Josh Friedman Photography

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Even Nothing is Something: Mindful Photographs of Suburbia

Within the Past year, I've photographed scenes ranging from the mountains and waterfalls of Yosemite National Park to the monuments in Washington, D.C., to the Manhattan Skyline to the rustic landscapes near my home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. When I photograph these places, most of my images have a significant subject in center stage: The Empire State Building, Half Dome, The Lincoln Memorial, etc.

My photographs in this post are a bit different. There are no famous skyscrapers or mountains or monuments. But as John Lennon sang, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Perhaps you remember the "Seinfeld" exchange between George and Jerry as the two are pitching a show idea to NBC executives:

GEORGE: The show is about nothing.

JERRY: Well, it's not about nothing.

GEORGE: No, it's about nothing.

JERRY: Well, maybe in philosophy. But, even nothing is something.

In a similar way, the following photographs are of "nothing." People don't travel for thousands of miles to see the stairs in back of a Giant supermarket or the water droplets on a plastic bag. Often we pass by these situations without noticing them, but these mundane subjects can create beautiful or interesting patterns and abstract designs. In the spirit of "mindfulness," the trick seems to be to slow down and focus our attention in a non-judgmental way on the present situation. Here are my recent photographs of "nothing."

Back of Giant Supermarket,
Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania

Ice and Water Droplets
On My Car

Railing on the Side of the Road
Core Creek County Park,
Middletown Township, Pennsylvania

Kitchen Chair with Shadow (in Our House)

Manhole Cover (with Snow),
Sidewalk Outside Starbucks,
Yardley, Pennsylvania

Office Building
Newtown, Pennsylvania

Side of Building with Railing,
Lambertville, New Jersey

Winter Tire Tracks,
Starbucks Parking Lot,
Yardley, Pennsylvania

Water Droplets on Newspaper Bag
(Our Driveway)

Back of Giant Supermarket,
Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

January Mornings in Bucks County, Pennsylvania: Winter Landscape Photographs

Over the past three weeks, I've spent several mornings photographing a few of my favorite spots in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This winter has certainly been far milder than last year - our boys have not missed and school due to "snow days," and I have yet to contend with my annual struggle to get our snowblower running. That said, many mornings this winter I left my house with my camera and tripod when the thermometer was between 15 and 20 degrees. These are pretty chilly temperatures to be manipulating the dials on my Canon. Often I get pretty engrossed in what I'm doing and lose track of the fact that my fingers and toes are pretty darn cold. Below are some of my new winter images. To see more of my photographs, visit my ETSY SHOP. To see images of last winter, click WINTER 2014 - No. 1 and WINTER 2014 - No. 2.

Cabin Run Creek. Point Pleasant,
Plumstead Township, Pennsylvania.

Tory Road,
Pipersville, Pennsylvania.

Delaware River,
Washington Crossing,Pennsylvania.

Delaware River and Train Bridge,
Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Delaware Canal (Near Centre Bridge),
Solebury Township, Pennsylvania.

Geese over Frozen Delaware River.
Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Morning Reflections on Lake Afton,
Yardley, Pennsylvania

Delaware River and Train Bridge.
Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Frozen Zen?
Cabin Run Creek. Point Pleasant,
Plumstead Township, Pennsylvania.

Lake Afton.
Yardley, Pennsyvania

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Year in Review: Vote for Your Favorite Image of the Last 12 Months for a Chance to Win a FREE PHOTOGRAPH PRINT

The past twelve months have been been quite exciting. In addition to many trips within an hour of my home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, I've been fortunate to photograph California's Yosemite National Park, New York City, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Atlantis Resort, in the Bahamas. This has included days over 90 degrees, and days when the thermometer was in the single digits. Between Thanksgiving, 2013 until now, I've probably clicked the shutter on my Cannon about 15 or 20-thousand times, if not more. Of all those images, I've narrowed down my top thirty-five.

While I have some personal favorites, I am curious which images other folks like best. In the "comments" section at the end of this blog post, please indicate the number of your favorite image (each images has a number underneath). You can also vote by sending me an email at: Joshfriedmanphoto@gmail.com or posting a note at my FACEBOOK PAGE. I will announce the 2014 reader favorite image on Wednesday, December 10th. From all of the people who vote, I will randomly chose one person to receive a free 8"X12" print (image of your choice). If you are interested, I have included links to the corresponding photographs at my ONLINE ETSY SHOP.