Out and About
When I visit favorite small towns and cities nearby, I tend to look for interesting architectural sights, and different angles of composition. A couple of weeks ago I did just that in Danville, Virginia. I made these with my iPhone 7 Plus camera. Pretty great camera. If they could talk, my other single purpose, and much more expensive cameras wouldn’t agree. Oh well. Camera technology moves pretty fast these days.
We live just a short drive from Danville, Virginia, a town with an interesting history, much remaining today for us to enjoy visually, through photos such as what I have here. My theme is obviously Christmas. So, I looked for decorations on some of the Victorian-style homes there. I keep going back to Danville again and again to find something new I’d missed before. I’m never disappointed. Merry Christmas to all!
In the center of Danville, Virginia, there are several, high steepled churches to attend, or in my case to photograph. This one I saw while walking near the hospital while I was waiting for my wife to complete a routine medical appointment. Having my new iPhone 7 Plus with me, I trusted the photos would have exceptional quality. And they do. The telephoto capability of the phone’s camera is wonderful! I love making photos of this sort of architecture.
There are times when I like to set my camera on back & white, and make images when there are distinct contrasts in light. When outside, I look for nice clouds. Images like these can portray various moods and feelings. Here are some examples I made recently while standing alongside the Dan River in Danville, Virginia.
Danville, Virginia is but a short drive of thirty minutes or so from our home. It’s a very historic place with many wonderful photographic opportunities. I’ve been there many, many times and each time I go I find some different view I’d missed before. Right after Christmas 2015, I made the trip with folks who had never been there. Our youngest daughter Amy and her three sons (in order behind Amy) Stephen, Brandon and Daniel had traveled from North Texas and I was of course most happy to have them with me on this very special “photo walk.”
One photographic attraction and popular visitor location I wanted them to see was the Main Street Historic District and it’s intricate and colorful Victorian Style homes. I was not the only one with a camera. Brandon (below) is very creative in both photo/video work and perhaps one day that will be his chosen life’s journey. Amy and Stephen had their phone cameras and the images they made showed a talent for composition. Daniel, being a high school athlete excelling in both football and tennis was the catalyst of the group, offering wise and inspiring comments along the way.
Here are a few photos I made for my personal enjoyment that day.
This trip to Danville was my last photo walk of 2015, and I have to say it was certainly my most enjoyable for that year. May those in 2016 be equally so.
Danville, Virginia has a vibrant railroad past, and it still has a passenger Amtrak line and busy Norfolk Southern freight line which pass through; Amtrak being a nice way to travel to New York City to the north, or New Orleans to the south. The first image below is the concrete arch railroad bridge crossing the Dan River. There are several auto and truck traffic bridges across the river at Danville as well.
The bridge which has always attracted my attention, however, is the original, steel-truss, Civil War era railroad bridge, that has been converted into a walking, biking and jogging path, for thousands of people annually. The details of the old bridge have always been of interest to this (not so old really) Army Engineer, and I suspect there are many just like me with the same opinion. Enjoy seeing what I saw.
At the end of another week, I offer a mix of photos which have no special common theme. Except (that is) they were made in Danville, Virginia.
One of my favorite locations to visit nearby with my camera is the old tobacco warehouse district in Danville, Virginia. There is a large project underway to renovate many of the old warehouses and administrative brick buildings into residential property, which is a good thing, but from a historical standpoint, I prefer to capture how it “once was” rather than how it “might be.” I am always on the lookout for interesting views there, and found some nice compositions recently “in between” two structures. I wonder what sort of vehicle, truck or train, once passed over the old timber roadway.
Here are two wider angle images that show the sort of buildings involved. This area was once a thriving business center that served the tobacco industry in the Virginia, North Carolina region.
Here’s a brief photographic look at a portion of the Danville Virginia National Military Cemetery. I felt a black and white presentation would be nice.
