Moses Myers @ Night

The last in my month long daily series of Norfolk @ Night photos is the Moses Myers house at the corner of Freemason and Bank Streets. Built by Moses Myers a merchant of Dutch-Jewish ancestry who moved to Norfolk from New York, the house was occupied continuously by members of his family until 1931 when it was opened as a museum. Today it is operated by The Chrysler Museum and contains a large quantity of period furniture of American and English design, portraits of Moses Myers and of his wife, Eliza Judd by Gilbert Stuart, and a Thomas Sully portrait of their eldest son John. Canon G15, 1/13 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800.

Old & New Norfolk @ Night

The old Norfolk Academy Building was completed in 1840 and designed by architect Thomas U. Walter, famous for his design of the U. S. Capitol dome and two other nearby surviving Norfolk landmark buildings. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The brick building is in the Greek Revival style modeled on the plan of the Temple of Theseus. The facade has a double portico supported by six Doric columns. Today the building is home to the Hurrah Players and it previous housed the Norfolk Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. Rising behind it is Norfolk's newest skyscraper, the Wells Fargo Center completed in 2010. Canon G15, 1/3 second @ f/4.0, ISO 800, handheld with shutter released by the two second timer.

The Rear View

Heading into Norfolk early one morning chased by a spectacular sunrise. Canon G15, 1/40 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400.

Main Street Tower @ Night

The Main Street Tower at 300 E. Main Street is shown reflecting the Dominion Enterprises Building and the last of evening sunset to the west. This 14 story black glass modernism office tower is home to a couple of U.S. Coast Guard commands and the Norfolk office of the USI insurance company. This tower is on the site of the National Bank of Commerce Building later the First and Merchants Bank which was also 14 stories. Built in 1905 and demolished in 1988, it was the city's tallest building for much of the first half of the 20th century and was noted as the home of Norfolk's Mace which was housed in a custom glass case within the banks's vault. The current Main Street Tower designed by Burrell F. Saunders began construction in 1988 but wasn't completed until 1994 including a period of 2 years when all work on the building stopped. Canon G15, 2/8 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400.

Newtown @ Night

The Tide #407 arrives at the Newtown Station, the City's eastern most border. Hopefully we'll see Virginia Beach commit to an extension to the Oceanfront in 2014 giving the The Tide another 12 miles of running room. Canon G11, 1/6 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

MacArthur Square @ Night

The MacArthur Square includes two city blocks in the center of downtown Norfolk Virginia. It contains the MacArthur Memorial and The Tide light rail station. This is the Christmas Tree taken from the light rail station looking to east with the MacArthur Memorial in the background. Canon G15, 1/8 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 400.

Downtown North @ Twilight

Looking at the northern part of Norfolk Virginia's downtown during a lovely twilight evening. The Wells Fargo Tower catches the last of golden sunlight in its windows below the green and red holiday lighting of its penthouse. You can also see the Freemason Street Baptist Church's steeple - once the City's highest structure, Norfolk Scope, Chrysler Hall and MacArthur Center. Canon G15, 1/40 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 800.

City Hall @ Night

The Norfolk Virginia City Hall Building @ Night. Bet you didn't know there's a six degrees of Kevin Bacon associated with my photograph of this building. Here we go:

1 - I was hired to work for the City of Norfolk by City Manager Marcus Jones;
2 - Marcus Jones was recruited to be City Manager by Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim;
3 - Paul Fraim has been Mayor of Norfolk since 1994 and his office is located on the 10th floor of the City Hall Building;
4 - Norfolk's City Hall Building was designed by Philadelphia architect Vincent G. Kling;
5 - Vincent Kling was a close associate and collaborator‎ of renown Philadelphia architect and city planner Edward Bacon;
6 - Edward Bacon is the father of actor Kevin Bacon.

So there you have it. Canon G15, 1/15 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 800.

ODU @ Night

The brick entrance sign of my alma mater Old Dominion University at the southwest corner of West 49th Street and Hampton Boulevard in Norfolk, Virginia. ODU began in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of William and Mary, becoming an independent college in 1962 and attaining university status in 1969. Old Dominion University derives its name from one of Virginia's state nicknames, "The Old Dominion", given to the state by King Charles II of England for remaining loyal to the crown during the English Civil War. Canon G15, 1/20 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, handheld and converted to black and white using Silver Efex Pro.

NIT @ Night

Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) is the largest of the four facilities operated by the Virginia Port Authority. The terminal has fifty-foot-deep entrance channels at the north and south ends making it "New Panamax" ready. Here you can see some of the eleven Suez-class container cranes working away on a Sunday night. Canon G15, 1 second @ f/4.0, ISO 100 mounted on a tripod.

The Wells @ Night

The Wells Theatre in Norfolk Virginia, opened on August 27, 1913. The poured-in-place, steel-reinforced concrete structure was technologically advanced for the period. The Wells's ornate decoration made the theatre the flagship of Wells Amusement Enterprises, and continues today as a well preserved example of Beaux-Arts Classicism, a National Historic Landmark and home to the Virginia Stage Company. Canon G11, 1/10 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400.

Garden of Lights

Garden of Lights at the Norfolk Botanical Garden - We made our annual trip through the Garden of Lights tonight with our grandson Robert. Here are a few highlights from this year's display. Almost all of the displays are designed and custom crafted by Garden staff and volunteers. Canon 5D Mark II.

Berkley Cranes @ Twilight

The last remaining light silhouettes the tower cranes of the General Dynamics NASSCO-Norfolk, formerly Metro Machine Corporation, shipyard in the Berkley section of Norfolk, Virginia. Berkley Virginia was incorporated as a town in 1890 and annexed by the City of Norfolk on January 1, 1906. Thanks to Pamela Marino for letting me use her 5th floor Norfolk City Hall office window to get this picture. Canon G15, 1/40 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 800.

FT @ Night

This is how I start my Monday, Wednesday and Friday early in the dark morning. I've been at it for three years years now and it has changed my life. Thanks to everyone at Fitness Together Norfolk. Canon G15, 1/20 sec @ f/2.2, ISO 800.

Scope @ Night

The Scope Arena in Norfolk Virginia is the world's largest concrete dome, which was designed by Italian architect/engineer Pier Luigi Nervi in conjunction with the Norfolk firm of Williams and Tazewell. The venue holds a bit of a political past. According to Wikipedia - After watching the 1960 Rome Olympics on television, Brad Tazewell and Jim Williams, the Norfolk architects who were eventually to partner with Nervi, solicited U.S. Sen. A. Willis Robertson, father of Christian Broadcasting Network founder and former candidate for President Pat Robertson, to build a sports complex in Norfolk. Subsequently, President Lyndon B. Johnson asked Robertson to support federal funding for a multimillion-dollar cultural center in Colorado and Robertson said he would if Johnson would support one in Norfolk. Scope was completed in 1971 at a cost of $35 million dollars with the federal government providing $23 million, almost 66% of the total cost. Canon G15, 0.8 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, converted to black and white using Google Picasa.

Naro @ Night

The Naro Cinema is in the heart, same say it is the heart, of the Ghent Business District along Colley Ave in Norfolk Virginia. Opened as The Colley Theater on Feb 24, 1936, it was a modern suburban theater with the latest amenities, 500 seats including a balcony and an art deco design. Since 1977 it has been operated by Tench Phillips and Thom Vourlas as an independent theater featuring foreign, art and independent films. Recently converted to digital projection, the theater hosted tonight's sneak preview of episode 1 of Downton Abbey season 4 for local PBS station WHRO.

iPhone 5, Camera+ app.

Chelsea @ Night

Chelsea is a small Norfolk Neighborhood near Lambert's Point. It is home to the Smartmouth Brewery, The Birch, Norfolk's Little Theater and our regular Sunday night dining spot Tortilla West. T-West is featured in tonight's Norfolk @ Night photo taken after splitting crab and shrimp nachos, an Allagash Confluence Ale and a Smartmouth Holiday Helper Imperial Red Ale.

Canon G1X, 1/8 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 1600, focal length 50mm (35mm equivalent).

Doumar's @ Night

Doumar's @ Night. Over the past 100 years, Doumar’s has become an historic Norfolk landmark and is known for inventing the world’s first waffle cone. Stop by Monticello Ave between 19th and 20th Streets and enjoy a piece of Norfolk’s history and some of the best ice cream cones and barbecue around! Apple iPhone 5, f/2.4, ISO 100, Camera+ App, Olloclip wide angle lens.

Dominion @ Night

At 340 feet the Dominion Tower is the tallest building in Norfolk Virginia. Completed in 1987 this postmodern brown granite skyscraper was named in honor of the state's nickname - "The Old Dominion". Canon G1X, 1/6 second @ f/5, ISO 1600.

Chrysler Hall @ Night

The 2,500 seat Chrysler Hall was designed by the Norfolk architectual firm of Williams and Tazewell and opened in 1972. It was named for Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. in recognition of him bringing his world renowned art collection to Norfolk's Chrysler Museum of Art. In this photo, the theater is still displaying the large red banners put in place for the Virginia Stage Company's production of the play "Red" about the artist Mark Rothko and the coinciding display of his art at the Chrysler Museum in the fall of 2011. Canon ELPH 110.

Tree Lights

Up lit trees with fall colors still inplace along Monticello Avenue in Norfolk Virginia. Canon 5D Mark II, 3.2 seconds at f/11, ISO 100.

Attucks Theatre

Norfolk @ Night continues with more of a twilight photo of the historic Attucks Theatre on Church Street in Norfolk Virginia. Opening in 1919 it is now a state and national landmark and is distinguished as the oldest remaining legitimate theatre in the nation that was completely financed, designed, constructed and operated by African-Americans. Canon G10, 1 second @ f/3.2, ISO 100.

MetalMatisse

More of my Norfolk @ Night month. "Metalmatisse is an interactive, stainless-steel, light and sound sculpture designed to compliment the formal European landscape of MacArthur Square. Each flower gives an individual response when prompted by visitors below. Periodically the entire sculpture comes to life in an orchestrated chorus of light and sound. Vase and bouquet are loosely adapted from paintings of flowers by French artist Henri Matisse with a distinctly modern statement of scale and exuberance." description from NorfolkPublicArt.org. Canon 5d Mark II, 2.5 seconds @ f/11.0, ISO 100 mounted on a tripod.

Twilight Chapel

The Chapel at the Barry Robinson Center was built in 1933 as part of the James Barry Robinson Home For Boys, an orphanage and school. The chapel is a beautiful sight just after sunset with its holiday lights aglow. Taken with a Canon G10, f5, 1s (tripod), ISO 200, 40mm equivalent. Post processed with Photomatrix Pro 3.1 blended exposures.

Night Tide

The Tide light rail leaves the MacArthur Plaza Station with the downtown Norfolk skyline as a back drop. Canon 5D Mark II, 4 second exposure @ f/11.0, ISO 100, 24mm focal length.

St. Mary's at Night

The Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception is located in downtown Norfolk. Built in 1858, its clock marks the time of my early morning photo. Canon 5D Mark II, 1 second exposure @ f/4, ISO 100, 45mm focal length.

Norfolk @ Night

Continuing with my Norfolk at Night theme the dome of the General Douglas MacArthur Memorial is decorated with holiday lights and framed by the City's modern skyline. Built in 1850 this Classical Revival structure is the work of Norfolk architect William Singleton consulting with Thomas U. Walter, famed architect of the central dome of the U.S. Capitol building. Canon 7D, 1/3 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

Wet Plate

I continue my "Norfolk at Night" month with a picture I took this morning before sunrise and in the rain. At the intersection of West Olney Road and Stockley Gardens in Norfolk Virginia, sits Christ and St. Luke's Church. The long narrow building of rough-faced random ashlar in the English Perpendicular Gothic Revival style was completed in 1910. It is a spectacular building with a congregation that traces its roots in Norfolk back to 1637.

It wasn't raining as I drove to the Ghent neighborhood to take the picture. Just about the time I got the tripod setup, down came the rain. I kept wiping the lens off and trying to shield it from the rain but when I got home tonight and downloaded the images, I found the one with the water spots to be the most interesting. I developed the photo in Lightroom 5 using the Analog Efex Pro plug-in from Google and chose a wet plate camera type to give it an old photo look. A few tweaks with the sliders and you get the image I wanted to share with you. I hope you like it. Canon G15, 4 second exposure @ f/8.0, ISO 80.

Winter Carnival

The Winter Carnival at Norfolk Virginia's MacArthur Center shopping mall. Canon G15, 1/8 sec @ f/8, ISO 1600.

Holiday Light Tower

The top of the Wells Fargo Center in Norfolk Virginia with it's holiday lights on. The Wells Fargo Center is a 22 story office, commercial and residential complex completed in 2010. Canon G15, 1 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 100.

Night Train

The new Norfolk Virginia Amtrak Train Station scheduled to open tomorrow gleams at night. Last December passenger passenger rail service to Norfolk resumed with daily trips to Washington D.C., New York and Boston. Ridership has been strong and now we have the most modern train station in Virginia. Canon G15, 1 to 1.5 sec, F/5.6, ISO 100 mounted on a trip tripod, HDR compilation of three images spanning 2 f stops.

Lunar Eclipse

Tonight's lunar eclipse. It's very subtle, but you should be able to see some of the Earth's shadow coming across the bottom right or southeast side of the moon. Canon 7D, 1/400 sec @ f/16, ISO 800, zoom at 400mm with 1.4x tele-convertor, effective focal length 560mm. Converted to black and white using Lightroom 4 with Silver Efex Pro 2.

Harvest Moon

Tonight's harvest moon at Sandbridge Beach, Virginia. Canon 7D, 1/40 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 800 converted to black and white in Lightroom 4 using Silver Efex Pro.

Explorer at Large Josh Bernstein

Had the pleasure of meeting Josh Bernstein explorer, author, survival expert, anthropologist, and TV host of the History Channel's hit show Digging for the Truth at the Commonwealth of Virginia's Information Technology Symposium today. Josh was the keynote speaker and did a great job of inspiring government I.T. workers with the amazing leadership exhibited by Sir Ernest Shackleton's during his 1916-17 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

Leadership Lessons:
- Recuit/Hire the best
- Set audacious goals
- Champion morale
- Lead decisively
- Adapt constantly
- Never give up

Canon G15, 1/80 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 1600.

Edison Filament Light Blub

This is a reproduction on an early 20th Century "squirrel cage" carbon filament light bulb built by Thomas Edison. In today's modern reproductions the filaments are made of tungsten, which burns three times brighter than the original carbon filament versions. They are really getting popular in vintage bare blub fixtures. This one was hanging over my table at Tarrant's Cafe, 1 W. Broad Street in Richmond Virginia.
Canon G15, 1/15 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, in macro mode.

Repairing the Web

I've been keeping an eye on this beautiful garden spider I spotted among the daylilies back in June. When I first saw her she was only about a half an inch long now she's easily approaching and inch and half. She was busy rebuilding the "sewing machine" zig-zag part of the web. I had never seen one actually doing this, so I thought I would share. Canon EOS 300D, 1/500 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens.

Canon 7D, 1/160 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro.

Dragonfly

It has been a long time since I posted a picture on my blog. Especially after 1461 straight days - four years of 365 project extreme. I miss it - so - I am thinking about starting another 365 project for 2014. What do you say about something like "365 Prime" or "Prime All The Time" and just using fixed focal length prime lenses for each day's photo? No zoom lenses - "zoom with your feet," doing it old school.

Today's photo is one I did for SnapChick's First Sunday Challenge. On the first Sunday of each month you take your an old digital camera and forget about the technology and focus on composition and creativity. This dragonfly was captured using my 2003 vintage Canon EOS 300D a.k.a the Digital Rebel. I used a 100mm macro lens and converted to black and white in Lightroom with the Silver Efex Pro plug-in. ISO 800, 1/400 sec @ f/11.0.

Half Moon

An interesting half moon from a couple of nights ago. Canon 7D, 1/500 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 400mm focal length, converted to black & white using Silver Efex Pro in Lightroom.

Red Sky Tonight, Sailor's Delight

The old saying goes "Red sky tonight, sailor 's delight." When we see a red sky at night, this means that the setting sun is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles. This usually indicates high pressure and stable air coming in from the west. Basically good weather will follow. - from the Library of Congress, Everyday Mysteries website. Canon G15, 1/80 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400.

Garden Glass

As a fan of both art glass and the Norfolk Botanical Gardens, it's really special when the two come together. The "Refections of Nature, Glass Sculpture Exhibit" runs through August 18th at the gardens. Canon G15, 1/500 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 200.

More Sunflowers

Canon 7D, 1/60 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens, two LED Litepanels.

National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day

A fresh baked strawberry rhubarb pie in honor of National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day. Canon 7D, 1/10 sec @ f/7.1, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens with an assist from image stabilization.

Tournesol

I can certainly see why Van Gogh was so captivated by the Sunflower that he painted a series of sunflowers (tournesols in French) hoping to welcome and impress his friend and fellow painter Paul Gauguin. You can see a black and white version of this photo at The World in Black and White blog. Canon 7D, 1/160 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens.

Footprints

These near perfect footprints in the sand were washed aways seconds after I took this picture. Canon G15, 1/40 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

Fetch

Dogs love the beach and will fetch the ball from the water tirelessly. I never get tired of watching them. Canon G15, 1/2000 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 200.