An Afternoon in the Clouds

During my last trip to Chicago, my mom and I went for an urban hike in downtown (during the start of the polar vortex). I was proud of myself for making it a few blocks before I started complaining. We found ourself at the top of the John Hancock Tower. The sun had already gotten quite low in the sky... it created some cool shadows and provided a high contrast for these photos. I forgot what a nice view it was from up there. Although, I'm still not a fan of the Trump Tower (thought about photoshopping the building out). Enjoy!

Looking Up

Looking up in Los Angeles... these are some things you might see.

Shining Down

I liked the effect that the sun was having on this building... as you go higher up, it becomes brighter and brighter (until you get to the sky). 

The Urban Landscape

Looking up in downtown Los Angeles. I thought the shiny metal cylinders in the foreground were interesting. 

Light and Shadows

I enjoy walking around cities late in the afternoon or early in the morning. When the sun is at low angles, it creates unique lighting opportunities. You can play around with the shadows or reflections in the building's window (in this case, I did both). 

Escape Pods

I'm not sure why, but looking closely at this photo makes me a bit dizzy.
What you're looking at is the side of a hotel building in downtown Los Angeles. The windows remind me of mini-escape pods. I guess this is where you would want to be if the world was coming to an end. 

LA Sky

Looking up at the US Bank building with a crisp sky in the background. I will always remember this building as being one of the first to get blown up in the "Independence Day" movie (am I showing my age by remembering that?).

Los Angeles - "The City of Angels"

A few weekends ago, I met friends for some pre - New Year's Eve festivities in the City of Angels (Los Angeles). I went to school in LA, but never ventured too far east of the 405... tended to stay in the beach towns. Therefore, I'm not familiar with the downtown area (was warned to stay away).

However, on this specific weekend, we decided to see a show in downtown LA and stay overnight. Los Angeles is actually a pretty cool city (just be careful not too wander too close to skid row at night). There is good food, fun bars, nice museums, and the architecture in the city is very unique... it's a mixture of old, modern, and has some art deco thrown in.

The morning after the show I walked around the city in search of a Starbucks that didn't exist (wouldn't you think it would be easy to find a Starbucks in LA?!?)... and decided to take some photos along the way. I wish I had a bit more time to wander around this day. The sun was just starting to come up and was creating some cool shadows on the buildings. I will have to go back again soon. 

A Sunset In the Shadows

I was messing around with double exposures in Photoshop and came across an old image I took in Quebec City. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was at a pretty low angle. Therefore, the buildings facing west were starting to get shadows on their walls. I thought it might be interesting to add a sunset picture into the shadow... kind of two conflicting images: "Old Historical City" vs. "Surf City". Anyways, I think it came out pretty well... interested to hear what others might think.

Reflections and Water

Was trying to play with the shadows and create a "moody" feel for this picture. I like how it came out. This particular picture was taken back in November towards the end of the fall season. The John W Weeks Footbridge is in the background (construction had just started).

Quebec City Architecture