Over the Top - London, England
The London Eye, built for the millennium, sits at the center of London as a symbol of modern Britain. Since its opening in 2000, the London Eye attracts 3.5 million paid visitors per year. The wheel is 442 feet high with a circumference of 1,392 feet. Thirty-two capsules can carry 800 passengers during each thirty minute rotation. The slow rotation allows passengers to step on and off without stopping the wheel. On a clear London day, passengers can see as far as Windsor Castle, about twenty-five miles from the London Eye.
Ballet first appeared in the Italian Renaissance courts during the 13th century as entertainment for nobles. Ballet began without tutus or pointe shoes. The dancers wore the fashionable clothing of the time and even encouraged audience members to join in toward the end. When Catherine de Medici married King Henry II of France, she arranged for ballet to be performed at the French court. She held festivals, ballet de cour, which became popular. The French influence continued with King Louis XIV, who having grown up seeing ballet, popularized and standardized ballet. A technique and syllabus was created and ballet became an art form requiring disciplined training by professionals. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the tutu and pointe shoes were introduced to ballet. In 1832, the ballet “La Sylphide” was created to showcase Marie Taglioni’s en pointe dancing. Until then, pointe shoes were considered an ungraceful stunt. The tutu premiered in Paris, France in 1842 to highlight and bring greater appreciation to a ballerina’s difficult leg and foot work.
Quantum Train—Budapest, Hungary
Budapest's trolley/tram system of lines is numbered from 1 to 69, with gaps in the numbering system due to the closing of lines over the years. There are thirty lines carrying 370 thousand people per year on the main radial and riverside routes on both sides of the Danube and several of the bridges. Tram tickets are validated by using the punch machines on board the trolley. To exit at a stop, a button on the door must be pushed, or the door will not open.
Walking In The Park—New York City's Central Park
The average annual snowfall in New York City is 28 inches. Almost that much snow fell on one weekend in February, 2006. On February 11th and 12th of 2006, a total of 26.9 inches of snow fell on Central Park. It was the largest snowfall recorded since record keeping began in 1869. To speed removal of snow throughout the city, diesel powered snow melting machines were used, each of which melted sixty tons of snow per hour. The resulting water went directly into the sewer system. By Wednesday of that week, Central Park recorded a high temperature of 52 degrees.
Table Setting—Český Krumlov, Czech, Republic
The most common food at the medieval castle table was bread, coarse and unattractive. Bread was used to mop up the astonishing amount of grease used in medieval cooking of meats and vegetables. Therefore, hands and faces were covered in grease during meals. The Ewerer, a servant, brought heated water to the table for the nobles to wash their hands and faces during meals. Everyone carried his or her own knife, the essential tool for eating. After the meal the knife was wiped clean and sheathed. There were no forks, only spoons were used.
Water Stones—Second Place 2019
On May 14, 1959 President Dwight D. Eisenhower broke ground for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. New York City's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts became a reality in September, 1962 when the first of its performing spaces, Philharmonic Hall (now Avery Fisher Hall), was inaugurated with a concert of music by Vaughan Williams and Mahler (among others) played by the New York Philharmonic conducted by its Music Director of the time, Leonard Bernstein.
Night Crossing—Budapet, Hungary
The bridge was opened in 1896 during the Millennium celebrations by Emperor Franz Joseph. The Emperor personally hammered the last silver nail into the iron structure on the Pest side. The bridge was named Franz Joseph in his honor. On January 16, 1945, the retreating German Wehrmacht attempted to destroy the bridge, but only damaged the central section of the bridge. It was the first Budapest bridge reconstructed. It reopened for traffic on August 20, 1946 as the renamed Liberty Bridge. This photograph is received an Honorable Mention in a photo contest sponsored by the New York Intstitute of Photography.
72nd Street Subway—New York City
468 subway stations service 4.5 million riders on an average weekday, which means approximately 1.4 billion riders per year.Twenty-six routes carry riders over 660 miles of track each day. How much electrical power is required? Enough to light the city of Buffalo, New York for an entire year. Looking closely at the photograph, a vertical beam of blue light is in the background-”Tribute in Light” (Photograph taken September 11, 2004.)
Black Umbrella—New York City's Central Park
The average annual snowfall in New York City is 28 inches. Almost that much snow fell on one weekend in February, 2006. On February 11th and 12th of 2006, a total of 26.9 inches of snow fell on Central Park. It was the largest snowfall recorded since record keeping began in 1869. To speed removal of snow throughout the city, diesel powered snow melting machines were used, each of which melted sixty tons of snow per hour. The resulting water went directly into the sewer system. By Wednesday of that week, Central Park recorded a high temperature of 52 degrees.
Yellow Brick Road—Český Krumlov, Czech Republic
The name Krumlov, according to legend, comes from the German Krumme Aue, which means crooked meadow. The town's naturally crooked layout is created by the meandering Vltava river. The word Český means Czech or Bohemian as opposed to Moravian or Silesian. The first mention of the town was in documents dated 1253 and was called Chrumbonowe. Today, Český Krumlov is the second best-preserved historical town in Bohemia, after Prague, and designated as one of UNESCO's World Monuments.
Located in the northwest La Rioja province in northern Spain, the town of Haro is know for its fine red wine. Its other claim to fame is that Haro was the first town in Spain to have electric street lighting. The first mention of Haro was in the year 1040, in a document of the King of Navarre, who ruled a kingdom occupying lands on either side of the Pyrenees mountains that today forms a natural border border between France and Spain. Haro has an important architectural heritage, which includes the work of Felipe Vigarny who designed the main entrance of the the Santo Tomás Church. The old town section of Haro was declared a Historic Artistic Site in 1975.
In the wild, Zebras live together in family groups where members maintain strong bonds over many years. Family members watch out for one another. If one is separated from the family, the other zebras search for the missing member. Although every zebra in a herd appears to look alike, the strip patterns are as distinctive as fingerprints are for humans. Individual zebras are identified by comparing patterns, strip widths, colors and scars. Third Place 2015 Birmingham Zoo
Lonesome Bicycle—Budapest, Hungary
A most unusual sight sits on the traffic island at the Buda end of the Liberty Bridge in Budapest, Hungary. The dilapidated bicycle, with missing seat and both wheels mangled, is securely held in place by a locked heavy chain! One can only imagine how such a sight came to be. Perhaps it is "art", or could it be the owner and bicycle were in an accident at this spot and will someday return to claim and restore it? Whatever the story, the happy face keeps smiling.
The Buildings Have Eyes—New York City
The style of architecture in New York City is varied, ranging from medieval to ultra modern. Many of the buildings built in the last couple of decades are glass towers which reflect their surroundings, and in doing so create a city of mirrors. Sometimes, those mirrors look like those old funhouse mirrors at the fair.
One And A Half Doors—Budapest, Hungary
In 1873, the cities of Buda, and Pest united to become Budapest. The Danube river separated the two until the construction of the Chain Bridge in 1849. Modernization of Budapest, on an unprecedented scale, began in 1896, including Europe’s first subway system. The resulting concentration of capital and workforce brought intellectual and economic prosperity. Unfortunately, the 20th Century was not so kind to the city, and much of its former beauty is in need of serious repair.
The Green Door—Budapest, Hungary
In 1873, the cities of Buda, and Pest united to become Budapest. The Danube river separated the two until the construction of the Chain Bridge in 1849. Modernization of Budapest, on an unprecedented scale, began in 1896, including Europe’s first subway system. The resulting concentration of capital and workforce brought intellectual and economic prosperity. Unfortunately, the 20th Century was not so kind to the city, and much of its former beauty is in need of serious repair.
Lamps and Trees in the Snow—New York City's Central Park
The average annual snowfall in New York City is 28 inches. Almost that much snow fell on one weekend in February, 2006. On February 11th and 12th of 2006, a total of 26.9 inches of snow fell on Central Park. It was the largest snowfall recorded since record keeping began in 1869. To speed removal of snow throughout the city, diesel powered snow melting machines were used, each of which melted sixty tons of snow per hour. The resulting water went directly into the sewer system. By Wednesday of that week, Central Park recorded a high temperature of 52 degrees.
Light and Dark—New York City's Central Park
Judged Best of Photography in 2013 Shelby County Arts Council 6th annual Juried Art Show. Second Place 2017 Gadsden Museum of Art
Tunnel Cover—New York City's Central Park Judged Photograph of the Year 2009
The average annual snowfall in New York City is 28 inches. Almost that much snow fell on one weekend in February, 2006. On February 11th and 12th of 2006, a total of 26.9 inches of snow fell on Central Park. It was the largest snowfall recorded since record keeping began in 1869. To speed removal of snow throughout the city, diesel powered snow melting machines were used, each of which melted sixty tons of snow per hour. The resulting water went directly into the sewer system. By Wednesday of that week, Central Park recorded a high temperature of 52 degrees.
A collection of antique dinnerware used in the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century.
Town of Highlands—Birmingham, Alabama
The area known as Five Points South was originally developed as one of Birmingham, Alabama’s first streetcar suburbs. It was the Town of Highlands from 1887 to 1893 before becoming a part of the City of Birmingham. Five streets converge, creating five points instead of four corners. The streetcar lines served as transportation lanes to downtown Birmingham, industrial work sites, and entertainment areas. The original streetcars were pulled by mules with an extra mule waiting at 8th Avenue to pull the car up to the Five Points Circle. The mules gave way to steam and then in 1891 to electricity. By 1920, lines radiated out in all directions.
Lean To—Labastida in Rioja Alavesa
In this area of modern Spain, one can find traces of prehistoric, Roman, Visigoth, Moorish and medieval villages—all of which provide evidence of agricultural activity since ancient times. Old wine presses carved out of surrounding rock represent the oldest traces of wine making in La Rioja. During the 14th century, Hieronymite monks built a sanctuary farm belonging to the Toloño monastery on the summit of a mountain by the same name. In the 15th century, the monks left and the sanctuary was maintained by hermits who worshipped there until the 19th century when the monastery was destroyed by Liberal troops in the first Spanish civil war.
