Thornden Park, Syracuse, N.Y.

Photo 101: No place to go but up for landscapes

Wide open spaces. That’s what I think about when the name Anson Williams and the word landscapes are thrown around, such as Cheri did for Photo 101 lesson 15. Wait a second. Potsie Weber from “Happy Days” didn’t shoot great photographs of the world we live in. Make that Ansel Adams. I knew I was…

Photo 101: Finding scale in my life, uh-huh

Frankly, as enriching and rewarding as these three weeks of Photo 101 have been to my blogging iPhone 6 skills, sometimes I read my emails that contain the assignments and sigh. Take my observation about lesson 14 and scale, for example. Michelle found a tiny toy baby on a cake at a fantastic bakery in…

Syracuse Creek Walk below.

Photo 101: A chilling moment, a splash of motion

Day 13 of Photo 101 brought Cheri’s instructions for us to dig deep to discover our individual moments of motion. After a business meeting in downtown Syracuse, I took a moment to stand on the sidewalk of a bridge. Down I looked onto Onondaga Creek and the Syracuse Creek Walk. On this brisk almost-Spring day…

Flag girls on South Salina Street

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Yeah, we have

Today’s the official one in the books. Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Take out your best green clothes? It started here in Syracuse with our annual downtown parade. Thousands lined the curbs of Clinton Square and South Salina Street to catch the spectacle. My dear wife Karen and I have always thought, in fact, that the…

Syracuse underground parking.

Photo 101: Where are you, pop of color?

Cheri sent out instructions about color this first day of week three in Photo 101. She wanted us to find images that popped. She wanted us to study the angles. She wanted us to consider the lighting. I drove downtown from the Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood, running other errands but…

Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood

OK, you’re still the boss

Did this past week of 40-degree (F) temperatures raise my spirits and optimism here in Syracuse, N.Y.? Yes, indeed. Did I enjoy the magnitude of snow melt we’d experienced after 50 straight days of sub-freezing weather and snow that topped 100 inches? Sure thing. Did I think we’d escaped winter’s icy fingers? No, I’ve lived…

From the top of Merchant Commons, Warren and Fayette streets.

Photo 101: Weekend reflection of light

My dear wife Karen and I drove to downtown Syracuse for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday afternoon. My primary mission was to capture the mood with my iPhone 6 and my noodle, for my weekly community blog for Syracuse Public Media site waer.org. You’ll be able to see my column there, as well…