Category Archives: Architecture

Here is another of my favorite objects on which to focus my camera lens. Given that this weather vane was positioned high on top of a Victorian-style house in Martinsville, VA, use of my telephoto lens at maximum 200mm setting was mandatory. Unfortunately, the vane is distorted by the angle of view from so far below, but regardless it contrasted quite well with the clear blue sky. First time I’d seen a “rooster” as center part of the device.

I never seem find a church building that I can’t find some architectural aspect which attracts my eye photographically. In this case, I was standing across the street from this Baptist Church in Martinsville, VA looking up at the spires. What attracted my eye was the manner in which all the roof “lines” and “angles” came together in a great composition…to me at least. I especially liked the positioning of the cross in the photo.

Many photographers may see things that others may not. I suppose I am that way and no matter where I am, I keep looking for interesting views that might make for a good photo. Of course, you have to have your camera handy to record what you see at a given moment in time. Isn’t at what this is all about? Sharing what you see with others through photos?

We have a very handy neighbor who not only built this backyard utility “cabin”, but next to it he designed a colored glass “bottle tree” … a local tradition. Click the image for more details.

Finding and photographing old barns is a favorite subject of mine. I took my original image and processed it as you see, with the objective to make it look even older. I can visualize the result hanging on a wall in our home.

I have driven by this house sitting a short distance off a main road numerous times, and liked the bright green metal roof contrasting with the yellow paint on its foundation and brickwork. So, I recently stopped to make some close-up images and after I did I came to different conclusions.

First, the owners used a nice paint scheme to make the simple house look better, as in the first image. But if you look at the close-up of the eagle on the chimney, you’ll note they did a bit of sloppy paint work. Poor guy has a big gob of paint on his head and lots more on his wings and tail! Once again, two views of the same subject tell a better story photographically. Far away, everything looks good, close up not so good. Still, only a person like me would notice the details on the eagle anyway, because to get the shot I had to use my telephoto lens. Main point…the house looks better overall and that’s what counts.

This photo represents my entry into the Letter “B” Contest of the Week. Kidding aside, the cupola sits atop the originai Bassett, Virginia High School…now closed and converted into a community facility…and the “B” stands for…? The intricate scrollwork around the letter was what caught my attention…plus the cupola itself backed by the bright blue sky.

This concrete arch highway bridge crosses the Smith River in SW Virginia. Standing next to it is a much older bridge pier column that must have been part of an earlier bridge of some sort. I liked the way they contrasted with each other.