The Dawn of Spring - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

The early morning in Pittsburgh is magical during the spring. The flowers filled the air with the scent of floral life.

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Sunset over Pittsburgh

This was perhaps the most spectacular sunset I've seen in a really long time. The pinks, the purples and warm oranges was truly incredible. And totally unexpected: I had almost entirely given up on a sunset for the evening as it was gray and dreary just a few minutes before this.

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Incoming Thunderstorm - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

I arrived a few minutes before the thunderstorm and was met by several other photographers up there waiting for the lighting strikes to start, all hoping to catch the perfect and awe inspiring image.

Not a single bolt was to be had. We all got relatively drenched.

thunderstormpittsburghwest end overlookwest end bridgeHeinz FieldUPMCHighmarkCitizens BankPPG PlaceRivers CasinoOhio RiverAllegheny RiverMonongahela RiverSteel CityBNY MellonGulf TowerFort Pitt BridgeFort Duquesne BridgePoint State ParkMt Washington

Dynamic Sky over Pittsburgh

I love everything about this image. I love the dynamic motion of the clouds headed towards the city. I love the pink and purple of the clouds to the west. I love the small hits of red and green on Herrs Island. Most of all, I love the color and texture of the river itself.

Using a long shutter (this was 90 seconds) allows you to see the motion inherent in the landscape. Normally things move to slowly (or we're not patient enough) to really notice, but when put into an image everything moving becomes obvious.

It should be noted that the water may be the exception to this. The motion of surface of the water is typically fast enough that all motion blurs together and the result is this silky smooth texture that looks quite different than what you would observe with your eyes.

Washington LandingPittsburghAllegheny RiverSunsetSpring SunsetDynamic CloudsUPMCHighmarkKL GatesSkyscraperYachtWashingtons Landing MarinaMarina

Spring and the Old Growth - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

The first time I came up to this spot I saw this tree and was instantly fascinated with it. Unfortunately, at that time it was too dark to really image it with the city in the way I liked. I kept thinking about it and the gorgeous shape. This is nearly exactly what I was I had pictured.

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Pittsburgh from Above Troy Hill - Spring

I was at this exact spot about a week ago and wow have things changed. The green is noticeable and whole feeling is changing. I absolutely love spring. I love how life seems to return after the brutal cold of winter.

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PPG Paints Arena - 2019 Playoffs

The Hockey is strong with Pittsburgh. It always has been. It always will be.
Lets go Pens!

NHLPPG Paints ArenaPittsburgh PenguinsHockeyHockeytownPenguinsIglooSidney CrosbySteel cityCity of ChampionsMario Lemieux

PNC Park - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

This was taken the day before the home opener on a cold, windy and dreary day.

PittsburghPiratesbaseballPittsburgh PiratesBuccoshome openerPNC ParkMajor League BaseballMLBStadiumballparkPittsburgh ballparkAllegheny RiverFort Duquesne Boulevard

Pittsburgh from above Troy Hill at Sunset

There is so much happening here. The gradient in the sky just after sunset gives this image a tremendous warmth even though the actual temperature wasn't all that warm. The sky reminds me of a typical early spring sunset. The skyscrapers are lit up , but it's not dark enough yet to lose the detail in the houses on Troy Hill. And that cloud up there. That cloud is just there being awesome.

I'll be back to this location. There were a few other images I wanted to get but the ambient light was too low and I wasn't able to pull the details that I wanted to.

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Pittsburgh from above Troy Hill at Twilight

This might be my favorite image I've taken so far. Like, I mean, ever. Shooting at twilight is really fantastic. There is just enough light that you can get the right details, but dark enough the sky goes this beautiful blue and the buildings are lit up like giant lanterns.

Troy HillPittsburghPennsylvaniasunsetneighborhoodcity skylineMt WashingtonHighmarkUPMCUS Steel TowerGulf TowerKL GatesPPG Place

Day Before the 2019 Home Opener

Spoiler Alert: They lost: 6-5 to the Cardinals in 11 innings.

PittsburghPiratesbaseballPittsburgh PiratesBuccoshome openerPNC ParkMajor League BaseballMLBStadiumballparkPittsburgh ballparkAllegheny RiverFort Duquesne Boulevard

Day before the 2019 Season Home Opener: 31 ºF and Snowing.

Pittsburgh springs are really kind of random. We get 70 ºF days in February and snow in April. The day before the home opener it was snowing and really pretty cold (mainly due to the wind). Still, I had to go and get a photo.

PittsburghPiratesbaseballPittsburgh PiratesBuccoshome openerPNC ParkMajor League BaseballMLBStadiumballparkPittsburgh ballparkAllegheny RiverFort Duquesne Boulevard

Looking Down the Ohio River - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

While Pittsburgh gets all the attention, the view down the magnificent Ohio River at dusk where the dark sky is reflected in the water giving it a really incredible deep blue color is really fantastic.

Ohio RiverAllegheny RiverGrand ConcourseStation SquareHighmark FieldFort Pitt BridgeRiversRivers CasinoCasinoHeinz FieldSteelersPittsburgh SteelersRiver HoundsBrunot IslandMcKees RocksWest End BridgeCarnegie Science CenterHiltonParkwaysunsetduskeveningclear sky

Evening ISS Flyover March 26, 2019

At 8:37 PM the International Space Station flew over South Dakota over the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and over Ontario and Quebec Canada. Viewed from Pittsburgh, the station was small and relatively dim which made imaging it relatively difficult. Moving at 17,500 miles per hour (or roughly 5 miles per second) it took the station 6 minutes to go from horizon to horizon.

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LifeFlight over Pittsburgh

St. Paul's cemetery directly north of the city on the top of Troy Hill has this most wonderful overlook. I had gone down to get the sunset which was more of less of a bust, but as twilight approached and the city lit up the blue and green really mixed well. The stadium was lit up too, I guess they're doing tests before the season opener in a few weeks.

PittsburghHighmarkPPG PlaceMt Washingtoncity of bridgessteel cityurbanFt. Pitt BridgeNorth SideTroy HillKDKAGateway CenterKL GatesRoberto Clemente BridgeRachel Cason BridgeAndy Warhol BridgeLifeFlightHelicopterNorthsidetwilightdusk

Concrete Arteries of the City - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

This is just one of the most wonderful and unique views of the city. I am really drawn to the complex roadway system in this part of town - it is so much fun to drive at night when there is little to no traffic. The sunset was a TOTAL bust, but the cloud textures made the trip worthwhile.

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Springdale Pennsylvania - near Pittsburgh

Colfax Street and Pittsburgh Street (and the few blocks around that intersection). This is looking north from across the river.

One of the neat and beautiful things about Western Pennsylvania is that all along the banks of the rivers are these really neat, beautiful, old mill (and mine) towns with these quintessential "Western PA homes". There is so much history represented in this image. If you currently live, or use to live in one of these homes in this image, I'd really like to hear from you. Message me via the contact button on top.

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US Steel Tower

If you don't mind dodging the traffic, this might be the best place to capture the entire US Steel tower and the its reflection. Add the Three Rivers Heritage Trail bridge to Herrs Island and it's a really neat image.

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St. Patricks Day in Pittsburgh

It's been a while since I last photographed this view of the city. Between the green Highmark Building and the very colorful reflections in the Allegheny River, I think this one came out pretty good.

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Springdale and New Kensington - near Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

The hills around Pittsburgh make for some really interesting imaging. In the foreground is Springdale (or at least a part of Springdale) on the bank of the Allegheny River. In the background is New Kensington also on the bank of the Allegheny River.

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Urban Pedestrian Bridge

Gerst Way is a pedestrian bridge over the Parkway North (I-279) just north of the city. While I've taken many images from the walkway of the city and traffic, this is the first time I've taken an image including the bridge itself that I was happy with.

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The International Space Station Flying over Pittsburgh

The International Space Station flew over Pittsburgh this morning (March 12, 2019) at 6:11 AM and I managed to get out and capture the pass. Actually, the ground track put the flyover north of Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean somewhere north of Maine, but its as visible from Pittsburgh. Fortunately, the sky was clear enough it worked.

ISSInternational Space StationFlyoverPittsburghPennsylvaniaUrbanCity SkylineHighmarkUPMCBNY MellonSheratonStation SquareFort PittOhio RiverThree RiversSteel CityFort Pitt Bridgeskylineearly morning

Pittsburgh Skyline and Fire Sunrise

This is a HUGE panorama of the city skyline that is high enough resolution to print as large as you can possibly print.

sunrisedawnmorningPittsburghOhio Rivercity skylineurbanskyscrapersdowntownbridgescity of bridgessteel citytugboatport of pittsburghfire sky

Railroad Tracks

The rail lines lead into the heart of the industrial machine; while reminiscent of a bygone era of massively heavy industry, Pittsburgh has transformed itself into a vibrant knowledge based economy. It's best to know and honor your roots.

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Fire Sunrise over Pittsburgh

The past two days have had really wonderful sunrises. I was unable to photograph yesterdays sunrise, but today I was. And I like it.

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Partial Moon Setting - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

Unlike last time I took a photo of the moon setting between buildings, this one was semi-planned. I like how it came out. I love the art deco architecture of both the Koppers and Gulf Towers.

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The Flow of the City - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

The traffic was sufficiently intense to give the image a real sense of motion and flow - partially or mainly due to the curvature of the roadway. So many people going all over the place.

PittsburghnorthI279Pennsylvaniaskylinecityskyscrapersbuildingbeautifulnighttime lapseVeterans BridgeEast StreetTrafficEast Ohio Street

Roberto Clemente in Winter - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

Winter is a magical time in Pittsburgh as long as it's snowing.

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Pittsburgh from the Hill - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

The view of the city from the Hill District is really impressive. The wind was blowing directly in my face and was brutally cold.

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Legends of Pittsburgh - Mural on Ross St and Second Ave - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

The mural by artist Michael Malle on Ross St. and Second Ave is really a wonderful piece of public art. The weather was quite cold and windy so I wasn't able to stay too long - there was too much traffic for me to get the real shot I wanted, I'll have to go back at 3 AM to get it I think.

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Roberto Clemente Bridge in Winter - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

Winter is a magical time in Pittsburgh as long as it's snowing.

Roberto Clemente Bridge6th Street BridgePittsburghdowntownReed SmithHighmarkPPG Placebridgewinternorth shorenorth sideurban

Pittsburgh Skyline - Winter Afternoon

The skyline of Pittsburgh on a rare, sunny and beautiful (and unseasonably warm) winter afternoon.

PittsburghSkylineDowntownskyscraperskyscrapersurbanarchitectureKL GatesPPGHighmarkUPMCUS SteelBNY MellonGulf TowerNorthsideManchesterwinterafternoonpanoramaKoppers

Cathedral of Learning - University of Pittsburgh

I have been trying to find a neat and unique angle to photograph the Cathedral of Learning. Every time I would go to the Pitt Campus I would look and walk around and try and find something and it just wasn't what I wanted. I think this is it though. I'll be interested in seeing how this looks in the summer or during the daylight, but as far as finding a unique angle, I think this is as good as it gets.

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From the Top of the Hill - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

The view from the top of the Hill was really neat. The wind wasn't too bad, but it got pretty cold. I don't know if this location will work too well in the summer due to the beautiful, giant trees I had to shoot between.

PittsburghPennsylvaniaSteel CityCity of ChampionsHill DistrictUpper HillDowntownHighmarkUPMCGulf TowerPPG PlaceEQTKL GatesBNY MellonKoppersDuquesne InclineRobert Williams ReservoirRobert Williams Park

The Rachel Carson Bridge is Closed - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

I'm going to miss photographing this bridge for the next while.

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Wind Storm - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

Photographs are by their nature static forms of art. Trying to capture the motion of the scene in a static image can sometimes be just as hard - or sometimes harder - then photographing the scene in such a way to eliminate the dynamic. So when the wind storm was predicted a few days ago I started to think about how to capture the motion of the wind in a static image and came up with something very similar to this: At the bottom of the frame is the city and ground which is absolutely static. As the eye wonders up toward the top of the image, the strong motion of the branches becomes apparent and then at the very top and behind the blurred branches, the clouds moving at extreme speed.

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Penn Ave - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

The city looks so different from this vantage point. The Duquesne Incline doesn't look nearly as steep as it does from the bottom terminus.

PittsburghPenn AveCourtyardMarriottGateway CenterConvention CenterDavid L Lawrence Convention CenterDuquesne InclineHighmarkFederatedGrandview AvecityscapearchitectureskyscraperSteel CityAllegheny RiverGolden Triangle

Andy Warhol Bridge Reflected

The Andy Warhol bridge reflected in the window of the Alcoa building on Pittsburghs Northshore. The sky was overcast and there wasn't really any interesting cloud textures or colors so I made it black and white.

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The Rachel Carson Bridge is Closed

Last year the Rachel Carson bridge was outfitted with a light show with wind generators and it was really neat. This year (and next year) the bridge is now closed to all traffic to an overdue maintenance and rebuild.

I hope they put the lights back up.

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Downtown from Slightly Upstream of the Smithfield Bridge

There really isn't anything as exciting as finding a new location to photograph the city from. I think this view works quite nicely.

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The Castle of Pittsburgh

This might (MIGHT) be my new favorite view of Pittsburgh. I absolutely love the layered look to this image between the foreground of the road with the headlight trails and houses on the hillside with the skyscrapers in the background and then the hillside in the distance. I really think this one came out pretty good.

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Smithfield Bridge and Downtown - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

The view of downtown, the Grand Concourse and the Monongahela River crossed by the Smithfield Bridge on a cold Friday night was magical. The city seemed to be much brighter than it has been in the past, I don't know if it actually was or it was just seeing something from a new perspective.

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10th Street Pedestrian Bridge over the Tracks - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

I had originally hoped to get a nice shot of the skyline from the bridge. The apartment building and trees blocked too much and I figured this was a good consolation image. The pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks and public stairway made for an interesting (I think) image with the city through the trees in the back ground.

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PPG Place under a starry sky

The weather was cold and windy. The sky was clearing. The towers were beautiful.

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PPG Paints: Pittsburgh Hockeytown (v.2)

I grew up in Detroit during the days of Scotty Bowman and the Russian 5, Mike Vernon, etc. Hockey in Detroit and Hockey in Pittsburgh share many similarities which I find wonderful and interesting and very me-at-home.

HockeyNHLPPG PaintsArenaPenguinsIglooSidney CrosbyPittsburghHockeytownSteel cityCity of ChampionsMario Lemieux

Highmark Lit Red for American Heart Month

I like this view a lot. I took an image very similar last October when the Highmark Building was lit in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness. I took another one similar the month before when it was lit its normal blue. This was the first time I lowered the camera all the way to the ground and I like the strong pavement details quite a lot.

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Sandusky St - Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

I was actually going from one location to another when I happened to glance over and see this street. I came back a half hour later and captured this.

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North Side and Downtown Pittsburgh

From the staircases behind Allegheny General Hospital the view of downtown is really magical and full of detail and color. The Rachel Carson bridge (which is now shut down for the next year for repairs and renovation) stands above the buildings and really adds a unique and wonderful detail to the incredible richness of the image.

PittsburghAllegheny RiverNorth SideNeighborhoodUrbanRachel CarsonRachel Carson Bridgeskyscraperarchitecturedowntownsteel citycity of champions