Well, I’m still in a creative slump. I seem to be in a daze when I’m out trying to get a shot. Maybe that’s my problem – “trying”. I seem to get my best shots on a whim, when I’m not trying. I kind of figured that I couldn’t easily take cool pictures one day after another when I started my 365, but I’m kind of burnt on the project. I certainly don’t want to quit. I’ll keep plugging away at it and see what I come up with. In the mean time, I don’t really get too many viewers here anyhow so it probably doesn’t matter what I do.
So I went up to Mt. Washington today to overlook the city of Pittsburgh. I haven’t been up there in a while but I was in the area and thought I would see what it was like. I was there in the late afternoon so the lighting was nothing spectacular and the view was OK, for a touristy kind of shot. Not what I was after. It’s a great place to get an overall view of the skyline. Not many cities offer such a view as close as this. It’s still winter here and it will be a few weeks yet before things start looking nice, especially the view. I did find some color for my 365 shot because I didn’t want to keep doing B&W day after day. Having said that, I’ll throw some black and white shots up also. Enjoy. All with Pentax K20D.
Grids
© David Guidas
© David Guidas
© David Guidas
© David Guidas
© David Guidas
© David Guidas
© David Guidas
What I Pic 
In the mean time, I don’t really get too many viewers here anyhow so it probably doesn’t matter what I do.
Quality over quantity! I enjoy your photos even when you are in a creative slump. They give me ideas for the future and there is always potential inspiration in every image. My suggestion would be to try different focal lengths or perhaps try to do some B&W street photography style of images of people. Even if the scenery always seems the same, the people tend to be different every day. Good luck!
For an example of what I was referring to, check out:
http://lauramelcion.wordpress.com/
I added her blog to my feed reader recently on the same day I added yours. I’m hoping to start practicing some street photography if I can ever get away from my job or the house to take some photos lol.
Thanks Nathan, and thanks for the link. I love street photography. But you really have to spend time on the street to do it well. Time to visualize the environment and interaction of the people. I can’t really do that. I may try some in Pittsburgh when I get a chance. Larger cities are better places for streetwork, in my opinion. The town I live in has fewer and fewer people on the streets each day. It used to be lively but now is a bit depressing.
I live in a small town and work in an even smaller one. There is really no opportunity for [people] street photography around here, but last summer I started noticing something I’ve termed “rural blight”. It’s the decay and rust of rural America that is being left behind as our society continues to migrate to urban and suburban locales. It’s quite interesting to me as a suburbanite now living in Smalltown, USA. I haven’t begun a photography portfolio of it yet, but I plan to start this summer when I have time away from school obligations. Actually, one of the pictures I took with my new point and shoot kind of fits into this category with the old newspaper print shop and vacant lot:
Sorry for the continued double comments. I meant to ask if the vignetting/dark skies in the B&W is the results of the lens or an intentional effect in post processing, or something else? It’s vaguely reminiscent of IR photography.
I used a red filter effect in processing on one shot and simply burned the sky a little on another. The sky was clear blue. Pretty, I guess, but I prefer some clouds for photography. That clear sky also revealed the dust spots on my sensor, aaargh!
Ah, that makes sense. I haven’t had much issue with dust yet, but it’s just a matter of time.
love the pattern & repetition of that first picture. really great!
Thank you so much. I’m a big fan of city abstracts but I don’t get the opportunity too often.