Earlier this month, I spent a long weekend running around and photographing Pittsburgh.
Why Pittsburgh?
For one thing, it’s a city I had never visited, despite being relatively close by. For another, I had the opportunity to join a small group of like-minded photographers, led by someone who was born and raised in the city. Exploring and making images is always more fun with others.
On this page, you’ll find some of my favorite photos from the trip. For more, you can check out a small selection here, or visit the much larger gallery if you have the time and inclination.
On these trips, we tend to get up early and stay out late in order to get the good light. At the top is a view of the city at blue hour, the time right after the sun sets when skies get a nice blueish/purple glow and artificial lights are turned on. We were also waiting for the fireworks that came after the Pirates game.
Pittsburgh has two funiculars that transport people up and down the steep inclines of Mount Washington on the south side of the city. The Duquesne Incline allows visitors to see the mechanisms that make everything possible. It’s always fun to see how this stuff works.
Where there’s water, three rivers in the case of Pittsburgh, you’ll find fishermen. I just wonder if they have cleaned these waterways to the point that anything caught can be eaten. In any case, this man and his son were up very early on a Sunday morning to see what was biting.
Randyland is a public art space on the north side of town with an interesting history. It is an outdoor space with thousands of found items, including these paint cans, in a very chaotic “organization”. I love places like this, but it’s hard to know where to point your camera to best capture the spirit and joy of the artist. Read more about Randyland on Wikipedia.
Finally, on a food tour in the very diverse Strip district, we visited a coffee shop that also featured a huge selection of teas. My experience with tea only extends to the Snapple iced kind but the woman at the counter seemed to know her stuff when it came to the many, many varieties.
So great! Haven’t been to Pittsburgh either. We’re about to do our first big international trip, which I’m being cautiously optimistic about. But traveling to cities in the US I e never been to for photo walks sounds almost better to me as a retirement activity.
Have you heard anything about the new Nat Geo museum?
Thanks for sharing the pics. I enjoyed the complete album. A good mix of wide and detailed shots.
Thanks for the comment, Jim. I have a ticket for the Nat Geo museum later this month and I may write a post when I get a look at the place. The social media critics have not been kind but that’s probably because Nat Geo didn’t give out many freebies for the opening.