January 10, 2012

I love taking pictures from the deck at the beach.
I always get a feeling of peace watching the sun rise.

January 9, 2012

Extinguishing the Human Torch

January 7, 2012

I took this picture on July 4, 2011.

I was standing on Steel Pier looking back towards the Atlantic City boardwalk as the sun went down.

January 4, 2012

I took this picture on Brigantine beach at 8:00 am on August 4th.

I just love the tone of the black and white and the feeling of movement in the shot.
It is one of my favorites.

January 3, 2012

I took this picture when I was walking through the courtyard of City Hall in Philadelphia.

It was the day after Occupy Philadelphia was broken up by the authorities.

Security was high around the building and some of the courtyard entrances were blocked to pedestrians.

I took this picture facing south, looking down Broad Street, with my back to the clock tower.

It seems to suggest a certain isolation - almost like the middle of the night in some foreign city.

Actually, people were all around me and it was early evening.
It was just after dusk. I would say it was between 5:30 and 6:00 pm on 12/3/11.

I just waited until everyone walked out of the shot.

January 2, 2012

This is my picture of my grandfather, Anthony Manera.

I chose this picture because I think it really says something about him.
He was a proud Italian-American and he worked very hard all of his life.

But, he never let go of his heritage.
He loved raising and racing pigeons.

He did it until the day he died.

Ironically, I moved next door to a man who has a small plot of land where he also raises and races pigeons.

I later learned that this man took some of my grandfather's pigeons when my grandfather died. To this day, I still believe that some of the offspring of those birds fly from his backyard and circle above my house.

When I see them, I look up and I smile.