2018 Year in Review: Josh Friedman's Photographs

"Be at War with your Vices, at Peace with your Neighbours,
and let every New-Year find you a better Man."
-Benjamin Franklin (Poor Richard's Almanac)

The past 12 months have been one of transitions within our family:  Jason (18) is a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania, studying engineering; Alex (22) is a senior at Carnegie Mellon University, and he will start working in NYC as a software developer after graduation this coming Spring; and Cynthia and I have become "empty nesters."

Photography has continued to be a source of creativity, peacefulness, friendship and joy.  Over the past year I've had the good fortune to spend hours photographing the beauty and history that surrounds us in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  Some other highlights have included:  San Francisco and Muir Woods in California; the Wormsloe Historic Site near Savannah, Georgia; The Cascadilla Gorge Trail, in Ithaca, New York; the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas; Washington, DC; and various areas of interest within Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh's bridges; Gettysburg National Military Park; the Philadelphia skyline on the night before the Super Bowl; and the historic Eastern State Penitentiary).

Below are some favorite images from the past year.  Thank you to Cynthia, who helped me edit my initial collection of photographs.  Additionally, for those who may be interested, HERE is recent story about my photography in Bucks Happening magazine.  Wishing everyone a holiday season and a new year filled with peace, happiness, companionship and fulfillment. 

Lake Afton and Saint Andrew's Church in Snow,
Yardley, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Muir Woods National Monument, Marin County, California.

Painted Ladies, with the San Francisco Skyline 
(a.k.a. "Postcard Row" of Victorian Homes, as seen from 
Alamo Square Park, just before sunset).

Pittsburgh Skyline at twilight, reflected in the
Allegheny River (as seen from the Three Rivers
Heritage Trail, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania).

 Stone Arch Bridge reflected in Pidcock Creek, in Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Royal Towers and The Cove, reflected in Paradise Lagoon.
Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas.

"Oak Avenue" at the Wormsloe Plantation, with Oak Trees and Spanish Moss, Wormsloe Historic Site, near Savannah, Georgia.

Late Autumn Sunrise at Patterson Farm,
Yardley, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Cascadilla Gorge Trail in Autumn, Ithaca, New York.

Lake Afton and the Old Library in Winter,
Yardley, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

The Golden Gate Bridge at Sunrise,
from Fort Point, San Francisco, California.

Blue Heron along the Delaware Canal and Towpath
Yardley, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC.

Lake Afton and the Old Library in Autumn,
Yardley, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia Skyline in Green at Night,
Prior to the Eagles-Patriots Super Bowl.

Lumberville-Ravenrock Bridge with partially frozen
Delaware River, Lumberville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Sycamore Trees in Morning Fog, Washington Crossing Historic
 Park, Washington Crossing, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Civil War cannon on West Confederate Avenue, in Gettysburg
National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

 Andy Warhol Bridge and Roberto Clemente Bridge reflected in the Allegheny River, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Delaware Canal and Towpath before sunrise,
Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Historic Bridgetown Gristmill, next to the Bridgetown
Mill House, in Langhorne, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Schofield Ford Covered Bridge, Tyler State Park,
Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Barber's Chair, Eastern State Penitentiary,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Patterson Farm before sunrise, Yardley,
Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

New Hope and Ivyland Railroad, New Hope,
Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Rachel Carson Bridge and Pittsburgh Skyline, (as seen from
the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). 

Reflections in the Cabin Run Creek, near Pipersville,
 Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Late Afternoon Clouds over Patterson Farm,
Yardley, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Under the Andy Warhol Bridge, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Patterson Farm at Sunset, Yardley, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Cabin Run Covered Bridge reflected in Cabin Run Creek,
 Point Pleasant, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Muir Woods National Monument, Marin County, California.

Lumberville–Raven Rock Bridge in morning fog,
Lumberville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Cabin Run Creek in Autumn, Point Pleasant,
Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Cascadilla Gorge Trail in Autumn, Ithaca, New York.

The West Trenton Railroad Bridge in early morning fog,
Yardley, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

2017 Year in Review: Josh Friedman's Photographs

“People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they have not communicated with each other.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Photography is always a creative process in which I feel fully "in the moment" - whether I'm capturing the tranquil beauty of country road or the angles, lines and reflections in a modern skyscraper. I recognize that over the past year, photography has provided moments of respite from disturbing headlines and feeling of divisiveness in our country.  I hope that 2018 brings us a renewed sense of compassion, decency, respect, understanding and unity.

What follows are a few of my favorite or most meaningful photos from the past year.  Usually, once I post my annual "year in review," I question why I included some, and why I excluded others.  I suspect that this collection is no different.

Best wishes for the holiday season and new year.

One World Trade Center ("The Freedom Tower"), New York City.

Calhoun Street Bridge, Crossing the Delaware River
between West Trenton, New Jersey and Morrisville, Pennsylvania.

First Light on Bowman's Hill, behind the
Thompson-Neely Mill, New Hope, Pennsylvania

Cascadilla Gorge, Ithaca, New York.

The Old Library reflected in Lake Afton in Spring,
Yardley, Pennsylvania (Bucks County).

St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Delaware Canal State Park,
Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania (Bucks County).

"It Takes One Person: A Tribute to Rosa Parks,"
mural in West Philadelphia. 

Patterson Farm in Spring, Yardley, Pennsylvania (Bucks County).

• "Wisdom" Statue, Rockefeller Center, New York City, NY.

Cuttalossa Farm, New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Dixieland jazz performers on Royal Street. 
New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Delaware Canal and Towpath, Yardley, Pennsylvania. 

"Trenton Makes" Bridge at Dusk, West Trenton, New Jersey.

 Alcoa Corporate Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, near the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, in the City's North Side.

Sunflowers, Newtown, Pennsylvania.

Delaware Canal and Towpath, Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve, New Hope, Pennsylvania. 

Route 32, New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Delaware River in Yardley, Pennsylvania (Bucks County).

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Old Library reflected in Lake Afton,
Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Cira Centre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Delaware Canal State Park, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Lake Afton, Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Abandoned Truck, Pipersville, Pennsylvania.

Cuttalossa Road, New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Delaware and Raritan Canal, Lambertville, New Jersey.

Patterson Farm, Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Tujague's and Balconies on Decatur Street, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Mahlon Taylor House, Washington Crossing
 Historic Park, Pennsylvania.