Labor Day Weekend at VMI

Stonewall Jackson and the setting sun

Over Labor Day weekend, I returned to one of my favorite photographic subjects, the Virginia Military Institute located in Lexington, VA. It was fun watching the upper class cadets start to mold the new cadets into VMI citizen soldiers.  The sky was cloudy or overcast for most of the weekend, so I focused most of my shots before sunrise or after sunset to capture the "blue" sky rather than a white overcast.

Jackson Memorial Hall

Virginia Military Institute

Cadet Battery

A "Rat" gets some extra instruction

Morning Formation

St. Louis Arch

While in St. Louis last weekend for a friend's wedding, I took the opportunity to capture some photos of the St Louis Arch.  Officially called the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the stainless steel arch is an amazing piece of architecture.  The arch soars into the sky 630 feet, 75 feet taller than the Washington Monument.  At night, the stainless steel structure shines in the dark as it reflects the lights of St Louis.

Also at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is the Old Court House where, in 1847, Dred Scott sued for his freedom from slavery; an event that hastened the beginning of the Civil War.  The Courthouse is currently undergoing some reconstruction.

St Louis Old Courthouse and Arch

Merry Christmas 2011

National Capitol Christmas Tree and US Capitol Building, Washington, DC

One of my families favorite activities this time of year is to visit the Christmas Tree at the US Capitol.  If you are in the area, it's well worth the visit.

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

National Capitol Christmas Tree and US Capitol Building, Washington, DC

First Snow

First Snow at White Sulphur Springs Heritage House

This past weekend, my family went to a weekend getaway at White Sulphur Springs, Eastern conference center of Officers' Christian Fellowship.  While there, we received around 10 inches of snow.  Snow of any amounted is unexpected for the end of October, but great fun for photography and enjoying the time away.

OCF just opened the Heritage House conference center this past spring, so not only was it the first snow of the year, it was the first snow to fall on the newly opened center.  

Night falls on the first snow at Heritage House

Virginia Military Institute

While in Lexington, Virginia over Labor Day weekend, I made an early Saturday morning trip to the Virginia Military Institute Post.  Even at the early hour of 6 AM, the cadets were quite active, especially new cadets living on the 4th (top) floor of Barracks.

VMI Old Barracks

Cadets streaming out of Barracks for morning formation

Cadet walking past Jackson Memorial Hall

VMI Cadet Battery

VMI Cadet Battery

Charlottesville Virginia

Over Labor Day Weekend, my family took a trip to Charlottesville, Virginia.  We walked around the University of Virginia Campus one evening and toured Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, the next morning.  I was struck by the architectural similarity between the UVA Rotunda building and Monticello.

University of Virginia Rotunda

University of Virginia Academical Village

Monticello

Fort Point

Golden Gate Bridge before sunrise

Another trip to San Francisco and a few more images from the area around the Golden Gate Bridge.  This time I concentrated on the southern side of the bridge in an area called Fort Point.  Fort Point is where the first ship to enter San Francisco Bay dropped anchor in August of 1775.  Unfortunately, I arrived there just in time for the iron door into the fort to be clanged shut in my face (literally), so I didn't get to see the inside.

Golden Gate Bridge around morning twilight

Perhaps next time I visit there, I can get an image of the top of the bridge sticking out above a fog layer.  For more images from the Golden Gate area, see my previous posts titled: Golden Gate at Sunrise, Golden Gate Bridge, and San Francisco.

Photo Walk in Old Town Leesburg

Despite the cold (9 deg F) weather this morning, I did an early morning photo walk in Leesburg, Virginia this morning.  I love taking pictures at early morning hours as the long shutter speeds brings out colors that our eyes just don't see.  Plus, the cold and early morning hour meant that the streets were deserted, which makes setting up a tripod much easier.  Here are a few shots from this morning's outing.  More images from this morning are available on my flickr page.  I welcome your comments.

Loudoun County Courthouse at twilight

Lines

The Pink Door

Corks

Golden Gate Bridge

Panoramic of the Golden Gate Bridge

During another business trip to the San Francisco area in mid-December, I returned to the Golden Gate Bridge National Recreation Area to try and capture some images of the bridge from different angles.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I missed the overlook I was trying to find during my previous trip in September and wanted to try again. 

For the image above, I stood on top of a overlook off of Conzelman road for about an hour waiting for the sun to set.  I was praying the sun would pop out from the clouds/haze and illuminate the bridge just long enough for a few shots.  My prayer was answered about 30 minutes before sunset.  The sun stayed out just long enough for me to capture a set of 7 images, which I stitched together to form the panoramic above.  

While there, I also stopped by the Ridge Battery and Battery Spencer and captured the images below.  These were gun emplacements set up shortly after the Civil War to protect the San Francisco Bay.  You can still see the earthen walls they build to provide protection from enemy fire.

Golden Gate from the Ridge Battery

Golden Gate Bridge from Battery Spencer