Abandoned: Piano

Check out these shots I took a couple weeks back of a piano in an abandoned resort. It's creepy, no?

More Fall Drives!

Here are a few more shots from a drive I took back in October with my lovely girlfriend. Our eventual destination is Sleepy Hollow, but we saw some beautiful things along the way.

Down & East

In the last 2ish years that I have lived in Poughkeepsie I have been mostly interested in what is up the Hudson and west of the Hudson (or really anyway to ocassionally break the "Marist bubble"). I have explored many of the little villages and sites around here and in to the Catskill mountains. This morning, post-workout, reading Sartre, debate writing and powerpointing I noticed a trend in my autumn extra-cirrucular activities.

I have been drawn to what is down and east. Partially the impending doom that is graduation is bringing me towards the more densely-populated areas (see: Westchester, NYC) that hold at least a sliver of occupational hope. Fortunately, I started at IBM yesterday and will be there for several months. It was a great day, very interesting. Snow on the way to work and a bunch of tax paperwork failed to impact the Christmas-like feeling of opening a new laptop and getting my name badge, office key and starting at what feels like a "perfect fit" job. Yet again, this new experience is down and east in Somers, NY.

So, as I sit here on this gray, chilly day I'm finally getting to share some photos from pre-Halloween. Luckily, the weather was much nicer on the weekend before Halloween and it led me and my girlfriend down the Hudson as far as Sleepy Hollow. I hope that these images help to brighten the day!

Fall & Autumn, Part II- On the Road

Fall & Autumn

Fall is a very interesting word. After this month, I personally prefer autumn. In the last month fall meant something else to me than to most in October. It meant an injured back, missed classes and physical therapy. So, as I feel much better from that and am pushing on at full speed again I'd like to share some of the better parts of this autumn and enjoy these last days before New York freezes up for the winter months.

On to autumn, autumn has overall been good to me. I got hired an intern at IBM, I'm doing well in my classes (even after missing a good number) and I've gotten back into the photography again. This summer I may have taken many shots, but it was more task-oriented rather than art. The art of photograph happens in a millisecond and also takes hours. While the image may be recorded on to your digital or celluloid recording device (both are great) in a split second, the adaptation, manipulation and life of that image has just begun.

Digressing back to my fall for a moment, what was the reason behind it? I was in a rush. My key didn't work in the door. I was frustrated. Angry. I turned around and fell on slippery steps. It was scary. All that rushing can not only be bad for you literally it makes us miss a lot of great things. So, as I traveled quite a bit throughout the Hudson Valley on weekend adventures, and doing routine tasks, I tried to stop. Look around and snap some pictures.

The pictures that I am including here today came from a weekend that started out rushing. Trying to get a tire replaced on my car. Shop. Stress. Not fun. Then my wonderful girlfriend and I decided to meander up to a bookstore and through the farm country of the Hudson Valley and explore and enjoy the world that is around us. The American car-focused culture can lead to a tunnel vision, the same places and faces blur together as we rush from work to appointments, classes and home. Instead of finding freedom behind the wheel it is easy to feel chained to it and become frustrated. Now, when I am stuck at one of the lights by Marist for the umpteenth time or am lost in an unfamiliar place, I stop and look around and try to see the beauty and be mindful of the moment.

I'm including a few pictures from Poughkeepsie and from that Saturday drive to show a contrast of night and day. Town and country. I enjoyed capturing these moments and hope that they highlight some of the things that we often don't allow to stop and notice.

Current Happenings & A June Day in Vermont

Well, it has been a bit longer of a gap than I would have liked here. I have been shooting various things for the Marist Circle, as usual. Also, lots of school work this semester. Challenging, but rewarding (final year!). I am working on shooting more B&W 35mm film and hope to eventually get some of those shots scanned and up here. In my copious amounts of free time I have had my girlfriend here for about five days now and she has already found a job and an apartment!

Today, I have two classes (both Math-based), a test and a phone interview for a Co-op position with IBM. Then, I am headed into NYC for what should be an amazing concert tonight by Great Big Sea. So, I have been up and about since sunrise this morning and thought I'd take the time to share some old pictures. This series comes from a day trip I made into Vermont. This first set is from the trip over and a very cool diner called the Blue Benn. More to come!



Buckwheat pancakes!





Enjoy these and I am hoping to have many more to come soon, from the "archive" and from what is becoming a beautiful fall here in the Hudson Valley!

Moxie Parade!

The Moxie Parade on July 10th was definitely one of the coolest events I saw this summer. Check out some of the highlights here!
The official "Mr. Moxie" (on left) points at the camera imitating the soda jerk who would have taken your order in the hey-day of the soft drink that claims it out sold Coca-Cola from it's creation in 1876 until the 1920's.
One of two "horse cars" seen at the festival.
A "monster" fire truck promoted Camp Sunshine and was part of a trend of things over-sized and miniature. Many go-karts, large vehicles and a few "normal" vintage sports cars filled in throughout the parade.

The rain held off, but not for long after this. Afterward we went to the book sale and the rain poured on us, putting a damper on some of the days' events, but the parade was quite excellent. I hope to return!

Look for more updates soon, as I go back through photos from the summer and add new stuff. Yesterday, I went to New Jersey to shoot for a piece that will be appearing in Marist magazine and tomorrow I will be covering Marist football vs. Bucknell for the Circle! Enjoy!