September Mornings in Bucks County, Pennsylvania: Landscape and Nature Photographs

I'm a big fan of September mornings in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  Temperatures are beginning to cool down and trees show the first hints of autumn.  Morning mist gives landscapes a delicately ethereal quality.  All of the images below are in Bucks County, during the first two weeks of September, 2015.

If you are interested in expanding your photography skills, I will be running a "Bucks County in Autumn" photography workshop (in the field) on Sunday, November 1st.  This should coincide with the peak of fall foliage, and we'll see Bucks County's beautiful rustic landscapes, iconic covered bridges, rolling hills, and more.  Details will be coming soon.  To learn more, follow me on FACEBOOK, or email me at: Joshfriedmanphoto@gmail.com.  To see more of my photographs, visit my WEBSITE or my ETSY SHOP.

Morning view from Calhoun Street Bridge
Morrisville, Pennsylvania.

New Hope-Lambertville Bridge in Morning Mist
View from New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Wildflowers at Sunrise,
Cafferty Road, Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania.

Window and Flower Box
Black Bass Hotel, Lumberville, Pennsylvania

Morning Fishermen on the Delaware River
Seen From Lumberville-Raven Rock Foot Bridge,
Lumberville, Pennsylvania.

Delaware River and Reflection
Delaware Canal State Park,
Virginia Forrest Recreation Area, Solebury, PA.

High Rocks Vista in Morning Mist,
Ralph Stover State Park,
Pipersville, Pennsylvania.

Frankenfield Covered Bridge,
Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania.

Rowers in Morning Mist on the Delaware River
Near the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge
View from New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Sweet Dumpling Squash at Styer Orchard,
Langhorne, Pennsylvania.

Morning Light at Delaware Canal State Park,
Virginia Forrest Recreation Area, Solebury, PA

Tohickon Creek,
Pipersville, Pennsylvania.

Summer, Surf, Sand and Sunrises: Early Morning Photographs of the New Jersey Shore

If you mention the New Jersey shore, people may think of busy beaches and all kinds of fun activities:  Swimming, riding bicycles or surreys on the boardwalk, playing miniature golf, or going to the arcade or amusement park.  Their mouths are likely to water at the thought of their favorite shore foods: curly fries, fudge, saltwater taffy, frozen custard, pizza, churros, caramel corn, and the list goes on.

The bustle of an afternoon at the beach or an evening on the boardwalk is quite different from the peaceful, calm beauty of an early morning at the shore.  For photographers, the early morning is wonderful for great light, beautiful sunrises, and endless possible images of sand, water, piers, etc.  I took all of the following images this summer, between late July and the end of August.  I have included photographs from four New Jersey beaches:  Cape May, Ocean City, Atlantic City, and Margate.  Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the sunrise and the salty air!  To see more of my photographs, or to purchase a print, visit my online ETSY store HERE.

1) CAPE MAY

Cape May:  Boat and Lifeguard Stand

Cape May:  Lifeguard Stand at Sunrise

Cape May:  Victorian House
("The Abbey")

2) OCEAN CITY

Ocean City:  First Light at the Pier 

Ocean City:  Under the Pier

Ocean City:  Morning at the Pier

Ocean City:  Patterns in Sand

Ocean City:  Bicycle, Boardwalk, Beach and Pier

3) ATLANTIC CITY

Atlantic City:  Damaged Pier with Breaking Waves

Atlantic City: Beach and Steel Pier

Atlantic City:  Morning Waves and Sky

4) MARGATE

Margate:  Pier and Tide at Sunrise

Margate:  Pier at Sunrise

Margate:  Boat, Lifeguard Stand and Pier

Photographs of the 2015 Manhattan Skyline: Views from New Jersey and Brooklyn

"A life is not important except in the impact it has 

on other lives"

Jackie Robinson (Brooklyn Dodgers)

This post is lovingly dedicated to the memory of my dad, Harry Friedman. He passed away on July 15th at the age of 91.  

Manhattan's skyline is one of the most recognizable images in the world. When my parents were born in the early 1920's, the Flatiron Building (21 floors) was one of the tallest buildings in Manhattan. During their childhood (my mom grew up in The Bronx, while my dad was in Brooklyn), iconic structures like the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building were completed. This past year, the new World Trade Center (the "Freedom Tower") has been a significant addition to the city, as well as being a symbol of American resilience.  Other new skyscrapers are on the way, and they will contribute to the Manhattan skyline's ongoing evolution.   

To see some of my earlier photographs of Manhattan, click HERE.   The new images below (all taken in July, 2015) are from three locations, each on a different day:  1) Jersey City, New Jersey (morning of July 5th); 2) Weehawken, New Jersey (evening of July 13th); and 3) "DUMBO" in Brooklyn, New York (morning of July 19th).  Each of these areas offers a beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline. The New Jersey locations are back-lit in the morning and front or side-lit at sunset.  From DUMBO (Brooklyn), Manhattan is front-lit in the morning and back or side-lit at sunset.

When I started shooting these photographs of the changing Manhattan skyline, I was focusing largely on the view from New Jersey.  I took the first  of the photographs below early in the morning (July 5th) at the Liberty State Park, in Jersey City, New Jersey.  This is directly across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan.  The location offers terrific views of both Lower Manhattan (including the World Trade Center) as well as Midtown Manhattan (i.e. including the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, etc.).  The park is home to the "Empty Sky" New Jersey 9/11 Memorial - a beautiful, emotionally moving tribute to New Jersey residents who lost their lives in the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks.

On the evening of July 13th I went to Weehawken (near the Lincoln Harbor Yacht Club), New Jersey to photograph the Manhattan skyline at sunset.  This is directly across the Hudson River from the Empire State Building and midtown Manhattan.  At Sunset, it offered beautiful light on Lower Manhattan (and the World Trade Center).

I took the last batch of photographs in Brooklyn.  My dad grew up there until he was 18, when he left to serve in the Army Corp of Engineers during and after World War II (largely in Germany). A few mornings after he died, as a tribute to my him, I photographed the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn ("DUMBO" - Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass).  There is an area near the Manhattan Bridge, right by the river, that offers wonderful views of the Brooklyn Bridge with Lower Manhattan, or the Manhattan Bridge with midtown. 

I chose the above Jackie Robinson quote in memory of my dad, a childhood fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and a big fan of Robinson. Through his positive spirit, his sense of humor, his warmth, and his general enthusiasm for life, my dad had a tremendously positive impact on my life and our whole family.

Lower Manhattan just after Sunrise.  July 5, 2015.
From Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ.

"Empty Sky" New Jersey 9/11 Memorial and
World Trade Center (Freedom Tower).  July 5, 2015 (Morning).
Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ

Binoculars and Empire State Building.  July 5, 2015 (Morning).
From Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ

Lower Manhattan with World Trade Center.  July 5, 2015 (Morning).
From The Hudson River Waterfront Walkway,
Jersey City, NJ.

Empire State Building.  July 13, 2015 (Evening)
From Weehawken, New Jersey.  

View of Midtown Manhattan
From Lincoln Harbor Yacht Club, Weehawken, NJ
July 13, 2015 (Evening)

Manhattan Skyline (photo stitch from 5 exposures)
From Weehawken, NJ.  July 13, 2015 (Evening)

Lower Manhattan at Sunset (July 13, 2015)
from Weehawken, NJ.

Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan.
Early Morning (July 19, 2015)
From "DUMBO", Brooklyn, NY.

Manhattan Bridge and Midtown Manhattan.
Early Morning (July 19, 2015)
From "DUMBO", Brooklyn, NY.

Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan, with
World Trade Center. Early Morning (July 19, 2015)
From "DUMBO", Brooklyn, NY.

View of Manhattan Bridge from Washington Street.
Brooklyn, NY (morning of July 19, 2015)

Beautiful Walls in the Inner City 2: More Photographs of Philadelphia's Murals and Urban Landscapes

Happy July 4th!  Recently, I've made a few trips into Philadelphia to photograph some of the city's beautiful murals. The collection of images below is an extension of an my post from last year (CLICK HERE).  In the new images, I have tried to capture each painting within a broader urban landscape (i.e. neighborhood, parking lot, street scene, etc.).  This is not meant as an exhaustive list of the city's street art, but a sampling of a few murals in three areas:  North Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, and Callowhill.  Most of these are part of the city's wonderful Mural Arts Program.

While these murals are not the usual red, white and blue associated with independence day, they are uniquely American. Some illustrate parts of our history, some inspire those who are the subject of prejudice and injustice, some honor or memorialize outstanding individuals, some motivate those with day-to-day struggles (i.e. with addiction, crime, etc.).  As I view these murals and reflect on the country's events of the past few weeks, I think of the famous Martin Luther King quote:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." 

NORTH PHILADELPHIA

"Rise" (Part of The North Philadelphia Beacon Project)
Mural Artists:  James Burns
Broad Street and Lehigh, North Philadelphia

"Shine" (Part of The North Philadelphia Beacon Project)
Mural Artists:  James Burns
Broad Street and Lehigh, North Philadelphia

Grover Washington, Jr.
Mural Artist:  Peter Pagast
2032 N. Broad Street

"Healing Walls:  A Victim's Journey"
Mural Artists:  Cesar Viverons-Herrera & Parris Stancell
3049 Germantown Avenue

"It Has to Be From Here, Forgotten But Unshaken"
Mural Artist:  Betsy Casanas
3263 N. Front Street

"Porch Light Initiative:  Tell me What You See"
Mural Artist:  James Burns
Carlisle St. and Huntingdon St., North Philadelphia

WEST PHILADELPHIA

"A Celebration of Community"
Mural Artist:  Jane Degenhardt Kutzer
44th and Market St., West Philadelphia

Magic Wall
Mural Artist:  Ana Uribe
47th St. and Upland St. (near Woodland Ave.)

"Calm Consideration of Our Existence" (detail)
Mural Artist:  Parris Stancell
Antioch of Calvary Chapel
4721 Chestnut St, West Philadelphia

"Calm Consideration of Our Existence"
Mural Artist:  Parris Stancell
Antioch of Calvary Chapel
4721 Chestnut St, West Philadelphia

"Downhill River"
Mural by Paul Santoleri
S. 47th Street (near Pascall Ave.)

"Gateway to University City"
Mural Artist:  Max Mason
4008 Chestnut St., West Philadelphia

"Wilt Chamberlain"
Mural Artist:  John Lewis
13th and Vine Street

Mural artist unknown
48th and Woodland Playground
(S. 47th St. near Pascall Ave.)

"Transformation"
Mural Artist:  Eric Okdeh
4040 Market St., West Philadlphia

"The Tuskegee Airmen:  They Met the Challenge"
Mural Artist:  Marcus Akinlana
20 S. 39th Street (near Chestnut St.), West Phila.

"Love Letters:   If You Were Here..."
Mural Artist:  Steve Powers
Market Street, West Philadelphia

"Love Letters:   Hold Tight"
Mural Artist:  Steve Powers
Market Street, West Philadelphia

"Love Letters:   Knocked on Your Door"
Mural Artist:  Steve Powers
Market Street, West Philadelphia

"Love Letters:   See Me Like Beautiful..."
Mural Artist:  Steve Powers
Market Street, West Philadelphia

Joseph Leidy School

Mural Artist:  Unknown

1301 Belmont Ave.

CALLOWHILL

"History of Immigration"
Mural Artist:  Simon Huelsbeck
404 N. 2nd Street (at Callowhill St)

"Wilt Chamberlain"
Mural Artist:  John Lewis
13th and Vine Street

Equal Rights
(Martin Luther King, Jr, Statue of Liberty, etc.)
Mural Artist:  Unknown
Callowhill Street and 2nd Street

"How to Transform Anything into Something Else"
Mural Artists:  The Miss Rockaway Armada
207 N. Broad Street