US Botanical Garden, evening in the “Jungle”

by Boris Starosta

USBG-1302_MFT72_PV_I shot the USBG earlier this year during the day, and it is a smorgasbord of post-industrial steam-punk vs. wilderness 3d imagery.  I returned last month to try and capture the magical evening light, which makes the place look even more mysterious than it already is.  I was hampered by equipment problems (in part of my own making), and did not get very many shots.  This is one of the better ones, taken about 5 minutes after the “magic” lighting had ended.  (Equipment failure prevented pictures during the magic 15 minutes!).

Then, on the drive home (about two hours highway driving), my car broke down near Culpeper, about halfway home.  Michele and Jet had to come fetch me in the middle of the night.  The car was repaired in Culpeper over the course of three more weeks.  I only got it back just recently.  All in all, an ill-fated photo mission.

 

Sputnik, RSX 400 film, f16 probably, 30 seconds exposure.

 

 

UVA “Lawn” view towards South

by Boris Starosta

UVA-0618_MFT72_PV_Here we have the renowned UVA Lawn, centerpiece of the Academical Village designed by Thomas Jefferson for the first public University in the United States, which he founded.  The Rotunda is at one end (to the North) and this slide shows the view in the opposite direction, towards Cabell Hall.

Another pretty fall view?   You all know UVA has been in the news of late, so you also know that’s not all this view is about.

Baby Treed

by Boris Starosta

Just another dull foliage shot?

I’m including a wide angle from my twin Sigma rig, to give you a sense of scale…

What do you guys make of it?

KINGS OF FREEDOM by Kaun at UVa.

by Boris Starosta

Kings-0309_MFT72_PV_ In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, this year we have a supposedly historic piece of Berlin wall grafitti art on our campus, on loan from the Hefner Collection.  It is Dennis Kaun’s KINGS OF FREEDOM.  I’m still researching the provenance of this artwork, because I’m a little bit suspicious of it, as it is clearly signed “copyright” 1990. Continue reading →

Horseshoe Bend

by Bob Venezia

Horseshoe Bend

I cannot look at Horseshoe Bend without thinking about Popeye the Sailor

Horseshoe Bend is a popular spot for photographers in the Page, Arizona area. It’s less than a mile off the road and boasts a sweeping view of a turn in the Colorado River. The classic shot requires a wider angle lens than I currently own. There was a German photographer who had a wide enough lens but he also possessed a strong fear of heights. I volunteered to take his tripod to the edge and capture the shot, for which he was most grateful.

Concepcion Mission Church

by dorothy mladenka

Concepcion (1731)

One SA churchof the most attractive of the San Antonio missions, the church at Concepcion looks essentially as it did more than 200 years ago, when it stood at the center of local religious activity. The mission was well known for its religious celebrations. Not visible today are the colorful geometric designs that originally covered the exterior surface of the mission. Inside, however, are original paintings of religious symbols and architectural designs. These outposts were established by Catholic religious orders to spread Christianity among the local natives. These missions formed part of a colonization system that stretched across the Spanish Southwest in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. This is one of the 5 San Antonio missions, the Alamo is owned by the state of Texas and operated by the Daughters of the Revolution. The National Historical Park encompasses 4 of the missions. Taken with the TL 120.