August 2013 – Ruth E. Hendricks Photography

Night Game Review

Grove City HS beat Pittsburgh Carrick HS 34-12 but it was a good game. The Pittsburgh Carrick team is under new leadership and the whole effort and spirit is respectable and positive. Last year the score for the same first non-conference game was Grove City 40 and Carrick 0. This year it was a real game and Carrick scored first and last. Nice job, guys, coaches.

Several of my photography students are on the team and some of the students I’ve met in another capacity. The Spanish teacher and his three teenage kids were in attendance as well and we were happy to be there.

It was about 65 miles north of the city and I was glad Steve went with me, especially for the long, dark ride back home. The gentleman in the concession stand was giving away the leftover hot dogs after the game and wouldn’t take any $. Nice hosts! (Shot with Canon 5D Mark ii and a 70-200 L series Lens, steadied on a chain link fence top)

August 30, 2013August 30, 2013 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: football game, Grove City, Grove City High School, high school football, night game, night photography, photography, Pittsburgh Carrick High School, postaday, sports, travel 10 Comments

Made in America – Clairton, PA

Clairton PA is the largest coke manufacturing facility in the United States. Tons of it!

And although the opening in the The Deer Hunter (Best Picture 1978) shows a sign Welcome to Clairton: The City of Prayer (the film’s story set in the industrial town of Clairton) it sounds like the filming was in various locations other than the city itself.

I really didn’t know much about coke manufacturing from coal for steel production but you can read about it here and I haven’t seen The Deer Hunter in years I can still remember the vivid scenes.

The headline reads U. S. Steel Completed Clairton Coke Battery Project in a Pittsburgh Business Times article by Malia Spencer. Trying to make production emissions greener…..

My daughter-in-law was driving so I was shooting from the passenger seat of the family van. A famous photographer ( I forget who but someone might know and comment) when asked to give advice to novice photographers replied, ” You have to get out of your car.” Oops.

I wish I had but we were headed to dinner at Aunt Linda’s and Uncle Frank’s.

Through the windshield

the train yard as we headed down the Mon Valley along the Monongahela River

August 29, 2013 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: Clairton PA, Clariton Works, Coke Production, family, industry, manufacturing, Mon Valley, Monongahela River, photography, postaday, The Deer Hunter, US Steel 9 Comments

Remember Uncle Frank’s ’53 Chevy?

Do you remember seeing Uncle Frank’s Chevrolet (1953) when he was just putting the engine in?

Here’s what it looks like now after all the work (love) he has put into it! Shot from the passenger window- the interior.

August 28, 2013 by Ruth Categories: Photography, vintageTags: 1953 Chevy, auto restoration, cars, chevrolet, garage, photography, postaday, Uncle Frank, vintage car 13 Comments

Urban Deer

Crossing the street, a long block from school. I saw the doe cross first and sure enough she was followed by her two young ones. They were not afraid of me and took their time crossing Parkfield Street. Someone’s back garden was probably breakfast.

Mom

August 27, 2013August 27, 2013 by Ruth Categories: Photography, What I Saw on the Way to SchoolTags: deer, iPhone photography, nature, neighborhood, postaday, school, travel, wildlife 11 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Focus

Demonstrate the concept of FOCUS in a new post. Focus. Out of focus. Chain link fence should be this week’s challenge for me.

Focus is an ongoing challenge not limited to this week.

I often shoot through a chain link fence.

Living in the city there’ a lot of it.

Sometimes the fence is in focus and sometimes it’s the blurred fence and the focus on what I see behind the fence. What I was going for in the first place.

A continuous study of depth of field. I am constantly telling my students to develop a photographic practice so one can improve.

Just look at the sharp focus on the garbage, the fence is almost invisible. Why do I always try to shoot something with a barrier between? And why am I attracted to trash? Mmmmm.

Closer object/ street light is in sharp focus……….ooops, no chain link fence in this one.

Through iron bars, does nicely, too.

From the school parking lot- through a chain link fence

Focused fence, out of focus houses. Bloomfield

Can’t see those cookbooks in the display for the window frame either.

Shadyside, after weekend. Howe Street.

Thought this one went nicely with the series even though it would have been impossible to get a sharp focus of the reflection of the building.

August 26, 2013 by Ruth Categories: Weekly Photo ChallengeTags: blur, Chain Link Fence, city, Coney Island, depth of field, New York City, photography, Pittsburgh PA, travel, urban photography, weekly photo challenge: focus 19 Comments

Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival

My friend V said let’s go to the Renaissance Festival. She’d been with her niece more than a decade ago and they’d enjoyed it so much they went the next year. She saw it on the news.
We looked it up in the paper, got the details and set out for a fun Sunday, the last day before the students start school!

It was like taking a trip back in time. And a good photo opportunity.

Too bad I left my camera battery charging in the wall at home so I couldn’t use my camera. Yep. A cell phone captured the day.

This nice festival goer said that the festival is a break from his mundane reality,

August 25, 2013 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: costumes, fairy, festival, food, horses, jousting, Knight, leather boots, maiden, photography, postaday, Renaissance Festival, travel, unicorn, West Newtown PA 18 Comments

Little Italy Days Bloomfield Neighborhood, Pittsburgh PA

Saturday afternoon I went to Little Italy Days in Bloomfield with my friend V and this evening I went over with Steve.

The street was blocked off and it was quite festive. Can’t put up the aromas of the various food items.

Maria Merante with a tray of Lemon Knots at Merante’s on Liberty Avenue

Violinist Through the East End Book Store window

At the rectory- Formerly St Joseph’s

Live entertainment at Center Stage

Simon and Garfunkel Cover

Grass Fed Beef and Free Range Chicken without Antibiotics Right on Liberty Avenue at DJ’s Butcher Block.

August 24, 2013 by Ruth Categories: Night Light in the City, PhotographyTags: bakery, baking, balloon man, Bloomfield, Bocce, books, butcher, East End Books, food, Italian, Italian Cookies, Little Italy Days, music, neighborhood, postaday, sports, travel, violinist, West Side Story 14 Comments

Rooftop Rodin

When I saw this man at work this morning, Rodin’s sculpture of The Thinker came to mind. I had my camera at the ready for the 9th grade orientation. Lucky day!

August 23, 2013 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: architecture, art, arts, Auguste Rodin, people at work, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday, Rodin, sculpture, The Thinker 10 Comments

Self-Portrait in Someone’s Trash

On my classroom keyboard was a nice note,written on composition paper, from the computer man who stopped in yesterday –

back up computer- hard drive must be replaced.

Now one thing I know is that discussing any sort of computer issue is instant snooze z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z

BUT look what I found today as I copied photos to a borrowed external hard drive!

A photo I took last Spring of my on the way to school.

I’m in the oval mirror. Really. And I loved the carport and the seemingly crooked pole.

Thanks for looking and thanks for all the good birthday wishes for Michael’s 8th yesterday.

I got to partake in the festivities via FaceTime along with the other grandparents in Virginia and it was fun.

Ninth graders come to school tomorrow for orientation.

August 22, 2013 by Ruth Categories: Photography, What I Saw on the Way to SchoolTags: city, garbage, high school, neighborhood, photo of the day, photography, Pittsburgh, postaday, self-portrait, travel 10 Comments

Magi With Gift on Vending Machine and the Ice Cream Sandwich Vacuum

What I found after lunch at the inservice today at Pittsburgh Filmmakers-

Sure this King has been shot a thousand times but it was my first sighting and he made me laugh out loud when I looked up and saw him.

I did attempt to purchase an ice cream sandwich ( I know, I know….) from the frozen vending machine and the lid of the freezer compartment opened and the vacuum hose was at the ready to suck up a sandwich but the machine was empty and rejected my dollar bill. Waaaaaaaaah!

The man at the equipment desk with the retro Pirates hat came to assist and told me that sometimes, if you are lucky, the ice cream sandwiches get stuck together and he has actually seen as many as FIVE get sucked up and dispensed. Several colleagues waited with me, hopefully. EMPTY!

And here is the shot I got when I left my driveway on the second day of back to the school year. Just had the iPhone camera once again.

August 21, 2013 by Ruth Categories: Photography, What I FoundTags: fog, food, humor, ice cream sandwich, magi, nativity, photography, Pittsburgh Filmmakers, postaday, vending machine 15 Comments

Month: August 2013

Night Game Review

Like this:

Made in America – Clairton, PA

Like this:

Remember Uncle Frank’s ’53 Chevy?

Like this:

Urban Deer

Like this:

Weekly Photo Challenge: Focus

Like this:

Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival

Like this:

Little Italy Days Bloomfield Neighborhood, Pittsburgh PA

Like this:

Rooftop Rodin

Like this:

Self-Portrait in Someone’s Trash

Like this:

Magi With Gift on Vending Machine and the Ice Cream Sandwich Vacuum

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: