Going Urban

I have taken a little bit of time off blog writing, as battling a cold, which morphed into a sinus infection, which morphed into a bronchial infection, has kept me watching old television shows and movies, sitting in a chair, drinking tea.  I think that battle has almost been won, but this week's theme had me looking back through some images, as I am still not venturing out too much in our very cold weather.

Finding possible locations in urban settings, where there is both safety and a usable background that isn't too busy (and will distract the eye), is part of what I do on a regular basis.

Although even our largest, closest city isn't really all that large, there are some good locations in the smaller towns that are just outside of my rural residence.

This daylight image was taken outside an older bank building in one of these smaller towns.  I call it "waiting for the bus," as the bus does stop very near to where this photo was taken.  This is our dog, Billie, and her Dad.  As you can see by the weather, and the reflected window flowers, it isn't winter.  This is a photo I did not edit or use from a past photo session, until this blog.  I was happy to find it, because Billie's expression does look like she is waiting.

It is a safe spot, and although there is traffic through the main thoroughfare, it's not so much that you can't stand in the middle of the street now and then to take a photograph.

I decided to also use a night photo in a larger city setting for today's blog.

Even with a lot going on in the background, at night, with less people and more lights, what might have been an unusable site during the day becomes much more usable.  A 70-200mm lens can also provide good background blur.  Off camera flash and a street light gives adequate lighting .  There are people in this photo, but you can't really see them, as they blend well into the background camera right.

I am scouting all the time for urban locations, and I have a great list, not only for pet photos, but for senior portraits.  Here's just some of the things I look for in a good urban site.

I am looking forward to a good snowfall for some winter photography work, and the ability to go outside and not cough. Hopefully both those things will happen in the next month, when our winter begins in earnest in Pennsylvania.

The theme this week is "urban."  To see what other photographers in the circle have done with it, start here with Pawparazzi Pet and Animal Photography presented by Shae Pepper Photography.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!