour trip took almost SIX hours to drive today due to congestion from road work and merging to a single lane and perhaps a bad accident that was cleaned up by the time I got to the site.
I saw police and emergency vehicles driving the other direction with lights and sirens.
A truck reflected the sky AND an old fashioned airplane is in the left door panel. It looks like a bird. The sky seemed to merge with the reflection in the shiny truck. Nature and machine-made merge. I waited to merge to the left single lane. Other interpretations of merge are here
After the Hail Storm, Before Elton John
You know how I like to take photographs when I am stopped at a red light. It was Wednesday night on my way to class. I had just come through the hail storm from the South Side. What could the traffic be? Rush hour for sure. The storm. And I see a guy on a corner I NEED TICKETS. Penguins? Nah. Elton John Concert traffic on top of everyone’s commute home. There is never a good way to get from Point A to Point B in Pittsburgh, especially if you are in a hurry!
Add to the List of Things Out of Your Control
Red Sky in Morning from the Birmingham Bridge
Left the house a bit earlier to get to the other side of the city this morning. As I hit the Birmingham Bridge I saw the sunrise. I pulled to the edge, hit the flashers again and sat quietly, and shot the sky over a few minutes time. The other direction I could see cars on the Parkway with their headlights on. A nice way to start the day. But the Red Sky,Sailors Take Warning turned out true as it is snowing (about 3 inches so far) and already they have called for a two hour delay at school. The dark band along the bottom of the photo is the Jersey Barrier. Unretouched photograph!
“Ice Sculptures Make Great Gifts”
Who knew? I admit I’ve never considered purchasing an ice sculpture as a gift. But seeing this truck made me think of ice sculptures I have seen up close. Plus, it’s hot and humid again so the idea of ice appeals to me.
Do-it-yourselfers? You’ll need to read “Ice Sculpting the Modern Way, Joseph Amendola’s Ice Carving Made Easy and Mac Winker’s Ice Sculpture: The Art of Ice Carving in 12 Systematic Steps.” (from Wikipedia)
Last summer I watched an ice carver/sculptor whir a chainsaw, spew ice and find a dolphin inside the giant block. Ellen’s daughter had an R2D2 at her wedding, and Donna’s son’s wedding had a giant heart with their engagement photo inside the ice.
You sit at a red light and there it is- the thought of the day. The company lists themselves as the coolest guys around- more info click Mastroice on Herron Avenue



























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